What is Tesla's Service Drive REALLY Like?

Chris is out there fixing stores for us. He's a coach, so he's coaching and then he's traveling a lot fixing, fixing stores. But one of the things that he brings to the table is he's kind of on our team. He's one of the, the guys that can kind of think of ways to do things. He definitely sees the opportunity before he sees the obstacle. Like he sees an obstacle as an opportunity a lot of times. And one of his experiences in his career was he was employee. Was it 460?

Yeah, something like that.

460 for Tesla. So at the very beginning of Tesla launching and trying to have a network across the country. Yeah, you, you were, you were a part of that. So what made you. You were a tech at the time, right?

Correct.

So you were your BMW tech. Yes, BMW tech. And then Tesla recruited you. How did they find out about you?

You know, I don't know exactly how they, how they found out about me. They got a few BMW techs kind of in the area because I knew other BMW techs that had also been approached by him. Yeah, yeah, so they were.

So they approach you and they say, we have this position. What was the position called?

Regional Technician 2.

Regional Technician 2. What does it stand for?

You had to be a certified Master Tech for that position. So to be in the field, you had to have a certain level of credentials already. So they didn't care that you were.

A master BMW tech? No, just as long as you'd been a master.

Then you. Yeah. And you had to, if I remember right, you had to have all your ASCs also. So I think it was also probably because I was ASE Master Tech as well as a BMW certified. So.

So they, they recruit you.

How.

Are you married at the time?

Yeah.

You're married. So what do you tell your wife when you're making that decision? Like this new company, Tesla, that, you know, could have made it or not made it. Right. You didn't know.

Yeah, yeah, it was probably a good thing. She didn't probably know a whole lot about Tesla at that time.

She wasn't reading the news.

No, no, I don't. I don't think so. I don't think it was on, on her radar at all. Now, there was a lot of people that were telling me, you know, you're, you're crazy. Like they've, you know, they've made 150 cars and, and good luck. Yeah, they're, you know, they're hemorrhaging money, all of that. But, but no, I mean, I I jumped in with both feet. Just thought it was something neat, something different. I was kind of, you know, looking for a new challenge. And, you know, I of course knew a lot about Tesla and read about them, but they weren't on my radar at all as far as me seeking them out to go get a job with them.

So they wouldn't have headhunted you, you would have never, you were, you would have never made the change. Okay, so then you, you decide to take it and then what, what happens if. Do they fly you to Silicon Valley?

Yeah, yeah. So I, I go out there and it's kind of a funny story. Yeah, it was, it was strange because I'm working one Friday and then, you know, there, there I was like, you know, when do you want me to start? And they're of course, like, you know, yesterday. And so I'm, I'm working at BMW one Friday and then the next Monday I'm, you know, flying out for new hire orientation.

And I get there and I got hired on in like May, June. So my orientation, I walk in and there's other people there and I don't think anything about it, you know, and I'm a little bit more of a reserved personality. So where do I sit?

In the back.

In the back. Right. And so the first thing we do is their cto. Jb introduces himself and like welcomes us all in and everything.

Now is he doing the orientation or he just comes in?

No, no, there's like HR people and stuff doing the Orient. But he's kind of like the keynote rah rah guy, like launches it off.

And he's kind of the systems guy for Elon. Elon's the visionary.

Yeah, for sure, for sure. So he's one of the founders and really, you know, behind the scenes and a lot of the nuts and bolts on the engineering side and really is the one accountable for, you know, all that stuff, making it to market and working properly and all that stuff. So for sure. But yeah, it was funny. So he has everybody go around the room and introduce themselves and, you know, where they're from and all that stuff. And I had no idea, but the time of year I was hired, like I said, was like late May, early June. And so this whole new hire orientation is full of summer interns for the, for the various engineering departments within Tesla, which of course at this time they're kind of up and coming, you know, cutting edge company. So it's a really highly sought after internship. So they're going around the room and it's like, you know, somebody from a master's program at MIT and Stanford and, like, you know, all this stuff, and then they make it all the way back to me, back in the corner. And, you know, I'm like, I'm a mechanic from Oklahoma, you know, and, like.

I went to step.

Yeah. Yeah. I went, you know, BMW step, class of 2000. Yeah, it was. It was. It was kind of entertaining, but, you know, sobering at the same time. Like, here I am, you know, taking this new adventure with a whole different group of people. So that was kind of like my first introduction to Tesla. And so there's this element of excitement, a little bit of fear of, I don't belong here. You know, like, this is, you know, above.

You felt like you were in over your head a little bit.

Yeah, yeah. In. In that setting, especially with all these, you know, really intelligent people in. In there. And. But. But I was excited to be there nonetheless, and. And, you know, kind of figure it out.

So then what. What's the role that you're doing then? So you're. You're a tech, but you're kind of a mobile tech, right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So at the time, there was like eight of us or so for the whole country. Across the country. Yeah. So there's, you know, there's a couple dealerships. So the dealership that I kind of. I guess you could call my home store was in Chicago, and. And that's where my direct report was. And then there was, you know, one in Menlo park, just a few miles from the Palo Alto headquarters.

And, you know, just a. Just a handful of other. So actual units.

Are they selling a month, then?

I don't know. A month.

Worldwide. I think they had like 23 or 2400 cars on the ground. Roadsters, something like that. Not.

They're selling 100amonth. National.

Yeah.

Or something. Right?

Yeah. Maybe.

They can't make that. They couldn't make that many at that point.

No, no. And I think there was big ebbs and flows with that with production. Right. And. And all the challenges they had with that.

So would you have guessed back then that they would be selling as many cars as they are now?

No.

You wouldn't have.

No, I don't think so.

Did you think it was gonna tank?

Yeah, I didn't. I didn't think it was gonna tank. I thought at that time, you know, you had. You had Daimler and Toyota, like $55 million at a time. Yeah, yeah. Putting money in and, you know, and so I, I thought at that time that it would end up with all the manufacturers that seem to be, you know, jumping in and. And particularly Toyota, you know, was heavily involved in getting the. Having Tesla get the RAV4 electric up and going and all that. That it would end is the RAV4.

Have the Tesla technology?

I don't think it ultimately did. I think they helped develop some of it. And I know there was a prototype with, you know, with Tesla stuff in it. But, you know, since then, it's kind of. It's kind of interesting because since then, the manufacturers now that Tesla has kind of sprouted into their own, they've all backed away. So Tesla, as of a year or two ago, Tesla and Toyota are completely separated. Toyota sold off all their ownership.

Funny, right?

Yeah.

Thank you so much for watching this clip of Service Drive Revolution. Now you can catch the full episode on YouTube, iTunes, or Spotify or wherever you consume your podcast. If you have any questions, go ahead and post them in the comments below. Make sure you subscribe and hit the bell icon so you're notified when we post new episodes. I'm Chris Collins, and you can find me on Facebook and Instagram at Chris Bulldog Collins, and I'll see you again on the next episode.