LNG: TESLARATI

SpaceX has delayed its latest Starlink launch once more after high winds forced the company to recycle an attempt originally planned for January 27th, setting up SpaceX’s Elon Musk for a Starlink launch and Tesla earnings report on the same day.

Flight-proven Falcon 9 booster B1051 is currently vertical at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) and has been for more than a week. Perched atop an expendable upper stage attached to the top of the booster, SpaceX’s third batch of 60 upgraded Starlink v1.0 satellites are loaded inside the rocket’s airtight payload fairing, patiently awaiting a launch that’s now been delayed a full 9 days by winter weather both in Cape Canaveral and off the Florida coast.

Most recently, bad sea conditions in the Atlantic Ocean forced SpaceX to delay Starlink V1 L3 an extra 24 hours from a January 28th backup window and the batch of communications satellites are now scheduled to launch no earlier than (NET) 9:09 am EST (14:09 UTC), January 29th. Set to unequivocally reaffirm SpaceX’s position as the owner of the world’s largest private satellite constellation, the mission – should it be a success – will mean that the company has launched its 240th flat-packed Starlink satellite. Additionally, Starlink L3 should feature a number of exciting Falcon 9 recovery events, potentially setting up more than 75% of the rocket’s value for reuse.

Earlier this morning, Teslarati’s own Simon Alvarez offered a glimpse of what to expect from Tesla’s Q4 2019 earnings report, scheduled for 3:30 PM PST (23:30 UTC), January 29th. In short, it looks like Tesla’s highly-anticipated Model Y crossover could find its way to customers much sooner than expected, while additional signs point to another strong quarterly performance that could send the company’s already meteoric stock even higher. As always, CEO Elon Musk is expected to be front and center on the teleconference, which is set to occur just nine hours after SpaceX’s latest 60-satellite Starlink launch.

For SpaceX, the new year has gotten off to a busy start, although Florida’s winter weather has done its best to hamper launch attempts. Beginning with the second launch of Starlink v1.0 satellites (Starlink V1 L2) on January 7th, that Falcon 9 mission was delayed from January 3rd by high seas in the Atlantic Ocean that would have made the booster’s planned drone ship landing extremely risky. In high seas, drone ship decks pitch and buck, creating major uncertainty as Falcon 9 is unable to account for the deck movement.

If the floating landing pad is at the peak or trough of large swells when Falcon 9 is scheduled to land, there is a good chance that the rocket could either hit the deck too hard or cut off its engines before landing, falling a distance equivalent to the height of the swell onto the drone ship. Either scenario would pose a serious risk of damaging or even outright destroying a landing Falcon booster, cutting short any future prospects of reuse.

Most recently, SpaceX performed Crew Dragon’s second-ever launch on a Falcon 9 rocket, intentionally triggering an in-flight abort (IFA) some 90 seconds after launch to test the spacecraft’s ability to keep astronauts safe in even a near-worst-case scenario. That particular launch was also delayed a number of days by high seas in the region the spacecraft was expected to splash down in, conditions that would have severely hampered critical recovery work.

Now a little over a week after Crew Dragon’s successful January 20th Falcon 9 launch, SpaceX’s third launch of the year has been delayed repeatedly by both weather in the recovery area and weather at the launch pad. Originally expected to launch as early as January 20th, a slight Crew Dragon launch delay pushed it to the 21st, where it was then delayed again by high seas to January 24th, and a third time to January 27th. On January 27th, SpaceX got just 40 minutes away from liftoff before it scrubbed the attempt due to high upper-level winds above the launch pad.

Finally, on January 28th, SpaceX announced that bad weather in the recovery area had forced it to skip a backup window scheduled later that day, slipping another 24 hours to 9:09 am EST on January 29th. With any luck, this will be the last in an unusually long series of weather-related delays for the Starlink mission. Aside from Falcon 9 B1051’s third launch and (hopefully) landing, Starlink V1 L3 will also mark the second time ever that twin Falcon fairing recovery ships Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief will attempt to simultaneously catch both halves of a payload fairing — more than worth the wait.

Tune in to SpaceX’s official webcast around 8:55 am EST (13:55 UTC) tomorrow (Wednesday, Jan 29) to watch the company’s third launch of 2020 live.

