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Tesla releases some interesting data for (Middle) Earth Day

This year, Tesla used a “Lord of the Rings” theme for (Middle) Earth Day, announcing that its global fleet of electric vehicles had reached 7.2 billion electric miles, up from five billion electric miles last July.

According to Electrek, in October 2016, Tesla reached the three billion electric mile milestone and the company’s global fleet managed to add 500 million in less than three months – bringing the total to 3.5 billion in December and another half a billion more by March 2017.

Tesla usually likes to compare its total mileage data to how many trips to the moon and back its electric vehicles make during a given period of time, but this year, its 7.2 billion miles figure equaled 5,390,117 trips from Bag End to Mt. Doom. If anything, this does make the numbers more interesting.

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Tesla


Tesla also claims that between their electric car fleet and its energy products, they have saved 7.4 million tons of CO2 from being released into our atmosphere, and this is an impressive number.
READ MORE: Electrify America to build network of charging stations across US
Tesla CTO JB Straubel compared the Roadster fleet with the Model S/X fleet to miles added in 2016, and now, a similar situation is happening with the Model 3 launch, and Straubel thinks the Model 3 will surpass the Model S/X in terms of global mileage, as Tesla ramps up production on its Model 3 after a rocky start.

Sales of electric vehicles in the U.S.
With all this talk about millions of electric miles traveled, how many EVs does it equal? According to a January report by Hybrid Cars, a Michigan-based market research firm focusing on automotive issues, in 2017, a total of 17.1 million hybrid and electric vehicles were sold in the United States. Keep in mind – This is only U.S. sales.

The all-electric 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. was the second best selling EV in the US  behind the Tesla ...

The all-electric 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. was the second best selling EV in the US, behind the Tesla Model S.
General Motors


Sales in 2017 were led by the Tesla Model S with about 26,500 units, the top-selling plug-in car for the third year running, followed by the Chevrolet Bolt (23,297), Tesla Model X (~21,700), Toyota Prius Prime (20,936), and the Chevrolet Volt (20,349).

Does Tesla have a secret weapon?
CleanTechnica published a Tesla story on Sunday, talking about the company’s “secret weapon,” a set of ideas proven effective by research. Or, as the writer of the article calls it – culture.”

Hope, a culture of hard work and long hours, taking risks, collaboration, and constructive criticism are all part of this secret weapon that apparently keeps employees coming to work every morning. Added to all this is Elon Musk’s distaste for advertising. He has many times made the pithy remark that advertising is essentially lying. Accordingly, Tesla refuses to advertise.

The writer concludes: “I am not some person who thinks Tesla can do no wrong. Tesla makes numerous mistakes. Why, then, does Tesla continue to survive when it makes more mistakes than most? It takes more risks and thinks outside the box more. Thus, Tesla innovates more.”

Tesla Factory  Fremont  California

Tesla Factory, Fremont, California
Maurizio Pesce (CC BY 2.0)


The bottom line?
It is interesting that both the above articles came out on Sunday and Monday. Tesla has had a rough first quarter that included failing to reach a production quota for the Model 3, not once, but several weeks in a row, and a recall of 123,000 Model S’s over rusty bolts.

Added to the worries for Tesla, on March 27, Moody’s investors downgraded Tesla’s corporate family rating to B3, six levels into junk, and said its outlook on the company is negative. According to Bloomberg News at the time, Moody’s cited “the significant shortfall in the production rate of Tesla’s Model 3” and liquidity pressures as two chief concerns.

Tesla Chairman and CEO Elon Musk unveils the new electric

Tesla Chairman and CEO Elon Musk unveils the new electric “Semi” Truck on November 16, 2017 in Hawthorne, California
Veronique DUPONT, AFP


Tesla has enough problems on its plate, but let’s add this latest bit of news: the Better Business Bureau has given the company a Failing Grade because it does not respond satisfactorily to customer complaints.

BBB received 65 official complaints about Tesla, but only 23 were resolved satisfactorily. Complaints ranged from warranty issues to customer-perceived defective floor mats. However, Tesla appeared to be dismissive of the complaints, with a Tesla spokesman releasing a statement that read: “Tesla has the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the entire auto industry, and it’s not even close.”

Actually, the cult following behind the success of Elon Musk and his many achievements is pretty hard to ignore, and his followers won’t be in the least bit worried over any “bumps” in the electric road.

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Written By

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our dear friend Karen Graham, who served as Editor-at-Large at Digital Journal. She was 78 years old. Karen's view of what is happening in our world was colored by her love of history and how the past influences events taking place today. Her belief in humankind's part in the care of the planet and our environment has led her to focus on the need for action in dealing with climate change. It was said by Geoffrey C. Ward, "Journalism is merely history's first draft." Everyone who writes about what is happening today is indeed, writing a small part of our history.

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