Tesla's Big F***ing Field

[heironymouspasparagus]

You guys know there's a private message function on this thing?

Thread drift is always the most fun!

Besides, that Big F***ing Field would be better served with a lot of tomatoes, corn, beans, and okra!   I propose a community garden setup until Elon makes up his mind!  I can provide some tilling with the tractor!

There - no more thread drift!  Back to the main topic....

[Tulsan]

Thread drift is always the most fun!

Besides, that Big F***ing Field would be better served with a lot of tomatoes, corn, beans, and okra!   I propose a community garden setup until Elon makes up his mind!  I can provide some tilling with the tractor!

There - no more thread drift!  Back to the main topic....

Ha! Well played.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Ha! Well played.

Always best when actually true!   Should have something like that.  If not there, then somewhere in town.

[tulsabug]

I was getting worried Tesla was going to get in the pizza business 

[LandArchPoke]

I was getting worried Tesla was going to get in the pizza business  

Just give it time, you never know.

They are looking into a 'diner' type experience at one of the Tesla charging stations (https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/01/tesla-files-trademark-hinting-at-elon-musks-restaurant-concept-plans/). They're already trademarking stuff. 

I've always felt this is the biggest upcoming opportunity is a modern 'gas' station. QuikTrip would be wise to start planning on a way to build out charging stations or converting some of their locations. If things keep progressing the way it is, in 5-10 years things like QuikTrip will not exist anymore if they are planning on how to adapt.

[Red Arrow]

When it comes to Greenwood's future, some here think I-244 — which runs east-west and sits on top of what were once famous cultural hubs, like the Dreamland Theater — should be lowered to a thoroughfare. Others think it should be buried in a tunnel so that the property on top provides new real estate. Many also want to see U.S. 75, which sliced off most of the eastern edge and northern stretch of Greenwood, removed.

If the US 75 east IDL leg was removed, we could reclaim the Midland Valley right of way and put in an electric powered, steel wheel, rail guided trolley line to the Gathering Place.  There would be some hiccups along the south leg of the IDL but it's not impossible.  If the right of way is wide enough, we could keep the hiking trail. Look up trolley parks from the turn of the 19th to 20th Centuries.  No need to turn the Gathering Place to a full fledged amusement part though.  A trolley would remove the need for a lot of parking at the Gathering Place for folks living in a revitalized downtown Tulsa.  An electric trolley could help with Climate Change too. 

In any case, repopulating downtown will require better public transportation unless "you" want huge parking garages and continued dependence on the automobile. Better public transit might make Tulsa more attractive to the younger generations.

Regional rail transit was a hot topic several years ago.  It needs to be revisited.  Longer infrastructure and equipment life combined with lower operating costs can offset the higher initial cost of rail compared to rubber tired buses which use publicly funded streets.  Same old situation of the "transit holocaust". (General Motors, Firestone tires and Standard Oil.)

Electric cars have a better carbon footprint than petroleum powered cars, but not a zero footprint depending on the source of electricity. There are also some issues regarding manufacturing, battery disposal/recycling etc. Electric cars still need a place to park.  I don't see Tulsans giving up personally owned transportation without significant improvement to public transit.

[tulsabug]

Just give it time, you never know.

They are looking into a 'diner' type experience at one of the Tesla charging stations (https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/01/tesla-files-trademark-hinting-at-elon-musks-restaurant-concept-plans/). They're already trademarking stuff. 

I've always felt this is the biggest upcoming opportunity is a modern 'gas' station. QuikTrip would be wise to start planning on a way to build out charging stations or converting some of their locations. If things keep progressing the way it is, in 5-10 years things like QuikTrip will not exist anymore if they are planning on how to adapt.

I still don't see Tesla existing in their current form 2-3 years from now but, hey, if they think selling MuskBurgers is the key to profitability that should be an interesting pivot 

I'm all for electric cars but I think we're more in the 20-30 year range when it comes to electric cars really having enough market share that gas stations will be adding charging stations en masse (maybe a little sooner if solid-state batteries pan out). Here's a great article going over the infrastructure and cost issue roadblocks that gas stations are running into when adding even a single charging station - https://www.autoblog.com/2021/04/26/ev-charging-gas-stations/
It should be interesting to see how PSO, who balks at spending the money on burying power lines, reacts to the costs of increasing their output 300-400% to support future electrical demand.

[LandArchPoke]

I still don't see Tesla existing in their current form 2-3 years from now but, hey, if they think selling MuskBurgers is the key to profitability that should be an interesting pivot 

I'm all for electric cars but I think we're more in the 20-30 year range when it comes to electric cars really having enough market share that gas stations will be adding charging stations en masse (maybe a little sooner if solid-state batteries pan out). Here's a great article going over the infrastructure and cost issue roadblocks that gas stations are running into when adding even a single charging station - https://www.autoblog.com/2021/04/26/ev-charging-gas-stations/
It should be interesting to see how PSO, who balks at spending the money on burying power lines, reacts to the costs of increasing their output 300-400% to support future electrical demand.

