In the second quarter of 2018 Tesla’s goal was to produce and produce between 50,000 and 55,000 Model 3 sedans, and deliver even more. There have been parking lots all over the US filling up with Model 3s that have not yet been delivered. In light of that, Elon Musk recently tweeted that the company has moved from Production Hell to Delivery Hell.
As a German engineer, I am today more than ever concerned about the ability of our auto industry to survive and prosper. I write this as a person who loves his country, the people, and my fast German car, a true masterpiece of technology.
One of the things that irks me about supposed Tesla critics is that many of them pretend to be idiots and pretend that everyone else is an idiot.
But it’s actually not just about Tesla — it’s EV critics and concern trolls in general.
As many an astute reader of Pravduh has noticed, the explicit or implicit smear campaign against Tesla has shifted over the years. From the Model S to the Model 3’s arrival, much of the attack was focused on Tesla’s ability to produce cars and Tesla’s financing. While that fun nonsense hasn’t gone away, this year has seen a strong rise in attacks on Elon.
This is the third publication of what the CleanTechnica team calls #Pravduh About #Tesla. For those who somehow missed it, about 4 months ago, Elon Musk got fed up with so much of the media publishing FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) articles about Tesla, and in some cases outright misinformation, that he got an idea.
The top-of-the-line Tesla Model S is quicker than the top-of-the-line Tesla Model 3, zipping from 0–60 mph in a cool & easy 2.5 seconds rather than the Model 3 Performance’s 3.5 seconds. However, as I’ve emphasized many times when comparing various cars, numbers on a screen only tell you so much.
Climate XChange, a non-profit focused on climate action via carbon pricing, is hosting a raffle and you can win a Tesla Model X, Model S, or Model 3 for the New Year.
Confused? I had fun with the “Tesla killer” nonsense a couple of weeks ago, and also with a decade of claims that Tesla was about to be dead (aka bankrupt), but a recent tweet or two stimulated yet one more Morning Monkey Business piece on these topics.
The top 20 CleanTechnica articles of the past week were a wild bunch, with much love for an electric tractor story, a BMW gasmobile sales slump, Tesla Pickup speculation, and much more. Have a look:
Tesla’s vehicles have earned rave reviews from just about every major automotive authority. However, there are plenty of car guys (and, presumably, gals) out there who still haven’t warmed up to a Tesla, or any electric vehicle. Some petrol-heads of this persuasion are to be found at Top Gear, the UK car guys that famously fought it out in the courtroom with Tesla back in 2008 (as told in a certain book). “As much as we admire BEVs, not one has yet landed that genuinely stirs the emotions like our old friend internal combustion,” writes Top Gear’s Jason Barlow in a recent article.
