Kristoffer Lawson#JohnNaughton asks, in The #Guardian, if #Tesla is doing to the car industry what #Apple did to #Nokia. There are several errors in the article (the Tesla Roadster was based on a #Lotus #Elise, not Elite, and the #Toyota #bZ4x is *not* cheaper than a Tesla. Which is precisely the problem traditional car manufacturers are facing. They can’t build #EVs cheap enough. Even worse, some (like #Ford and @VWGroup) are actually cutting back investment!
The comparison to #Nokia is valid in other ways too. Traditional #car manufacturers faffed around for a long time, claiming #EVs are not a threat. Then when they realise they are, they start building muscle and corporate structures, rather than hiring completely new types of teams and people that will think different and move fast and get top level support.
The Long Tail@Setok No, Tesla is not doing to the car industry what Apple did to the phone industry.
No, Tesla do not make better cars, nor have they innovated.
They have exploited government subsidies to undermine an industry by using predatory pricing strategies and local government handouts.
This is just Musk operating as intended.
No, Tesla do not make better cars, nor have they innovated.
They have exploited government subsidies to undermine an industry by using predatory pricing strategies and local government handouts.
This is just Musk operating as intended.
@sleepyfox as much as I think Elon is a jerk, I disagree with most of your points about Tesla the company. I think they have innovated hugely in manufacturing, software, charging infrastructure, business (btw I don’t think all the innovations were good), they make cars with great drivetrains at lower prices than others, and many car companies have sucked subsidies. Only a few years ago the US government had to bail out other car companies.
@Setok I direct you to the scam of deliberately lying to customers about Tesla cars' range, and the scandal of workers' injuries at Tesla factories as but two of many many indicators of Tesla being another Enron.
@sleepyfox the range ‘scam’ has been blown up beyond all reasonable proportions. Teslas show a linear range on their battery (the trip planner has a realistic one). Directly proportional to battery level and based most likely on EPA tested range, which is actually more conservative than WLTP. Eg the 2020 Long Range I drove showed 499 at full, whereas WLTP was 525 or so. Everyone who’s driven one knows how it works and many switch the number to % instead.
@sleepyfox every single EV’s WLTP is overly optimistic for colder weather or motorway driving (but they can beat it at slower summer speeds). For me this was a total non-issue.
I could believe issues with factory workers (though I haven’t checked the reports). Sounds like the kind of culture shenanigans we are seeing at Twitter too.
@sleepyfox but actually there have been tests where actual range of Teslas, compared to WLTP given range, was percentage-wise better than many others. Some were downright awful. So actually Teslas are ‘lying’ less than others…
@sleepyfox for the record, there’s a lot of stuff I don’t like about Tesla. The tendency towards fiddly software ‘AI’ and away from proper physical controls is a big one. Poor support for third party repairs, and expensive Tesla sanctioned repairs and parts — massive issue for me (and the whole industry is following suit :( ). I just prefer to give credit where due and criticise where deserved.