[TrevP]

I'll use this thread to keep everyone updated on Tesla's production situation.

On the financial call this evening Elon said they have completed the factory production line layout and explain be installing production equipment soon.

He also mentioned they are already testing vehicle chassis and systems and that testing will be ongoing.

Part suppliers that need long lead times have been selected and are on the ball. CFO also mentioned they have ordered lots of parts already which explains their large payables.

Model 3 is still on time for second half 2017 production start.

Elon said the ramp up would be a bit bumpy but they expect it to smooth out quickly.

 

[teslaliving]

While I'd like my Model3 as soon as possible, I think being outside of the West Coast will provide one benefit -- avoiding the early production issues/quality control things. I got my S in early 2014 and from what I've heard I missed a good bit of noise from 2013 that I wouldn't have enjoyed. I'm guessing they'll get it under control more quickly with the 3, but not being in the first 1,000 deliveries is probably a good thing.

 

[Michael Russo]

While I'd like my Model3 as soon as possible, I think being outside of the West Coast will provide one benefit -- avoiding the early production issues/quality control things. I got my S in early 2014 and from what I've heard I missed a good bit of noise from 2013 that I wouldn't have enjoyed. I'm guessing they'll get it under control more quickly with the 3, but not being in the first 1,000 deliveries is probably a good thing.

Yet not having to wait much longer two years from now would also be sweet... This is where we Europeans feel so remote... :-(

 

[TrevP]

While I'd like my Model3 as soon as possible, I think being outside of the West Coast will provide one benefit -- avoiding the early production issues/quality control things. I got my S in early 2014 and from what I've heard I missed a good bit of noise from 2013 that I wouldn't have enjoyed. I'm guessing they'll get it under control more quickly with the 3, but not being in the first 1,000 deliveries is probably a good thing.

Exactly.

 

[MelindaV]

Yet not having to wait much longer two years from now would also be sweet... This is where we Europeans feel so remote... :-(

but while you wait, you can find something old and pretty to look at

 

[Michael Russo]

but while you wait, you can find something old and pretty to look at

Yep, and how about that?

 

[Michael Russo]

Yep, and how about that?

Though as of early '18, I'll also be driving something old and not so pretty... Something like this, for instance...?

 

[TrevP]

How about something new and unreliable?

 

[Michael Russo]

How about something new and unreliable? View attachment 651

Tempting.... but no thanks...

 

[garsh]

How about something that can just barely make it to work in a snowstorm after five years?
(can everybody see the image?)

 

[Michael Russo]

How about something that can just barely make it to work in a snowstorm after five years?
(can everybody see the image?)

LOL! Really? I see where this is going.... We're all going to share our gallery of 'deplorables' and thereby reaffirm why we are so patiently waiting!!

 

[Gilberto Pe-Curto]

Anyway, enough of Diesel for me.
Almost same price as gasoline here now...
And I don't do the miles I used to on weekend rides...

 

[Dan Detweiler]

I've been a Volt for the past 4 years. It's been great. Done exactly what I expected it to do. Time for the real deal now. My Model 3 will be coming just in time for me to pass the Volt down to my teenage son. Can't wait.

Dan

 

[garsh]

LOL! Really? I see where this is going.... We're all going to share our gallery of 'deplorables' and thereby reaffirm why we are so patiently waiting!!

Yep.
I actually like the Leaf. But the battery degradation is a real pain. I find myself wanting to use it for more than just commuting, but the reduction in range over the years means that there are fewer trips that it's capable of making than when it was new.

 

[Mark C]

Yep.
I actually like the Leaf. But the battery degradation is a real pain. I find myself wanting to use it for more than just commuting, but the reduction in range over the years means that there are fewer trips that it's capable of making than when it was new.

When I test drove the Leaf, my wife & I both liked it a lot. As we started working out the "how to pay for it" part, I read enough horror stories on battery degradation that I decided to skip the Leaf entirely. It seems noticable degradation isn't limited to the desert Southwest like some suggested.

Sorry to hear it isn't what you hoped it would be.

 

[garsh]

Sorry to hear it isn't what you hoped it would be.

To be fair, I bought it just to be the "commute to work" car. I could make a round-trip within the car's range (with free charging at work). And I figured that if the battery were to degrade a lot, I would still be fine by just charging both at home and at work. It's worked great in that role.

I just like driving an electric vehicle so much that I want to use it for every trip and errand.

 

[Harvey Payne]

Yep.
I actually like the Leaf. But the battery degradation is a real pain. I find myself wanting to use it for more than just commuting, but the reduction in range over the years means that there are fewer trips that it's capable of making than when it was new.

My 2014 LEAF is much better. I have over 30k miles and haven't lost a bar yet. Still, San Diego is very large and I actually live in a more rural part of the county. I can't even make a round trip to the airport without a charge. Fortunately, I do have the CHAdeMO charger on the car and I use it frequently when traveling around the county.

I so look forward to next April when my lease is up on the LEAF to getting the new Chevy Bolt. That will be a great run-around town car. The NEXT year though, the lease on the Fiat is up and of course, I'll get my Model 3 -- hopefully around the same time the lease is up on the Fiat. The Model 3 will not only be a run-around car, but our car for distance driving. I am so looking forward to our first cross country trip in the Model 3.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Recently heard a rumour, yes rumour, that the 3 would be constructed using steel body panels and not aluminum. Has anyone heard anything that would either confirm or deny this?

 

[garsh]

Recently heard a rumour, yes rumour, that the 3 would be constructed using steel body panels and not aluminum. Has anyone heard anything that would either confirm or deny this?

Sounds like the body panels are probably going to be aluminum.
http://www.caranddriver.com/tesla/model-3
The Model S and Model X are primarily aluminum, but that's an expensive material and, at the Model 3's price, a tough cost challenge. Even so, during our brief test ride, we quietly touched a small magnet to various outer panels, the inner doors, and the structural pillar between the doors and got not a single quiver of attraction. A Tesla engineer told us the car is a mix of steel and aluminum but refused to elaborate. Unless the prototypes we sat in were made from nonproduction materials, there's not much steel in that body.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

So, it might be a steel aluminum alloy?