Check out Teslarati’s newsletters for prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket launch and recovery processes.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s promise to replant three times as many trees as his company will remove in Germany is starting to take shape. Tesla has reportedly found the areas where it will plant trees to replace those that are cut down for the construction of Giga Berlin in Grünheide, Germany.

The company will replant trees in many different areas, but the largest spaces of land where the replanting will be held have reportedly been selected. According to the Brandenburg Area Agency and rbb24, these areas are Brandenburg an der Havel (located 64 miles of Giga Berlin), Baruth/Mark (located 41.6 miles from Grünheide) and Bad Saarow (located 20.8 miles from the Giga Berlin site).

Half of the trees that Tesla will plant must be deciduous, according to local agencies. They want to focus on trees that have more value environmentally. This is different from the pine trees currently inhabiting the Giga Berlin complex, which are intended to be used for commercial cardboard production.

The Brandenburg Area Agency requested the replacement trees be spread over the Brandenburg region instead of one concentrated area. Tesla obliged.

Tesla began removing trees from the 90 hectares of land on January 6. The process was met with some speed bumps, however. Not only was the company required to have the first tree removal phase completed by February 27 due to the bird breeding season that takes place in early March, but its presence was met with protests from some local residents as well.

After clarifying some of the concerns that the construction of Giga Berlin would have on the land and local citizens, Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated the company would be positively impacting the environment. “Giga Berlin will build sustainable energy vehicles using sustainable energy, so net environmental impact will be extremely positive,” he said on Twitter.

For sure. Giga Berlin will build sustainable energy vehicles using sustainable energy, so net environmental impact will be extremely positive!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 25, 2020

Interestingly enough, Conservation Officer Axel Heinzel-Berndt stated that the automaker would have a tough time finding sufficient or appropriate land to replace the trees they would have to cut down.

“It will be difficult to find arable land on this scale. But it is also conceivable that, instead, species-poor pine forest is converted into mixed forest,’ he said in an interview with taz.de. This issue has evidently been cleared up and will no longer be a worry to local environmentalists.

The German Forest Protection Association has also given Tesla their approval. They believe that the removal of the pine forest may actually be a good thing because Tesla has offered the “correct compensation” with trees that are better suited for sustainability and positive environmental impact in the long run.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

The Annual World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland took place recently. The Forum is a great opportunity for the world’s leaders to combine their knowledge and ideas in a way that will make our world more efficient. At a time when sustainable solutions are emerging at an accelerated rate thanks to companies like Tesla, it was a chance for leaders across numerous industries to establish their stance on the climate debate.

A few big names were among the guests who were in attendance of the Davos meeting. U.S. President Donald Trump, Billionaire George Soros, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Environmentalist Greta Thunberg are few notable names who were present.

During the event, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan suggested that oil companies need support now more than ever as the world begins its transition to more sustainable and environmentally-conscious forms of energy. “We should lend to those companies to help them make progress faster, rather than divest from them which won’t help them at all,” he said in an interview with Andy Serwer.

Moynihan’s comments were a response to Thunburg’s claims that no progress has been made toward reducing the emissions of environmentally-damaging carbon gases. He believes that plenty of progress has been made, but he also believes that it could be expedited if more steps were taken.

He’s right, more companies should do more to assist the cause. But there are not enough companies taking the global crisis of climate change seriously enough. While companies continue to make pledges toward reducing carbon emissions by a certain amount before a certain year, what is funding oil companies going to do toward making the world a more environmentally-friendly place?

Moynihan was on a panel with Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good at the Davos Forum. Duke has pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by the year 2030.

“Think about that. That’s a power company. If they’re moving with that kind of pace, and we are saying we need more alternative energy to meet our goals, that business system will get more progress,” he said. “And so yes, we’ve got to make more progress. We’ve got to make it faster. But we’ve got to do it in an aligned way.”

But there are other companies that have the mindset to take two steps forward and one step back.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is the head of one of the biggest companies in the world. The e-commerce giant made huge strides toward environmental sustainability when it became an investor in electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian, whose zero-emissions R1T is set to compete with Tesla’s brutalist Cybertruck. Amazon also purchased 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian in an attempt to reduce the amount of carbon emissions from its vehicles.

A few weeks later, a press release from one of the world’s biggest oilfield service companies stated Amazon was one of the main contributors to the U.S. Oil and Gas Industry’s “Production 4.0” forum that would help accelerate and improve oil production. Amazon’s employees pushed Bezos to make changes that would help the Earth. While he promised electric vans and more conscious packaging, Bezos was directly contributing to an industry that continues to harm the Earth in many ways.

