Tesla Week: Report Of Model 3 'Flaw' Doesn't Dampen Fervor

The crux of the CNBC report boils down to an issue at the Nevada gigafactory assembling the batteries:

Two current engineers told CNBC that they are concerned some of the batteries being shipped do not have the minimum gap required between lithium-ion cells. These engineers warned that this "touching cells" flaw could cause batteries to short out or, in worse cases, catch fire.
These engineers said they raised the issue internally, but their concerns were shrugged off by managers.
Tesla employees say to expect more Model 3 delays, citing inexperienced workers, manual assembly of batteries, CNBC, January 25, 2018

Tesla responded to me (and others in the media, as widely reported) with this: "The long term reliability of cell position is something validated through testing including shock and vibration, and high temperature and humidity testing, as well as thermal cycling endurance testing throughout design and via sampling in production."

The response continued: "All of this testing is designed to prevent touching cells from being installed in any of our vehicles, including Model 3."

And here's another part of that response worth highlighting  -- if only to show that the company hits back with Trumpian umbrage:

Finally, the implication that Tesla would ever deliver a car with a hazardous battery is absolutely inaccurate, contrary to all evidence, and detached from reality. It is irresponsible to suggest as much based on unnamed, anonymous sources who have provided no such evidence and who obviously do not have a complete understanding of the extensive testing that all batteries in Tesla vehicles are subjected to.
--Tesla spokesperson, January 25, 2018

Let's wait and see:

It's still early in the production process of the Model 3. And a little more perspective may be in order here. We don't know the impact of the purported battery issues on Model 3s shipping today to regular reservation holders, i.e., non-employees. The deliveries to regular reservation holders have only just begun and the volumes are still (very?) low. 

And the issues reported by CNBC have not been confirmed by Tesla -- in fact quite the opposite, as shown above.

(Also, for some added perspective: even much more seasoned electrified car manufacturers have had actual confirmed, large-scale problems. Toyota issued a large recall for the Prius hybrid, the heretofore darling of the environmentally-conscious car buyer movement, due to a "potentially deadly brake defect" in October of 2016. That totaled 340,000.)

Model 3 to east coast -- "I feel like my entire generation wants one": 

Frequent reports about Model 3 production snags don't seem to be dampening demand for the car.

‘It’s a dream come true!’: Tesla customers get their first glimpse of the Model 3 is the headline for a Friday story from the Washington Post.

This quote from the story is telling:

This technology is brand new, and my generation is all about technology, and there’s no other car like Tesla...I feel like my entire generation wants one.
Arjun Sharma, 18-year-old college student who ordered a Model 3, Washington Post, January 26, 2018

The company has started showing the Model 3 at stores in Manhattan, Boston, Miami, and more stores in California. Below is a video I took of the debut of the Model 3 at the Westfield Century City Los Angeles store on January 12 -- one of only two stores nationwide to get the Model 3 initially.

Model 3 "Long-Range" Review: 

Cnet did a review of the Model 3. In the conclusion, the review said: "We're left with a phenomenal machine sporting some key rough spots...The annals of automotive history are filled with truly great cars that, if anything, were made even greater by their foibles. Perhaps history will look back on the Model 3 in that same way."

Another 50-stall Supercharger station:

Tesla has opened a second 50-stall Supercharger station in Bejing, as reported by Electrek. This follows a 50-stall Supercharger station in Shanghai (for a total of 3, including the first one in Bejing).

And CNBC posted a video of the 40-stall Supercharger station in Kettleman City, California (about an hour north of Bakersfield in California's Central Valley). That expansive charging station has an inviting lounge replete with espresso bar and snacks. 

Another week and another story about Model 3 production problems.

Battery "flaw":

The crux of the CNBC report boils down to an issue at the Nevada gigafactory assembling the batteries:

Two current engineers told CNBC that they are concerned some of the batteries being shipped do not have the minimum gap required between lithium-ion cells. These engineers warned that this "touching cells" flaw could cause batteries to short out or, in worse cases, catch fire.
These engineers said they raised the issue internally, but their concerns were shrugged off by managers.
Tesla employees say to expect more Model 3 delays, citing inexperienced workers, manual assembly of batteries, CNBC, January 25, 2018

The response continued: "All of this testing is designed to prevent touching cells from being installed in any of our vehicles, including Model 3."

And here's another part of that response worth highlighting -- if only to show that the company hits back with Trumpian umbrage:

Finally, the implication that Tesla would ever deliver a car with a hazardous battery is absolutely inaccurate, contrary to all evidence, and detached from reality. It is irresponsible to suggest as much based on unnamed, anonymous sources who have provided no such evidence and who obviously do not have a complete understanding of the extensive testing that all batteries in Tesla vehicles are subjected to.
--Tesla spokesperson, January 25, 2018

Let's wait and see:

It's still early in the production process of the Model 3. And a little more perspective may be in order here. We don't know the impact of the purported battery issues on Model 3s shipping today to regular reservation holders, i.e., non-employees. The deliveries to regular reservation holders have only just begun and the volumes are still (very?) low.

And the issues reported by CNBC have not been confirmed by Tesla -- in fact quite the opposite, as shown above.

(Also, for some added perspective: even much more seasoned electrified car manufacturers have had actual confirmed, large-scale problems. Toyota issued a large recall for the Prius hybrid, the heretofore darling of the environmentally-conscious car buyer movement, due to a "potentially deadly brake defect" in October of 2016. That totaled 340,000.)

Model 3 to east coast -- "I feel like my entire generation wants one":

Frequent reports about Model 3 production snags don't seem to be dampening demand for the car.

‘It’s a dream come true!’: Tesla customers get their first glimpse of the Model 3 is the headline for a Friday story from the Washington Post.

This quote from the story is telling:

This technology is brand new, and my generation is all about technology, and there’s no other car like Tesla...I feel like my entire generation wants one.
Arjun Sharma, 18-year-old college student who ordered a Model 3, Washington Post, January 26, 2018

The company has started showing the Model 3 at stores in Manhattan, Boston, Miami, and more stores in California. Below is a video I took of the debut of the Model 3 at the Westfield Century City Los Angeles store on January 12 -- one of only two stores nationwide to get the Model 3 initially.

Model 3 "Long-Range" Review:

Cnet did a review of the Model 3. In the conclusion, the review said: "We're left with a phenomenal machine sporting some key rough spots...The annals of automotive history are filled with truly great cars that, if anything, were made even greater by their foibles. Perhaps history will look back on the Model 3 in that same way."

Another 50-stall Supercharger station:

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