Tesla Cybertruck, page #31

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EV buyers not exactly happy with dealership experience

If Tesla Motors chief Elon Musk was an I-told-you-so type of guy, here's his chance to do so. It turns out that plug-in vehicle buyers are generally less satisfied with their dealership experience than conventional-vehicle buyers. And the dealers themselves don't like the process much, either. So says a study from the University of California, Davis. The report cited 43 interviews with automakers and dealers that sell in California as well as the JD Power 2013 Sales Satisfaction Index. The study found customer-satisfaction scores to be "much lower" for plug-in vehicle buyers than others. Maybe that's because the dealers themselves are less patient and find that selling plug-ins are more time-consuming, labor-intensive and stressful. And that's just getting the car out the door. More complications arise when dealing with the federal tax incentives issue. Of course, Tesla scored well, relative to the other dealerships. And all that gives more credence to the company's insistence on selling its vehicles directly to customers and without a third-party dealership network. Representatives of some of these dealership groups have been lobbying against the prospect of Tesla getting direct-sales rights. Michigan is the latest battleground between Tesla and pro-dealership entities. See below for an abstract on the UC Davis report and then read more here. New Car Dealers and Retail Innovation in California's Plug-In Electric Vehicle Market Abstract: Innovative new products like plug-in electric vehicles may need new approaches to market and sell them. We conducted 43 interviews with automakers and dealers selling plug-in vehicles in California's major metro markets and analyzed data on customer satisfaction with new car dealers and Tesla stores. Initial findings revealed: • Plug-in vehicle buyers rated the dealer purchase experience much lower than conventional vehicle buyers while Tesla earned industry-high scores; • Plug-in vehicles returned higher gross profits but place greater demands on dealers, including the provision of support services beyond traditional offerings; • New retail approaches undertaken by 'dealer innovators', including new methods for building and scaling dealer competence, could improve the PEV buying experience; an • Public incentives could better align with established dealer practices and business drivers to improve program effectiveness.

Amsterdam's Schiphol airport launches fleet of 167 Tesla electric taxis

Traveling by jet airplane may not be the greenest mode of transportation, but if you're landing at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, at least you'll be able to get into town under pure electric power. The Dutch airport has inaugurated a new fleet of 167 Tesla Model S taxis, giving it the largest fleet of all-electric taxis of any airport in the world. The cabs will be operated by two taxi companies – BBF Schipholtaxi and BIOS-groep – who will shuttle passengers to and from the airport with zero emissions. "This represents a crucial step in our efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and become one of the world's three most sustainable airports," said Schiphol Group CEO Jos Nijhuis. Last year, the airport authority brokered a deal to buy Europe's largest fleet of electric buses to shuttle passengers to, from and between terminals as well. So whatever you may be planning to burn while in Amsterdam, at least it doesn't have to be fossil fuels. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol: Record number of electrically powered taxis at Schiphol Schiphol, 16 October 2014 As from today, passengers at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol can opt for electrically powered taxis operated by BBF Schipholtaxi or BIOS-groep. The two companies will jointly offer passenger transport services with a fleet of 167 Tesla Model S taxis. Schiphol is the only airport in the world to offer a comparable service: no other airport has a fleet of sustainable taxis this size. The electrically powered taxis provide a significant boost to sustainable mobility at the airport. 'The new fleet of 100 per cent electrically-powered Teslas allows passengers to continue their journey from Schiphol in total comfort. At Schiphol, high-quality transport and an environmental conscience go hand in hand. This represents a crucial step in our efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and become one of the world's three most sustainable airports', explained Jos Nijhuis, Schiphol Group's President and CEO. The zero-emission taxis will be serving Schiphol for a period of at least four years, with an optional extension of up to eight years. Check-in to sustainability Schiphol Group anticipates and is investing in a sustainable future for the airport. Schiphol Group facilitates connections - connections between the Netherlands and the rest of the world and connections between people.

Recent Tesla Model S buyers frustrated over new features

Tesla wowed the motoring world when it recently unveiled the all-wheel drive, dual-motor D version that added power and range to the already well-regarded Model S. At the same time, the company showed off a new suite of safe-driving tech like a forward-looking camera, radar and ultrasonic sensors to come standard on all models. While the new features might attract some new buyers into the fold, for a few current owners the upgrades aren't coming as a pleasant surprise at all. Some of them are rallying for Tesla to fix things somehow.
These disgruntled owners aren't upset about what any of the new features actually do; in fact, they love them. The issue is Tesla's secrecy before the reveal. A few of these folks bought their cars just a few months ago, some even in September, according to The San Jose Mercury News. If the upgrades had been publicized earlier, then they would have waited to order versions with the latest and greatest tech.
Some of them are already on the web lodging their complaints. According to The San Jose Mercury News, the website Change.org has competing petitions asking Tesla to find a way to retrofit the features, which the company says isn't possible, and another requesting the automaker to ignore the complainers.

