If social media posts and anecdotes from participating owners are any indication, it appears that Tesla’s volunteer-boosted Model 3 delivery weekend is looking to be a success. As Tesla’s volunteers aid the company in orienting large numbers of new owners with their vehicles, the demand for quality electric cars is becoming more evident than ever.
This weekend saw something remarkable happen in the Tesla community. With the company currently attempting to address Elon Musk’s self-dubbed “delivery logistics hell,” some owners of Tesla’s electric cars stepped forward to offer help. The idea was initially pitched by IGN reporter and Ride the Lightning podcast host Ryan McCaffrey on Twitter, and Elon Musk promptly greenlighted the suggestion, stating that any help would be greatly appreciated. The community mobilized itself immediately, and by Saturday, Tesla’s delivery centers had volunteers who were ready to help new owners with the features and functions of their electric cars. Even Elon Musk himself was in Fremont’s center, interacting with new owners.
Hanging out with @elonmusk while waiting for our new cars @Tesla pic.twitter.com/2UjGyYkD5u
— Bradley Wong (@brawong) September 23, 2018
Reports on social media and in forums such as the r/TeslaMotors subreddit suggest that Tesla’s volunteer-augmented delivery efforts have been largely successful. One such account came from r/TeslaMotors subreddit member and Model 3 owner u/jpbeans, who narrated his experience as a volunteer in one of Tesla’s delivery centers. According to the Model 3 owner, Tesla gave them Guest badges, and they ended up helping owners on several topics, from basics like opening the Model 3’s door handle, to navigating the car’s functions through the 15″ touchscreen.
On Twitter, similar accounts were shared. Twitter user @GuyTesla, who volunteered in Tesla’s Littleton delivery center on Saturday, even noted that a nearby Jaguar dealership inquired how Tesla would be able to store the vehicles being delivered to the site. When informed that the electric cars were not staying in the facility, the staff of the legacy automaker were reportedly a bit shocked.
Hilarious highlight of the day: The Jaguar dealers that had just moved in next-door to Tesla Littleton commented on all of the truck carriers of cars showing up, and asked, “where are you going to put all of these?” And the answer was “They aren’t staying.”
Sad faces…
— TheTeslaGuy (@GuyTesla) September 23, 2018
Inasmuch as the Littleton volunteer’s observations are but an anecdote in an otherwise busy delivery weekend, the demand for premium electric vehicles should be undeniable by now. Over the years, Tesla’s electric cars, despite the company’s teething challenges, proved successful in their respective segments. With the Model 3, Tesla has begun an attack into the mainstream auto market, and the electric sedan is starting to make some waves. In August alone, the Model 3 became the 5th best-selling passenger car in the US, being outsold only by the Toyota Camry, Honda Civic, Honda Accord, and the Toyota Corolla Family, all of which are lower-priced vehicles.
Tesla is pretty much unchallenged in the premium electric car market, though highly-anticipated competitors such as the Mercedes-Benz EQC and the Audi e-tron have recently been unveiled. While these vehicles have long been hyped as possible “Tesla-killers” due to their manufacturers having decades of experience in the auto industry, the performance of the vehicles, as well as their battery tech, seemed to be a bit subpar compared to Tesla’s electric cars. This was addressed by Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi recently, when he noted that contrary to a prevalent bear thesis, there is “no actual flood of competition coming” for Tesla’s vehicles.
The recent offerings of premium legacy automakers have caught the attention of Christina Bu, General Secretary of the Electric Vehicle Association in Norway. Norway is among the world’s leaders in the electric car transition, and it is one of the countries where Tesla’s vehicles hold a formidable place. After the reveal of some of Tesla’s competitors from legacy automakers, the EVA General Secretary proved unimpressed, calling on manufacturers to “stop pretending and start delivering” on real electric cars that have compelling performance and features. Bu further noted that the strong demand for affordable, decently-specced vehicles like the Kia Niro Electric and Hyundai KONA Electric, is proof that consumers are ready to embrace EVs.
