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Tesla Bears: A Short Short Story

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Tesla Bears: A Short Short Story

The Briefing

  • Tesla, Inc has gained infamy for the sheer depth of short seller activity on its stock. At its peak in 2019, over 200 million shares were short
  • However, short sellers have recently capitulated, thanks to Tesla’s monster year
  • TSLA shares are up roughly 600% YTD

Tesla Bears: A Short Short Story

Short selling is often said to be the Wild West of financial markets. Where there’s a short seller, there can be whipsawing asset prices just around the corner. Tesla is no exception.

In some cases billions of dollars pour behind these short ideas—conducted by some of the world’s most sophisticated investors.

The efficient market hypothesis suggests short selling is a necessary evil that helps the market reflect on all the information of a given security and obtain its true market value. Yet most market participants are anything but receptive to short sellers.

The market—which tends to be long, often panics when a short seller enters the arena and takes the opposite stance. What typically follows is an avalanche of legal and regulatory action from corporate lawyers to the SEC.

In the case of Tesla, short sellers couldn’t have gotten it more wrong – at least for now. Some market commentators call it the most unprofitable short witnessed. The data shows that approximately 20% of Tesla shares have been held short since 2016. This year a reported $27 billion has been lost betting against Tesla.

DateShares Sold ShortDollar Volume Sold Short
October 30th, 202047,800,000$19 billion
October 15th, 202052,960,000$22 billion
September 30th, 202057,130,000$25 billion
September 15th, 202059,040,000$24 billion
August 31st, 202054,890,000$20 billion
August 14th, 202012,310,000$5 billion

Tesla’s short thesis is often anchored around a few compelling narratives. The first is that Tesla’s present day fundamentals are poor—a $530 billion company delivered 139,300 vehicles in Q3’20 and turned a $331 million profit. That’s after government subsidy programs.

The second, the electric vehicle market is expected to be competitive with many players, and short sellers make the point Tesla is currently priced as the sole-winner in this space.

We don’t know how the future EV market will transpire, but with Tesla shares up 600% year-to-date, and with the company set to join the S&P 500, some bears look to be calling it quits.

Where does this data come from?

Source:Ycharts
Notes: Financial data is as of December 2nd, 2020

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The 10 Longest Range EVs for 2023

This infographic lists 10 of the longest range EVs currently for sale in the U.S. in 2023. The Lucid Air takes first place at 516 miles.

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The Briefing

  • EV models with over 300 miles (480 km) of range are becoming more common in the United States
  • The Lucid Air (Grand Touring trim) has the highest EPA range at 516 miles (830 km)

The 10 Longest Range EVs for 2023

Range anxiety is frequently cited as one of the biggest turnoffs of electric vehicles (EVs).

Even as recent as 2021, the average range of an EV was just 217 miles (349 km), falling significantly short from the average gas car’s range of 413 miles (665 km). Thankfully, as this infographic shows, EVs with over 300 miles of range are becoming more common.

Below are the top 10 EVs for 2023, ranked by their EPA combined driving range. For further context, we’ve also included price. These values are for the specific trim that achieves the stated range. In some cases, more expensive trims are available but have a lower range (e.g. Tesla Plaid).

ModelEPA Combined Driving RangePrice*
Lucid Air516 mi (830 km)$138,000
Tesla Model S405 mi (652 km)$84,990
Hyundai Ioniq 6361 mi (581 km)$45,500
Tesla Model 3358 mi (576 km)$55,990
Mercedes-Benz EQS350 mi (563 km)$104,400
Tesla Model X348 mi (560 km)$94,990
Tesla Model Y330 mi (531 km)$52,990
GMC Hummer EV Pickup329 mi (529 km)$110,295
Rivian R1T328 mi (528 km)$74,800
BMW iX324 mi (521 km)$87,100

*Most recent prices available as of April 2023

Note that the EV market is rapidly evolving, and the data in this table has a limited shelf life. For example, Rivian is releasing a battery option dubbed the “Max pack” which promises up to 400 miles, but is not yet EPA rated.

Where Does This Data Come From?

Source: Car and Driver (range), manufacturer websites (price)

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