I generally thought the same for a while, what changed my mind on how much sooner it could happen is when California pushed up the timeline on requiring electric cars only be sold. Given their size they can pretty much force the hand of the auto industry between them and NY.

It baffles me the amnesia that the fanboys of Tesla have when it comes to how the electric that charges their car comes from? Like that entire conversation never seems to happen. The US is not prepared for a mass conversion to electric cars, not even if they pass the infrastructure bill. Most of their cars are still being powered by fossil fuel, it's just happening at the power plant rather than filling up your car with it. I'm not sure what the difference is outside of you can pretend that you're sustainably minded with an electric car. It seems to me it would have been better for us to convert to CNG for a few decades and work on upgrading power systems towards clean/sustainable power systems and then convert to electric cars and work on better batteries for car like you mentioned.

Even if we start converted faster to electric cars Tesla could still very well be bankrupt and gone in a few years. I'm still not sold they are viable long term especially given the quality issues of late and Elon's erratic behavior. He should have probably focused on making sure bumpers don't fly off cars and water flood into sunroofs before he tries to fly to Mars. Things like the Bitcoin investment too, odd moves like that could very well sink the company over night at some point (I'm own Bitcoin, but it was a dumb move for someone like Tesla to do what they did as a public car company). They are also in the position to possibly be the larger company in the world in a decade too. Given their charging networks, imagine Ford combined with 7/11 & Love's and a few other companies and that could very well be where Tesla end's up.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I still don't see Tesla existing in their current form 2-3 years from now but, hey, if they think selling MuskBurgers is the key to profitability that should be an interesting pivot  

I'm all for electric cars but I think we're more in the 20-30 year range when it comes to electric cars really having enough market share that gas stations will be adding charging stations en masse (maybe a little sooner if solid-state batteries pan out). Here's a great article going over the infrastructure and cost issue roadblocks that gas stations are running into when adding even a single charging station - https://www.autoblog.com/2021/04/26/ev-charging-gas-stations/
It should be interesting to see how PSO, who balks at spending the money on burying power lines, reacts to the costs of increasing their output 300-400% to support future electrical demand.

There are about 20+ electric charging stations in Tulsa now.  At least 3 Tesla chargers.  It is not only viable, it is here.  Today.  And since GM has announced their intention to get out of internal combustion engines, that is gonna be a big driver going forward.


There are about 8 or so in Broken Arrow, where they also have a city charger for the Tesla patrol car they now use.  Friend just called me earlier to tell me about seeing it and watching as he lit up his lights to pull someone over.


And that 20+ stations is WAY more than there were diesel stations when I bought my first diesel car - 1978 Olds Delta 88!!

[heironymouspasparagus]

Tesla says they are ready to make trucks now.  This should be interesting.

$180,000 for a class 8 that will go 500 miles and look really good doing it!

I priced an International Lonestar about two years ago and they wanted that for the diesel burner!  Love the looks of it - modeled loosely after the 1939 Intl pickup truck - but not gonna pay that for one!   Still waiting to find one used....

May get one of these before the Lonestar...!


https://electrek.co/2021/07/20/tesla-semi-electric-truck-finally-go-into-production/

[LandArchPoke]

Rivian looking to build a second plant prior to an upcoming IPO

https://www.investors.com/news/ev-stocks-rivian-plans-second-factory-ahead-of-ipo-amazon-tesla/

Hopefully we've put our bid in, I'd think with the Canoo announcement and Tesla's press during the last plant selection will put us toward the top. Rivian is probably a bigger fish to catch than Tesla in my opinion. No Elon running the company, Ford and Amazon as investors, solid vehicle line up - I'd actually love to buy the R1S SUV for my next car after it's been in production for a little while.

[SXSW]

Rivian looking to build a second plant prior to an upcoming IPO

https://www.investors.com/news/ev-stocks-rivian-plans-second-factory-ahead-of-ipo-amazon-tesla/

Hopefully we've put our bid in, I'd think with the Canoo announcement and Tesla's press during the last plant selection will put us toward the top. Rivian is probably a bigger fish to catch than Tesla in my opinion. No Elon running the company, Ford and Amazon as investors, solid vehicle line up - I'd actually love to buy the R1S SUV for my next car after it's been in production for a little while.

Rivian would be a huge catch especially if they landed at the Tesla site in east Tulsa.  What a shot in the arm that would be for east Tulsa.  

The Port of Inola site would be good too if they wanted direct river and rail access.

[patric]

Amazon is reportedly planning to open department stores, its latest experiment in physical retail
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/19/amazon-is-reportedly-planning-to-open-department-stores-.html

We have a large, empty Sears-sized store available in a good location.  Actually, it was a Sears...

[LandArchPoke]

Rivian has selected Tarrant County/Fort Worth as the next plant location. Will be spending around $5 billion on their new factory.

[SXSW]

Rivian has selected Tarrant County/Fort Worth as the next plant location. Will be spending around $5 billion on their new factory.

Huge catch for Ft Worth.  Rivian is the next Tesla.