Tesla pushes hard against Michigan's anti-direct vehicle sales bills

While Tesla has been fighting against direct-vehicle sales bans in a number of states, the California electric vehicle company doesn't ask for help every time it finds itself in a skirmish. Last year, it did send out some ravens calling for assistance in Ohio. It has done so again to deal with a fast-moving situation in Michigan. A new bill, House Bill 5606, would not allow a vehicle manufacturer to "directly or indirectly own, operate, or control a new motor vehicle dealer." It would also prevent Tesla from opening one of its we're-not-selling-cars-here 'galleries' in the Mitten State. Local news station WSJM talked to State Representative Aric Nesbitt (who introduced the bill) and he maintains that the bill is not "anti-Tesla at all." It just clarifies other laws, he said, adding that "if Tesla wants to have a real debate on current structure and state statute, I look forward to sitting down and meet[ing] with them, but them spreading lies about my bill, that's not a constructive use of their time." Lies, eh? Tesla did call the legislation "harmful to consumers" and described the way it says the bill came about in somewhat conspiratorial terms: On the last day of the legislative session, the dealers managed to make a last-minute change to the bill in an attempt to cement their broader retail monopoly. Using a procedure that prevented legislators and the public at large from knowing what was happening or allowing debate, Senator Joe Hune added new language in an attempt to lock Tesla out of the State. Unsurprisingly, Senator Hune counts the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association as one of his top financial contributors, and his wife's firm lobbies for the dealers. A number of Michigan auto dealers are big contributors to Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, who has yet to announce if he will sign the bill. He has until Tuesday to decide. You can read the full text of Tesla's call for help below. A Raw Deal in Michigan By The Tesla Motors Team October 16, 2014 On October 1, the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association succeeded in passing a bill that is harmful to consumers. The bill, HB5606, was originally a single amendment to existing law designed to ensure that the car dealers can tack additional fees on to the purchase price for all vehicles (from any manufacturer) sold in Michigan. Such fees have a controversial history, are generally regarded with skepticism and have been the subject of consumer concern in other states.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder hasn't yet signed anti-Tesla legislation

The nation's auto dealers are taking their fight against Tesla and its direct method of selling cars to consumers to the symbolic heart of the auto industry. In Michigan, a bill that would entrench the existing dealer networks and prohibit direct car sales to buyers has passed both the state's house and senate, and awaits Gov. Rick Snyder's signature. A spokesperson for Snyder says a determination on whether he'll sign the legislation has not yet been made. "Right now, the staff is doing its due diligence and studying the bill," spokesperson Dave Murray said. Snyder has until Tuesday to act on the bill. Fighting this sort of legislation is nothing new for Tesla, which has already lost such legislative fights against auto dealers in Texas, New Jersey, Maryland and other states. "We're fighting these actions as they come up," said James Chen, vice president for regulatory affairs and associate general counsel at Tesla. While Snyder's staff said the governor has not yet made up his mind, executives from Detroit's Big Three automakers and state car dealers are some of the top individual donors to his ongoing campaign to retain the governorship. Campaign records show Martha Ford has given $10,200 to the Snyder campaign, while her brother, William Clay Ford Jr., has donated $3,400. Edsel B. Ford II has also given $3,400 to Snyder, who is in a tight race against Democratic challenger Mark Schauer. Michigan car dealer magnate Paul Alandt has donated $6,800 to the Snyder campaign. His wife, Lynn Ford Alandt, daughter of Benson Ford, has donated $6,200 so far in this election cycle. Other car dealers that have given to Snyder include: Richard Garber Jr., president of Garber Chevrolet in Saginaw, Michigan; Howard Cooper, past owner of Howard Cooper Honda in Ann Arbor; Joseph Sesi, president of Sesi Motors in Ann Arbor; Michael Savoie of Savoie Chevrolet in Troy, Michigan; John Kudner of Art Moehn Chevrolet and David Fisher of The Suburban Collection, which touts itself as Michigan's largest car dealer. All have given between $2,000 and $4,000, according to election records collected by the National Institute on Money in State Politics, a nonpartisan archive of contributions to political campaigns.

Musk: Tesla's first battery swap station to open before end of year

For us, the lede was certainly buried in this Automotive News post about the new Tesla D models. In a casual way, AN lets us know that, Tesla CEO Elon Musk "said that Tesla plans to open its first [battery swap] station, between Los Angeles and San Francisco, within the next two months." Well, that's news, isn't it? The last time we hear anything official about the Model S swap stations, which can replace an empty battery pack with a full one in just 90 seconds, was a long time ago. Tesla first showed off the technology in June of 2013 and claimed that the first station would open in California in the fourth quarter of 2013. Since then it's been ... quiet as the electric vehicle company was busy with other projects. In fact, while Tesla was busy getting the D ready, starting to sell the Model S in a number of new countries and working on the Gigafactory as well as new models, some people were thinking that the whole battery swap stations were a hoax, despite that demonstration with journalists in attendance and a series of questions answered. Now that we're 60 days away from the first battery swap station – available, as always, in California first – we're excited to see how it actually works in the real world.

