Since I moved to Vermont a year ago, I’ve both driven my Tesla Model 3 and taken an Amtrak train to visit family in Pennsylvania. Here’s why I prefer to take the train in the Northeast Corridor – the busiest railroad in North America.
Convenience. Taking the Amtrak Vermonter from VT to PA is a lot more convenient than driving a car – four out of five of the top cities with the worst traffic in the US are in the Northeast.
When I take the train, I dodge traffic jams on main arteries like Interstate 95, the George Washington Bridge, or the New Jersey Turnpike. If you hit no traffic, it’s an eight-plus hour drive as it is, including stops to charge the car, eat, and take a rest.
And one of the best things about taking the nearly nine-hour train ride is that I can travel on a weekday and work. The free wifi is decent, and if it temporarily falters, then I just hot spot. Plus, the views are wonderful.
However, driving my Model 3 works in a pinch. The Supercharger network on that route is pretty great. Kudos to the New Jersey Turnpike for having fantastic amenities and hosting Superchargers literally right off the route.
Energy efficiency. According to the 2021 US Department of Energy Data Book, Amtrak is 46% more energy efficient than traveling by car and 34% more energy efficient than domestic air travel. The train I take runs from Vermont to New Haven, Connecticut, on a diesel engine, then it switches to electric. The latter produces significantly fewer emissions than cars – even EVs.
Diesel is far from ideal, but diesel trains transport many passengers at once, which means that the emissions per passenger are lower than they would be if each person were driving a car because the majority of people are still driving gas cars. Diesel trains also produce way less emissions than planes.
And this impact matters a lot: In 2020, emissions from transportation accounted for about 27% of total US greenhouse gas emissions, making transportation the largest contributor of US emissions.
Comfort. Amtrak is comfortable, and that’s important to me, as I suffer from chronic pain, so I need to move and stretch a lot. The seats are roomy, I can get up as much as I want, and legroom is fantastic, especially when I snag a bulkhead seat, which isn’t that hard to do.
Luggage size isn’t an issue, and I don’t have to go through the hassle of going through security and putting my toiletries in small plastic bags. You just get on and sit down.
I like that I can go to the dining car to get a drink or a snack whenever I want and that I can sit down at a table and enjoy the passing scenery. I don’t have to wait for a flight attendant to move out of the way with the cart in order to go to the bathroom.
Cost. I can’t argue that my train trip costs less than driving my Model 3, but hear me out.
A round-trip economy ticket on Amtrak between my home in Vermont and my destination in Pennsylvania is $264. Parking at my home station is free, and it’s only three miles from my house.
I estimate a single full charge on my Model 3 with an average 0.25 kWh electricity cost at nearly $13. It’s around an 800-mile round trip drive, so I estimate total Supercharger trip costs to be around $53. Throw in the toll charges (I used TollGuru, and I have an E-Zpass) and round-trip, it costs around $156, excluding food and drinks.
But here’s why I still feel Amtrak is worth the extra cost: I’m a remote worker, so I can work on the train. The time I spend working is a more efficient use of my time than driving, as time is money. Plus, I don’t have to travel on my days off, so I can spend more time with family.
Safety. The 2021 odds of dying as a passenger on a car trip were 1 in 103, and the lifetime odds of dying as a passenger on a commercial airline flight in the US were 1 in 188,364, according to the National Safety Council (NSC).
While I couldn’t find the odds of being in an Amtrak train crash, I did find that there were six passenger fatalities on Amtrak trains in total in the US in 2019 – so the odds of dying are extremely low.
My worst nightmare is getting into a fender bender on the George Washington Bridge. I’m a lot more chilled out on the train in general because it’s safe.
What do you think of Amtrak train travel in the Northeast or in other areas of the US where it’s available? Let me know in the comments below.
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Most Wall Street analysts covering Tesla’s stock (TSLA) badly misread the automaker’s delivery volumes this quarter. Some of them have started releasing notes to clients following Tesla’s production and delivery results.
Here’s what they have to say:
According to Tesla-compiled analyst consensus, the automaker was expected to report “377,592 deliveries” in the first quarter.
Truist Securities maintained its hold rating on Tesla’s stock, but it greatly lowered its price target from $373 to $280 a share. They insist that while their earnings expectations have crashed because they overestimated deliveries, investors should focus on Tesla’s self-driving effort, which they see as “much more important for the long-term value of the stock.”
Goldman Sachs lowered its price target from $320 to $275 a share. The firm expected 375,000 deliveries from Tesla in Q1 and therefore had to adjust its earnings expectations with almost 40,000 fewer deliveries.
Wedbush‘s Dan Ives, one of Tesla’s biggest cheerleaders, called the delivery results “disastrous”, but he reiterated his $550 price target on Tesla’s stock.
UBS has reiterated its $225 price target which it had lowered last month after adjusting its delivery expectations in Q1 to 367,000 – one of the more accurate predictions on Wall Street.
CFRA‘s analyst Garrett Nelson reduced his price target from $385 to $360 a share.
Electrek’s Take
I find it funny that most of them are maintaining or barely changing their expectations after they were so wrong about Tesla in Q1.
