Tesla is charming Chinese customers with the Model 3’s excellent efficiency

Simon Alvarez

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Posted on May 9, 2019

Tesla Model 3 owners in China are taking to local social media platforms to express their appreciation of their electric cars. While China is already saturated with electric vehicles from local manufacturers, customers are noticing that Teslas are a cut above the average EV not only in design and performance, but in metrics such as battery consumption as well.

Tesla owner-enthusiast and Model S/X owner @ray4tesla recently shared some of these posts from Chinese social media. One Tesla owner remarked that his Model 3, which is a Long Range RWD variant, has been showing an average consumption of 14 kwh/100 km (225.31 Wh/mi). These figures were far superior to the usual consumption of competitors, which average 20 kwh/100 km (321.87 Wh/mi) or more.

It could be said that battery efficiency is one of the concepts that Tesla has mastered over the years. Faced with more electric vehicles from competitors today, the superiority of Teslas in battery consumption is difficult to argue. During a highway test between the Tesla Model X and the Jaguar I-PACE last year, for example, reviewers from nextmove in Germany were quite astonished to see a large gap in efficiency between the two SUVs. The company found that the I-PACE’s consumption averaged 22.5 kWh/100 km (362 Wh/mi) at speeds between 93 km/h (58 mph) and 110 km/h (68 mph), far higher than the larger and heavier Tesla Model X’s 17.5 kWh/100 km (282 Wh/mi).

Tesla also showcased its pedigree in efficiency in its recent refresh of the Model S and Model X. Both vehicles’ Long Range versions retained their 100 kWh battery pack after the update, but the cars showed a ~10% improvement in range. A test of the refreshed Model S by MotorTrend hinted that the electric sedan might be capable of achieving 400 miles of range per charge. That’s comparable to the range of Rivian’s top-tier R1S and R1T, and those trucks are equipped with a 180 kWh pack.

China’s fondness for the Tesla Model 3 appears to be increasing by the month. Since deliveries of the vehicle started in the first quarter, Chinese customers have given the Model 3 a warm welcome. The reception is not surprising, considering that the electric sedan is pretty much the best bang-for-your-buck Tesla in the country today. The Model 3 Performance is particularly compelling for buyers as well, thanks to its competitive price against rivals like the BMW M3.

What is rather interesting is that Tesla’s Model 3 push into China is only in its initial stages. Gigafactory 3, which is under construction in Shanghai, is designed to produce affordable versions of the Model 3 sedan and the Model Y SUV once it is operational. The facility’s buildout has been incredibly quick, with the factory shell of the project’s Phase 1 area now coming into form. Barring any unexpected delays, estimates point to Model 3 production trial runs to begin as early as September.

Tesla is charming Chinese customers with the Model 3’s excellent efficiency

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Tesla Model S owners report performance drop as ‘Launch Mode’ disappears after firmware update

Simon Alvarez

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Posted on May 9, 2019

Some of Tesla’s recent firmware updates appear to have adversely affected a number of Model S variants, with electric car owners reporting that their vehicles lost features like Launch Mode and Max Battery Power after installing firmware 2019.x. This has resulted in slower-than-usual launches, particularly among Model S P85D and P90D vehicles.

Conversations about the issue started at the Tesla Motors Club back in early April, with Model S P90DL owner Ryan Autry mentioning that his electric car lost Max Battery Power and Launch Mode after it received the 2019.x update in mid-March. The Tesla owner noted that while his vehicle showed the Ludicrous + button under Acceleration, selecting the setting did not trigger a sub-screen that allowed Max Battery to be chosen. Tesla Model S P100D owners in the TMC forums noted that their vehicles did not any problems with the same firmware version installed.

Eventually, more owners of Model S P90D and P85D reported the loss of their vehicles’ Launch Mode and Max Battery Power options. Reports also emerged stating that the electric sedans showed less power after installing the 2019.x update. One owner, who goes by the username Kurfer on TMC, tested his Model S in the quarter mile and found that his car’s time had increased from 1.12 to 11.75 seconds with 2019.x installed.

(Credit: Ryan Autry/Tesla Motors Club)

Prompted by the issues resulting from the 2019.x firmware updates, the Model S owners began taking their vehicles to Tesla service centers to have them fixed. The owners were informed that the source of the issues was a bug, and that a software update will be released to fix the problems. Several software updates were indeed rolled out, but none addressed the missing features and the reduction in power. As of Monday, Model S owners on the TMC forum have reported getting firmware version 2019.12.1.2 for their vehicles, but just like before, Launch Mode and Max Battery Power were still unavailable.

