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TESLA TIDBITS – DID YOU KNOW?

By Model 3, Technology, Tesla

Here are some fascinating facts that we were shocked to discover most people are not aware of when talking about Tesla. Did you know about all these interesting tidbits?

  • Model S P100D is the fastest production sedan on the planet
  • It goes 0 to 60 mph or 0 to 100 km/h in 2.2 seconds
  • It stops from 60 mph to 0 or 100 km/h to 0 in the same time
  • This makes it the only production sedan in the world that stops as fast as it gets to 100 kmh
  • It does a 1/4 mile in 10.5 seconds
  • Its top speed is 155 mph or 250 km/h
  • The launch control (Ludicrous mode) actually creates 1.4 G-force!
  • Jumping out of a plane in free fall creates 1G and launching a La Ferrari or P1 Maclaren creates 1.2 G’s
  • The Model S is the safest vehicle ever tested and it actually broke NHTSA’s testing machines
  • The Model X is the safest SUV ever tested and it was near impossible to make it roll over
  • This is due to the large ‘crumple zone’ in the front due to the lack of an engine, the low centre of gravity due to the battery on the bottom, the lowest drag coefficient of any vehicle making it near impossible to flip and the perfect weight distribution that is also achievable due to the lack of a heavy engine in the front or back of other cars. The battery base also acts as a large absorber to any hits from the sides
Tesla Model S in Midnight Silver
  • Tesla started in 2004
  • Their first car was the Tesla Roadster launched in 2008
  • Their second car was the Tesla Model S launched in 2012
  • Their third car was the Tesla Model X launched in 2015
  • Their latest car is the Tesla Model 3 which got the most reservations or preorders of any product in human history. This was before it was even revealed
  • Their future sports car, the Tesla Roadster 2.0 will be the fastest car on the planet doing 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds!
  • Tesla is now a Fortune 500 company (no. 383 to be exact)
  • Tesla dethroned BMW to become the 4th largest car manufacturer by market cap near the end of 2018 (Toyota, Daimler, VW are the top 3)

Most people are not aware of these facts. If you didn’t know, now you do. Get ready for a future of Tesla Everything. You have been warned. . .


Evoto Rentals is the evolution of the car rental industry. We offer EV rentals; mainly Tesla rentals, through a seamless & quick online booking solution.

We are a team of Tesla enthusiasts & EV evangelists committed to a clean, eco-friendly future with sustainable transport & clean energy. Experience the advanced tech of a quiet, safe & comfortable ride in a luxury all electric Tesla today at www.evoto.ca

THE PROBLEM WITH THE 35K STANDARD MODEL 3

By Model 3, Technology, Tesla

Most automobile manufacturers from Toyota to BMW have an entry level car. Their strategy is to get you into their eco system so you stay with them as you grow. Whether you get a larger family, or land a promotion, they expect you to upgrade. In the BMW example, you can start with the 3 series, move into the 5 series or X series SUV if you have a family. You can then aspire to a more sporty vehicle like the M3, M5, the 4 series or the 6 series. Towards your retirement, you can end up with the large 7 series.

I can understand Tesla is trying to offer an entry level sedan at 35K (where the average car in the US is 37K) for similar reasons. This vehicle will appear to the average consumer and will act as an entry into the Tesla brand and ecosystem. As you grow, you can always upgrade to a larger battery, faster Model 3 or even jump to a Model S or Model X as your family grows.

However, in the BMW example, the faster more expensive cars of one model are highly differentiated from their entry level counterpart. The BMW M3 looks very distinct from the regular BMW 3 series. And herein lies the problem with the Tesla Model 3 . A fully decked out Performance Model 3 will cost 69,500 USD excluding taxes. That is nearly double the entry level Model 3 yet there is no spoiler, wing or badging to show the difference.

I believe the 35K Model 3 is a great addition to the Tesla line up. But I wonder how many Performance Model 3 owners will feel knowing that they are paying double for aesthetically the same looking car with no differentiation.


Disclaimer: Evoto does not own any Performance Model 3’s but all our Tesla’s are dual motor for maximum safety during Canada’s harsh winters. Our Model 3’s are Long Range fully loaded Dual motor Model 3’s.

HOW OUR TESLA WAS STOLEN IN CANADA, SHIPPED ACROSS THE WORLD AND WE GOT IT BACK

By Clean Energy, Technology, Tesla

A while ago, a renter used a fake id and burner cell phone to rent a Tesla from us. They paid using a prepaid credit card for a long rental. But they had other plans.

They took the car to a crater / container packaging & shipping company to have it packed in a container to ship to the Middle East.

Our rental cars are set up in a way where no one can disable the remote monitoring. So we were able to track the car to the shipping company.
Following the paperwork, we were able to uncover the destination of where our Tesla was heading and the container & ship it was on.

We got suspicious when the rented car was at that location for a few days without movement.

The Tesla app locator helped us get a warrant to search the place
We involved the local police and went to seize the car but we had just missed them and the car was on a ship to the Middle East. The ship literally had just sailed.

 

 

Our management and lawyers then involved RCMP and INTERPOL (not an easy task) and the container was seized in Italy and shipped back to us.
Of course this was after lots of lawyer work and paperwork across the ocean, but our Tesla came back in one piece.

We are not sure why car thieves think they can steal a GPS enabled Tesla and ship it to another country where Tesla can disable supercharging and other features of the car making it obsolete.

Toronto and Montreal have also had record high car thefts and what is referred to as friendly fraud (renting a car under false pretence) in the past few years due to the close access to the Montreal port for shipping as well as minimal repercussions of the crime. There is also a political tug of war between the border authorities and local authorities over who needs to manage this, as well as a lack of funding & time to scan each container but that is a whole other story.
Source: Border officers frustrated at inaction over stolen cars being exported through Montreal

(The stolen Tesla was put with another ICE car in a container designated to carry scrap metal). In the end, we would like to thank Tesla Montreal, Tesla California, our lawyers in Canada & Italy, SPVM, RCMP, Italian police & INTERPOL for helping us get our Tesla back.

I guess the record remains great at 113 out of 116 stolen Teslas retrieved! Source: Stolen Tesla vehicles in the US have almost all been recovered: 112 out of 115

Today we run background checks on every customer & have a second GPS tracking system on our fleet of all Tesla models; S, X and 3

How Tesla will become the world’s next most valuable company

By Clean Energy, Clean Energy, Technology, Technology, Tesla, Tesla

It is said that most people who fight change & disruption are always the “experts” in their fields. Disruptions happen really fast & those ‘experts’ almost always never see it coming. Disruption can be defined as a convergence of technologies that make it possible for companies to put together products & services that create new markets & radically transform, weaken or destroy existing industries.

A few examples are how cars replaced horses in 13 years in NYC. One of the leading consulting firms was off by a factor of 120x when they were hired by AT&T in 1985 to predict the market size or customer adoption of the then newly invented mobile phone within 15 years. Kodak was bankrupt within 12 years when they didn’t anticipate the disruption of the digital camera.

One thing we know, is that technology disrupts everything. This is due to Moore’s law and how compute power decreases in cost every 18 months. Sensors, AI, AR, VR, IOT, machine learning, robotics, energy storage, 3D printing, big data & nano satellite technologies will become the prime reason industries such as healthcare, transportation, travel and many others will be disrupted within the next 20 years. Business model innovation is also as disruptive as technology innovation when we think of Uber, Airbnb, Instacart, Amazon, Deliveroo and all the new apps that are joining the sharing economy.

Tesla is constantly mistaken as a car manufacturer when its much more than that. Tesla is closed ecosystem of many products & services. Tesla as a company is best positioned on the cusp of big disruptions coming to several industries. They are involved in disruptive energy & transportation. This includes batteries, solar, rockets, hyperloops, tunnels and electric vehicles, and we haven’t even discussed autonomous driving.

Though Tesla’s mission is to advance the advent of sustainable transport, I believe its much deeper than that. I believe they want to advance sustainable energy which they need to power their cars. But this will grow into powering homes, cars, planes, rockets and even cities. This is what everyone is missing. Tesla is not just the world’s first sustainable car or transportation company. It is the world’s first vertically integrated sustainable energy company

Solar creates energy, power wall batteries store energy, Superchargers distribute this energy and their cars use the energy. They have reinvented the manufacturing process by redesigning the traditional factory and re-engineering the “machines that build the machines”

Elon Musk hasn’t even started to work on maximizing efficiency of their global supply chain which he said he would do.

Energy storage disruption will come about as the cost of lithium ion batteries go down, the cost of solar power + batteries will go down to an expected 1$ per day for residential users by 2025. As prices go down, every house, warehouse, building, factory, mall & office building will switch to electric power when its cheaper than the grid. The problem with the traditional grid that created energy from burning fossil fuels was during peak times. Battery storage disrupted this concept with solar roofs + batteries. Users are already selling back their excess power back to the utility companies in European countries. Even if individual customers don’t consider “Rooftop Solar” which will be cheaper than the cost of transmission of regular electricity, companies & governments will consider “Distributed Solar” & “Utility Scale Solar” when its cheaper than the cost of electricity from the grid because it makes selfish economic sense.

 

Solar Power Costs — Courtesy of Deutsche Bank & Tony Seba

Tesla has already proven it plans to operate in all these solar markets with their home solar panels, their government battery farms in Hawaii and California as well as the possible projects in China & Australia.

This focus on residential & commercial solar will be the catalyst that pushes Tesla to become the largest utility energy company in the world. It was always about energy. The cars are just the means that will create the demand for the energy. This way Tesla will create and fulfil its own supply & demand in a better way than the status quo, the open up their products & services to the masses.

Tesla’s cars will also come down in price. When they can provide Porsche performance at lower prices with long ranges, regular gas car manufacturers will not be able to compete. After launching a semi, a truck, a mid-priced sedan (Model 3) and a cross over (Model Y), Tesla will probably launch a low-priced compact hatch back to become a full spectrum car manufacturer and take the top spot ahead of Toyota (Tesla is already the 4th largest car maker after Toyota, Daimler & VW based on market cap)

Their supercharger network will soon become greater than the number of all gas stations combined in the US.

Just this year, they plan to double the estimated 5,000 of them they already have on major highways and will soon have them inside major cities. Not to mention, they will speed up the charge speed which is already pretty fast. This does not include the current 10,000 “destination” chargers that are also planned to be increased to 15,000 as well.

Whether the US and Donald Trump come back to the Paris Climate Accord or not, the cat is out of the bag. People want a cleaner, eco-friendly and sustainable future. Those that don’t care for the environment, will also come on board for the shear economics of costs and efficiency. Regardless of the cost of gas, fuel, coal or oil, all the large car manufacturers, oil companies, old energy / utility companies from the past will be dethroned and they will be left sitting on products & services no one wants due to a better, cleaner and cheaper alternatives that make selfish economic sense

Thus, Tesla in not only disrupting the automobile industry, rather they are disrupting energy, and that, will be the biggest gold mine of all time. Tesla will emerge as the leader in the car, trucking, utility, energy, power and travel industries among many others. This will make it the most valuable company in the world.

In the end, most people consider Tesla a car manufacturer. The biggest clue is the man the company is named after; Nikola Tesla (who invented A.C current), was all about energy. If dropping the “motors” from their name was any indication, they will emerge to become a melange of the following:

  • A clean energy & power utility provider (solar panels, batteries, roofs, superchargers)
  • A private, public & universal transportation carrier (trucks, trains, buses, rockets & possibly planes)
  • A road & tunnelling construction company (Hyperloop, Boring company)
  • An insurance company (Tesla already started insuring its own cars)
  • A sensor company (best in class sensors for their Autopilot driving)
  • An AI company (Neuralink & autonomous driving)
  • A global telecommunications company & ISP (low orbit satellite internet)
  • As well as a car, truck and plane manufacturer.

Watch out for the coming age of light & Tesla everything. You have been warned. . .

Tesla’s ‘Apple Effect’ and how similar both companies’ customers are

By Apple Effect, Tesla

Tesla’s Apple Moment, Apple Effect and the true difference

There have been many articles comparing Tesla to Apple and going far enough to claim that Tesla’s “Apple Moment” will be when they launch the Model 3. Different reporters have made the metaphor citing the long lineups for the Model 3 similar to those lineups for the iPhone. The reporters on CNBC’s Fast Money went as far as to say Tesla was a “hype stock” and that it would be wise “to at least take some money off the table” back when Tesla’s stock was at $229 US. You can watch the video here: http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000505824

However, nothing could be further from the truth. Just because people line up for a product launch & there is great customer anticipation of these products doesn’t make the companies or their stock any similar. People lined up for Adidas’s Yeezy shoes, Snapchat’s Sunglasses, and yes even Supreme’s Brick yet these companies remain quite different

The truth is Tesla is similar to Apple but not due to its lineups and definitely not due to its stock movements. It is not merely a fleeting “Apple Moment” but rather, an eternal “Apple Effect”.