As the head of a large bank like Bank of America or one of the biggest companies in the world like Amazon, the responsibility is huge. The environmental impact of these companies is huge and requires extra attention from large corporations. The power these companies hold is the possible key to environmental longevity, and it starts with the halting of oil funding. If the Bank of America CEO’s statements are any indication though, the transition to sustainability may end up being a bit longer than expected.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

The Boring Company’s transport tunnel project in Las Vegas appears to be progressing very well, with recent reports indicating that the startup’s tunnel boring machine (TBM) has drilled 2,900 feet to date. With this progress in mind, Elon Musk’s tunneling company may very well complete the first of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s two transport tunnels by the end of February 2020. 

Just over three weeks ago, reports from the Las Vegas Review-Journal indicated that the Boring Company’s TBM has already dug about 1,900 feet of the project’s first 4,300-foot-long tunnel. Today, a report from News 3 Las Vegas revealed that the drilling machine had drilled 2,900 feet. It might not be evident on ground level, but Elon Musk’s tunneling machine is currently working right under Paradise Road.

Aboveground, work in the LVCC complex is also continuing, with the expansion and renovation of the convention center fully underway. Lori Nelson-Kraft, the senior vice president of communications and government affairs for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, noted in a statement to the publication that they are pleased with the progress of the work in the complex, aboveground and underground. 

“We’ve really been pleased with the progress. Everything’s remained on track timeline-wise,” Nelson-Kraft said. 

The Las Vegas Convention Center complex is undergoing a massive expansion and renovation quickly, with the goal of completing some key projects, such as The Boring Company’s Loop system, by the time CES 2021 begins next year. If Elon Musk’s tunneling startup can finish its first tunnel by February, then there is a good chance that the Boring Company can have a working passenger transport system on time for the upcoming high-profile tech event. 

Transport tunnels may not be a new concept, but The Boring Company is aiming to introduce a few clever innovations to the digging process. The company’s tunnels are smaller than conventional tunnels, for example, which make them far quicker to complete. The startup is also adopting a system wherein a tunnel’s liners are laid simultaneously as the TBM is drilling. Once the tunnel is complete, workers can then pave the floor, allowing the Teslas intended to be used for the system to provide a smooth ride to passengers. 

Steve Hill, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, is optimistic about the Boring Company’s projects in the LVCC complex. If the two transport tunnels are successful, Hill noted that the system might be expanded to reach other areas, including the airport, Allegiant Stadium, and perhaps even some suburbs. 

“We would like to connect all of Southern Nevada with the system over time. It’d be a great thing to bring people in-and-out of the resort corridor to work in a more efficient, easier, quicker way. That would also help reduce congestion on the Strip as well as help everybody in the community that works on the Strip,” he said.

H/T Armand Vervaeck

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

American automotive manufacturer General Motors will begin selling an advanced variant of its “Super Cruise” driver-assist system later this year. Super Cruise is perceived as a direct competitor to Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving suites.

Super Cruise’s upcoming improved version will allow for additional driver-assist features. The current version utilizes adaptive cruise control and lane-centering to offer a safer and more convenient driving experience to owners of the Cadillac CT6 sedan.

However, GM plans to add lane changes with the touch of the turn signal, vehicle sensors to look for nearby cars, and the capability for completely hands-free driving for short periods of time. They also plan to expand the highways where using the software is possible by 200,000 miles. A map of highways where Super Cruise is available for use is available on Cadillac’s website.

GM plans to include the new and improved variant with these additional features on the 2021 CT4 and CT5 sedans and the new Escalade SUV. The company has not revealed if existing vehicles equipped with the current non-auto-lane-change Super Cruise will be receiving the same improved features as well. This could be a key difference between GM and Tesla’s strategy, as the Silicon Valley-based EV maker is known for introducing new features through free over-the-air updates to as many vehicles in its fleet.

Unlike Tesla’s Autopilot, which navigates primarily through cameras and a Neural Network, Super Cruise uses a combination of LiDAR map data, high-precision GPS, cameras and radar sensors. Also unlike Autopilot, Super Cruise users also do not need to have their hands on the wheel while the system is in operation, though drivers must always have their eyes focused on the road ahead.

