tesla motors

[stessier]

This whole GOM-gate thing is showing that Tesla's lack of a PR department can lead to tangible, real world pain for the company. The amount of FUD around this is really amazing.

[Isgrimnur]

Tesla CFO Zachary Kirkhorn steps down, but will remain with company through year’s end

Vaibhav Taneja was named CFO in addition to his current role as chief accounting officer, the company said in a regulatory filing Monday.
...
Taneja, 45, has been chief accounting officer since March of 2019, and served as controller since May of 2018.

[Exodor]

Tesla ‘phantom braking’ could endanger drivers and those following them. So why aren't they being warned?

The phenomenon, known as "phantom braking," has been documented in videos shared online by Tesla owners. Their vehicles suddenly slam the brakes, often on open roadways, dropping in speed in response to imagined hazards.

Over the past two months, KGW analyzed thousands of federal auto safety complaints, interviewed more than 50 Tesla owners and even tested a vehicle during a 750-mile road trip. Our investigation found incidents of unexpected or "phantom" braking are more widespread than previously reported.

There have been documented cases where phantom braking caused crashes.

In one case, a Tesla Model S suddenly braked in traffic triggering an eight-vehicle pile-up in San Francisco. The November 2022 crash left nine people injured, including a two-year-old child.

In February 2022, a 74-year-old man died after being rear-ended on Interstate 70 in Independence, Missouri. Police reports obtained by KGW showed his Tesla Model 3 unexpectedly slowed from 61 to 12 miles per hour in the middle of a busy interstate.

These vehicles are a danger to everyone on the road. I'm baffled at why this hasn't been addressed by the NHTSA

[Daehawk]

Why does anyone need a car that thinks for itself? Why cant drivers just drive?

[Isgrimnur]

Why does anyone need a car that thinks for itself? Why cant drivers just drive?

Because we still kill 35k+ people a year on the roads.

[Exodor]

Why does anyone need a car that thinks for itself? Why cant drivers just drive?

Because we still kill 35k+ people a year on the roads.

Does that include number of toddlers plowed over by Teslas using FSD?

[Isgrimnur]

I’m sure it’s in there somewhere.

[Jaymann]

At least they solved the trolley problem.

[Exodor]

At least they solved the trolley problem.

If only I had the photoshop skills to replace the trolley with a tesla.

[Isgrimnur]

Tesla wins first US Autopilot trial involving fatal crash

Tesla (TSLA.O) on Tuesday won the first U.S. trial over allegations that its Autopilot driver assistant feature led to a death, a major victory for the automaker as it faces several other lawsuits and federal investigations related to the same technology.

The verdict represents Tesla's second big win this year, in which juries have declined to find that its software was defective. Tesla has been testing and rolling out its Autopilot and more advanced Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, which Chief Executive Elon Musk has touted as crucial to his company's future but which has drawn regulatory and legal scrutiny.

The outcome in civil court shows Tesla's arguments are gaining traction: when something goes wrong on the road, the ultimate responsibility rests with drivers.

The civil lawsuit filed in Riverside County Superior Court alleged the Autopilot system caused owner Micah Lee's Model 3 to suddenly veer off a highway east of Los Angeles at 65 miles per hour (105 km per hour), strike a palm tree and burst into flames, all in the span of seconds.
...
Tesla denied liability, saying Lee consumed alcohol before getting behind the wheel. The electric-vehicle maker also argued it was unclear whether Autopilot was engaged at the time of the crash.

The 12-member jury announced they found the vehicle did not have a manufacturing defect. The verdict came on the fourth day of deliberations, and the vote was 9-3.

[Daehawk]

[Exodor]

Tesla Insurance seems to provide the same quality product as their vehicles:

In February, Mark Bova purchased a used 2018 Tesla Model S. Before leaving the dealer, he bought insurance from Tesla itself, finding the initial $93 monthly premium “really reasonable.”

Sixteen days later, as he drove along the Capital Beltway to his Maryland home, he engaged Autopilot, Tesla’s automated driving system. The car started beeping and lurched left — striking a median and flipping. He escaped through a window as the car filled with smoke. An ambulance rushed him to the hospital with back injuries that later required surgery.

His ordeal isn’t over. Tesla Insurance, launched in 2019 by the electric-car company, has promised policyholders “vastly better” service than rivals, as Tesla chief Elon Musk put it in April 2022. Musk also said he aimed to offer “same-day” collision repairs. But Bova says he has been battling the insurer ever since the crash.

He said he waited seven months for payment on the totaled vehicle and still hasn’t been compensated for about $50,000 in medical expenses. That required a call to the automaker’s product liability department because the crash involved Autopilot, he was told. He waited on hold for hours and got hung up on four times, he said. When someone finally answered, the person promised another callback in two weeks. Four months later, he’s still waiting.

Tesla officials have said they started the insurer to solve a problem: Prospective customers walking away from car sales after getting sky-high insurance quotes, based on the electric vehicles’ high collision-repair costs. Despite promising to revolutionize automobile insurance, Tesla has at times run the business on a shoestring budget, at one point with only about a dozen adjusters who were quickly overwhelmed by hundreds of claims, according to several sources familiar with the insurer’s operations.