The similarity lies in the customer experience and how the two companies treat their customers. Furthermore, their customers are very similar:

  • Both companies manage and control the whole customer experience throughout the sales cycle. They both don’t rely on dealers or franchises but open their own stores in each territory
  • Both companies enjoy enormous brand equity where the perception of the brand is matched or surpassed by the reality. They both charge a premium for their brands
  • Both companies built a closed ecosystem of products & services which lures customers into it with one gateway product; (the iPhone or the Tesla car)
  • The sales cycle from their websites to their stores are top notch. Their after sale experience is second to none with Apple’s Genius Bar & Tesla’s Service Centres. This is enforced throughout the corporate culture engrained into each company
  • Both companies listen, and quickly adapt to their customers. Elon Muskreplies and actions Tweet suggestions while Tim Cook replies and considers customer emails
  • Most importantly, customers of both these companies do something, few other companies have ever experienced: When there is a defect or default in their products, customers do not complain, bitch or moan. They merely mention the issue with a smile on their face and are happy to get it fixed. They almost feel like its a privilege to have such products, and feel bad for those that haven’t experienced it
  • This makes these customers die hard fans or fanatics just like when a person is a lifetime fan of a sports team, they never bad mouth their home team or switch sides to support another. They stick with them through the thick and thin, making all Apple / Tesla owners a tribe, a community that feel a strong sense of belonging and are the greatest mouth piece any advertiser can ever buy.

This is not to say that Tesla will also have its “Apple Moment”. If you define Apple’s “Apple Moment” as the time it went from a niche to the mainstream, I would argue the real moment was not when the iPhone was released but rather when Steve Jobs launched iTunes on Windows. This allowed the iPod to be accessible to everyone, not just Mac users. This “Moment” for Tesla will not be when the Model 3 comes out, but rather when (if) Elon Musk opens up the Supercharger Network to all electric car users and sell adaptors that go the other way: From Tesla connectors to those used by the Leaf, Prius, Bolt and all other EVs.

Tesla is ‘actively talking to other automakers’ about opening up its Supercharger network, says CTO JB Straubel

This will partially help in making Tesla the world’s most valuable company. You can read more on this in my other article: “How Tesla will become the world’s most valuable company”

While the “Apple Moment” is a turning point in history, the “Apple Effect” is an end result defined by the relentless struggle to master the perfect customer experience.

Elon Musk’s Secret Master Plan — Part 3 Predictions

By Clean Energy, Technology, Tesla

If we use the first 2 parts of the ‘Master Plan’ as an indication to our prediction, we have to start with the objective. Elon Musk had an elegant plan to reach his self confessed goal of accelerating the advent of sustainable transport. In a stroke of genius, he started with a sexy & pricey roadster to prove EV’s can look great. He knew that he had to create a network that boasts the possibility of driving from coast to coast in the US even though most people would rather fly than drive from LA to NYC.

  • He then launched the Model S & X for the luxury market so the wealthy early adaptors, rich and famous celebrities and personalities can adapt them while the rest of us can aspire to them
  • When he got the money from the above, he invested in the Gigafactories to pump out the Model 3 & Model Y to open his brand to the masses
  • He has already disclosed his lateral shift to offer other segments of the automobile market to offer Pick up trucks, Semi’s & buses
  • If we agree that cars solve terrestrial short haul travel, we can see that in parallel to the above, Elon Musk has also devised concepts for Tunnel Boring & Hyperloop to solve terrestrial medium and long haul travel. If that is not enough, he created SpaceX to use re-deployable rockets to solve space travel

 

Tesla Model Y Teaser

Tesla Model Y Teaser

This covers “Master Plan” Parts 1 & 2. Here are our predictions for Part 3:

  • Tesla will create buses for the roads, trains for the Hyperloops and pods for their underground tunnels
  • As battery advancement increases range, they will create (private &a commercial) electric planes
  • Tesla will also build luxury electric speed boats and larger electric yachts
  • Tesla will then offer an autonomous self driving taxi or Uber type service through their app
  • Finally, once their Supercharger Network is larger than all gas stations in the US, they will open it up for all other electric cars for charging at a fee and build / sell adaptors that those users can use to connect their electric non Tesla cars. By then, just like the gas car replaced the horse, the electric vehicle would have become mainstream and would have replaced the gas car.

