Today I went to a Volvo dealership to look at an XC 40 electric, then passed by a Porsche dealer to look at the Taycan. They obviously are not comparable to each other but I have been thinking about a non Tesla EV.
What I learned is that regardless of some distinct merits of these cars, there is zero chance I’ll end out buying a non-Tesla, but my reasons are subtly different than I expected.
First, neither has anything resembling an integrated OS. Thus the buyer must have regular dealer maintenance and servicing. Brakes, and much else are not included in OTA updates. The Model 3, by contrast had a major brake upgrade included in a routine firmware update, not to mention cooling, heating and all the rest.
Sure we all know that. I did not viscerally understand it until I actually looked at required service.
Next we all know every other brand has dealers. I had not seen a dealer since 2016. Somehow I forgot how irritating it is to talk with a salesperson who knows nothing at all about the product, and nothing about the competition.
How do OTA updates work? “Oh you don’t have to do it yourself like Tesla. Just drop off your Taycan and we’ll do it here.” “Volvo has excellent safety, not crashing all the time like Tesla”. And so on…
Sone irritants we have with Tesla. We do not have the horrible dealers.
Notable new information: “We have nationwide charging with Electrify America, our own network”
with these two routine examples I wager there is not likely to be serious Tesla competition anytime soon. Many people will become EV buyers through all those competitors, many of whom will migrate to Tesla once they learn more.
some Tesla buyers will also buy these competitors. They’ll certainly advocate for much better solutions.
Daily life with weird charging networks, dealer servicing and multi-step driver assistance will be irritating.
suddenly I reach the idea that the best sales expansion prospects for Tesla is every one with a non-Tesla EV.
Inam saying nothing new, but today I just learned how valuable direct sales and total concentration of EV can be.
As for production cost, the competitors are still building ice-style vehicles.
All that said, the Taycan is 100% Porsche. As a firmer multi-Porsche owner that is a Good Thing. The XC 40 electric is clearly Volvo and Volvo lovers will instantly be at home.
That will not help them reduce cheaper or better cars, it just increases the costs because they have not really built them as ground up BEV.
So, next week I’ll add to my Tesla position.
What I learned is that regardless of some distinct merits of these cars, there is zero chance I’ll end out buying a non-Tesla, but my reasons are subtly different than I expected.
First, neither has anything resembling an integrated OS. Thus the buyer must have regular dealer maintenance and servicing. Brakes, and much else are not included in OTA updates. The Model 3, by contrast had a major brake upgrade included in a routine firmware update, not to mention cooling, heating and all the rest.
Sure we all know that. I did not viscerally understand it until I actually looked at required service.
Next we all know every other brand has dealers. I had not seen a dealer since 2016. Somehow I forgot how irritating it is to talk with a salesperson who knows nothing at all about the product, and nothing about the competition.
How do OTA updates work? “Oh you don’t have to do it yourself like Tesla. Just drop off your Taycan and we’ll do it here.” “Volvo has excellent safety, not crashing all the time like Tesla”. And so on…
Sone irritants we have with Tesla. We do not have the horrible dealers.
Notable new information: “We have nationwide charging with Electrify America, our own network”
with these two routine examples I wager there is not likely to be serious Tesla competition anytime soon. Many people will become EV buyers through all those competitors, many of whom will migrate to Tesla once they learn more.
some Tesla buyers will also buy these competitors. They’ll certainly advocate for much better solutions.
Daily life with weird charging networks, dealer servicing and multi-step driver assistance will be irritating.
suddenly I reach the idea that the best sales expansion prospects for Tesla is every one with a non-Tesla EV.
Inam saying nothing new, but today I just learned how valuable direct sales and total concentration of EV can be.
As for production cost, the competitors are still building ice-style vehicles.
All that said, the Taycan is 100% Porsche. As a firmer multi-Porsche owner that is a Good Thing. The XC 40 electric is clearly Volvo and Volvo lovers will instantly be at home.
That will not help them reduce cheaper or better cars, it just increases the costs because they have not really built them as ground up BEV.
So, next week I’ll add to my Tesla position.
