7 ms·

This means that the law banning Tesla sales in Texas will be off the books in about 20 seconds.

• deletes 13y ago
  Could you elaborate on that; why would politicians care?
  • Phlarp 13y ago
    Jobs. This factory has the potential to bring a large number of jobs to whichever state it ends up getting built in.
    • arepb 13y ago
      Indeed. 6500 jobs specifically.
    • ck2 13y ago
      Until the battery packs can be built by robots or robotic assembly machines. Which cannot be too far away for that kind of volume.
      • zeckalpha 13y ago
        Who will maintain/engineer/program/design the robots? It's not robots all the way down is it?
        • toomuchtodo 13y ago
          Not yet, but eventually it will be. The battery pack cases could be SLS assembled (laser sintered) to exacting specifications. Pack disassembly could be automated. Not quite sure on raw material->cell construction though. I'll have to research that process and see if FANUC robotics has anything that would fit the bill for that sort of work
          • zeckalpha 13y ago
            Someone developed that technique.
          • msandford 13y ago
            It's fairly unlikely that it'll ever be robots all the way down. If it's not instrumented it can't be measured by automated systems and you can't instrument everything. Management is unlikely to be replaced by robots in the short and mid term.
      • deleted 13y ago
        [deleted]
    • rayiner 13y ago
      People blame lobbying for everything, but this is really how companies influence politicians. "We have 10,000 employees in your state. It would be a shame if anything happened to them."
      • mikeyouse 13y ago
        Yeah, the lack of awareness in these comments is pretty entertaining. "Tesla will teach those dealerships who have too much influence over the legislature a real lesson by holding that same legislature hostage to achieve their own selfish corporate goals."
        • deletes 13y ago
          Selfish? At least as long as Elon Musk is the CEO of the company, the main goal of Tesla is to transition transport to away from non-renewable resources. He was also explicitly asked that question by an actual shareholder in a shareholder conference, and the answer was something on that line.
          • 001sky 13y ago
            the main goal of Tesla is to transition transport to away from non-renewable resources Funny the that thing about the tires ;D
          • mikeyouse 13y ago
            Selfish? At least as long as Elon Musk is the CEO of the company, the main goal of Tesla is to transition transport to away from non-renewable resources. He was also explicitly asked that question by an actual shareholder in a shareholder conference, and the answer was something on that line. I'm a huge Tesla fan, I applaud what they're doing in a major way. That doesn't change the fact that they are a for-profit publicly traded company who has an independent board of directors. Their goal is to make money. They'll make more money if they can extract tax breaks from states for building their factory in the region. They'll make more money if the franchising dealership laws are overturned. It may be a beneficial outcome for humanity, but the pursuits are still 'selfish' in the sense that it's not some public interest group influencing the legislature, it's a company that will directly profit from its influence.
• tdiggity 13y ago
  If Texas is the right place for it, then so be it. But, it would be a great way to stick it to them by not choosing them because of their stance on traditional dealers vs. Tesla.
  • riggins 13y ago
    it would be sweet if Telsa uses this as leverage to roll back the dealership law.
    • cfreeman 13y ago
      That would be sweet but I can't see that dealership law standing indefinitely either way. I don't think Texas should get the plant unless they are truly the best place for it.
• prostoalex 13y ago
  I'm curious whether retail presence matters that much - their current clientele seems to be motivated enough that even if they sold exclusively via Web site, with subsequent delivery in person, they would still have a waiting line. Those pesky laws generally prohibit direct sales, not service of the vehicles, so Tesla would still be able to open a full-blown service location, and direct any potential new buyers online.
  • hnnewguy 13y ago
    >their current clientele seems to be motivated enough Their current clientele is a small population of wealthy trend-setters and early adopters. It's unlikely Tesla will ever sell 500,000 units per year over the internet, without a retail location. But changing arbitrary laws is small issue.