Tesla – the next Nokia?

You can’t talk about electric cars today without inevitably talking about Tesla and Elon Musk. There is a general consensus that the topic of electric mobility would not be where it is today without Tesla. The greatest disagreement, however, is how things will go with Tesla in the future. Opinions range from total world domination to market dominance to imminent bankruptcy. Both camps are very loud and the discussions often quickly become very emotional.

I already wrote a comment in mid-2017: Tesla fanboys – fundamentalists, extremists or just radicals? For me, the tenor of the comment back then was that the matter is welcome to discuss – but sensibly, please.

Since 2017, my personal focus has shifted significantly to cars and mobility; There was no getting around hybrid or electric vehicles.

On Twitter in particular, I noticed how often Tesla is praised for the green clover and is often seen as a disruptor. But if you compare Tesla’s cars with current electric cars from other manufacturers, questions quickly arise as to whether Tesla’s reputation can still hold up against reality.

Tesla – Can Anyonce Catch the Electric Car King?

In the past, electric cars did not make up a significant proportion of the newly produced and registered vehicles. True to the motto: “Among the blind is the one-eyed king”, there was no vehicle that could “hold a candle to a Tesla Model S”. The Model 3 is also an absolute power thanks to solid values ​​and the infotainment system unmatched by Tesla for appearance.

But now Tesla is no longer the only manufacturer that builds serious electric cars in the middle class; rather, all manufacturers have now recognized the signs of the times and have adapted their product portfolio accordingly.

I understand why a lot of people like to compare Tesla to Apple’s iPhone – I’ve liked to do that myself in the past, too. But unlike most, I didn’t think of the rest of the automakers as Nokia smartphones, but rather Android.

Apple’s greatest strength is to combine good hardware with an excellent ecosystem and thus enable a perfect user experience. Objectively speaking, Apple doesn’t make the best smartphones – there are devices from other manufacturers that sell better hardware in almost all categories and combinations.

For me personally, the Porsche Taycan is currently the reference for an electric car and it could well be that the top position will soon be replaced by the Mercedes EQS.

That doesn’t mean that Tesla’s models are bad! In my personal electric car comparison, the Model 3 took second out of five places.

But when I tested the Model 3, I noticed very clearly that the Tesla’s lead can be recognized by melting.

If you look at the electric cars from other manufacturers, you will quickly find cars that are technically significantly better than the comparable models from Tesla.

Not only in terms of quality, but also in terms of quantity, other manufacturers are now clearly overtaking Tesla.

This at least makes me a little concerned that Tesla might not suffer the same fate as Nokia.

The king is dead, long live the king

It will be exciting to see how Tesla continues. If you look at the currently announced models that are in the pipeline at Tesla, there is nothing really unique or disruptive with Model Y, Cybertruck and Roadster.

Personally, I very much welcomed the introduction of the Cybertruck at the end of 2019 Cybertruck – Tesla shows the way again, but almost 2 years later the whole thing seems more than a sleight of hand to me – and the same applies to the announcements about the Roadster. Making announcements is one thing, but you also have to deliver; best before the competition does.

I believe the Ford F150 Lightning unveiled this week will be available well before the Cybertruck. When it comes to super sports cars, too, I believe that the Rimac C2 can hit the road ahead of the roadster.

I wouldn’t be surprised if these two vehicles were both better than Tesla’s models in and of themselves. The two cars are only mentioned as examples, because, as already described above, the entire automotive industry is preparing for electric cars.

Quo Vadis Tesla?

I realize that a 1: 1 comparison with Nokia and Tesla is not possible, but I can see a few clues. For example, neither of them were the first manufacturers in their market segment, but nevertheless made it to the most valuable companies in their segment in their time.

Even Nokia would never have been expected to fall from the top position in its good times (see Forbes cover); The same applies to Tesla.

However, Nokia was not a pure smartphone manufacturer and is still active today as a manufacturer of mobile communications infrastructure.

It remains to be seen whether Tesla will now “crash” like Nokia did. But since Tesla isn’t a pure automaker either, I don’t think the Tesla brand will go away completely.

“Tesla was founded in 2003 by a group of engineers who wanted to prove that electric vehicles do not mean compromise, but can offer more power, acceleration and driving pleasure than gasoline-powered vehicles. Today, in addition to pure electric vehicles, Tesla also builds unlimitedly scalable power generation and power storage products. The Tesla credo: The faster we can overcome our dependence on fossil fuels and achieve an emission-free future, the better. ” About Tesla | (Tesla Germany)

Regardless of how things go with Tesla, one thing is already certain for me: you have already largely fulfilled your self-determined mission statement.

This gives Elon Musk time to devote himself to his other projects – such as his company Space X. It will be exciting to see whether he will succeed in realizing his mission statement here as well: revolutionizing space travel and giving people life to enable other planets. There, too, he is already on the right track.

You want to wake up in the morning and think the future is going to be great – and that’s what being a spacefaring civilization is all about. It’s about believing in the future and thinking that the future will be better than the past. And I can’t think of anything more exciting than going out there and being among the stars. Elon Musk