This seems insane - these guys have sold, what, 2000 models at the most? And they would be even worse off the instant all of their government subsidies dry up.<p>Their innovation may be remarkable, but the fact is that they make a product which isn't economically feasible without a lot of help from taxpayers doesn't bode well for the long-term health of the company.
How does one take part in an IPO? Can I use my E-Trade brokerage account?<p>I'm just getting into investing, I know its risky times and a risky company, but I think battery tech is the future and Tesla obviously knows a few things here.
For the full article, click the first link here:<p><a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=wsj+tesla+178+Million" rel="nofollow">http://www.google.com/search?q=wsj+tesla+178+Million</a>
I wonder if a liquidation event like this is going to make it hard to keep key employees around. The company is hardly at a place where it can afford to lose people and "hold the line".
I really hope these guys succeed, I know the founder has been having money troubles and it has made me worry about Tesla's future. This is an industry that can use a jolt of innovation.
Tesla's main competition right now is Nissan with the LEAF. They need to scale up and drive down the price of the Model S and 3rd model rapidly, or they'll get buried by the big players.<p>What they've done is great from a technological standpoint, but they need economies of scale to keep going.
interesting that Tesla suddenly announces IPO a few days after the big news splash about the big lithium deposit find in Afghanistan. I'd expect a big lithium find to push down battery prices in the future and a Tesla car is battery intensive. Even if Tesla ends up not using lithium not every investor will know that.