' ... opening up his own repair shop to push back against Tesla’s repair monopoly ... '
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/gy75kj/rich-benoit-is-crowdfunding-a-diy-tesla-repair-shop The Guy Behind Rich Rebuilds Wants to Open a DIY Tesla Repair Shop Nov 27 2018 [image / YouTube https://video-images.vice.com/articles/5bfc62d924a5e900066afd87/lede/1543267270670-Screen-Shot-2018-11-26-at-42050-PM.png Screengrab of Rich Benoit video https://youtu.be/AnIylHU0sGc Help Rich Rebuilds open the First Crowdfunded EV shop ] Rich Benoit repairs Teslas on YouTube, but now he's crowdfunding to create a DIY repair shop with an eye on education. Rich Benoit isn’t waiting around for Tesla to repair its customers’ cars—not when he can do it himself. Benoit runs the YouTube channel Rich Rebuilds where he chronicles his adventures in repairing, upgrading, and modifying electric vehicles. His most ambitious project was successfully rebuilding a Tesla Model S that was totaled after being completely submerged in salt water [ https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/qvm3z5/rich-rebuilds-tesla-repair-and-salvage ]. Now, he’s crowdfunding to open a repair shop that will service electric vehicles of all types and teach owners how to take care of their own cars. Teslas are notoriously difficult to repair [ https://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-parts-service-20180724-story.html ]. The car manufacturer doesn’t authorize many independent repair shops and doesn’t make it easy for individuals to buy official replacement parts to do the job themselves. Unfortunately, the electric vehicle company can’t meet the demand for repairs. Tesla communities across the internet are full of stories of people waiting months for a mechanic [ https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/repair-time-6-months.112515/ ] to take a look at their vehicle. Benoit wants to change that by opening up his own repair shop to push back against Tesla’s repair monopoly. “The goal is kind of a ‘safe haven’ for [electric vehicles],” Benoit told Motherboard in an email. “It’s a place where Teslas, or really any kind of other (electric vehicle), in or out of warranty, can come to get worked on, serviced and upgraded.” To create that space, Benoit needs a repair facility, a warehouse to store parts and salvage vehicles, and equipment to do repairs and conversions. To create this space, Benoit is attempting to raise $200,000 via Indiegogo [ https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-rich-rebuilds-open-the-electrified-garage#/ ]. So far, he’s raised $5,000. Benoit loves Teslas, but he wants owners to have a repair shop that isn’t run or owned by Tesla, which routinely charges $175 an hour to work on its cars. “Tesla is great but they are starting to become a slow-moving ship,” he said. “They can't keep up with the orders they have now for cars, or the service of the cars that they sell, so owners are suffering.” Besides repairs, Benoit wants his shop to have a space to teach customers about their vehicles—adding another dimension to the already ambitious project. “The number one question I get from people is how [electric vehicles] actually work,” Benoit said. “So we're going to dedicate a place in the shop where we have kids and adults come in to see how the cars are made, and we will also convert cars that run on gas to electricity[ https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/vbjqad/mechanics-are-putting-tesla-motors-in-cars ].” Benoit said he’s talked to Tesla employees who are ready to jump ship if he can get the money together. “I have three employees that currently work for Tesla that are willing to leave and work for the ‘startup’ because they believe in it,” he said. “They (want to leave) Tesla to join for the same reason they started working for Tesla—it’s something new, innovative, fast-moving, and an alternative to what’s currently out there.” Tesla Motors did not immediately respond to request for comment. [© motherboard.vice.com] http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-How-to-tell-if-an-EV-is-Hurricane-water-damaged-tp4691381.html EVLN: How to tell if an EV is (Hurricane)water damaged ... gave different answers. You Tube user Rich Rebuilds, rebuilt a Tesla Model S he bought for $14,000 that had been flooded by Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey back in 2012. The entire battery, motor, and all the drive electronics had been sitting in salt water in the bottom 14 inches of the car. The model... Oct 10 2018 http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Is-reviving-trashed-EVs-worth-it-It-depends-v-tp4691272.html EVLN: Is reviving trashed-EVs worth it> It depends (v) ... after sitting in salt water, the battery pack was waterlogged. Twelve of the 16 modules in the pack were good. One of the four that wasn't was so corroded it began exploding as he took it apart, he notes in a video. Although Rich eventually managed to rebuild his Tesla, the lesson is that any battery... Sep 28 2018 + (bidirectional EVSE) https://www.treehugger.com/cars/could-electric-cars-help-kill-duck-curve.html Could electric cars help kill the duck? November 30, 2018 Fermata Energy and Nissan introduce bi-directional charging for the LEAF. This has interesting implications. Fermata Energy ... the famous Duck Curve ... a Study shows that electric cars could help kill the (grid energy load) duck, but Nissan and Fermata are getting serious ... https://media.treehugger.com/assets/images/2018/04/duckurve.jpg For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/archive/ {brucedp.neocities.org} -- Sent from: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/ _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
