How will Tesla stay ahead?

[buckerine]

A whole host of competitors are popping up in the EV space, not to mention all the major manufacturers will have EVs in the next 3-5 years. And countries like Germany and India are passing laws requiring EVs for all new vehicles sometime in the next 10-15 years. EVs are here to stay.

The question is how does Tesla as a company stay ahead of the pack? They're not just a car company, they're also a power storage company. What will happen when competition floods the market? Any thoughts?

 

[tinm]

If they just concentrated on pure execution, achieving all the goals and milestones Elon's made public, and not even worried about a single additional feature or whistle or bell, they'd stay ahead for years. But the temptation to get bogged down in whistles & bells is strong, as evidenced in the Model X, and despite Elon's contrite "we learned a lesson" with the X, they haven't yet proven it's fully sunk in. I sure hope they prove it -- and they'll do it through brilliant execution in the next 18 months.

 

[cpa]

I truly believe that Tesla has nearly surmounted the barriers to entry. (The success of Model 3 will be the final one.) Tesla has the SC network and the destination charging program. It remains to be seen if the competition can ramp up charging infrastructure as quickly as Tesla has when they decide to manufacture BEVs. It remains to be seen just how advanced the competition is today, and will be in five-ten years with BEV technology. They will NOT be able to reconfigure an ICE and throw in a battery and electric motor on the cheap and expect to compete effectively.

I think the biggest question mark (and one that I have absolutely no knowledge about) will be if there are significant strides made in battery storage and charging times. If a cheaper, larger and faster charging battery chemistry becomes available, and the patents, ownership or licensing is snapped up by the competition, then Tesla might have a tougher road ahead.

OK, so I am just throwing stuff out there. Please be gentle.

 

[Pdub2015]

Who says Tesla needs to stay ahead? Or even want to stay "ahead" whatever that means? The vision is to convert all personal transportation to electric instead of ICE. If all manufacturers do this, everybody wins. In the wake of increased competition, it's conceivable that Tesla may eventually go out of business, but it will always be known as the first to establish that EVs can be fast, sporty, enjoyable and practical (range-wise).

 

[CapeOne]

The next few years are going to be a real test for Tesla, not just in dealing with new EV competition from other automakers but also dealing with their own increasing production volume and making sure any quality issues, customer service issues, inventory issues, etc. can be properly and effectively dealt with. More competition.....higher volume....new, lower priced product......again, I think some of the real tests for them are still ahead.

 

[Krugerrand]

Innovation

 

[Waiting4M3]

Gigafactory, supercharging network, autopilot, Elon Musk

And did I mention Gigafactory? It would be pretty funny to see all the big boys trying to rush out millions of EVs to only realize that there aren't enough batteries for it.

 

[buckerine]

Gigafactory, supercharging network, autopilot, Elon Musk

And did I mention Gigafactory? It would be pretty funny to see all the big boys trying to rush out millions of EVs to only realize that there aren't enough batteries for it.

I agree, and that's why I increasingly believe that it's their battery and power storage divisions which will provide the real competitive edge, not necessarily their cars. I don't know if there's much they can do in terms of autonomous driving and in-car features that can continuously outdo the competition. But their battery technology and battery manufacturing capabilities are miles ahead of anyone else right now. That's not to say other players can't and won't build their own gigafactories, but clearly the big ICE manufacturers aren't nearly as committed to battery R&D as Tesla is.

 

[DCGOO]

I
Tesla has the SC network and the destination charging program. It remains to be seen if the competition can ramp up charging infrastructure as quickly as Tesla has when they decide to manufacture BEVs.

This is huge, and it seems to frequently get overlooked. Even if any of the competitors build a superb vehicle (undoubtedly they will). It doesn't matter much if you are limited to trips of 150 miles (one-way).

 

[arg617]

I think that what Tesla needs to do (I guess this is subjective) is to start competing in auto racing, specifically Sports Car / Le Mans. Racing has been a proving ground for automobile makers for years and this would help accelerate R&D at the company. As companies like Porsche, Audi, Nissan, Honda, etc. begin to test electric/hybrid vehicles in this arena it will become harder for Tesla to remain competitive.