In the end, most people consider Tesla a car manufacturer. If dropping the “motors” from their name was any indication, they will emerge to become a melange of the following:

  • A clean energy & power utility provider (solar power, batteries, roofs, superchargers)
  • A global & universal transportation carrier,
  • A road, tunnel & hyperloop construction company,
  • An insurance company,
  • A sensor company,
  • An AI company
  • As well as a car, truck and plane manufacturer.

In Lehman’s terms, they will be the equivalent of Shell, Exxon Mobile, Esso, Maersk, Boeing, AMTrack, Bechtel, Pratt & Whitney, GEICO, NASA, NVIDIA, Qualcomm and about 5 car & truck manufacturers combined

Nikola Tesla never received his share of stardom for inventing AC or alternating current or the electric motor among many other fascinating things. Now, at least the legacy of his name lives through Elon Musk’s company.

Watch out for the coming age of light & Tesla everything. You have been warned…

How the Tesla Model 3 will revolutionize the car industry

By Model 3, Technology, Tesla

Most people think of Tesla as a luxury brand catering to the high end luxury car market, and they are correct. . . for now. Tesla is currently competing with the Mercedes S class with its Tesla Model S and the BMW X5 (and possibly) the BMW X6 with their Tesla Model X.

However, most people seem to forget that Elon Musk’s dream has always been to build an affordable electric car priced for mass market production but with compelling range, style & brand equity. Tesla’s head of engineering; Doug Field said:

“Everything in the car is designed to be assembled very easily. Automation and robots are a big part of it, so that we can make very high volumes in a relatively small factory” — Doug Field, Tesla Engineering

The Tesla Model 3 will compete with the likes of the BMW 3 series, Audi’s A4 and the Mercedes C Class. This makes it an aspirational entry level car to get into the Tesla brand. If we consider that the average price of a new vehicle in the US is about $33,000 USD, Elon priced his car with a slight “Tesla Premium” at a starting price of 35,000 USD. It is easier to make, has a better supply chain and expanded mobile service

If you compare Tesla to Apple, the Model 3 is more like the iPhone SE . Its simpler and more affordable than a Model S, but it doesn’t mean it will be cheap or slow.

The reason the Model 3 is a turning point that will shake the automobile industry is because the highly nimble / automated factory, production line, supply chain and all the work behind the scenes will prove to them that Tesla is truly a major player capable of mass market efficient production. Delivering on the Model 3 will prove Tesla is no longer a niche brand for a niche market, but rather a true contender with a 100% electric car gone mainstream.

 

Model 3 — Red Release Candidate

Model 3 — Red Release Candidate

“Some people don’t like change, but you need to embrace change if the alternative is disaster” — Elon Musk

Most skeptics will continue to dismiss Tesla and the 100% electric car. However, just as Ford’s Model T was the cause for the dynamic shift from the horse drawn carriage to the ICE (internal combustion engine car) back in 1913, Tesla’s Model 3 will be the catalyst for change that propels electric vehicles into the mainstream.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It turns out, most people — regardless of their feelings (or lack thereof) for the environment — will almost always overlook the higher upfront cost of anything in favour of a more lower running cost. This is because it makes selfish economic sense and translates into huge savings over the long run. The secret for most consumers lies in the lifetime savings they stand to save from the decrease of those on-going running cost as well as the added value they stand to gain from the new technology . Horses in this example had huge running costs. They had to be cared for, fed, groomed, cleaned, kept in stables not to mention the inconvenience of dealing with their manure. That was why people transitioned from the horse and that is why people will transition to electric cars, with the affordable Model 3.

If we add to this the decreasing cost of batteries, the increasing range of said batteries and the improving speed of charge time; we get get a revolution of electric vehicles powered by the catalyst that is the Tesla Model 3