Comparing Super Cruise to Tesla’s Autopilot is a tall task. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving and Autopilot features are some of the most sophisticated and complex in the autonomous driving industry. Tesla continues to improve on the software by releasing frequent over-the-air software updates that improve the safety and performance of these features.

In November 2019, Tesla Autopilot reached two billion total miles driven. This came just one year after Autopilot reached the one billion mile landmark, a number that took four years to reach. Tesla used real-world data from the first billion miles of travel to help the company develop a robust driver-assist system that could eventually be used on inner-city roads and allow for the recognition of stop signs and stoplights.

A legacy automaker looking to develop and release a hands-free driving feature shows the impact Tesla technology has had on the rest of the industry. As Autopilot has been overwhelmingly successful and has also been proven to be extremely safe, other companies are beginning to develop self-driving software that aims to develop the transportation industry as we know it.

Hopefully, legacy automakers like GM will begin to adapt to the Tesla mindset and work toward a fully-electric lineup and away from petrol-powered vehicles.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

A rare twin sighting of the Tesla Model Y was recently reported by a Model X owner during a Supercharging session in Boulder, CO. Both vehicles, which were fitted with Dual Motor badges, seemed to have just completed some serious road testing. What’s more, one of the Model Y release candidates looks like it was taken for a brief spin off-road. 

The recent twin Model Y sighting was shared online by Tesla owner and YouTube host Rocket, who happens to live in his Model X. Describing the sighting, Rocket stated that four Tesla engineers were with the two all-electric crossovers, and each vehicle was equipped with what appeared to be testing equipment in the cabin. 

The two vehicles, one painted in black and the other in blue, are both battle-worn from their travels. Interestingly enough, the blue Model Y release candidate was caked with dirt and dust, almost as if the vehicle was driven into a number of unpaved trails. The black Model Y was dirty from its travels as well, but it didn’t have the soil and dirt that caked the lower half of the blue crossover. The implications of this are compelling. 

The Tesla Model Y is expected to be a city car through and through. It’s a crossover, but it’s looked upon more as a practical family hauler whose exclusive habitat is the concrete jungle. With this in mind, even a small degree of off-road capability, something akin to the one offered by the Mercedes-Benz GLA, for example, will allow the Model Y to provide more utility than initially expected. That’s a very significant additional selling point for the upcoming vehicle.

Both vehicles in the sighting appear to be Dual Motor variants, though the black unit seemed to be a Performance Model Y. This was hinted at by the crossover’s red brake calipers, which are usually reserved for Tesla’s Performance line. The vehicle was also equipped with unreleased wheels, whose design elements are starting to look very similar to the Model 3’s 18” Aero Wheels.

The Model Y, at least according to Tesla, will likely start deliveries sometime around Summer this year. Yet if these recent sightings, VIN filings, and CARB certifications are any indication, it appears that Tesla’s all-electric crossover may be coming to the market earlier than expected. Amidst rumors that initial deliveries of the vehicle are just around the corner, Tesla may likely release an official Model Y update during its upcoming Q4 2019 earnings call as well. 

Watch Rocket’s twin Model Y sighting in the videos below. 

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

After a busy several days of rocket hardware testing, Elon Musk says that SpaceX may be ready to build the first Starship prototype destined for space.

According to Musk, one test in particular – performed in South Texas just yesterday – is an encouraging sign that SpaceX’s Starship team is becoming increasingly competent at building the massive steel parts that will ultimately make up the generation launch vehicle. For SpaceX, the particular skills and expertise needed to precisely and consistently build a launch vehicle – let alone a rocket as large and complex as Starship – are quite a bit different from those it has mastered with Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Dragon.

A lot of the expertise – particularly engineering talent, countless lessons-learned, and insight into reusability – is directly transferable from Falcon rockets to SpaceX’s Starship/Super Heavy program. Where it really isn’t transferable, however, is in the methods required to actually build the steel subcomponents that must ultimately be assembled together to form the rocket’s upper stage and booster. As a result, SpaceX has spent more than a year focused on building, testing, scrapping, improving, and re-testing any number of critical Starship components. Over the last four weeks (and last few days in particular), that testing has come to a head and Elon Musk believes the results have opened the door for SpaceX to begin building its first space-bound Starship prototypes.

