We’ll be Interviewing Elon Musk

This morning, Tesla CEO Elon Musk agreed to come on the Third Row Tesla Podcast for a conversation with the community. And we’re going to hold you to that Elon!

We’ll have more information as this story develops, but in the meantime: What would you ask Elon Musk if you had the chance? Asking for a friend…

16 thoughts on “We’ll be Interviewing Elon Musk

    1. Hello, And Happy Holidays. My Question For Elon. Which Safety Measures Are In Place For Women At SuperChargers.

  1. Ask him if the AWD boost for the model 3 can be taken up to the performance of a stealth 3. Lot more people would buy in for that price and that is the cost when moving from AWD to stealth when buying new

  2. Question: Elon, you’ve been clear that HW3 will enable “full self driving” and “robotaxi” functionality. You’ve also discussed that you’re already in development for a subsequent generation of custom chip hardware beyond HW3. What functionality does Tesla hope to deliver that’s beyond what you’ve discussed up until know as “full self driving” that requires additional compute?

    Question: Elon you’ve discussed the bus wiring architecture that will be in the Model Y. Is the goal here to simplify manufacturing? Is there other functionality that will be enabled by this bus wiring architecture?

    Question: Tell us about the 3rd Row of Model Y!

  3. Question: Elon, you’ve been clear that HW3 will enable “full self driving” and “robotaxi” functionality. You’ve also discussed that you’re already in development for a subsequent generation of custom chip hardware beyond HW3. What functionality does Tesla hope to deliver that’s beyond what you’ve discussed up until know as “full self driving” that requires additional compute?

    Question: Elon you’ve discussed the bus wiring architecture that will be in the Model Y. Is the goal here to simplify manufacturing? Or is there other functionality that will be enabled by this bus wiring architecture?

    Question: Tell us about the 3rd Row of Model Y!

    1. The question about additional functionality from HW4 has already been asked at the autonomy investors day. The answer was rather vague, but it seemed to indicate that no new functionality is planned — just better at handling autonomy in general. (I.e. lower error rate.)

      As for wiring in the Model Y, AFAIK these are just rumours thus far, nothing really confirmed? Which would actually make it an interesting question — assuming he is willing to answer it 🙂 (In terms of what we know thus far, there is absolutely no question though that this is about manufacturing. If there are other benefits, that would be a side effect…)

      Now *if* he is willing to talk about this sort of stuff, there are so many other interesting questions…

      At one point he talked about doing away with the 12 V battery for the Model Y — is that still on? Are there plans to port that back to Model 3? Are there other improvements in the Model Y that could make it back to Model 3?

      Where does the weight reduction of the 2020 Model 3 come from? At one point, there was talk about an improved battery architecture (in the context of the standard range Model 3), as well as an improved body architecture. Did any of these come to pass? Are they still planned? How do these new architectures differ? Is it true that the made-in-China Model 3 has a different body? Will this be ported back to Fremont?

      Will the Plaid power train have more commonality with the Model 3/Y architecture? How about other changes to Model S/X, or future models: is Tesla moving to more of a modular architecture like traditional auto makers, to save costs and make it easier to introduce additional models?

      (Also, will the Plaid power train finally switch to 21700 cells? While he originally said years ago that Model S/X will adopt 21700 cells, later he consistently denied any plans, presumably to avoid Osborne Effect — but now that they let the cat out of the bag regarding Plaid power train, maybe he would be more open about that as well?…)

      Will Maxwell dry electrode technology require yet a different cell format, or are they sticking with 21700 for the long run?

      Are there considerations to introduce another model between Model S and Model 3, in order to close the big price gap? (Presumably moving Model S further up-market in the process…) What is the current thinking regarding a cheaper/smaller Model below the 3 — especially with regards to Europeans loving affordable compact hatchbacks? And what about wagon body styles for Europe?

      Will the Cybertruck have dedicated battery formats, or share batteries with other models? (I suspect the 250/300/500 mile ranges are not coincidental: by a somewhat educated guess, these probably correspond to ~100 kWh, ~125 kWh, and ~200 kWh respectively. ~100 kWh could match a future standard range Model S/X, or maybe even a future long range Model 3/Y. ~125 kWh is very likely for future long-range Model S/X. ~200 kWh is what was announced for next-gen Roadster…)

      Once the Semi is out, are there plans to expand to rigid trucks? Possibly in other weight classes as well? (Maybe even enabling a “traditional” box-on-frame pickup truck option, for those unhappy with the Cybertruck?…)

  4. Not exactly a question, but IMHO the most important thing to bring up by far: some more in-depth discussion about a developer platform for in-car apps. He needs to understand that this is not about having a platform with huge monetisation opportunities competing with existing app platforms — but rather about giving enthusiasts a way to create useful apps that make the cars even better… And also about getting a head start with an in-car app ecosystem, before Android enters the IVI market next year.

  5. Not sure this is the right forum for this sort of question: but from an investor point of view, the thing I’d like to hear about most is battery production capacity expansion. Elon claimed multiple times that this is the limiting factor for Tesla’s growth — so it would be really nice to hear what kind of trajectory he is envisioning there. Is it exponential? If so, what CAGR is he targeting?

    Also, do they have some sort of long-term roadmap/strategy for regularly introducing new products that they can put all these additional batteries into?…

    And in a way more specific vein: are there plans to produce cells at the Shanghai factory at some point in the future, or will it stick with only module/pack assembly from cells produced elsewhere? What about Berlin?

    (BTW, how serious are they about opening a development centre in Berlin, and what would the timeline be?…)

  6. And of course, don’t forget the most asked question about the Cybertruck: what implications does the exoskeleton architecture have on collision safety, and especially pedestrian collision safety?…

  7. In terms of the mission to force other automakers to electrification, how does Elon see the others right now? VW send to be the only traditional auto company making moves towards that outcome.

    Follow up: any concerns about market share for Tesla if/when VW and others start to produce EVs in quantities greater than compliance levels?

  8. Is Tesla ready to handle astronomical demand?

    How much will Tesla offer us owners (each delivery) for word-of-mouth advertising, from test drives to helping with deliveries – tsunami demand will ensue.

  9. What are the upcoming battery enhancements and corresponding range increases in the works.
    In what way are you incorporating Maxwell supercapacitors in Tesla’s, now and in future.
    What are the plans for shorter/smaller version of cybrtrk.

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