The solution is to include the "--powerOn" switch in the command

In my lab I did not want the appliance to automatically boot, because I wanted to reduce the amount of RAM to 8GB before I powered it on.

The correct approach in a lab environment would be to let the appliance boot using the "--powerOn" switch in the command and then power it off once it has booted up for the first time.

Next, power the appliance off and reduce the amount of RAM, and then power it back on.