Report: Tesla lays off entire Supercharger team! [Update: Elon Musk says supercharger growth will continue]

[SSonnentag]

As for older people not being able to figure out the whole app/credit card on file thing, I'd argue that these people probably should stick to local driving and charging at home anyway.

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[CyberGus]

I can't agree with the need for payment kiosks. Older vehicles require an adapter that could do the handshake identification in cases where the vehicle isn't capable. Kiosks are notorious for needing frequent maintenance.

All DCFC stations require regular maintenance to remain fully operational.

 

[CyberGus]

Exactly. There are two categories of people that want Musk out of the picture:

1) Those who want to slow down electrification
2) Those who have been convinced by #1 (above) that Elon is slowing down electrification.

No single person has done more, and is doing more, to transition us away from fossil fuels than Elon Musk. That's why they want him gone. The fake noise is becoming deafening.

Elon's contribution to electrification in general and to Tesla specifically has been enormous, if not incalculable. And he can continue to contribute without holding the CEO title. I would argue that he might contribute even more effectively without the burden of being a corporate officer.

I think Tesla will be fine either way, but some have legitimate concerns with Elon, including large shareholders that obviously do not want to tear down the company. Taking issue with his actions does not make you an "anti-muskite".

 

[REM]

He's crippling the company and cutting costs while the company is sitting on cash (it's grown by over 20% the last two quarters; while inflation reduced its purchasing power) and he's begging for more.

And replace him with who? The top engineers in the WORLD are beating down the doors to work for any company that Musk has a significant presence at. I don't even understand where this sentiment is coming from.

Also, who is begging for more money? Musk? Can you elaborate on that?

 

[RM Rilke]

There is supercharger factory in China right? Seems like a way to lower costs. I imagine SC use is tracked and the additional stalls are probably needed in certain areas while some are very rarely used. Just throwing them out there may not be cost effective or necessary anymore. They have the standard. Let others buy the stations from Tesla and have them pay the costs of deploying and maintaining the stations. If it’s not a profit center by itself, then the costs should be shouldered by other businesses that are tailored to generate revenue from drivers stopping. Tesla doesn’t need mini marts and restaurants They no longer need to lose revenue so that others can gain revenue at the stops. Just sell them the chargers. Maybe sell a service contract with them.

 

[Kahpernicus]

They're really cleaning house.

Tesla Inc.’s top human resources executive, Allie Arebalo, has left the company, joining a handful of other senior leaders that have recently departed.
Arebalo is no longer with the company as of this week, according to two people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing private personnel information. It’s not clear whether the HR executive, who reported directly to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, was let go as part of broader job cuts across Tesla or if she stepped down.
Musk and Arebalo didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...man-resources-exits-as-staff-upheaval-spreads

 

[CyberGus]

 

[Crissa]

Sounds to me like you’re making the case for all chargers to only accept bills and coins. If...

That sounds like you're using a false dichotomy.

Having a kiosk off to the side to accept other forms of payment makes sure that these issues are dealt with. Tesla can handle it in their own cars, as they have a screen, but... The screen could be broken and you need to self-rescue.

Just remember there are people who are not as well off as you are. About 5% or one in twenty households do not have a bank account. 25%, or one in four American adults, don't have a credit card.

That we can buy limited cards from the store helps, but you can't use those for re-occurring charges, like Superchargers.

I don't think anyone is arguing against POS terminals as a concept, but Tesla does not need to be the one to implement it. Virtually all the other charge networks have on-site payment, so there are options.

That said, it seems to me that implementing POS payment for Superchargers should be simple. A single kiosk per site would be able to accept payment and activate the appropriate stall, basically a Coke machine that dispenses kW. It could probably be an actual Coke machine lol.

P.S. Now that you mention it, I should probably add another payment method to my Tesla account. If I must report my card stolen/missing, it is invalidated for all attached services until a new one is issued.

Tesla has more stations than anyone. If they want federal money - and expand adoption of EVs, they should do this.

Superchargers should not be seen as a profit margin but a loss leader, similar to Costco rotisserie chickens or the hotdog. It may not be making a profit directly, but it will keep customers from going with something else knowing the infrastructure is there to support the product your buying.

Those aren't, though, loss-leaders. They're just not done for profit. Clearing your costs makes sense.

No single person has done more, and is doing more, to transition us away from fossil fuels than Elon Musk. That's why they want him gone. The fake noise is becoming deafening.

What he has done in the past has no relevance to gauging his actions today.

Today, his actions are slowing adoption.

Today, he costs more than he's gaining the company.

-Crissa

PS, gotta go back to fixing a washing machine. The dryer recycler needs to be cleaned out 'cause spouse got it jammed while I was away last month.

 

[pricedm]

Is that for everything, including the network connection and transformers? Or is that just for the Tesla side charge stations etc?

The $ amount listed is the grant awarded from Colorado state, based on funding request by the installing company and a reimbursement formula; details at https://energyoffice.colorado.gov/zero-emissions-vehicles/dcfc-plazas

TL, DR: not the total cost, but a percent of the project budget (50%, 65%, 80% based on location). Money is awarded after completion of the project.

 

[ED_SFO]

I believe Tesla will have some headwinds with demand for the next year or so and supercharger installs are very expensive, about $500k each for standard 8-12 stalls. I think the break even on a stall is prob 3-5 years. So it makes sense for them to halt production....also to shorten the break even point... Tesla in my area just raised prices on all chargers 20-30% and made the cheapest charging after midnight only.

 

[CyberGus]

 

[Cyber1qhorsey]

Tesla was going to be burdened with charging, for ICE legacy Co's until they freeze over...Unless we say - NO!! ICE-agers have put out silly, silly models that can't sustain their business plans - lightnings, hummers, Silverado, Mach Es. While they do little to invest, in charging. Tesla doesn't need to build charging for the WF world! And now they won't.

 

[Crissa]

We can't know what internal politics was happening, but...
...Musk's response is straight up bad boss behavior.

Projects need continuity. Employees are valuable resources. You lose them, you lose institutional knowledge.

CEOs are not so valuable.

-Crissa

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