SpaceX’s latest round of full-scale Starship hardware tests began just 10-20 days ago, depending on how one counts. Back around the start of the new calendar year, SpaceX began rapidly integrating two new Starship bulkheads and two cylindrical steel rings (barrel sections), ultimately delivering a finished ‘test tank’ after just 20 days of work. On January 10th, scarcely 24 hours after the two halves of the test tank were welded together, SpaceX sent the Starship test tank to its nearby launch pad and pressurized it with water until it quite literally burst.

Musk tweeted the results of that intentional test-to-destruction just a few hours after it was completed, revealing that SpaceX’s upgraded production and integration techniques enabled the tank to survive pressures almost 20% greater than the minimum Starships will need to perform orbital launches.

“Critically, the tank reached a maximum sustained pressure of 7.1 bar (103 psi), 18% more than the operating pressure (6 bar/87 psi) Musk says Starship prototypes will need to begin orbital test flights. At 7.1 bar, the test tank would have been experiencing an incredible ~20,000 metric tons (45 million lbf) of force spread out over its interior surfaces — equivalent to ~20% of the weight of an entire US Navy aircraft carrier. Perhaps even more impressive, that same Starship test tank was built from almost nothing extremely quickly, going from first weld to said pressurization test in just three weeks (20 days).

With relatively minor improvements to welding conditions and the manufacturing precision of Starship rings and domes, Musk believes that SpaceX can reliably build Starships and Super Heavy boosters to survive pressures greater than 8.5 bar (125 psi), guaranteeing a safety margin of at least 40%. Even a minor improvement of ~6% would give Starship a safety margin of 125%, enough – in the eyes of most engineering standards committees – to reasonably certify Starships for orbital test flights.”

Teslarati.com — January 12th, 2020

Test Tank 2: The Tankening

This brings us to January 27th, a little over two weeks after SpaceX completed and burst the first standalone Starship test tank. Over the last week, SpaceX has quickly assembled a second Starship test tank, using a few clearly new methods and parts, as well as a brand-new tent built by the same company that Tesla used for Fremont’s fourth General Assembly line.

In the last few days, two new bulkheads and steel rings came together to form Starship test tank #2, which was subsequently prepped for transport and moved about a mile down the road to SpaceX’s launch facilities on the morning of January 27th. Scarcely a few hours later, well before anyone was paying close attention for test activities, Elon Musk took to Twitter to reveal that the second tank had already been subjected to a pressure test with water. That second tank reportedly survived up to 7.5 bar, an improvement of about 6% compared to the first tank.

This time, however, the tank wasn’t actually catastrophically destroyed by the pressure test, instead developing a leak around the weld connecting the two halves that lead SpaceX to back off. Musk says that that presumably small leak will now be repaired, after which the same tank will be tested again but with one significant difference. Musk says that Test Tank #2’s second pressure test will be performed with a cryogenic liquid — most likely liquid nitrogen (LN2).

In replies after his reveal, Musk noted that he believed the second test tank could perform significantly better if pressurized with a cryogenic liquid. That’s because certain types of steel – particularly those SpaceX has chosen for Starship – exhibit something known as cryogenic hardening when exposed to extremely cold temperatures, producing steel that can be dramatically stronger by some measures.

Ultimately, as mentioned above, a tank pressure safety margin of 125% is the minimum most engineering standards provide for any given orbital-class launch vehicle. At 7.5 bar, even under the very unlikely assumption that Starship tanks will not see even a marginal strength increase at cryogenic temperatures, SpaceX’s second Starship test tank has officially hit that 125% safety margin. As Musk himself noted on Monday, he is now confident that SpaceX can immediately start building the first Starship destined for spaceflight and further revealed that two of that particular Starship’s three tank domes are already nearing completion.

Known as Starship SN01 (serial number 01), there’s a strong possibility that the massive spacecraft will never reach higher than a 20 km (12.5 mi) flight test SpaceX intends to perform. The company’s rapidly changing strategy may very well mean that SN01 – now ‘go’ for production – could also support suborbital spaceflight testing and maybe even the first orbital Starship launch, although orbital launches will require a Super Heavy booster. Elon Musk, for one, has already christened Starship SN01 an “orbital vehicle”.

Check out Teslarati’s newsletters for prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket launch and recovery processes.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Tesla has joined the list of vehicles that government officials in Berlin can choose from, a role that’s historically included only German legacy car brands.

German publication Bild got a hold of the confidential list, which reveals Audi, BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen, and Tesla as carmakers that are approved for government use.

