Tesla’s 2019 Annual Shareholder Meeting: 10 things retail investors want to know

Tesla’s retail investors are aggregating a number of inquiries that will hopefully be addressed by the electric car maker in the upcoming 2019 Annual Shareholder Meeting, which will be held later today. The questions are compiled from verified TSLA investors by Say, a startup whose aim is to develop effective investor communication tools.

Through the online platform, TSLA investors submitted and voted on inquiries that they wish would be discussed and explained by Tesla during the event. So far, the crowdsourced initiative has been garnering a fair amount of support from investors, with over 420 retail shareholders representing around $27 million worth of TSLA stock submitting their inquiries as of writing.

Here are a number of questions that have garnered a good number of votes from retail shareholders.

• What is the status of Tesla insurance for vehicles?
• What aspects of battery production will the integration of Maxwell technology affect and by what factor including cost, energy density, and longevity? Will it also impact batteries used for energy storage?
• Production has been battery constrained for some time now. Can you describe Tesla’s road map to increase cell and pack production as the Model Y, Semi, Pickup, and Roadster 2.0 will dramatically add to Tesla’s battery needs?
• Can Tesla provide an update on the direction of (its) solar business?
• Elon, you’ve said you want Tesla to be the best manufacturer on earth. Can you comment on some of the things manufacturing wise that will be different in Giga3 compared with Fremont and the other Gigafactories?

• Tesla does not advertise which is a good thing (mostly). However, majority of the people are unaware of how affordable, fun and efficient Tesla cars are. Any plans for non-traditional marketing to educate the people on the advantages of owning a Tesla and accelerate adoption?
• Is there any chance the Model Y production schedule will be pushed up? We all know Crossovers and Small SUVs are the highest selling automobiles now, and many other automakers appear to be readying theirs for sale.
• Would Tesla consider opening up the “Tesla Ride-sharing Network” prior to full autonomy being reached? Allowing the public to hail premium rides from Tesla owners through the Tesla App would add an additional source of revenue generation and introduce non-owners with the brand.
• At the end of 2018 Q4 you announced a significant multifaceted service initiative. How far has it come and how much further does it need to go to be where you want it to be?
• When will model 3 owners who paid for FSD get upgraded from HW2.5 to HW3?

Tesla has been tapping into the pulse of its retail shareholders using the Say platform for the past quarters. During last year’s second quarter earnings call, for example, retail investors representing $60 million worth of TSLA shares aggregated over 300 inquiries for the company, and five were personally addressed by CEO Elon Musk during the Q&A session. Say also played a huge part in Tesla’s Q1 2019 earnings call, where investors inquired about updates on projects such as the Maxwell acquisition and Powerpack production.

Tesla’s 2019 Annual Shareholder Meeting is expected to be held on Tuesday, June 11, 2019, at 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time at the Computer History Museum located in Mountain View, CA. Similar to the company’s Autonomy Day, which saw Tesla unveil the capabilities of its custom-designed full self-driving computer, the upcoming shareholder meeting will be livestreamed. The link for the event’s livestream could be accessed here.

The full list of questions from TSLA’s retail investors listed on Say for the Annual Shareholder Meeting could be accessed here.