Tesla's Q3 2018 Earnings Call Is Almost Here: What to Know

Tesla’s next set of quarterly earnings is this Wednesday, with big questions around upcoming vehicles, production plans, and the status of ongoing projects. These calls are an ideal way for investors to grill CEO Elon Musk about the state of the business, understand the future of the company and dig into how the electric car maker’s plans are panning out.

It’s been a big quarter for Tesla. Musk claimed in last quarter’s earnings call that the company has now reached profitability and the company aims to be cash flow positive from each quarter going forward. The company reached record high production rates for its entry-level Model 3 vehicle, despite questions around a “delivery logistics hell.” At the same time, plans to take the company private led to a costly settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Here’s what to expect:

Tesla Q3 2018 Earnings Call: When is it?

Tesla confirmed on Monday that its third-quarter earnings call will take place at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time on Wednesday, October 24. The call was moved by an hour on the request of a number of investors. The company will make a recording of the call available on the website around two hours later.

The call will be broadcast for others to listen in, taking place at these times around the world:

• 6:30 p.m. Eastern time
• 11:30 p.m. British Summertime
• 12:30 a.m. Central European time (Thursday)
• 6:30 a.m. China Standard time (Thursday)
• 9:30 a.m. Australian Eastern Daylight time (Thursday)

Tesla Q3 2018 Earnings Call: The Big Questions

Investors are going to want to know more about the settlement, which sees Musk and Tesla handing over $20 million each and Musk stepping down as chairman. The company now needs to find someone new to serve as head of the board, a move the company resisted when shareholder Jing Zhao suggested something similar back in April.

Questions may also circle around future production plans. Tesla produced a staggering 80,142 vehicles in the quarter, 53,239 of which were Model 3s, but the company isn’t stopping there. It’s building a Gigafactory in Shanghai, planning further expansion into Europe with further Model 3 production, introducing the Model Y sports utility vehicle sometime next year, and also releasing its Semi electric truck to the markets. Investors may also ask about the solar roof, as CNBC report last month claimed the Buffalo factory producing tiles is still not at full capacity.

Musk also unexpectedly announced a new A.I. chip to power full autonomous driving during the last earnings call. He could take the opportunity to provide more details about this project, which he claims will be shipping in all production cars within the next six months.

Tesla Q3 2018 Earnings Call: How to Listen

Listening along is easy, thanks to Tesla’s straightforward investors page. Here’s how to get connected and listen:

• Go to the Tesla investor relations event page, linked here. You should see a listing for the second quarter 2018 results, followed by a link to the webcast.
• Follow the webcast link. At this point, you will see the option at the bottom of your window to test your setup. The site will display a checklist for compatible browsers, screen size, relevant plugins and connection speed. It’s best to complete this test with no other applications using the internet connection.
• When you’re done testing, return to the first screen. Enter your first name, last name, and e-mail address. The company field is optional.
• Click submit, and you’ll be taken to the conference call.

And that’s it! The call normally lasts for just over an hour, with the first 15 minutes or so covering the questions followed by a lengthy question and answer session.