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Tesla Autopilot Option May Cost $67k to Retrofit

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Telsa CEO Elon Musk Unveils New Tesla D Options

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few weeks you’ve likely been blasted with news about the Tesla Autopilot option. Like many existing Model S owners, I drooled over the thought of having the dual motor option along  (the “D”) and the autopilot / automatic cruise control (ACC).

RELATED: A First-hand Account of the Tesla D Event

This led to a very public outcry by a group of soon-to-be Model S owners that happened to miss the mark by placing their order days before the new features were announced. In other words, their Model S won’t be bundled with these new Tesla D options.

I digress but I personally think they need to get over it. Technology advances continuously (especially with Mr. Musk behind the wheel) and your choice to purchase the car at the time that you do is just that – your decision.

So, what if you could upgrade your existing Model S with the Tesla D options? How much would something like that cost?

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Labor is Costly

Tesla’s official answer on whether Tesla Autopilot can be retrofitted is “No” and that is not going to change anytime soon. The changes are extensive, invasive and need to be done when the car is being built.

Our friend TeslaTap estimates that it would cost a staggering $67,000 if Tesla were to retrofit older Model S with the autopilot feature.

It’s less labor intensive and more economical if one were to integrate the hardware and electronics during the construction of the Model S versus having to dismantle the vehicle, build new mounting provisions, re-wire, installing new hardware, and reassemble the car after the upgrades were in place.

A retrofit just doesn’t make economical or logistical sense and is likely why Tesla does not offer it as an option for existing Model S owners. Let alone, Tesla Service Centers wouldn’t be equipped or have the capacity to handle such an extensive retrofit.

What Would a Tesla Autopilot Retrofit Consist Of?

Telsa CEO Elon Musk Unveils Tesla Autopilot Option

For starters, the Model S would need to be completely re-wired to account for the autopilot hardware consisting of long-range radars, ultrasonic sensors, new camera equipment and new front nose cone sensors. The entire front and rear fascia of the vehicle would also need to be removed in order to access the new mounting position. The Tesla D option also brings new electric brakes – all-around – and electronic brake controllers to be paired with the autopilot feature.

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TeslaTap estimates that the cost of parts would run somewhere around $20k – not too terrible considering this would represent approximately 15% of the price of a fully loaded Model S. But, the kicker? Labor. 269 hours of it.

Tesla Service Centers bill at $175/ hour which tacks on an additional $47,075 in labor costs. This brings a grand total of over $67,000 for parts and labor if one were to truly consider retrofitting Tesla autopilot to the Model S.

It’s no wonder why Tesla Motors will not consider retrofitting existing Model S owners with the new autopilot feature – no matter how loudly they complain. Not retrofitting existing cars will likely create a burgeoning Tesla secondary market.

Hmmm … interesting.

 

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Source: TeslaTap

"Rob's passion is technology and gadgets. An engineer by profession and an executive and founder at several high tech startups Rob has a unique view on technology and some strong opinions. When he's not writing about Tesla

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Investor's Corner

Tesla enters new stability phase, firm upgrades and adjusts outlook

Dmitriy Pozdnyakov of Freedom Capital upgraded his outlook on Tesla shares from “Sell” to “Hold” on Wednesday, and increased the price target from $338 to $406.

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla is entering a new phase of stability in terms of vehicle deliveries, one firm wrote in a new note during the final week of October, backing its position with an upgrade and price target increase on the stock.

Dmitriy Pozdnyakov of Freedom Capital upgraded his outlook on Tesla shares from “Sell” to “Hold” on Wednesday, and increased the price target from $338 to $406.

While most firms are interested in highlighting Tesla’s future growth, which will be catalyzed mostly by the advent of self-driving vehicles, autonomy, and the company’s all-in mentality on AI and robotics, Pozdnyakov is solely focusing on vehicle deliveries.

The analyst wrote in a note to investors that he believes Tesla’s updated vehicle lineup, which includes its new affordable “Standard” trims of the Model 3 and Model Y, is going to stabilize the company’s delivery volumes and return the company to annual growth.

Tesla launches two new affordable models with ‘Standard’ Model 3, Y offerings

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Tesla launched the new affordable Model 3 and Model Y “Standard” trims on October 7, which introduced two stripped-down, less premium versions of the all-electric sedan and crossover.

They are both priced at under $40,000, with the Model 3 at $37,990 and the Model Y at $39,990, and while these prices may not necessarily be what consumers were expecting, they are well under what Kelley Blue Book said was the average new car transaction price for September, which swelled above $50,000.

Despite the rollout of these two new models, it is interesting to hear that a Wall Street firm would think that Tesla is going to return to more stable delivery figures and potentially enter a new growth phase.

