Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Non-Petro Discussions Non-petro Discussion and Showcase HOW THE TESLA IS MADE.

Technology has always amazed me. Especially companies that utilize cutting edge innovation and technologies. In my opinion this is incredibly cool...

Here's a look inside the Fremont, California factory where an army of massive, robotic arms transform giant rolls of aluminum into a Tesla Model S.

http://devour.com/video/how-a-tesla-is-made/

That's amazing. Can you imagine the start-up cost and the risk for a company like that.

Thanks for sharing.

I was thinking the same. Must have had a rock solid business plan. The amount of money to get that factory going would be mind boggling. Must have been difficult to bring investors on board as very few independent auto manufacturers are successful.

Might be a good time for me to "come out". I own 9 gas pumps and don't burn gas in my car.

I bought a Tesla Model S last fall. Absolutely the best car I've ever owned (and I've had a lot). The acceleration is unbelievable - smooth (no transmission) and solid. There are very few cars on the road that are quicker.

The vision - primarily by Elon Musk is pretty amazing. A real great success story. So far looks like he is going to pull this off.

A great ride - and made in Americal!

Ray

Ray , have they found the cause of the fires? Bad press for a great car.

The fires were really blown out of proportion in my opinion - I believe there were only two (less than for equivalent miles traveled in conventional cars) and they were both pretty major impacts and in neither case did the fire effect the passenger compartment. Pretty much as designed.

There was a lot of thought put into safety on the Tesla - I certainly feel safe in mine.

Ray

Awesome video.
Thanks for posting it.

I was able to find this write-up from 2010:

http://www.teslamotors.com/it_IT/about/press/releases/tesla-hires-toyota-manufacturing-expert

Hen

Cool looking cars and defiantly easy to spot. Their headlights are as unique as the rest of the car. There are a bunch in the Chicago area, and a Tesla store in the mall right by my house. Me and my dad have been talking about the possibility of how all manufactures may switch over to the Tesla approach, sell directly to the consumer, and cut dealers out, have test drive stations and stores in places like the mall.
I do have a few questions about Tesla though.
Is the price set like at CarMax or is there negotiation?
Do they finance?
What about trade ins?
How long does the battery last? Isn't the battery the floor of the car? To replace it do they need to remove the body?

Here are 2 neat articles that you may want to read.
http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/magic-tesla-roadster-regenerative-braking
http://www.dallasnews.com/business/autos...se-in-texas.ece

Tyler... No negotations - the price is set (like buying from Amazon).

They have a way to do financing and tradeins but I'm not familiar with them.

The battery is below the floor - its warranteed but I can't remember for how long. They have demonstrated changing the battery in 3 minutes (or something) with robots.

Ray

Ray I have a buddy who has one, the S model( 85 KwH battery), and he thinks like you do. Sweetest ride he has ever owned and the torque with an electric vehicle is out of this world, bam its there and no lag. Rides like a charm and you sure get looks.

Thanks Ray,
I was in their store about a year ago talking to one of the guys (guess they're not called salesman) and from what he told me they don't get commission like you're average dealership. He said they're more so there to answer question and show people the product, but not push them into it. I would imagine they get some sort of bonus at some point?
Anyways, neat car, and neat company. I'm glad it worked out for them.

Tonight's Top Gear had a show about electric cars and finished off with a Tesla "S" model doing tricks on a circuit. Impressive stuff. The show was very complimentary to Tesla and Elon Musk's vision.