Investor's Corner
Tesla community comes together for final end-of-quarter Model 3 delivery push
Tesla is hours away from the end of the third quarter, and the carmaker is still pressing hard on its end-of-Q3 delivery push. While the past quarters have been all about the company’s challenges in production, Q3 appears to be all about the electric car maker’s capability to get its vehicles to as many reservation holders as possible. Tesla has adopted a series of programs that allow it to expedite deliveries, from extended operating hours in delivery centers, conducting handovers at customers’ homes, to allowing volunteer owners to aid the company by orienting newcomers with the features and functions of their electric vehicles.
Elon Musk himself has noted that Tesla has gone straight from “production hell” to “delivery logistics hell.” Considering recent estimates about Tesla’s production figures this Q3, this definitely appears to be the case. Even notable Tesla skeptics, after all, have noted that the company would likely reach its self-imposed and arguably ambitious target of producing 50,000-55,000 Model 3 this quarter. Thus, for Q3, at least, it appears that Tesla’s main challenge is really its capability to deliver the vehicles it produces.
Based on social media activity from members of the Tesla community, it appears that the company’s volunteer-boosted delivery initiative continues to be strong. While volunteer Model S, 3, and X owners are not able to help with paperwork, the assistance they provide to new owners is looking to be quite invaluable. This was perfectly captured in a picture shared by the N TX Tesla Owners group on Twitter, which depicted every volunteer helping new owners download the Tesla app even before they are checked in.
@elonmusk this is our favorite photo from today. Every existing owner is helping new owners download the app, before delivery or answering questions while waiting to be checked in. #goteamtesla #dallasdeliveries pic.twitter.com/gkaaFjBQKz
— Tesla Owners Club of North Texas (@NTXTeslaOwners) September 29, 2018
Tesla owner-enthusiasts in Colorado, including social media influencers, have also returned this weekend to aid the company in delivering vehicles. Posts on Twitter from some volunteer groups even mentioned that owners have been taking shifts to assist as many new owners as possible.
#Denver @tesla dominated deliveries this week. Unconfirmed reports of 200+ cars delivered both Friday, Saturday alone. Along side Tesla were 30 volunteers providing 40+ hours helping deliver and teach new owners, including a new #Model3 for @kimbal. Props to @elonmusk and team! pic.twitter.com/bmIaCZQNdg
— Sean Mitchell (@seanmmitchell) September 30, 2018
The @Tesla Owings Mills, Maryland volunteer owner delivery crew! @elonmusk @andrewket @jcadman22 pic.twitter.com/GOkp4BZ51m
— Tesla Mid Atlantic (@TeslaMdAtlantic) September 30, 2018
First and second volunteer shift at @Tesla North Houston. Lots of happy new owners even with the rain! pic.twitter.com/8kVnO0Jshx
— Stephen Pace ❄ (@StephenPace) September 29, 2018
Even in Canada, Tesla’s volunteer owners are out in full force. A Tesla owner from Ontario even noted that the electric car maker is adopting a pretty clever strategy in one of its delivery facilities to enable quick handovers.
#Tesla craziness in Ontario – four car carries arrived while I was attempting to volunteer – cars come in one side, get detailed, matched with the owners and drive out the other side of the complex pic.twitter.com/dUrQTm2vD6
— Avron (@Avron_p) September 29, 2018
Day 2 at the delivery centre helping with orientations on the Model 3. #weekendvibes pic.twitter.com/QCeBI9r60Z
— Aniseh (@ani_seh) September 30, 2018
@elonmusk tens of owner/volunteers from Tesla Owners Club of Ontario are spending countless hours to help @Tesla deliver hundreds of vehicles this week at the International Centre. #loyal #dedicated #enthusiastic pic.twitter.com/DERvHxWiSV
— Gary Mark⚡️Blue Sky Kites 𝕏 🈴 (@blueskykites) September 29, 2018
Tesla has only been in the auto business for 15 years, and as such, it is still a neophythe compared to veterans such as Ford and GM. Despite its short tenure, though, Tesla has developed a following that is almost comparable to some of the tech industry’s most iconic brands such as Apple. The company’s no-compromises approach with its cars, for one, has ultimately allowed it to grow from a niche carmaker that manufactures a small, two-seater electric sports car into a company that is creating what could very well be the electric-powered, second coming of the Ford Model T.
There is no doubt that Tesla still has a lot to learn, as evidenced by the “delivery logistics hell” that the company is currently addressing. But just like its CEO, as Tesla continues to fall forward, it becomes ever closer to achieving goals that were previously thought of as impossible.
Elon Musk
SpaceX Starship Flight 13 aborted at Zero and Musk just told us what broke
Four Raptor engines failed to ignite at T-zero, forcing SpaceX to scrub Starship Flight 13 Thursday.