Elon Musk hints at need for franchised Tesla dealerships

The auto dealers around the US, the ones who are frantically trying to stop Tesla Motors from selling its cars directly to consumers, might just need to wait things out. The latest state to take an aggressive stance against Telsa's dealer-free policy is Michigan, but in an new interview with Autoline Daily, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that as the company grows, it may need to introduce franchised dealerships into its sales model. Currently, Tesla only sells vehicles directly to customers through a network of Tesla Stores. But that may not be enough once more vehicles – the Model X and the Model 3 – arrive and demand for the electric vehicles grows in all fifty states. According to Autoline Daily host John McElroy, when he asked Musk about future growth, Musk admitted that, "We may need a hybrid system, with a combination of our own stores and some dealer franchises." That's a big turn around from Musk's previous claims that normal dealerships can't properly sell electric vehicles and that, if necessary, Tesla would try to change the laws nationwide to allow direct sales, a strategy that has had its share of successes, including surprising support from the FTC. Still, selling a few thousand vehicles a month is a lot different than selling tens of thousands, and that's the sort of thing that Tesla's legislative director Jim Chen may have been thinking about when, in a closed-door regulatory meeting in the fall of 2013, he reportedly said that Tesla would stop its factory-direct-only policy once sales increased to some unspecified level, according to Hybrid Cars. You can see the AD video below. The Tesla news is first in the line-up. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Michigan gets into anti-Tesla legislation game

If you figured the home of the US car industry would be against messing with the age-old, franchised-dealer auto distribution system, you'd be right. Michigan, home to the Big Three US automotive companies (General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, now Fiat Chrysler), is moving towards officially disallowing companies like Tesla Motors from selling their cars directly to consumers, according to the Wall Street Journal. Tesla will naturally fight this, but it's one more challenge for the California-based automaker. Both chambers of Michigan's legislature approved bills banning automakers from selling cars to the public without doing so through a third-party franchised dealership. Tesla once again will rally against this, arguing that the uniqueness of its electric vehicles prevents third-party dealers from properly marketing the cars. Legislation like this continues to make its way through various states, with varying degrees of approval. Last month, the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association stated its intention to shut down Tesla's one state store and prevent two planned outlets from opening. Texas, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and Arizona have also taken a hardline approach to preventing direct automaker-to-public sales. Tesla has worked out compromises in other areas, for example with Pennsylvania in August. There, electric vehicles are now exempted from the franchised-dealer mandate.

Tesla talking to Slovakia about European EV plant

Ready for some far-flung Tesla news? How about a wild rumor out of Slovakia? You got it. The Slovak Spectator reports that Tesla might build a manufacturing plant there some day and is already in talks with the Economy Ministry and the Slovak Agency for Development of Investments and Trade. This was apparently confirmed to the newspaper by the EM, which also said the ministry offered Tesla an unspecified amount of investment aid (a smart move). Tesla spokesperson Liz Jarvis-Shean told AutoblogGreen simply, "This story seems quite speculative, and we don't comment on such rumors." Fair enough. We do know that Tesla is looking to open a manufacturing center in Europe, but that's unlikely to happen in the next few years, given that the CEO Elon Musk said recently that Tesla would need to sell 160,000 vehicles a year in Europe before building them there makes sense. Hard numbers of difficult to come by, but in the first four months of 2014, Tesla sold around 3,500 EVs in Europe, according to research firm JATO Dynamics. So, we have some time to cultivate some Slovakian sources.

How to get people to ignore your Tesla Model S

In a crowdfunding campaign that seems destined to fail (only $5 have been raised of a $25,000 target after two weeks), we find a master class in getting people to not care about a Tesla Model S. In short, you add a new look to a car that a lot of people think doesn't need one, apparently. Koncept Cars, a San Jose, California startup, wants to design and build "high-performance electric vehicles," according to the IndieGoGo page, which claims that the company's first project is the Koncept S Coupe. Of course, Koncept Cars isn't building the car at all, yet, it's just changing the look. Koncept Cars is asking for $25,000 in order to, "fabricate a front bumper mold, a rear bumper mold, and production of the first run of carbon fiber bumper sets." Should the next 18 days really turn around and a $50,000 level get reached, then Koncept Cars, "will be able to acquire an early model, pre-owned Model S for the coupe conversion." Long-term, Koncept Cars hopes to offer the Koncept S, "as a build package for Model S owners" and the company hopes to one day, "deliver a line of EVs that can charge through Tesla's global Supercharger network." Don't go looking for more at the Koncept Cars website because it is, well, a bit lacking. You can see more in the video below, where something appears to attack a Model S with some sort of Marvel comic ice blast. Hey, why not? This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.