If you were so wrong in Q1, you should expect to be incorrect also for the rest of the year, and readjust accordingly.
But Cantor is invested in Tesla, and the firm is owned by Elon’s friend, who happens to now be the secretary of commerce. Truist still believes Elon’s self-driving lies, Goldman Sachs overestimated Tesla’s deliveries by the equivalent of $2 billion in revenues, and Dan Ives is Dan Ives.
Covering Tesla over the last 15 years has confirmed to me that most Wall Street analysts have no idea what they are doing – or at least not when it comes to companies like Tesla.
Do you know any who have been consistently good lately? I’d love suggestions in the comment section below.
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The global market rout on Thursday, sparked by President Donald Trump’s announcement of widespread tariffs, had an outsized effect on fintech companies and credit card issuers that are closely tied to consumer spending and credit.
Affirm, which offers buy now, pay later purchasing options, plunged 19%, while stock trading app Robinhood slid 10% and payments company PayPal fell 8%. American Express and Capital One each tumbled 10%, and Discover was down more than 8%.
President Trump on Wednesday laid out the U.S. “reciprocal tariff” rates that more than 180 countries and territories, including European Union members, will face under his sweeping new trade policy. Trump said his plan will set a 10% baseline tariff across the board, but that number is much higher for some countries.
The announcement sent stocks reeling, wiping out nearly $2 trillion in value from the S&P 500, and pushing the tech-heavy Nasdaq down 6%, its worst day since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The sell-off was especially notable for companies most exposed to consumer spending and global supply chains, including payment providers and lenders. Fintech companies that rely on transaction volume or installment-based lending could see both revenue and credit performance deteriorate.
“When you go down the spectrum, that’s when you have more cyclical risk, more exposure to tariffs,” said Sanjay Sakhrani, an analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, citing PayPal and Affirm as businesses at risk. He said bigger companies in the space “are more defensive” and better positioned.
Dan Dolev, an analyst at Mizuho, said bank processors such as Fiserv are less exposed to tariff volatility.
“It’s considered a safe haven,” he said.
Affirm executives have previously said rising prices might increase demand for their products. Chief Financial Officer Rob O’Hare said higher prices could push more consumers toward buy now, pay later services.
“If tariffs result in higher prices for consumers, we’re there to help,” O’Hare said at a Stocktwits fireside chat last month. Affirm CEO Max Levchin has offered similar comments.
However, James Friedman, an analyst at SIG, told CNBC that delinquencies become a concern. He compared Affirm to private-label store cards, and pointed to historical trends in credit performance during downturns, noting that “private label delinquency rates run roughly double” in a recession when compared to traditional credit cards.
“You have to look at who’s overexposed to discretionary,” he said.
Affirm did not provide a comment but pointed to recent remarks from its executives.
Wait, Mazda sells a real EV? It’s only in China for now, but that will change very soon. The first Mazda 6e built for overseas markets rolled off the assembly line Thursday. Mazda’s new EV will arrive in Europe, Southeast Asia, and other overseas markets later this year. This could be the start of something with a new SUV due out next.
Mazda’s new EV rolls off assembly for overseas markets
The Mazda EZ-6 has been on sale in China since October with prices starting as low as 139,800 yuan, or slightly under $20,000.
Earlier this year, Mazda introduced the 6e, the global version of its electric car sold in China. The stylish electric sedan is made by Changan Mazda, Mazda’s joint venture in China.
After the first Mazda 6e model rolled off the production line at the company’s Nanjing Plant, Mazda said it’s ready to “conquer the new era of electrification with China Smart Manufacturing.”
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The new global “6e” model will be built at Changan Mazda’s plant and exported to overseas markets including Europe, Thailand, and other parts of Southeast Asia.
Mazda calls it “both a Chinese car and a global car,” with Changan’s advanced EV tech and Mazda’s signature design.
Mazda 6e electric sedan during European debut (Source: Changan Mazda)
Built on Changan’s hybrid platform, the EZ-6 is offered in China with both electric (EV) and extended-range (EREV) powertrains. The EV version has a CLTC driving range of up to 600 km (372 miles) and can fast charge (30% to 80%) in about 15 minutes.
Mazda’s new EV will be available with two battery options in Europe: 68.8 kWh or 80 kWh. The larger (80 kWh) battery gets up to 552 km (343 miles) WLTP range, while the 68.8 kWh version is rated with up to 479 km (300 miles) range on the WLTP rating scale.
At 4,921 mm long, 1,890 mm wide, and 1,491 mm tall, the Mazda 6e is about the size of a Tesla Model 3 (4,720 mm long, 1,922 mm wide, and 1,441 mm tall).
Mazda said the successful rollout of the 6e kicks off “the official launch of Changan Mazda’s new energy vehicle export center” for global markets.
The company will launch a new SUV next year and plans to introduce a third and fourth new energy vehicle (NEV).
Although prices will be announced closer to launch, Mazda’s global EV will not arrive with the same $20,000 price tag in Europe as it will face tariffs as an export from China. Mazda is expected to launch the 6e later this year in Europe and Southeast Asia. Check back soon for more info.
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