August Zajonc

Nonprofit CPA also interested in space and technology.

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@wholemars Why not sell cybercab with wheels and pedals for cheap as Model 2? We need cheaper car options, cars are absurdly expensive now. Gather training data for the FSD effort.

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@SciGuySpace Starliner-3 has been getting payments for "success" since 2019! SLS/Orion just annual costs even without a launch are enormous. For $2B - $4B what could SpaceX do? Has any serious effort been made to lock in more Crew Dragon? My impression was NASA passed. 2/

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@SciGuySpace Title should be "concerns grow over crew dragon availability but no one willing to commit funds to resolve the issue" What stops NASA from doing an RFP for SLS/Orion or Starliner type $$$ to see if SpaceX will add availability? CCtCap awarded LESS to spaceX than starliner. 1/

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@AlamedaMuniPwr Thanks for the updates, very helpful.

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@henrykleeKTVU @Oakland @oaklandcoli @OaklandArena @irvingazoff @KHouston4Mayor @Jenkins4oakland @BarbaraLee_CA @Janani4Oakland @NoelGallo5 Hasn’t the buyer missed most of their previous obligations?

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@YosemiteNPS Love Yosemite but - *parking* - look at managing that btter and/or more spaces so folks aren't parking all over the place or stressing about parking. Wifi at lodges (Viasat?). Look at updated options - painfully slow.

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@SciGuySpace This highlights how strong Crew Dragon is. In terms of cargo to these private stations, starship seems to be the next planned approach, could do a disposable second stage to get a ton to orbit with a no heatshield upper stage F9 style if needed - would still beat SLS $

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@SciGuySpace Of all the things to worry about this is a bit of a surprising one. I'm trying to understand the cost concerns. Orion is absurdly expensive. Starliner - the planned competition - 1.5 - 2x more expensive BEFORE all the troubles. EU's going to be billions to develop. 1/

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@SciGuySpace May lead to the govt side needing to have another process to define what will be approved and not, criteria will need to be developed, job descriptions updated, training provided. And it can pick up requirements internal to govt as a result of familiarity even if not relevant 2/

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@SciGuySpace As anyone who has pulled a permit knows one issue with requirements is not the requirements themselves but the time delays they introduce as you go on round trips with govt staff who need to get up to speed. So a software purchase approval requirement 1/

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@SciGuySpace What might be underestimated a bit is if space starts being seen as more of a national security item the DoD budget is absurdly large compared to NASA.

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@SciGuySpace But still grounded in actual delivery. With cost plus old style if you saw a company with no real deliverables fly over and grab contract (RFP often awkwardly written to target them) they were sometimes largely jobs programs or favors / friends type deals or forced rebids.

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@SciGuySpace Tom M - former CTO propulsion at SpaceX maybe a factor. I do like that the contracts don’t seem to be paying for vapor on cost plus basis so downsides much lighter than old style 20 year cost plus type deals.

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@TeslaXplored I think this pricing jumps out a bit more because previously there was a $7,500 discount going around. That's gone. Household debt highest ever. Auto loan delinquencies highest ever. Interest rates higher - 60 mo could be $1,300+/month for YL! For a bit Y leases were at $399.

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@AustyUSA The trade is that this is the point at which the competitive positioning starts getting set. Is it worth the extra margin squeeze? Maybe. Or include a normal option with slower delivery on the order page. Could apple have squeezed Neo pricing at start? Yes. But they didn't.

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@Gfilche I think pricing is too high at $62K + sales tax which will push it closer to $68K in CA for example. ID Buzz / Rivian R2 etc become much more competitive when the Y is $68K drive away pricing.

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@YunLinSJ @teslayoda What's the cheap option going to be then for a Tesla? A 2 seater commuter car (I think they had the term Model 2 at one point). There are 100 million folks who commute to work each day. Many have tight budgets. Would be great to have something for them.

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@OutofSpecDetail Maybe historically against Rivian (R1s @ 84K) / VW (ID 4 Pro S $57K / Lucid) Tesla value seemed clearer (features / price). Now Rivian (R2) & VW (ID Buzz) and others are competing more directly. If Tesla had a cheap car ($20'sK) and YL at $55K (9K over premium) - much stronger.

[August Zajonc @augustz]

@elonmusk Be nice to have a commute oriented Tesla on the other end of the lineup - small, cheap to buy and efficient to run. With high gas prices EVs good for a daily commute length trip. Cybercab with a wheel would fit the bill for a lot of folks if price was right.