Although the report did not indicate which Tesla, in specific, was being made available to government officials, it did mention a lease rate of 11,555 euros per year and an operational cost of 11,623 euros annually for the vehicle.

“If it is not possible for German manufacturers to produce an electric vehicle with auxiliary heating, then we will include foreign brands in the list,” State Secretary Sabine Smentek said in an interview.

State Secretary for Education Beate Stoffers has confirmed that her vehicle of choice is a Tesla.

“I looked at the CO2 values ​​and range, and you also support a company that invests in the Berlin region,” Stoffers said.

The Berlin Senate consists of a governing mayor, eight senators, and 25 state secretaries. These officials are given a list of potential service vehicles that they can test drive for two hours. Once they’ve made their choice, they can lease the vehicle for a year. If they will use it for private trips, members of the Berlin Senate should keep a logbook for tax purposes.

To be included in the list of service vehicle options for the Berlin Senate is a huge signal that Germans have felt the presence of the California-based electric vehicle manufacturer in the country’s capital. It’s also a wake-up call for the German legacy automakers that have continued to struggle with maintaining consumer demand in the face of an electric vehicle revolution that’s been spearheaded by Tesla.

Tesla has been receiving a fair amount of support from the federal and state government of Brandenburg as it pushes closer to the start of construction for Giga Berlin, its first car factory in Europe. The carmaker has officially applied for federal subsidies for its battery cell production at the Gigafactory in Grunheide.

Gigafactory Berlin is expected to begin production by July 2021 and aims to produce 150,000 vehicles annually during its initial phase and eventually up production to 500,000 units per year in the future. The Tesla car factory is also expected to generate approximately 8,000 new jobs that will benefit young workers in Germany and nearby countries.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Millennial stock investors are betting heavily on Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) stock, which has been on a record-breaking run over the past two months, but it isn’t the only company that they’re keen to invest in.

After analyzing more than 734,000 investor portfolios, Apex Clearing reveals TSLA is the third most preferred stock by millennial investors, which trails Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN). Other millennial favorites include tech titans Facebook, Microsoft, Netflix, and Alibaba. Surprisingly, Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway also made the list, joining Advanced Micro Devices, and Disney in the Top 10 most popular stocks among thirtysomethings.

“From responding to key market moves, showing a keen interest in recent IPOs, and investing based on their values, millennials have proved to be a unique audience differing from their generational counterparts,” says Apex CEO Bill Capuzzi in a press release.

Top 10 Most Popular Stocks Among Millenials

1. Apple
2. Amazon
3. Tesla
4. Facebook
5. Microsoft
6. Berkshire Hathaway
7. Walt Disney
8. Netflix
9. Advanced Micro Devices
10. Alibaba

Tesla’s popularity with Generation Y investors isn’t surprising, considering Elon Musk’s sway with the younger crowd. Forbes contributor Deep Patel attributes Musk’s appeal to millennials to a few things.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk isn’t your regular CEO. With a revolutionary vision to transition the world away from an Earth-destroying fossil fuel reliance to creating a “backup plan for humans“, the Cyberpunk and video-game obsessed CEO is a sure hit with thirtysomethings.

Musk is on a mission to change the world and his particular brand of idealistic, visionary, and even rebellious approach is what appeals to millennials so much.

Also, Musk isn’t afraid to be where the younger crowd hangs out, chatting it up with his fans and supporters that can sometimes be about the most mundane things, like his appreciation for chairs. This gives him a human side,  one with humor that allows customers and investors to personally relate to and connect with him on a deeper, personal level.

Chairs are underappreciated

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 28, 2020

It appears the millennial preference for Musk and Tesla stock is paying off. Just last week, Tesla hit a record high as its stock crossed $555, driving the company’s market valuation to become the second most valuable automaker in the world. Already the most valuable US car manufacturer, surging past Ford’s record-setting $81 billion in 1991, many expect Tesla’s ambitious future to ultimately overtake Toyota as the most valuable car company. Ever.

The historic run follows a series of successes for Tesla, including the first mass delivery of its Made-in-China Model 3, the announcement of Gigafactory Berlin, and a 50 percent rise in annual deliveries in 2019.

Rest assure that investors, both young and old, will be looking forward to tomorrow’s Tesla earnings call wherein Musk is expected to make several surprise announcements.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});