Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

JKenH

Tesla China Should Sell More Model 3s After Nearly Doubling November Sales

I wasn’t expecting that.

Tesla China almost doubled its November Model 3 sales as according to CPCA, 21,604 MIC Model 3s were sold in November vs 12,143 sold in October. 

https://www.torquenews.com/1/tesla-china-should-sell-more-model-3s-after-nearly-doubling-november-sales

JKenH

Tesla plans to raise another $5 billion as value soars above $600 billion

With Tesla able to raise new capital so easily, I can’t help thinking they should buy up some of the opposition. Elon Musk had been talking about a merger with a legacy automaker but why not just buy one?

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2020/12/tesla-plans-to-raise-another-5-billion-as-value-soars-above-600-billion/

ABrass

JKenH said:

Tesla plans to raise another $5 billion as value soars above $600 billion

With Tesla able to raise new capital so easily, I can’t help thinking they should buy up some of the opposition. Elon Musk had been talking about a merger with a legacy automaker but why not just buy one?

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2020/12/tesla-plans-to-raise-another-5-billion-as-value-soars-above-600-billion/

It wouldn't help them much. Buying Panasonic or LG Chems battery division would be much more useful than buying factories that they'd have to convert and IP they don't want.

Martyn1981

ABrass said:

JKenH said:

Tesla plans to raise another $5 billion as value soars above $600 billion

With Tesla able to raise new capital so easily, I can’t help thinking they should buy up some of the opposition. Elon Musk had been talking about a merger with a legacy automaker but why not just buy one?

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2020/12/tesla-plans-to-raise-another-5-billion-as-value-soars-above-600-billion/

It wouldn't help them much. Buying Panasonic or LG Chems battery division would be much more useful than buying factories that they'd have to convert and IP they don't want.

You're spot on. At least what you say seems to match all the BEV Vlogers who have been discussing this for a while now. There simply isn't much BEV value in any of the legacy carmakers.

The factories are really just large buildings/warehouses that house lines and equipment that won't be of any use, so it might be easier to just construct new purpose built factories.

Huge balance sheet value will reflect the investment in ICE technology being depreciated over time, when it will actually need to be written off.

Contracts with parts suppliers, but Tesla won't need those contracts, and will need to expand their own vertically integrated supply. 

A lot of the balance sheet value of the companies will be 'going concern', but what is that today - customer loyalty with a disruption looming and entirely new vehicles needed. Brand value, same again. Dealership network, well that's a burden not an asset. GM just paid off 17% of their 880 Cadillac dealers that didn't want to invest/train in EV's. Each dealership got $400k to $1m to give up their franchise, and that's just a small sub brand of GM.

Trained production line workers, now that would be a positive (at last), but these folk will probably be looking for jobs anyway soon as the legacy carmakers start to reduce their workforce in the face of falling demand/sales.

This isn't about 'knocking' the legacy companies, it's just to point out the enormous scale of change they need to make to survive past the next decade, and the collapse in their ICE related value. Most probably won't make it without merging with others. This isn't hyperbole, their profitable ICEV side is shrinking, and profits won't fall in a linear fashion since most of the profits are in the extra production above and beyond that which is needed to cover costs. The scale of investment needed to convert to profitable BEV production is simply vast and we can look to the tens of $bn's it took Tesla. And they have costly dealership networks to navigate, or they will have to sell BEV's at much higher retail rates, to receive anything like the final income Tesla gets per vehicle.

And then we have the lack of investment in the charging infrastructure.

JKenH

“Major breakthrough”: QuantumScape hails test results of solid state batteries

New solid state battery data released by Volkswagen-backed QuantumScape has ticked three major boxes that could, if commercialised, blow away the capabilities of today’s electric car batteries.

https://thedriven.io/2020/12/09/major-breakthrough-quantumscape-hails-test-results-of-solid-state-batteries/

JKenH

Tesla approved used scheme

Everything you need to know about Tesla's approved used scheme

Often compared with Apple because of its hi-tech approach, Tesla already has an approved used scheme in place for its Model S, with 38 cars available as we went to press. Prices ranged from £49,950 for a 28,700-mile 85 on a 14-plate to £96,000 for a 2015 P90D AWD that had covered 4,000 miles.

Tesla offer a great used car warranty but, wow, do you pay for it. The 2014 Model S P85s on AutoTrader ranged in price from £26,995 to £38,995.


https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/tesla/97139/tesla-approved-used-scheme

JKenH

Renault's Electric Models Are Leading The EV Market in Europe

With all the hype about Tesla it gets overlooked just how successful the Zoe is in Europe. 

Renault announced that its all-electric car sales in Europe already exceeded 95,000 so far this year (by the end of November), which is more than 80% higher than a year ago.

The majority out of the 95,985 EVs falls on the Renault ZOE (over 84,000 YTD), which almost doubled year-over-year. ZOE's cumulative result is at over 268,000!

https://insideevs.com/news/459549/renault-electric-models-leading-ev-market-europe/

JKenH

Electric car battery plant for Blyth power station site

Britishvolt said the plant in Blyth would create up to 3,000 jobs, with a further 5,000 expected in the wider supply chain.

Construction is due to start next summer, with production of the lithium-ion batteries by the end of 2023.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-55263255

JKenH

I have seen it stated on various forums that Tesla is supply constrained but just looking on the UK Tesla website there is an extensive inventory of new model 3s listed for accelerated delivery. I stopped counting at 100 as when one gets to the bottom of the page more load.

I also noted that the model 3 is now available via Carwow. 

JKenH

Sales of used electric cars have surged to their highest level of 15 per cent in December

‘And now we are seeing EVs taking 15 per cent of the market, it is clear that a breakthrough is under way.’

https://cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/used-electric-car-sales-have-surged-to-their-highest-level-of-15-per-cent-in-december-says-buyacar/210681