J
jbcarioca
Guest
I disagreed only because I think many people, in this context Elon also, tend to misconstrue what a moat was ever for. It is factual to state that medieval moats were not the only line fo defense. They were a deterrent and acted to make invasion more difficult. Specifically we have been discussing the role fo Superchargers as a sustainable conpetitive advantage, so the shorthand for such is 'moat'. No sane person will argue that pace of innovation is fundamental. Actually the Supercharger network and it's continuing innovation with faster speeds, urban Superchargers, gigantic installations with amenities and so on is proof of a continuing innovative approach. Rather than quibble about shorthand we should focus on factual demonstrated rapid pace of innovation.Then they should stop. Elon sez: "First of all, I think moats are lame. It's nice sort of quaint in a vestigial way. If your only defense against invading armies is a moat, you will not last long. What matters is the pace of innovation. That is the fundamental determinant of competitiveness."
(one of my all time favorite business quotes)
Supercharging is not a 'moat'! Supercharging isn't meant to compete with other companies' EVs but with gasoline cars! Eventually all EVs will have great charging infrastructure. The purpose of Supercharging is to mitigate the key competitive advantage that gasoline cars have over electric cars over a specific 10-15 year time period between the introduction of EVs and the full buildout of EV infrastructure. By mitigating ICE's advantage in long-distance travel, the Supercharger network serves to advance Tesla's core mission of accelerating the advent of sustainable transport.
Once we do that we can think of the near-certain advent of Supercharger battery installations themselves acting as wholesale market participants with Autobidder, larger sites with significant solar installations themselves and so on. Tesla has just barely begin that process. Utility licenses already issued are forward indicators.
So, yes, many of us will use the word 'moat' to indication things with rapid continuing innovation that competitors are largely ignoring!