Tesla is pretty much only halfway through its efforts of ramping the production of the Model 3. This third quarter, Tesla is aiming to produce 50,000-55,000 Model 3 — a record number of vehicles but still only a fraction of its planned 10,000/week production rate for the electric sedan. Tesla eventually plans to build 500,000 Model 3 per year, and its upcoming crossover SUV, the Model Y, is expected to hit a production rate of 1 million units per year. Even when the company achieves these targets, though, the auto industry could not transition into the electric car era on Tesla alone — other manufacturers, particularly those with decades of experience, must embrace the shift as well. As Norway’s General Secretary of the EVA noted, the time is now to “stop pretending and start delivering.”
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I have been to Scandinavia (and Norway) very recently and although I havent seen any Tesla (supercharger) stations, electric charging stations can be found everywhere. In and around Oslo model S and X are all over the place, but higher north and particularly above the Artic Circle almost no Tesla can be found, especially within the Lofoten I havent seen a single one.
I don't think its practical to make a road trip in Scandinavia at this moment, distances are really extreme. I would have needed 12 hours of super charging to 80% on a 75 kWh Model 3 to get to the distance of my road trip. That would have added another traveling day effectively and a lot of annoying waits.
My Peugeot 2008 needed only 2 hours (or less) of delay; it's maybe a fun challenge to do the same road trip in a Model 3 and compare the experience.
Here is a map of super chargers:
https://www.tesla.com/findus?v=2&bounds=63.79297785709243%2C13.92295255588624%2C57.10141931662801%2C4.826272868386241&zoom=6&filters=store%2Cservice%2Csupercharger%2Cdestination%20charger&search=Oslo%2C%20Norway
I have been to Scandinavia (and Norway) very recently and although I havent seen any Tesla (supercharger) stations, electric charging stations can be found everywhere. In and around Oslo model S and X are all over the place, but higher north and particularly above the Artic Circle almost no Tesla can be found, especially within the Lofoten I havent seen a single one.
I don't think its practical to make a road trip in Scandinavia at this moment, distances are really extreme. I would have needed 12 hours of super charging to 80% on a 75 kWh Model 3 to get to the distance of my road trip. That would have added another traveling day effectively and a lot of annoying waits.
My Peugeot 2008 needed only 2 hours (or less) of delay; it's maybe a fun challenge to do the same road trip in a Model 3 and compare the experience.
Hmmm. An 80% charge equals about 248 miles and takes 40 minutes in a Model 3. 12 hours of Supercharging would equal 4,464 miles at that rate. That's 68+ hours of driving at 65mph. Which means this is probably a two week long trip (one week if you are crazy), and that you'd have several opportunities to charge overnight, greatly reducing the need for Supercharging.
If I leave my garage with a full charge, and then use Superchargers to charge to 80% along the way, I can drive about 800 miles in a single day with two 40 minute Supercharger stops. If you can drive that far without taking a break to eat or go to the bathroom, you are a superhero.
They were SO HAPPY when I called and offered to help. May come back on weekend if it looks like I am a help rather than a hindrance. Who knows, maybe they let me volunteer for the Mars colony too :)
Since you were driving at lower speeds, it would have improved your mileage in the Model 3 and decreased your charging requirements. Should be able to do 1000 km on a single charge if you're averaging 50 km/hour, if I recall correctly.
Difficult roads lots of hills and strong winds, even with ‘regen’ I doubt 1000 km is possible. But even 1000 km would not be sufficient because charging overnight wasn’t possible most of the time.
My Peugeot 2008, by the way, was able to do 1000 km on one tank of 50 liter.
It has a real great 3 cylinder 110pk petrol engine and the car weighs 1000 kg, a lot less than any Tesla (or most other compatitors in the same category for that matter)
I don't think its practical to make a road trip in Scandinavia at this moment, distances are really extreme. I would have needed 12 hours of super charging to 80% on a 75 kWh Model 3 to get to the distance of my road trip. That would have added another traveling day effectively and a lot of annoying waits.
