Our third visit of the day was to the Tesla storefront in downtown D.C. After seeing and getting in the cars on display we began to realize why Tesla was known for it's consumer satisfaction. We spoke with a sales representative to try and figure out why a company with such great products was having such a hard time penetrating the market. The sales rep told us once people bought a Tesla car, they loved it, but the hard part for Tesla is convincing people to buy their cars. We asked the sales rep a few questions to get to the bottom of Tesla's current problems:
- "What do you think is the main reason people choose a Tesla over another car?"
- He responded saying that for people who want to buy an electric car the allure of Tesla's vast supercharging network drew many people to their car.
- "Have you guys seen any trends in the demographics of people who buy your cars?"
- He responded saying that he saw a lot of different ethnicities, but he did notice that most buyers were towards the younger side.
- "How was Tesla able to achieve such high levels of safety in your cars compared to you competition?"
- He responded saying that the lack of an engine in the car allowed for the car to be designed in a significantly safer way. The lack of an engine in the front of the car allowed for the front of the car to become practically a buffer between the cabin of the car and the collision. In most gasoline-based cars, the engine if compressed risks explosion or the possibility of shrapnel entering the cabin. In the Tesla, the car has no engine so it is both better balanced and safer in a collision.
- "How has Tesla selling directly to the customer rather than through a dealer helped give Tesla a competitive edge in sales?"
- He responded saying that the producer to customer relationship was something a lot of people valued at Tesla. Not having a middle man in car sales also helps increase the profits for Tesla as well as make car purchases easier for the customer.
- "How has Tesla been able to prevent battery degradation in their cars?"
- He responded saying that Tesla car batteries are guaranteed at least ten years of use still operating at near peak performance, and if the battery does degrade Tesla will replace your car battery free of charge if it is within the first ten years of buying it.
The Tesla Model S: Even though this is the oldest of the electric car series that Tesla rolled out, you can still appreciate how beautiful of a car it is.
The Tesla Model 3: The newest edition to Tesla's electric car series. It is their mid-size sedan and comes equipped with all the necessary hardware for the implementation of fully autonomous driving.
The interior of the Tesla Model 3. The Ipad-like device has much functionality, with features such as navigation, music, a page where you can see the car's battery, performance, and other car-related data, among other functions.