On the other hand, they built a factory in China in what...ten months? My guess is that they learned something since/from the Model 3 launch.

“No way they last long enough now to actually get this thing to market.”

I tell ya right now I'd be camping in the woods, huntin slag beasts with a plasma cannon in that thing.

Because you can actually purchase this vehicle as opposed to waiting until “early 2020.” And you can get this in every state as opposed to just a few launch states for the Volvo. And the Tesla has a supercharger network. And it’s an American car (if that’s your sort of thing).

That's real mature lol. You also ignore the facts. This will go over 100 mph when done, and it will have many cars at a time. 

I’m blocking deadspin from my Google feed after this story. 

That doesn’t make a lot of sense, if I’m interpreting your comment correctly.

Are you saying that Tesla could have knowingly placed bad cells into the array to take up physical space?

That seems like something that would be easy to discover once drivers start using said cars.  

Why would they put bad cells (that they know are bad and thus don’t solder them) into their batteries? Surely there are easier ways of disposing of defects.

In particular, he claims, that Tesla place batteries “containing dangerous puncture holes in vehicles”

You just pay the $2,500 when you configure and order, it’s not an additional deposit just to stay in the queue.

I had to pay $5k non refundable to Mini to custom order my wife’s car and it took 3.5 months. See, no different from other manufacturers but the rule is that here on Jalopnik, we only hate on Tesla.

Not $2500 MORE, it’s simply a pre-payment on your custom configured car. So $1k reservation holders would be depositing $3500 toward their $50k custom ordered car. 

I think its totally reasonable. $1000 to get in line. Now its time to start building it?

When I have a building built, I put a 2000 deposit down, then right before construction I pay up 10%. Then I pay 25% when its partially built, 50% or so when its half built, 75% when its finished, and 100% when its ready for…

If you’re waiting on the base battery, you literally can’t put down your $2500. The $2500 is your hold for the final configuration while they build your order. This is how it’s been, nothing has changed. This article has a very misleading tone.

What do you mean more? For a model costing 50k, it’s 50k either way. 1000+49,000 or 1000+2500+47,500.  Costs the same either way.

The point of electric isn’t to solve freeway congestion.  The point of electric is to reduce ecosystem-destroying emissions.

Came to say precisely this.

Im not saying I want touch screen controls, Im just saying it ought not be lumped into the same reliability group as, say, an engine. Consumer reports reliability ratings are almost exclusively make or break on the ease of using the infotainment. What kind of silly metric is that? Call it “ease of use”, sure, but…

I don’t recall there being lines of hundreds of people at every BMW dealer in the world when the BMW 2002 came out waiting to buy one

It’s funny that you left off the still ride from your comment, because they actually did update that, though not with a software update. Early Model 3's came with stiffer suspension and they have since switched to softer suspension, and I believe offered owners of the early builds to upgrade (I believe for free).