Newmark's Door

It's bad enough that California's politicians are stupid, but if their practices continue to spread to the rest of us, the consequences will be awful.

Scroll down a bit to "Today's EV farm update". 

One can argue--as many, many of Elon Musk's fans do--that Elon's propensity for promising things a bit . . . early is inherent in his being a wildly entrepreneurial, intensely creative, hugely inspirational leader. When you're working on the bleeding edge of vital technologies that will save the frickin' planet, a little exaggeration should be excused, they say.

OK. But providing enough service centers and customer support, which assuredly don't use bleeding edge technologies, shouldn't be difficult, should it? 

See also  "This Video Of A Terrifying High-Speed Tesla Wreck Is A Reminder That Autopilot's Problems Aren't Just Technical".

I had hoped there would be an Answer, but, sadly, there doesn't seem to be. Which matches my experience: if the dealer is ready to deal, he deals; if not, not. (Though for two of the last three purchases, I've used an agent to do the negotiating and that has worked out well.)

Sure. It's the 21st century after all.

UPDATE: link added now.

Unfortunate, but true. (Sorry, Elon.)

The fun just never stops at Tesla:

I found out today that Tesla has a new mandatory "Express" option for pickups at the factory that went into effect October 1st. The delivery center will be completely unstaffed, exact quote: "There will be no one available to help with your delivery." In order for your vehicle to be moved into one of the pick-up slots, you must pre-pay on the website at least 24 hours in advance.

On the day of your delivery, you'll get a text sometime between 9am and 9pm telling you which parking spot your vehicle is in. When you get the text you accept delivery and proceed to the Factory. ("We require you to 'Accept Delivery' in your Tesla account after you have received your text notification"). By then the car is in your account, and you can use the app to unlock and drive away.

See also "Tesla's PR Department Hasn't Responded To Me For Months And I'm Not Handling It Well".

What a car looks like is pretty far down the list of things that matter to me. But I gotta say, this is one sweet looking car. (Futuristic, too.)

I don't know that we needed a study for this: 

When sedans outnumbered pickup trucks, there was an 88 percent chance the city would vote Democratic.

In areas with more pickup trucks, the odds switched to 82 percent in favor of Republicans, the researchers concluded.

The irrepressible Thunderf00t reviews some of the recent hyperloop hype. People who dislike sarcasm and savage commentary should stay away. (25 minute video.)

Very much related: "Why Hyperloop will FAIL HARD - It's Biggest Problem . . ." (16 minute video.)

Eric Peters takes another vicious shot at electric cars.