In reply to BnB:
> It would be interesting to know whether, say Rom or wintertree, would (or have) put their money where their mouth is. It's one thing to cheer on an idea, quite another to fund it!!
If I’d had the money when the model-s launched, I’d have bought stock without a doubt - but I was saving hard for a family house.
I wouldn’t buy now as the insane stock value really is a gamble on sorting out the model-3 production bugs/production hell. However as I said before I think it’s a gamble not a bubble. I certainly don’t think they’ve been deceitful as alluded to above - just ambitious. Incompetence in being a year late in scaling up manufacturing? I don’t think so - they’re piloting all sorts of advanced manufacturing methods far ahead of the industry standard, that will benefit consumers greatly down the line.
Mind you if the founders edition roadster (full price down now delivery post 2020) sells out he’s got another $375m to help sort it out, from people who in no way are having the wool pulled over their eyes. They know the deal.
I haven’t put a deposit down on a model-3 because I detest the touchscreen-only mentality. I might get a second hand -S after another year or two’s depreciation. All new cars annoy me with their screens mind. For now I’ve got a Leaf, and I’m hoping my new venture will make me enough money for a pure-electric BMW i8 when that launches in the future as I’m sure it will. You never know...
If SpaceX were selling stock (they won’t - many more holders and they’d have to go public, against their will, by US rules) I’d buy purely to support them, not looking for a return. I’ve made a similar offer to Reaction Engines but they don’t seem interested in anything of a personal scale. I don’t think RE have a hope in hell of competing with SpaceX or BlueOrigin in launch costs, even ignoring the fact they’re at minimum decade from commercial operations. But I’ve wanted to see HOTOL and the Avro 730 fly since I was 7 years old, and I think their engine technology - and the pre-cooler technology alone - has so much value beyond space launch that its worth perusing, and the gentler experience of their launch cycle will bring customers.
I’m planning to install 10 kw (nameplate) of rooftop solar slate-effect PV and a bigger battery self-consumption and backup system than I currently have. (Along with our smaller 2 kw solar-pv system). Tesla are top of the list for the solar slates if their solar roofing comes to market in a reasonable time... (I have a small test system with a competing solar slate product that I’dd happily fall back to, but nobody else comes close to matching the price/performance of their battery+inverter combo; however it doesn’t currently have a regulatory approved anti-islanding system for grid backup use in the UK).
When I get a moment I’m buying a Booring Conpany hat!
Post edited at 20:27