Is New Plaid S build quality improving since Fall 2022 ?

[Boza]

Would you elaborate a bit on why you think so?

Their battery management system is really, really good; the motors are probably the most efficient; they have the longest range (a bit arguable, I admit). The batteries are super efficient (Wh/kg) and with relatively low defective rate. Their invertor and how do regen is also very good (albeit it could be more flexible but that is a software problem).
I know that 400v architecture is considered old but they did a really good job with it. 800v is coming but it will take 5-6 years before it is mass adopted.

 

[Droschke]

Their battery management system is really, really good; the motors are probably the most efficient; they have the longest range (a bit arguable, I admit). The batteries are super efficient (Wh/kg) and with relatively low defective rate. Their invertor and how do regen is also very good (albeit it could be more flexible but that is a software problem).
I know that 400v architecture is considered old but they did a really good job with it. 800v is coming but it will take 5-6 years before it is mass adopted.

I was asking why do you think Tesla has "the most advanced EV drivetrain at the moment" (comparing to others).

 

[Boza]

All of the comments above express a comparison with others.

 

[WilliamG]

I was asking why do you think Tesla has "the most advanced EV drivetrain at the moment" (comparing to others).

I don’t think Tesla has the most advanced drivetrain anymore. Regen strength is poor compared to many alternatives (Lucid, Rivian), the motors are huuuuge compared to Lucid’s Air. What Tesla does have over their competition is economies of scale. That’s why they could afford to drop the price of the Model S Plaid by $21k and are still certainly making a killing there.

 

[Droschke]

I don’t think Tesla has the most advanced drivetrain anymore. Regen strength is poor compared to many alternatives (Lucid, Rivian), the motors are huuuuge compared to Lucid’s Air. What Tesla does have over their competition is economies of scale. That’s why they could afford to drop the price of the Model S Plaid by $21k and are still certainly making a killing there.

I agree with you. There are a lot of false impressions on how good Tesla vehicles (and the company itself) are these days.

 

[vcor]

I like both Lucid and Rivian, but not really a fair comparison. I suspect Tesla could compete with Lucid if it thought there was a significant market for $160-250K cars that really cost $300-500K+ to build. Rivian seems even further from making a profitable vehicle in volume. Tesla was there at one time, but time is running out to try and duplicate Tesla's success. At least all three companies have good products.

As for the most advanced drivetrain, a huge factor is making it profitably. In that sense, Tesla's advances in engineering and production give it the win hands down.

 

[Boza]

Lucid is a niche product. It is not comparable to Tesla. Rivian is a different story - we’ll see.
Some traditional brands are coming strong. As I mentioned, Tesla still has some advantage but the time is running out.