Unless I’m misunderstanding and they’re separating “service” (fixing things that break outside a normal maintenance window, i.e chair adjusters break, etc.) and “maintenance” (regular upkeep; tire change, brake replacement , etc.) somehow, this is quite literally impossible.
If you use something, you’ll cause wear and tear, and things eventually break. The only way they could technically get to a “no service” thing is by saying “Okay, our cars have a 5 year lifespan. After 5 years, you gotta scrap it and get a new one” and designing all their components to have a 10 year lifespan. And that’s still gonna jack up their up-front costs significantly if they actually have to start using high quality materials to build these things. Not to mention that no one is going to want to buy a car with a designed short lifespan.
I just don’t see how you can get infinite life from tires or brakes (at a minimum), and this just sounds either like someone at the top doesn’t know what they’re doing (likely) or they’re having trouble putting out an understandable message (also likely).
Yea, service will always be required. What I think it’s about, even though it’s not explained well in the article, is fixing software / poor mechanical design issues in their parts. If 5% of cars come in for a specific issue that can be prevented, then they’ll fix the designs so that same issue doesn’t happen. Leading to 0 service required for that part (as an ideal, not a reality).
It’s not gonna happen, but it’s a goal they can actively work towards to improve the cars.
p.s. i don’t own a tesla or care what they do. Just sharing my thoughts on the article. I don’t really know why I’m here…
…so all this “initiative” is about us finally making a good product? They are literally just describing the bog standard QA program any auto maker should have, right?
Unless I’m misunderstanding and they’re separating “service” (fixing things that break outside a normal maintenance window, i.e chair adjusters break, etc.) and “maintenance” (regular upkeep; tire change, brake replacement , etc.) somehow, this is quite literally impossible.
If you use something, you’ll cause wear and tear, and things eventually break. The only way they could technically get to a “no service” thing is by saying “Okay, our cars have a 5 year lifespan. After 5 years, you gotta scrap it and get a new one” and designing all their components to have a 10 year lifespan. And that’s still gonna jack up their up-front costs significantly if they actually have to start using high quality materials to build these things. Not to mention that no one is going to want to buy a car with a designed short lifespan.
I just don’t see how you can get infinite life from tires or brakes (at a minimum), and this just sounds either like someone at the top doesn’t know what they’re doing (likely) or they’re having trouble putting out an understandable message (also likely).
Yea, service will always be required. What I think it’s about, even though it’s not explained well in the article, is fixing software / poor mechanical design issues in their parts. If 5% of cars come in for a specific issue that can be prevented, then they’ll fix the designs so that same issue doesn’t happen. Leading to 0 service required for that part (as an ideal, not a reality).
It’s not gonna happen, but it’s a goal they can actively work towards to improve the cars.
p.s. i don’t own a tesla or care what they do. Just sharing my thoughts on the article. I don’t really know why I’m here…
…so all this “initiative” is about us finally making a good product? They are literally just describing the bog standard QA program any auto maker should have, right?
Yes