Many Wall Street firms have been more focused on AI, Robotics, and Tesla’s self-driving project, which are the more prevalent things that will drive investor growth over the next few years.

Wedbush’s Dan Ives, for example, tends to focus on the company’s prowess in AI and self-driving. However, he did touch on vehicle deliveries in the coming years in a recent note.

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Ives said in a note on October 2:

“While EV demand is expected to fall with the EV tax credit expiration, this was a great bounce-back quarter for TSLA to lay the groundwork for deliveries moving forward, but there is still work to do to gain further ground from a delivery perspective.”

Tesla has some things to figure out before it can truly consider guaranteed stability from a delivery standpoint. Initially, the next two quarters will be a crucial way to determine demand without the $7,500 EV tax credit. It will also begin to figure out if its new affordable models are attractive enough at their current price point to win over consumers.

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Investor's Corner

Bank of America raises Tesla PT to $471, citing Robotaxi and Optimus potential

The firm also kept a Neutral rating on the electric vehicle maker, citing strong progress in autonomy and robotics.

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Credit: Tesla

Bank of America has raised its Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) price target by 38% to $471, up from $341 per share.

The firm also kept a Neutral rating on the electric vehicle maker, citing strong progress in autonomy and robotics.

Robotaxi and Optimus momentum

Bank of America analyst Federico Merendi noted that the firm’s price target increase reflects Tesla’s growing potential in its Robotaxi and Optimus programs, among other factors. BofA’s updated valuation is based on a sum-of-the-parts (SOTP) model extending through 2040, which shows the Robotaxi platform accounting for 45% of total value. The model also shows Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus contributing 19%, and Full Self-Driving (FSD) and the Energy segment adding 17% and 6% respectively.

“Overall, we find that TSLA’s core automotive business represents around 12% of the total value while robotaxi is 45%, FSD is 17%, Energy Generation & Storage is around 6% and Optimus is 19%,” the Bank of America analyst noted.

Still a Neutral rating

Despite recognizing long-term potential in AI-driven verticals, Merendi’s team maintained a Neutral rating, suggesting that much of the optimism is already priced into Tesla’s valuation. 

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“Our PO revision is driven by a lower cost of equity capital, better Robotaxi progress, and a higher valuation for Optimus to account for the potential entrance into international markets,” the analyst stated.

Interestingly enough, Tesla’s core automotive business, which contributes the lion’s share of the company’s operations today, represents just 12% of total value in BofA’s model.

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Elon Musk

Tesla analyst: ‘near zero chance’ Elon Musk’s $1T comp package is rejected

“There is a near-zero chance that $TSLA shareholders will vote down Elon’s new proposed comp plan at the Nov 6 shareholders’ meeting.”

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tesla elon musk

A Tesla analyst says there is “zero chance” that CEO Elon Musk’s new compensation package is rejected, a testament to the loyalty and belief many shareholders and investors have in the frontman.

Tesla investors will vote on November 6 at the annual Shareholder Meeting to approve a new compensation package for Musk, revealed by the company’s Board of Directors earlier this month.

The package, if approved, would give Musk the opportunity to earn $1 trillion in stock, an ownership concentration of over 27 percent (a major request of Musk’s), and a solidified future at the company.

The Tesla Community on X, the social media platform Musk bought in 2023, is overwhelmingly in favor of the pay package, though a handful of skeptics remain.

Nevertheless, the big pulls of this vote are held by proxy firms and other large-scale investors. Two of them, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, said they would be voting against Musk’s proposed compensation plan.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package hits first adversity from proxy firm

Today, the State Board of Administration of Florida (SBA) said it would vote in favor of Musk’s newly-proposed pay day, making it the first large-scale shareholder to announce it would support the CEO’s pay.

One analyst said that Musk’s payday is inevitable. Gary Black of the Future Fund said today there is a “near-zero chance” that shareholders will allow Musk’s pay package to be rejected:

There is a near-zero chance that $TSLA shareholders will vote down Elon’s new proposed comp plan at the Nov 6 shareholders’ meeting.”

He added an alternative perspective from Wedbush’s Dan Ives, who said that he had a better chance of starting for the New York Yankees than the comp package not being approved.

Black’s the Future Fund sold its Tesla holdings earlier this year. He explained that the firm believed the company’s valuation was too disconnected from fundamentals, citing the P/E ratio of 188x and declining earnings estimates.

The firm maintained its $310 price target, and shares were trading at $356.90 that day.

Shares closed at $452.42 today.

The latest predictions from betting platform Kalshi have shown Musk’s comp package has a 94 percent chance of being approved:

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