http://dennyhatch.blogspot.com/2022/06/160-tesla.html

#160 Blog Post - Wednesday, 22 June 2022

 Posted by Denny Hatch

TheNew Face of Uber: Tesla!

Five years ago, Peggyand I downsized to a two-bedroom apartment in center city, Philadelphia. Aspensioners, we sold our car. Why? Gas + insurance + garage + repairs wereeating up thousands of dollars a year for something we hardly used. Philly'selaborate bus and subway systems are free to seniors (paid for by the Lottery).Two food markets and two pharmacies are within easy walking distance, plus delis and good restaurants —good exercise! If we have a bunch of errands, a ride-share car is available twoblocks away. ($9 an hour, $26 a day.) For longer trips, Enterprise car rentalis two blocks in the other direction. But ultimately, we love Uber.

AnUber Double Surprise

The other day Isummoned an Uber for a short drive within center city. Astonishingly whatshowed up 10 minutes later was a gleaming white 2022 Tesla! It was gorgeous—amagnificent work of automotive design, comfort, art and sheer genius!

A Tesla costs from$48,000 on up to $123,000 with the limited edition "Founders Series"going for a cool quarter mill. My driver was an affable young guy. I wasfascinated! In our short ride I peppered him with questions about his car andhis life. When I got home I immediately typed up my notes.

The following week Icalled for an Uber, and mirabile dictu! a sparkling red 2022 Teslaarrived. The driver was another young guy, a happy owner immensely proud of hisvehicle. I was dazzled!

Both drivers had thesame answer to my first question: "Why a Tesla?"

Answers: "Theprice of gas. Over $5 a gallon. The cost for a full tank of gas is $66.00. A fullcharge of electricity for the Tesla is $14."

AndySerwer's 12-word Dictum

As if on cue thispast Saturday, Yahoo! Finance MORNING BRIEF with Andy Serwer arrived.Serwer posed the question: "So if gas prices aretoo high, what is one to do?" Serwer's 12-word reply to his own question:

"Threeoptions: Buy an EV. Drive less. Buy Exxon Mobil [XOM] stock."

QuickThoughts on Elon Musk Taking on the
Big Four—GM, Ford, Chrysler and Foreigners

Inrecent years, I was aware of Elon Musk and his electric powered Tesla. I nevertook much interest.

I grew up in the 1940s and 1950s. Following World War II,Americans were starved for new cars. A number of American start-ups tried to competewith Detroit (GM, Ford, Chrysler). Only Jeep survived. A sampling:

I was deeplyinfluenced by the wonderful 1988 film, Tucker: The Man and His Dream. Itstarred an ebullient Jeff Bridges as Preston Tucker and was directed by the brilliant (The Godfather) Francis Ford Coppola. The 1948 Tucker Torpedo made big newswith its many innovations. Among them:

• Fuel injectionengine.

• Disc brakes.

• Four-wheel independentsuspension.

• Seat belts.

• Padded dashboard

• Three headlights:the middle one popping on and swiveling in the direction you were turning so youcould see where you were going.

• Gas consumption was20 MPG (vs. say, the 10 MPG for a giant Hudson).

Only 51 Tuckers werebuilt (47 are extant and running today). Whereupon the company—in thecrosshairs of Detroit—ran out of money and was involved in an ugly lawsuit.There was gawdawful PR (including the fake news rumor that the Tucker Torpedohad no reverse gear and could only go forward). The company crashed and burned.Preston Tucker, a heavy smoker, died of lung cancer six years later at age 53. BTW, thefilm was (and is) mesmerizing, although a box office failure.

On Amazon Prime Video. You'll Love It!

https://www.amazon.com/Tucker-Man-Dream-Jeff-Bridges/dp/B0036OUENA

 

The Tucker movie wasetched in my DNA.  Ever since I saw it, I believed that theodds were too high for an upstart American manufacturer to compete with Ford, GM andChrysler who had been producing automobiles for ninety to a hundred years. Forexample, in its development phase, Tesla had serious software and batteryproblems, self-driving glitches and huge recalls. At prices running from$48,000 to $250,000, Tesla seemed a toy for the guilty rich who wanted to makea statement on the horrors of fossil fuels and climate change. IMO Musk wasa space cadet—more interested in moon rockets than cars.

 

How dead wrong I was!

 

Elon Musk on the Early Days of Tesla: 
Interview Part 1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeeeEDSekG8 

         • Elon Musk          ($213.9 billion)

         • Jeff Bezos          ($131.9 billion)

         • Bill Gates           ($121.0 billion)

         • Warren Buffett    ($ 93.4 billion)

         • Larry Ellison        ($ 93.0 billion)

         • Larry Page          ($ 93.0 billion)

Rich entrepreneurs are notto be dismissed lightly. They didn't get rich making dumb mistakes.

Tesla'sArithmetic for Uber Drivers

A full tank of gas is averaging $5.00+ a gallon or roughly $66 (on up to $100 a tankful depending on the size of the car). With a range of say, 435 miles, operating cost for a gas-powered automobile is 15.3¢ a mile on up to 21¢.

With the new Tesla, a full charge of electricity costs$14 for 375 miles  — or 3.7¢ a mile.

Whena Tesla Needs More Juice...

For gas-poweredvehicles, filling stations are everywhere. How do you find a Tesla chargingstation in a strange area?

One of my driverstouched the huge 15" screen on the dashboard and instantly brought up alocal map showing where we were... where the nearest charging stations are...and how to get there. Easy peasy.

What else makes Teslaspecial in addition to lower operating cost?

• A Tesla isgloriously roomy and comfortable.

• She runs inabsolute dead silence. 

• She has pick-up todie for — zero-to-60 in 1.98 seconds.

• No transmission or gearshift. She simply goes.

• No transmission or gear shift means lots less mechanical wear and tear.

Takeawaysto Consider

• As longtime readersof this cranky blog know, I am fixated on the concept of the USP — the UniqueSelling Proposition introduced by legendary advertising executive andcopywriter Rosser Reeves (1910-1984).  The USP is a short pith phrase that instantly makes a product or service recognizable and unique in the marketplace.Examples:

— Rolls-Royce"At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise in the new Rolls-Royce is theelectric clock.")

— Morton Salt"When it rains, it pours.")

— Wheaties"Breakfast of Champions.")

— DeBeers ("Adiamond is forever.")

http://dennyhatch.blogspot.com/2018/10/26-your-toughest-copywriting-challenge.html

• Two possible USPsfor Tesla:

— "Imagine! Up to $100for your full tank of gas vs. $14 for the all-electric Tesla!"

— "Imagine! 21¢-a-mile cost to run your car vs. 3.7¢ for the all-electric Tesla!"

• P.S. For a fascinating add-on, check out onYouTube Tucker 48: The Car That Was Too Good For Detroit. It featuresPreston Tucker's great-grandsons giving a demo of the Tucker Torpedo and comparing Preston Tucker with Elon Musk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrR-EjOLUrY

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