The insurer’s problems fit into a pattern of rushed and sloppy management leading to consumer and worker harms across Musk’s empire of technology and manufacturing firms.

It amuses me that the car plowing into a median and flipping with FSD engaged isn't even the worst part of the story.

I do not understand why these deathtraps are allowed on public streets.

[Jaymann]

Strangely enough, way back before Musk flipped his lid, I said they should offer insurance. Too bad it has his taint upon it.

And never, ever, use self driving autopilot.

[Isgrimnur]

Judge says evidence shows Tesla and Elon Musk knew about flawed autopilot system

A Florida judge says a lawsuit against Tesla and its autopilot driving car can go to trial, adding to the company's legal woes over the technology.

Palm Beach County Judge Reid Scott ruled that there was "reasonable evidence" to conclude that Tesla owner and CEO, Elon Musk, and other company executives knew that the vehicle's autopilot system was defective. But they continued to tout its capabilities and sell it anyway.

The suit stems from a deadly crash in 2019, in which Jeremy Banner switched on the autopilot function on his Tesla Model 3 about 10 seconds before it drove under the trailer of a semi-truck. The collision sheared off the top of the car, killing Banner.

[Exodor]

Tesla faces strikes in Sweden unless it signs a collective bargaining agreement

Pressure is growing on Tesla in Sweden, where a trade union is demanding that the Texas-based automaker sign a collective bargaining agreement, which most employees in the Scandinavian country have.

Tesla has no manufacturing plant in Sweden, but 130 members of the powerful metalworkers’ union IF Metall walked out on Oct. 27 at seven workshops across the country where its popular electric cars are serviced.

Other trade unions joined in solidarity, including dockworkers at Sweden’s four largest ports who decided Tuesday to stop the delivery of Tesla vehicles to increase pressure on the automaker to accept the metal workers’ demands.

On Friday, the Painters’ Union said 53 painting companies would not do any work on Tesla vehicles in sympathy with IF Metall. If there is no agreement with Tesla by Tuesday, “a total of 109 companies may be prevented from handling and painting Tesla cars,” it said in a statement.

Another major trade union, the Swedish Union for Service and Communications Employees, said it will halt shipments to Tesla on Nov. 20. Its head, Gabriella Lavecchia, said Tesla is “refusing to comply with the rules of the game here in Sweden,” calling it “completely unacceptable.”

...the strikes by Swedish workers may embolden Tesla’s employees in Germany, where it has a large plant manufacturing electric vehicles and battery cells.

German unions have pressured the company to implement a collective bargaining agreement for its 11,000 workers at the factory near Berlin, according to Reuters.

IG Metall, a powerful German Union, says Tesla pays its workers less than other carmakers in Germany and gets rid of employees who are sick too often. More than 1,000 workers at the factory joined the union during a day of protest last month.

[Exodor]

And never, ever, use self driving autopilot.

The problem is that other drivers don't get to make that choice when some sociopath in a Tesla engages FSD and rams them or stops in the middle of a freeway.

[Jaymann]

And never, ever, use self driving autopilot.

The problem is that other drivers don't get to make that choice when some sociopath in a Tesla engages FSD and rams them or stops in the middle of a freeway.

Good point. I will treat other Teslas as time bombs.

[Exodor]

Today is CyberTruk launch day!

Going great so far

It’s anyone’s guess how much of a success or failure the truck will be, though the fact that at time of writing there is, incredibly, still no official information about price or battery capacity doesn’t bode well. But we can conclude that the Cybertruck is just possibly the dumbest vehicle ever produced. Here’s why.

Let’s start with the Cybertruck’s body panels, which are made of stainless steel. That is a nightmare for several reasons. First, it is quite a bit harder than ordinary steel, making it difficult to shape and machine. When Ford experimented with stainless steel in the mid-20th century, they discovered that the metal would eventually break the dies they used to press their door panels. Tesla has had to cut the sheets with lasers and bend them into shape, which is undoubtedly more expensive.

Second, there is cost. The chromium and nickel alloys typically used to make steel stainless—that is, resistant to corrosion—are expensive, at about $11,700 and $18,300 per metric ton, respectively, as compared to about $800 for steel. And while stainless steel is resistant to dents, that also means that if it is dented it is difficult and costly to repair.

Incidentally, automakers have long since developed techniques to combat rust that are roughly equivalent to stainless alloys, like galvanizing the steel (that is, applying a zinc coating) and improved paint. Indeed, stainless steel itself is not entirely rustproof, as anyone with a stainless knife or cutlery has likely discovered. Leave it under a damp surface like a cloth (or leaf, or bird poop) for too long, and it will start to corrode.

Third and perhaps most importantly, stainless steel is much stiffer than the ordinary stuff, which makes it dangerous. Since the 1950s at least, automakers have understood that stiffer cars are more dangerous to people inside and outside the car, because in a crash they deliver energy to other parties rather than absorbing it. In early crash test experiments with more heavily built cars, collisions often did only minor damage to the car but turned the test dummies into paste. Since then, cars have been designed with progressively more sophisticated crumple zones to absorb impact forces. Musk’s boasts of a Cybertruck “exoskeleton,” if true, are a recipe for gruesome carnage.

