We took a field trip to test drive the Bolt EV, Chevrolet’s new all-electric 238 mile range $30k (after US Federal rebate) vehicle. We share our impressions about every aspect of the vehicle. We also took photos which we reference during the episode, photos here: http://theteslashow.com/bolt-ev-test-drive

We discuss the latest news with Faraday Future and their recent unveil of their production intent vehicle, the FF 91. We discuss Faraday Future through the lens of the key elements of an automotive company – the team, funding, production capability, the car itself, distribution, and the market and competition. We also cover the specifics of their CES unveil and our thoughts on their prospects. Video of the unveil

We discuss Tesla Service Centers and Tesla’s broader approach to service. Tesla owns, operates, and staffs their own service centers for all of their vehicles. We cover the costs for service, their current capacity and what’s unique about Tesla service. Due to their vertical integration and technology in the cars, Tesla has a unique opportunity to provide more proactive service and improve the vehicles through direct learnings from servicing.

We discuss Tesla’s distribution strategy with their Stores and Galleries. We cover their history, the overall strategy, their influence both indirect and direct from Apple retail, and how the retail experience is different from traditional car dealerships. Plus we cover our personal experience visiting different stores and the details we appreciate most. 

We unpack the history of car dealerships and how they have caused challenges for Tesla across the US. We discuss how dealership law in the US grew and what the dealership trade groups have done to block new entrants like Tesla. And how Tesla is slowly but surely opening their own stores, sans dealerships.

We continue our conversation on neural networks and deep learning. We dig into the major automotive players who are using neural networks and deep learning in their approaches. We cover what Comma.ai is up to, Mobileye's point of view, Nvidia and their OS for self driving cars and how Tesla is already using them to power Autopilot and will be integral in Enhanced Autopilot and Self-Driving. 

We dig deep into neural networks and AI as it pertains to Tesla. Neural networks have been in the news with Tesla’s full self-driving announcements. We discuss the history of neural networks, deep learning and AI. The advantages of neural networks and why they have come into more prominence recently. And we talk about our own efforts to build a car detection neural network. See our results here: http://theteslashow.com/neural-network-images

We discuss the SolarCity acquisition and its implications for Tesla. SolarCity has been pretty misunderstood due to their unique business model, so we unpack how their business works and why it’s special. We also discuss the origins of the company and why the two companies are a great fit for each other.

We discuss Tesla's recent acquisition of Grohmann Engineering and what it means for Tesla's manufacturing ambitions, their need for a new type of talent in the company, and the upcoming Gigafactory 2. 

*Note* This episode had some audio issues, but thanks to @XijinChan on Twitter for his help repairing it! 

We discuss the Tesla Powerwall 2 and Solar Roof unveil and the implications for Tesla.