My Peugeot 2008 needed only 2 hours (or less) of delay; it's maybe a fun challenge to do the same road trip in a Model 3 and compare the experience.
If social media posts and anecdotes from participating owners are any indication, it appears that Tesla’s volunteer-boosted Model 3 delivery weekend is looking to be a success. As Tesla’s volunteers aid the company in orienting large numbers of new owners with their vehicles, the demand for quality electric cars is becoming more evident than ever.
This weekend saw something remarkable happen in the Tesla community. With the company currently attempting to address Elon Musk’s self-dubbed “delivery logistics hell,” some owners of Tesla’s electric cars stepped forward to offer help. The idea was initially pitched by IGN reporter and Ride the Lightning podcast host Ryan McCaffrey on Twitter, and Elon Musk promptly greenlighted the suggestion, stating that any help would be greatly appreciated. The community mobilized itself immediately, and by Saturday, Tesla’s delivery centers had volunteers who were ready to help new owners with the features and functions of their electric cars. Even Elon Musk himself was in Fremont’s center, interacting with new owners.
[MEDIA=twitter]1043680776989040640[/MEDIA]
Reports on social media and in forums such as the r/TeslaMotors subreddit suggest that Tesla’s volunteer-augmented delivery efforts have been largely successful. One such account came from r/TeslaMotors subreddit member and Model 3 owner u/jpbeans, who narrated his experience as a volunteer in one of Tesla’s delivery centers. According to the Model 3 owner, Tesla gave them Guest badges, and they ended up helping owners on several topics, from basics like opening the Model 3’s door handle, to navigating the car’s functions through the 15″ touchscreen.
On Twitter, similar accounts were shared. Twitter user @GuyTesla, who volunteered in Tesla’s Littleton delivery center on Saturday, even noted that a nearby Jaguar dealership inquired how Tesla would be able to store the vehicles being delivered to the site. When informed that the electric cars were not staying in the facility, the staff of the legacy automaker were reportedly a bit shocked.
[MEDIA=twitter]1043704466174889984[/MEDIA]
Inasmuch as the Littleton volunteer’s observations are but an anecdote in an otherwise busy delivery weekend, the demand for premium electric vehicles should be undeniable by now. Over the years, Tesla’s electric cars, despite the company’s teething challenges, proved successful in their respective segments. With the Model 3, Tesla has begun an attack into the mainstream auto market, and the electric sedan is starting to make some waves. In August alone, the Model 3 became the 5th best-selling passenger car in the US, being outsold only by the Toyota Camry, Honda Civic, Honda Accord, and the Toyota Corolla Family, all of which are lower-priced vehicles.
Tesla is pretty much unchallenged in the premium electric car market, though highly-anticipated competitors such as the Mercedes-Benz EQC and the Audi e-tron have recently been unveiled. While these vehicles have long been hyped as possible “Tesla-killers” due to their manufacturers having decades of experience in the auto industry, the performance of the vehicles, as well as their battery tech, seemed to be a bit subpar compared to Tesla’s electric cars. This was addressed by Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi recently, when he noted that contrary to a prevalent bear thesis, there is “no actual flood of competition coming” for Tesla’s vehicles.
The recent offerings of premium legacy automakers have caught the attention of Christina Bu, General Secretary of the Electric Vehicle Association in Norway. Norway is among the world’s leaders in the electric car transition, and it is one of the countries where Tesla’s vehicles hold a formidable place. After the reveal of some of Tesla’s competitors from legacy automakers, the EVA General Secretary proved unimpressed, calling on manufacturers to “stop pretending and start delivering” on real electric cars that have compelling performance and features. Bu further noted that the strong demand for affordable, decently-specced vehicles like the Kia Niro Electric and Hyundai KONA Electric, is proof that consumers are ready to embrace EVs.
