I have an engineer friend who just got a job at the Tesla Reno battery plant. His boss already left for a battery startup financed by Soros. He is saying that Tesla cannot manufacture cars cost-effectively and virtually all Teslas on the road are "prototypes" with some issues (fixing door problems can cost $400). Anyone who tells Musk this is shunned and eventually leaves for the competition, True their main profits are not cars but eventually, they should make money from cars otherwise why bother? When VW, GM, etc others will catch up, Tesla will be in the main pain. Needless to say, he is looking to leave already, having just started 3-months ago.
Actually, several managers left and they were on very good terms, they all talked. This issue with manufacturing is an "open secret", and this is why we are yet to see a $25000 Tesla.
And yet they grow 50% per annum, buy every battery available, are building more factories, get more range and acceleration per kwh/battery. It is all about the batteries. They act like they have a path forward. I'll feel better when they have their own cells being produced at scale in their own cars. If engineers are quitting, I sure hope tesla gets some better ones hired. Once the plants are built and batteries are cheaper, then comes the 25K car, after market for current products satisfy the market. But until then, by all means keep making what has been working.
They are expanding while burning money... Yet they do not know how to build cars en masse, cheap, fault-free - VW, Hyundai, Toyota, Honda can, my bet is on them for long term. Many stock traders bet on GM even, before TSLA. TSLA is indeed a cult.
Tesla Berlin is pouring concrete for the battery plant. Videos of the foundation work have been interesting, so fortified with rebar, on a scale I have never seen.