Tesla has been doing so many things right, it pains me to zero in on something pretty basic that I think they've been doing badly, or maybe I should say erratically. I'm referring to vehicle design.
I don't mean styling. All credit to Franz. He's done fantastic work with the basic vehicle concepts and platforms that he's been given. The new Roadster in particular is a beauty that can stand up with the classics IMHO. I'm not sure who designed the Semi, but I think it's perfect too. However. . .
Tesla product design has been hit-or-miss. Hits: Model S. Model 3. Model Y. Semi. Misses: Model X. New Roadster. Cybertruck.
The over-engineered Model X was notoriously expensive to produce, when a taller Model S (with conventional doors!) would have been Just Fine. Anecdotally, it was other board members who prevailed on Musk to get the Model Y designed as a taller Model 3 (with a hatch!) instead of a heavily re-engineered and more ambitious vehicle. I think sales numbers will show that reigning in Elon's excesses was the right move for the Y.
The new Roadster is a beauty, but IMO its specifications are too ambitious, and that's one factor (among several) that I believe has delayed and delayed its production. Even when it eventually gets built, I think it's going to be too expensive, too heavy, and too "gadgety" for a lot of real sports car lovers, include many who adore the original Roadster's simplicity and purity. I think the Lotus Type 135 will be closer to what many of us wanted, and it might even hit the market first too.
And now we have the Cybertruck. I'm not going to gripe about its looks, because have you seen current production Ford and GM and Ram pickups? I mean, yeesh, talk about the pot calling the kettle black! None of these are beauty queens. My problem is that the Cybertruck follows the Elon Musk pattern of more-and-bigger everything, and one-upmanship. In the case of pickup trucks, the other companies have already gone there. Their products are monstrosities, largely because CAFE rules in the USA incentivize huge trucks. But those CAFE rules don't apply to EVs! This was a perfect opportunity to create a new category of vehicle, to zig where other companies zagged.
Tesla instead could have done a small pickup truck like we used to see popular in the 1980s, but which Ford and GM and Ram can't produce today (in ICE form) because the CAFE formula would kill them. Tesla could have had that category all to themselves instead of creating a mostrosity to go head-to-head against the F-150 monstrosity.
And the moment came when I realized that I don't have a lot of faith in Tesla's future product plans. It seems like new models are slow to appear, and each one is going to be a roll of the dice. I trust they're going to continue to have advantage in certain areas, like software integration and energy efficiency. But overall design concept? I'm uneasy about that, to say the least.
"The Rear of the Tesla Roadster 2.0" by jurvetson is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail
I don't mean styling. All credit to Franz. He's done fantastic work with the basic vehicle concepts and platforms that he's been given. The new Roadster in particular is a beauty that can stand up with the classics IMHO. I'm not sure who designed the Semi, but I think it's perfect too. However. . .
Tesla product design has been hit-or-miss. Hits: Model S. Model 3. Model Y. Semi. Misses: Model X. New Roadster. Cybertruck.
The over-engineered Model X was notoriously expensive to produce, when a taller Model S (with conventional doors!) would have been Just Fine. Anecdotally, it was other board members who prevailed on Musk to get the Model Y designed as a taller Model 3 (with a hatch!) instead of a heavily re-engineered and more ambitious vehicle. I think sales numbers will show that reigning in Elon's excesses was the right move for the Y.
The new Roadster is a beauty, but IMO its specifications are too ambitious, and that's one factor (among several) that I believe has delayed and delayed its production. Even when it eventually gets built, I think it's going to be too expensive, too heavy, and too "gadgety" for a lot of real sports car lovers, include many who adore the original Roadster's simplicity and purity. I think the Lotus Type 135 will be closer to what many of us wanted, and it might even hit the market first too.
And now we have the Cybertruck. I'm not going to gripe about its looks, because have you seen current production Ford and GM and Ram pickups? I mean, yeesh, talk about the pot calling the kettle black! None of these are beauty queens. My problem is that the Cybertruck follows the Elon Musk pattern of more-and-bigger everything, and one-upmanship. In the case of pickup trucks, the other companies have already gone there. Their products are monstrosities, largely because CAFE rules in the USA incentivize huge trucks. But those CAFE rules don't apply to EVs! This was a perfect opportunity to create a new category of vehicle, to zig where other companies zagged.
Tesla instead could have done a small pickup truck like we used to see popular in the 1980s, but which Ford and GM and Ram can't produce today (in ICE form) because the CAFE formula would kill them. Tesla could have had that category all to themselves instead of creating a mostrosity to go head-to-head against the F-150 monstrosity.
And the moment came when I realized that I don't have a lot of faith in Tesla's future product plans. It seems like new models are slow to appear, and each one is going to be a roll of the dice. I trust they're going to continue to have advantage in certain areas, like software integration and energy efficiency. But overall design concept? I'm uneasy about that, to say the least.
"The Rear of the Tesla Roadster 2.0" by jurvetson is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail
