Tesla success story - is it holding back EV competition?

Tesla success story - is it holding back EV competition? While Tesla is booming, other companies seem to be struggling to gain a foothold. Tesla set the bar for what to expect from an EV, but established automakers can’t seem to release brand new EVs that hit that bar. And EV startups, like Rivian, look capable of delivering compelling EVs ... but are still getting up and running with their own infrastructure. And that leads to a question that’s been rattling around in the back of my mind for months now: is Tesla’s success actually slowing down the broader EV market with expectations competitors can’t match for years to come?

CORRECTION: I unintentionally switched mile/kWh for kWh/mile in the video. I should have caught that before publishing. Apologies.

02:17 - Batteries
04:48 - The cars
08:01 - The infrastructure
10:05 - The user experience

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[UndecidedMF]

CORRECTION: I unintentionally switched mile/kWh for kWh/mile in the video. I should have caught that before publishing. Apologies.

[jamesswaller]

Owning a legacy dealership today is like having a travel agency in 1990. I keep thinking about the British car industry killed by myopic special interests, union and otherwise, same thing happening now. I, for one, will not miss the legacy dealers and brands that can't compete.

[YR]

The progress would be even slower without Tesla.
Imagine a world with only leafs and Prius.

[rjward]

I have little sympathy for legacy companies that fail to innovate.

[tomrobertson]

I feel we would only have compliance cars only . 10k produced only every year.
Tesla is dragging big auto into the future
It looks to me that every one is racing to be number 2

[anthonyc]

I've got a reservation for the Mustang Mach-E but your comparison of the iPod to Zune really struck a nerve. Now it's gnawing at me. Thanks...

[leeandadaelliott]

Back in the early 1980's Chrysler came out with the mini-van. They hit the bulls eye as far as giving it the features everybody wanted. However it took the rest of the industry 10 or more years to act on the fact that the Chrysler design was what the public wanted. By the time GM, Ford, Toyota and Honda finally came out with a good minivan the market was starting to soften.
I think the legacy manufacturers are facing a crisis that they don't know how to overcome. They have huge investments in producing IC cars, dealership relations, relationships with petroleum companies, and so on.
I think you're right, Tesla has done a fantastic job of building out the EV industry. I think companies like Mercedes and Porsche are already suffering lost sales. Every Tesla sold is very likely one less IC luxury car sold.
We may just see another serious weeding out of brands like what happened back in 2009.

[Handlethis]

Damn Matt, that was such a compelling and well laid out argument, demanding a reflection. I really hope Elon sees this post.

[imudevco]

When Tesla announced that it was making its own cells in partnership with Panasonic, everyone thought they were crazy. I wonder if others who will partner with cell manufacturers will be able to maximize energy density to follow Tesla’s lead? Tesla is a vertical integrated company that gives them complete control over their entire system. Will other vehicle manufacturers be able to compete? Tesla has hinted about getting into the mining business? Are others that flexible and have the foresight to do so? That remains to be seen from where I see.

[JackJohnson-brqr]

Imagine the reality where Tesla doesn't exist. What does it look like? Taycan, e-Tron or i-Pace with 400 miles of range? Hundreds of thousands of EVs from Ford, Chevy and Chrysler on the market already? Yeah, exactly. Now you know, right? 😉

[kennethburke]

Hello, Matt. I love the commentary. You do a great job. I understand the concern with EV adoption and I think you may have a point. I feel that legacy companies believe that entering into a partnership with Tesla is a death Kil for their own brand. I do not believe that it has to be that way but that is the mindset of the legacy competitors. Capitalism often does not lend itself to cooperation, even though it should. We only have one planet (unless someone has been hiding the alternative location). I hope that some of these companies, like Volvo, will see the advantages of partnering with Tesla, which is an energy company that happens to make cars. Keep up the good work.

[glenwenzel]

As usual, very thought provoking and interesting Matt. I have owned an Audi for a number of years now, and while I love it, I have concerns about the Audi eTron's cost and mileage.

[cosmicrider]

Short answer: no
Long answer: the leaf still doesnt have active battery cooling.

[diedertspijkerboer]

Simple answer: if other brands can't make cars that meet the Tesla standard, people should buy a Tesla. It's not as if there's a ban on buying Teslas.

[tommornini]

“Every other car company has been designing cars in smaller user experience solos for decades”

That’s a fantastic summary of Tesla -vs- the competition!

[jjj]

Excellent video. The problem with EV adoption includes the failure to have an open and honest discussion about the benefits/detriments of BEV v. ICE.

[jzawodn]

Very well reasoned and put together, Matt. Thanks!

[FakeNeo]

6:07 The date here is labelled kWh/mile, but the numbers appear to be miles/kWh. The inverted units under-emphasize how thirsty the taycan and e-tron truly are.

[edwardlacika]

As always, well thought out and informative. Thank you. I would love to hear your thoughts on the "Right to Repair" and how Tesla is going to rise up to the challenge.

[forrestolney]

It's true if the other makers can't catch up too little too late and still losing ground. TESLA is a compliance car for other makers.