Tesla is pretty much only halfway through its efforts of ramping the production of the Model 3. This third quarter, Tesla is aiming to produce 50,000-55,000 Model 3 - a record number of vehicles but still only a fraction of its planned 10,000/week production rate for the electric sedan. Tesla eventually plans to build 500,000 Model 3 per year, and its upcoming crossover SUV, the Model Y, is expected to hit a production rate of 1 million units per year. Even when the company achieves these targets, though, the auto industry could not transition into the electric car era on Tesla alone - other manufacturers, particularly those with decades of experience, must embrace the shift as well. As Norway’s General Secretary of the EVA noted, the time is now to “stop pretending and start delivering.”
Article: Tesla's volunteer-boosted Model 3 delivery weekend is a wake-up call for legacy auto
I have worked in large scale logistics for several years. I am confused about how Tesla was caught off guard by the need to deliver this many cars? Did they not believe there own build volume estimates? They have been claiming to be ready to build in the 5000’s for months. Did nobody think “Hey, we’re going to have to deliver these?”
Also, we were told via email the night before our scheduled pickup “that we had been removed from the delivery schedule” and that somebody would reach out to us “in the coming weeks.” Thankfully, we had not yet done anything with car that the Tesla is replacing.
Also, we are considering trading in our existing car to Tesla. They promise 24hr turnaround for valuation after submitting all of the necessary information. We are at 7 days now which turns out not to be problem since the car was not ready.
As a logistics professional I am surprised they were caught off guard by the delivery requirements, but the inability to actually communicate effectively seems a bit shabby to me. I’m guessing they knew earlier than the night before that our car was not enroute from California to GA. Also, we still have two different messages from them giving us two different pickup locations when the car does arrive.
Here is a map of super chargers:
https://www.tesla.com/findus?v=2&bounds=63.79297785709243,13.92295255588624,57.10141931662801,4.826272868386241&zoom=6&filters=store,service,supercharger,destination charger&search=Oslo, Norway
No need for that (could have easyly found that myself), I stated that I didn’t see any Tesla charge station.
But from the looks of the map I would have been out of super charge stations for about a third of the time, so charging times would have skyrocketed!
Hmmm. An 80% charge equals about 248 miles and takes 40 minutes in a Model 3. 12 hours of Supercharging would equal 4,464 miles at that rate. That's 68+ hours of driving at 65mph. Which means this is probably a two week long trip (one week if you are crazy), and that you'd have several opportunities to charge overnight, greatly reducing the need for Supercharging.
If I leave my garage with a full charge, and then use Superchargers to charge to 80% along the way, I can drive about 800 miles in a single day with two 40 minute Supercharger stops. If you can drive that far without taking a break to eat or go to the bathroom, you are a superhero.
Actually it was a bit longer 7700 km to be precise in 11 days with 8 stays (1 stay for two days) and only 2 places to charge overnight (most locations were extremely remote). Distance per day was about 800 km and only two days on the highway. This meant that the average speed was about half that on the highway (sometimes we arrived at 23:00 at the next location and stared at 8).
When I look at the supercharger locations, it’s clear that about one third of our road trip was without, and that would have made it near impossible to reach the next location in time and to get to the next one without the possibility to recharge.
Actually it was a bit longer 7700 km to be precise in 11 days with 8 stays (1 stay for two days) and only 2 places to charge overnight (most locations were extremely remote). Distance per day was about 800 km and only two days on the highway. This meant that the average speed was about half that on the highway (sometimes we arrived at 23:00 at the next location and stared at 8).
When I look at the supercharger locations, it’s clear that about one third of our road trip was without, and that would have made it near impossible to reach the next location in time and to get to the next one without the possibility to recharge.
Since you were driving at lower speeds, it would have improved your mileage in the Model 3 and decreased your charging requirements. Should be able to do 1000 km on a single charge if you're averaging 50 km/hour, if I recall correctly.