SpaceX scrubbed the Starship Flight 13 launch attempt Thursday evening at the last possible moment, after four of the Super Heavy booster’s 33 Raptor 3 engines failed to ignite during the startup sequence. The 90-minute window had opened at 6:45 p.m. EDT from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, and the countdown had proceeded without issue all day, with more than 11.5 million pounds of liquid methane and liquid oxygen being fully loaded into the rocket before the automated abort triggered. SpaceX’s launch directors posted on X, “Standing down from today’s flight test attempt,” and shut down the livestream shortly after.
Musk confirmed the root cause within hours. “Some of the engines didn’t start, triggering an automatic launch abort,” he wrote on X. “To be confident of a good flight, 2 Raptors will be removed and replaced. Most probable launch timing is early next week.” SpaceX engineers began draining propellant tanks immediately and Booster 20 was rolled back to its hangar for inspection.
The timing adds a layer of significance that did not exist during any of the previous 12 Starship flights. This is the first time SpaceX has attempted to launch Starship since the company made its stock market debut in June, listing under ticker SPCX at $135 per share. Public investors are now watching every Starship outcome in real time, and a last-second abort carries more visibility than it would have six months ago.
Flight 13 was designed to be one of the most consequential tests in the program’s history. It was set to carry 20 Starlink V3 satellites, the first operational payload Starship has ever attempted to deploy. Six of those satellites carried external cameras to photograph Starship’s heat shield from the outside during flight, which would act as a self-inspection approach SpaceX has never attempted before. The mission also needed to complete a Raptor engine relight in space, a step SpaceX skipped on Flight 12 in May after losing an engine during ascent. That Flight 12 booster also flipped 90 degrees off course during its boostback burn when five engines failed to reignite.
SpaceX has not announced an official next launch date. Musk’s “early next week” window points to July 21 or 22 at the earliest, pending the engine swap and a return to the pad.
Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli responded to rumors of an imminent bankruptcy that was reportedly being mulled after a report stated the automaker was working with the firm AlixPartners to iron out its next steps.
The company felt a massive loss on Wall Street yesterday, as the report essentially pushed the stock down as much as 55 percent on Tuesday.
The report, published initially by Eletric-Vehicles.com, claimed Lucid was essentially in dire straits and was told by AlixPartners, a commonly used restructuring advisor, to either take shares private or file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Lucid’s head of Communications, Nick Twork, immediately challenged the report and stated the company “has sufficient liquidity to carry its operations well into next year.”
Now, the company’s CEO is chiming in as well, stating that the report is “so far from the facts that they require a direct response.”
Napoli said:
“Lucid is not considering bankruptcy or a transaction to take the company private. Those reports are false. The Board did not explore either scenario. Period.
As disclosed in our most recent quarterly filing, Lucid has sufficient liquidity to fund its operations well into next year.
We work with outside advisors to improve operational performance and execution. They are not advising Lucid on a take-private transaction or bankruptcy, and any suggestion that they have recommended either course of action to management or the Board is false.
My priority is clear: turn this company around. That is where the leadership team and I are focused.
I look forward to providing a full update during our quarterly earnings call on August 4th.”
🚨 Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli calls rumors of financial issues “so far from the facts that they require a direct response.”
Read his full remarks here: https://t.co/t3Pg1NHvzy pic.twitter.com/LvHUPhO4Qf
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 15, 2026
It seems pretty clear that Lucid is confident things will be okay, and, to be honest, they should not have much to worry about, especially considering the company has been backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) for years. It has solid financial backing, and its sales, while weak, are pretty much right on par with a company of this age.
Lucid also sent a Cease & Desist letter to the publication for their report.
Lucid shares have rebounded nicely and are up nearly 21 percent at the time of publication. As soon as the company dispelled the rumors of bankruptcy yesterday, the stock began to climb back toward more reasonable levels.
Electric vehicle maker Lucid Group has denied rumors of an imminent bankruptcy after a report from this morning sent the stock on a dramatic drop on Wall Street, seeing losses of more than 40 percent during trading hours.
Lucid’s Director of Communications, Nick Twork, responded to the report from Eletric-Vehicles.com, which stated the company’s restructuring advisor, AlixPartners, was asked to review two decisions: taking Lucid shares private or filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The report also claims AlixPartners told the Lucid board to “concentrate on Gravity production while improving its quality, and to temporarily hold back the Lucid Air, the sedan that has defined the company since its launch.”
Twork said:
$LCID The rumors are completely false. The company has sufficient liquidity to carry its operations well into next year, as recently published in its last quarterly filings, and it has not formed any special Board committee to explore the scenarios reported today. Our focus is…
— Nick Twork (@ntwork) July 14, 2026
Shares rebounded after the response to the report, halving its losses as the trading day neared 3 p.m. Eastern.
Lucid has struggled to get its sales off the ground and into more respectable numbers, but the company is in its early years, when things are hard to begin with. It is also backed by several notable investors, including the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has nearly limitless money and likely would not ditch an investment of this size so soon.
Lucid shares were down just 14 percent at the time of publication, a far cry from the 55 percent its losses topped out at during the day.
SpaceX adjusts Starship Flight 13 test launch target date once again
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