Drove A Tesla Today

[AzScorpion]

Sure they can. Just get on TikTokyfacespace and make a post about such and such company shutting of your vehicle for missing one payment, rack up millions of views/retweets/hashgrams and boom, your ride is paid for. #easymoney

I'm one step ahead of you.

I've already figured out a way to pay for my Tesla.

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[Fordup]

In the US, it takes 10 to 15 years to build ab NPP. Most of that is just getting thru planning and regulatory requirements.
WE, meaning the US NEED more NPP, not just for EVs, but data centers coming online.
I'm no longer opposed to an EV, there's been considerable improvements in the last decade.
Unfortunately, I don't have a place to install a home charger, (no garage).

https://www.megaproject.com/news/po...ion-and-nearly-59-gw-operational-capacity-eia

 

[AzScorpion]

https://www.megaproject.com/news/po...ion-and-nearly-59-gw-operational-capacity-eia

If they can add that many in 8 years there's no reason (well we all know the main reason) why we can't do this here.

From the article:

China has emerged as one of the world’s leading nations in nuclear power development, significantly expanding its nuclear energy capacity over the past decade. Between 2016 and 2024, the country increased its nuclear power generation capacity by 76 percent, adding around 24 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity. The growth has continued in recent years, with China adding 1.1 GW in 2025 and another 2.2 GW during the first five months of 2026.

 

[Fordup]

 

[Fordup]

If they can add that many in 8 years there's no reason (well we all know the main reason) why we can't do this here.

From the article:

Plus solar, natural gas, oil, and coal plants going online. Cheap abundant electricity makes countries thrive.

 

[Cmar]

Tesla mentioned in this article (link below) as reported in the WSJ looking to sell off it's Chinese assets and some good info on how the Chinese auto industry is impacting countries that produce autos, with the exception of the US where their sales are essentially not allowed. Also a quote from that well known auto indusrty prognosticator, CEO JIM Farley:

"Jim Farley [CEO of Ford] told his staff at an internal town hall meeting July 30 that he expects the Chinese to be here within the next five to 10 years. [Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford also said at an Axios event, “We can’t expect to keep them out forever, and we have to be able to beat them at their own game.”] I think that having Chinese cars in Canada and Mexico, surrounding us, the pressure is going to be too great."

Talk is cheap, beating the Chinese "at their own game" sounds good but putting aside how the Chinese got to where they are today (producing 60% of the planets manufactured goods) is going to take a lot more than rhetoric - as steel, electronics, appliances, solar and countless items we use are produced in China have come to be dominated by China.

https://www.autoweek.com/news/a73336121/how-china-became-the-world-auto-superpower

This is interesting as the Teslas we get in Australia now come from the Chinese factory which makes both left and right hook models. And I'm sorry to say the standard of fit and finish, and the batteries are much better in the Chinese built models, than the ones we used to get from Fremont.
Chinese ones get BYD LiFeP batteries which I think come from BYD. They can be charged to 100% all the time without damage and last much longer that the older Li Ion ones. They also have impeccable panel fit, trim fit, and finish.
That was one of my biggest objections to Teslas here originally was the local BMW like price without the BMW build quality. Of course as a new manufacturer, as they learned mass production the US build quality has probably improved too.

 

[brroberts]

Build quality has improved, and supposedly the Austin factory has fewer issues than the Fremont factory. They are still Li ion batteries, but those have pluses and minuses to LFP. Yes LFP can charge to 100%, but are not as energy dense. Yes in some cases the have in the past lasted longer. If I need more range though, I can occasionally charge my Li ion to 100% and go farther. I do have to be more careful about abusing the battery. Right now it’s in the garage at 48%.

As far as needing a garage for charging mentioned in a post earlier, you can charge outside.

 

[dtech]

Plus solar, natural gas, oil, and coal plants going online. Cheap abundant electricity makes countries thrive.

Yeah it does as does less regulation and a stable one party gov , ostensibly communist ruled country but in reality have embraced capitalism. 2nd most billionaires in the world >500 and less than half the nat'l debt of the US which is now close to $40 tril - daily cost of US debt service is $2.8 bil or $30k /sec. Why does this matter - in the end it can reduce amount of investment money available - which helps with staying competitive.
Energy wise China is positioned to leverage off various sources of generation - whatever has the best cost advantage but they are transitioning to the cleaner energy sources - like nuclear. IIRC the gov owns and manages the energy distribution network, while generation is private. The recent spike in oil prices has cause EV sales to rise in China - and a number of their basic smaller EVS are < $10k.

 

[TheExtra404]

yeah, I am aware i need to get over my button issue. LOL

Otherwise, i dont have an issue with Tesla cars. I want one, wife is 60/40 yes/no. I am working on that, but we will see if I survive that special military move.

 

[OCL]

Plus solar, natural gas, oil, and coal plants going online. Cheap abundant electricity makes countries thrive.

I agree with this and will add more to it. The country has to have reliable security & legal apparatus, have no natural enemies so no invaders, access to economical viable trade routes, LOW TAXES, and most importantly, access to capital and an opportunistic and forward thinking population. There are many countries around the world that has many of these characteristics, but could be missing one or two that causes them to not rise the way they should (or fail entirely).

Some mentioned NPP's and I agree with this too. So called mainstream renewables (solar & wind) are too unreliable. Cheap yes. But have too many physical limitations. They're fine for certain cases. But NPP can run reliably for long periods, available 24-7 no matter the weather, and is capable of surging power when required. Cost more because it performs way more. It's a natural partner to Electric propulsion. My Gosh! God, Allah, the Fates, whatever, gave us the knowledge of harnessing the power of the Atom and the Universe. If we could stop killing each other for a minute, we could have an age of abundant power and resources. Can we just all get along and strive for the greater good? There's room for everyone in this ship so let's go somewhere far and beyond.

 

[OCL]

Yeah it does as does less regulation and a stable one party gov , ostensibly communist ruled country but in reality have embraced capitalism. 2nd most billionaires in the world >500 and less than half the nat'l debt of the US which is now close to $40 tril - daily cost of US debt service is $2.8 bil or $30k /sec. Why does this matter - in the end it can reduce amount of investment money available - which helps with staying competitive.

Yes China is moving towards NPP and electric propulsion to power their future. Unfortunately for them, their wealth is heavily concentrated in the State not in their citizens. And they rely heavily on other countries to financially fuel their growth (trade). On top of that, they do not have enough arable land to feed its massive population, so once again reliant on buying what they need from others. Often stealing from the world's oceans and other nation's. Their system of technological theft to accelerate their growth does not do them any favors as well. Their current hegemony in cheap labor will soon be replaced with AI robotics nested in other nations so who will they sell their goods to when those nations will have the same AI Robots to build cheap goods and services? Anyway, I'm sure China will not fail, but they just won't grow as quickly as they did the last 20 years. Having said that, if they want to sell me a cheap AI Robot at half the price of Tesla's, I'm all ears! LOL!

 

[AzScorpion]

yeah, I am aware i need to get over my button issue. LOL

Otherwise, i dont have an issue with Tesla cars. I want one, wife is 60/40 yes/no. I am working on that, but we will see if I survive that special military move.

It is a little strange at first looking a the dash and not seeing any buttons, knobs or gauges. It's like a huge iPad on wheels. lol But for me I kind of got use to it fast and even now I kind of like it more with the clean look.

If you haven't already, take one out for a test drive and let your wife drive it around and see if she likes it.

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