These problems are why nobody has used stainless steel for car bodies since the DeLorean four decades ago, and they’re almost certainly why the Cybertruck has taken more than four years to come to market. And while the DeLorean car has a cult following (almost entirely because of the Back to the Future films), it was also slow, unreliable, and plagued with quality control problems. That is why it was only produced for three years, sold just 9,000 units, and bankrupted the company producing it.

Elon Musk, incomprehensibly, made all these problems even worse by insisting the Cybertruck use an exceptionally hard variety of stainless steel, while making it thicker than average. The Wall Street Journal reports that this has led to even more major manufacturing challenges, as the material is even more difficult to shape and machine, and has a tendency to spring back into its original shape after being installed. (At least if Cybertruck owners are mangled beyond recognition after their Autopilot system drives them into a semitruck, they might get to hear a Looney Tunes-esque “boing!” in their final moments as all the panels pop into curved shapes at once.)

[Zaxxon]

Exodor, you may want to consider taking a step back from the edge, my friend.

[Exodor]

Exodor, you may want to consider taking a step back from the edge, my friend.

Why? Tesla is providing me endless entertainment.

[JCC]

My first reaction to the unveiling of the Cybertruck was: Why did he make it look like a vehicle from a PS1 game? I LOLed when the article repeated it. I have a buddy who wants it, so I am guessing I will eventually ride in one.

[Zaxxon]

Specs, kinda, are out. As expected by me, a significant miss vs the original pricing even after taking inflation-since-2019 into account. Cool to see the vehicle-to-home and onboard 240V 48A power options. Range is a mixed bag IMO--340 miles is cool but will certainly drop considerably under heavy tow load, and the closest to the 500-mile touted top-end is a range-extended dual-motor variant at 470 mi with an add-on battery upsize option that by my guesstimate must total ~50 kWh. Won't be cheap.

I await early reviews (including MKBHD who has had early access since at least yesterday) with

[stessier]

So about 270 and 400 miles respectively taking in the Tesla discount factor.

[LordMortis]

I await early reviews (including MKBHD who has had early access since at least yesterday) with

Is that the guy you post who does the road tripping with the various EVs? If so, I look forward as well. Especially as he gave rave reviews the Lightning, good reviews to the RIVIAN, while he Meh'd the Mach E. That suggests to me, first he's run the gamut, and second he not just someone with BEV stars in his eyes.

[Zaxxon]

I await early reviews (including MKBHD who has had early access since at least yesterday) with

Is that the guy you post who does the road tripping with the various EVs? If so, I look forward as well. Especially as he gave rave reviews the Lightning, good reviews to the RIVIAN, while he Meh'd the Mach E. That suggests to me, first he's run the gamut, and second he not just someone with BEV stars in his eyes.

No, that's Kyle Conner. I'd really like to see his thoughts, but AFAIK he hasn't gotten to drive one yet. He was at the event today, though, so I'm sure we'll get some commentary in a video soon.

MKBHD is the biggest tech Youtuber in existence. I've posted some of his videos, but he's not the one you're thinking of. He's not quite as nerded out into the underlying tech as Kyle Conner, but he tends to have a good feel for the success of products in general.

[Zaxxon]

[Zaxxon]

Here's MKBHD's initial take:

[Zaxxon]

Top Gear:

[Jaymann]

There's no truck bed. How is this any different than an armored Subaru?

[Zaxxon]

There's no truck bed. How is this any different than an armored Subaru?

There's a 6-ft truck bed.

[Jaymann]

Can you drive it with the back open for hauling?

[Zaxxon]

Can you drive it with the back open for hauling?

Certainly seems that way, but neither of the vids I've watched so far have actually hauled things.

[LordMortis]

The demo videos back when showed it hauling 2 motorcycles in the bed and towing I forget what at the same time to demonstrate its comparability with the F150 and Silverado. Of course, that was a demo from well over a year ago maybe longer.

[stessier]

Out of Spec's review is up.

[Zaxxon]

Sure, post it while I’m in a meeting and can’t watch…

[Zaxxon]

Good video.

Also:

The demo videos back when showed it hauling 2 motorcycles in the bed and towing I forget what at the same time to demonstrate its comparability with the F150 and Silverado. Of course, that was a demo from well over a year ago maybe longer.

After looking more closely at the current site, you can definitely roll with the back open.

[Zaxxon]

[Jeff V]

So the price more than doubled and delivery not until 2025. A friend who's a bigger Tesla fanboi than Zax is not amused that he's on the hook for a 6-figure truck he preordered at under $40K.

[Zaxxon]

Much more detail from this crew:



Looking forward to the 48V / 800V / steer-by-wire stuff trickling down to the 3.

[LawBeefaroni]

Looking forward to the 48V / 800V / steer-by-wire stuff trickling down to the 3.

100% steer by wire makes me uneasy.