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Blog Musk Says Tesla Will Sell Software, Powertrains, Batteries to Other Automakers

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Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said Tuesday on Twitter that the company is keen to help other automakers with their challenges developing more sustainable vehicles.

“Tesla is open to licensing software and supplying powertrains and batteries,” Musk said on Twitter. “We’re just trying to accelerate sustainable energy, not crush competitors!”

Musk has previously said that the aim of it’s upcoming Roadster aims to give a  “hardcore smackdown to gas-powered cars.” So, while they may not want to “crush” other car companies, they at least want to crush the gas-powered models they’re producing today.

Musk has previously touted an open-source model for its software, saying it’s available to “anyone who, in good faith, wants to use [its] technology.”

While the company has been litigious regarding some trade secrets escaping the headquarters, Musk seems to be signaling that they’re more open to collaboration than ever.

When asked if the company would consider licensing it’s self-driving Autopilot software, Musk replied “sure.”






Tesla is responsible for a number of automotive breakthroughs, so it will be interesting to see which offerings may appeal most to partners. Autopilot is an obvious advantage to share with automakers, but other features such as over-the-air updates and battery tech may also have takers. 

 
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Reactions: Brando
Love to see a spread sheet that shows these one word twitter responses. It would be interesting to see what if any came true and how long it has taken the company to complete. These Yes, Sure, Probably, Agree, I can go on, always makes it in the headlines but where is the follow through. I personally think Tesla as a company is still being developed. Yes, we all know the idea, (Sustainable transportation) but how they get there is evolving every day with new idea. The jab, the duck, the punch, that amazing can do Tesla team is what builds excitement. We want to know more so I understand how we hang on to some of these simple responses.
 
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Reactions: Shadious
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Reactions: Tam
I think if they really want to encourage electric vehicles from other manufacturers, the first thing they could do is come out with a very cost effective model for licensing SuperCharging to other manufacturers. If a company like Rivian were able to have a Tesla style plug and be able to plug in at a Supercharger, IMO it would be a game changer. It would also mean that we'd need a LOT more Superchargers.
 
Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said Tuesday on Twitter that the company is keen to help other automakers with their challenges developing more sustainable vehicles. “Tesla is open to licensing software and supplying powertrains and batteries,” Musk said on Twitter. “We’re just trying to accelerate sustainable energy, not crush competitors!” Musk has previously said that the...

I want to see Tesla license their display/console to BMW. Whenever I drive my wife's X1 I want to punch the useless nav system.
 
Didn't Elon say along time ago that Tesla was open to licensing the Supercharger network as long as the other partner pays for their share of the costs. I was under the impression no one took them up the offer.

I'm assuming this latest "offer" will amount to about the same thing.

My guess is Tesla wants to get paid a lot more than what others are willing to pay.
 
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Reactions: Guy V
What will the news onTwitter from Elon Musk do to the speculative fever over investing in Tesla. I sense trouble is around the corner if he goes that route. Has he received a family threat? This doesn't make sense. Something may have happened very recently that we are unaware of.
 
Batteries? I wouldn't think so. For one thing Tesla is going to continuing growing so fast that they will be hard pressed to keep up with in house demand let alone third parties. How would they split the baby if third party demand plus in house demand exceeds capacity?
For another thing Li-ion cells for this purpose contain hard won (years of testing and development) features and capabilities that currently give Tesla big performance and cost advantages. Battery cell development is a slow roll requiring years of development and testing to vet changes to materials and chemistry. Let's see what they say on "battery day".

Drive trains with proprietary software controlling the pulse code modulated inverters? Not likely IMO.
 
"In fact, He said that one of the reasons he founded XPeng was because Tesla open-sourced its patents in 2014. The company has reportedly gone as far as tearing apart Tesla’s cars to get a better understanding of how they’re built."

Chinese EV startup XPeng is at the center of major trade secret disputes with Apple and Tesla
sad, don't show documents of suit.

read Rivian law suit
Read the court filing: Tesla sues Rivian, says company stole talent, trade secrets

Note: Taking apart competitors cars is NOT new. In fact, companies have business plans to take apart cars and sell reports.
See Sandy Munro - leandesigns.com or munrolive.com

Tesla supplied complete drive systems for Toyota RAV4 electric AND SMART car AND Mercedes B class electric.

Tesla has tried to encourage other OEMs to join the SuperCharger network. Seems to me from the very beginning. Having partners can often be helpful, right? see Panasonic partner ship.
 
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Reactions: ra88it
...sad...

It's sad that Supercharger is one of the patents that others could use but no one has even adopted that yet.

My understanding is: Tesla won't sue if you use their patents. The public can easily access patents online freely.

However, there are secrets that Tesla does not put them up on the patent website for everyone to see and those secrets are not free.

Tesla software such as Autopilot/FSD... are not displayed on the public patent website but other companies can now pay Tesla to use them.