These circumstances have resulted in a notable degree of apprehension among several Tesla owners, with some speculating that the company might be intentionally limiting the power of the Model S P95D and P90D. Some owners who have been frustrated at the lack of legitimate solutions from the company are even contemplating a class-action lawsuit. While this might sound a bit excessive, it should be noted that something very similar had happened before.

Back in 2016, several Model S owners started noticing that their vehicles were performing less impressively than usual. Upon soliciting feedback from a local service center, Model S owner and TMC member Tech_Guy was informed that software on his Ludicrous Model S has limited his vehicle’s power output due to too many uses of Launch Mode. This resulted in complaints from electric car owners, and eventually Tesla opted to remove the limiting feature. Tesla’s then-President of Global Sales and Service Jon McNeill announced that the company decided to “remove all software performance reductions tied to frequent max power usage.”

Tesla’s electric cars are known for their insane launches and their quick acceleration. The Model S, particularly its P-branded variants, changed the way electric cars are perceived by regularly outrunning high-performance vehicles and supercars on the quarter-mile. Tesla’s software updates are designed to improve the company’s vehicles; thus, an update making Performance cars slower does not make a lot of sense. Speed and power, after all, are among the key reasons why customers purchased the Model S P90D and P85D, and it is only fair for Tesla to ensure that vehicles sold as Performance machines retain their impressive characteristics until the end of their life cycle.

We have reached out to Tesla for a comment and will update this story when we receive a response.

Tesla Model S owners report performance drop as ‘Launch Mode’ disappears after firmware update

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Tesla (TSLA) completes $2.7B funding round as BMW pledges more EV competition

Simon Alvarez

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Posted on May 8, 2019

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) announced on Wednesday that it had closed its $2.7 billion offering of stock and convertible notes. The electric car maker also noted that it had oversubscribed its funding round, giving the company ample cash as it ramps up Model 3 production and prepares for other high-profile projects like the rollout of the Model Y and the Tesla Semi.

Overall, Tesla sold about $860 million in TSLA stock and $1.84 billion in debt, after the underwriters exercised their option of buying 15% in each offering. Tesla’s filings indicate that its recently-completed funding round was underwritten by Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Societe Generale, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, and Wells Fargo.

The completion of Tesla’s latest funding round came just a day after Elon Musk confirmed that he purchased a total of $25 million worth of TSLA stock for $243.00 per share. Musk’s purchase involved 102,880 shares, bringing his total of Tesla stock to 33,927,560 shares, or around 19.5% of the company.

As Tesla prepares to ramp its activities with its new funding, veteran automaker BMW has expressed its intention to put pressure on the electric vehicle market. BMW had a tough first quarter, reporting earnings of $667 million, or down 75% year over year. Despite this, BMW’s management reiterated the company’s commitment to electrification.

BMW noted that the company currently holds 11% of the US luxury market, which is double Tesla’s share, thanks to its lineup of internal combustion-vehicles like the BMW 5-Series (which competes with the Model S), the X5 (which is in the same segment as the Model X), the 3-Series (which competes with the Model 3), and a variety of other models. Tesla only offers three vehicles that compete on the US luxury market, though the electric car maker has noted that the Model S outsells its equivalent BMW competitor by 2-3 times.

While BMW commands a larger portion of the US luxury market than Tesla, the German automaker lags behind the Silicon Valley company in terms of EV sales. BMW delivered more than 27,000 electric cars so far in 2019, while Tesla delivered more than 63,000 in the first quarter alone. Nevertheless, BMW notes that its electric vehicle figures will increase as it initiates its “25 by 25” program, which is aimed at rolling out 25 electric and electrified vehicles by 2025.

As the electric vehicle market enters another stage with a freshly-funded Tesla, BMW Chairman Harald Kruger expressed his confidence that the German automaker will remain competitive. “In Europe, our percentage of electrified vehicles delivered is three times the industry average. In 2018, we were the market leader for electrification in both Europe and Germany—not just in the premium segment, but in the market as a whole. We plan to maintain a leading position going forward—both in Europe and worldwide,” he said.

As of writing, Tesla stock is trading +0.93% at $249.37 per share.

Disclosure: I have no ownership in shares of TSLA and have no plans to initiate any positions within 72 hours.

Tesla (TSLA) completes $2.7B funding round as BMW pledges more EV competition

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