Naysayers aside, there isn’t a whole lot of bad you can say about Tesla Motors, which is good because they’re about to impress us again.
Expansion is the name of the game now. Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk as set and, more importantly, met every goal for his company to succeed. , Tesla Motors reached its goal of producing 400 Tesla Model S per week, about 20,000 vehicles annually.
In spite of less-than-stellar reviews [read: The NaySayers – Top Gear & John Broder], orders have continued to come in, and Tesla recently hit a record 500 deliveries per week. Now, it doesn’t take Stephen Hawking to realize that five hundred deliveries per week is going to outstrip the supply of Tesla Model S if they’re only being produced at a rate of four hundred per week.
Tesla Motors has been working on increasing the rate of production to meet this demand, but there are a couple of kinks to work out. First, 400/wk was already forcing most of the workforce close to 70hrs/wk, which is a lot of overtime pay.
Tesla’s managed to get it somewhat closer to 50hrs/wk, but is still producing just 400 cars per week. Secondly, Tesla is working with suppliers, especially of the expensive rechargeable battery pack components, to reduce the cost of production.
Tesla Motors is also expanding in other areas, offering test drives in European and Asian markets. Here at home, too, Tesla is expanding the SuperCharger Network in the Northeast Corridor and California. New chargers will also be installed in Texas, Illinois, Florida, and the Pacific Northwest.
UPDATE: Aside from some ridiculous comments by BBC’s Top Gear and The New York Times’ John Broder, which were very public, pretty much everyone else loves the car. I only bring up those other reviews because of the clear impact they had on Tesla Motors’ image and sales. Still, the technology and vehicle are top-notch, and Tesla Motors is still on the rise in the market. This year, Tesla Model S is one of the finalists for the “World Green Car of the Year” Award.
“In spite of less-than-stellar reviews…” Geez, Benji, what rock did you crawl out from under? It is actually just the opposite of your comment. Model S has won multiple awards, including (by unanimous decision) the 2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year. Tesla has also earned what every other manufacturer wishes for… a loyal and thrilled customer base that continues to buy more, and help sell more, Tesla vehicles. Model S is an unbelievably fantastic car. Combining that fact with great management and an ever increasing army of Teslavangelists… that’s how the their backlog continues to grow, and why they’re trying to increase production capacity.
@MTav Sorry, I should have clarified, less-than-stellar IDIOT reviews, such as those by BBC’s Top Gear and The New York Times. Everyone else loves the car. “Car of the Year” and “World Green Car of the Year” Finalist.
Sorry for the confusion.
Wind powered!
Coal powered cars!