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Tesla At Least 4–5 Years Ahead Of Competition — According To German Auto Industry Expert

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Published on June 19th, 2019 |

by Dr. Maximilian Holland

Tesla At Least 4–5 Years Ahead Of Competition — According To German Auto Industry Expert

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June 19th, 2019 by Dr. Maximilian Holland

In a recent review of the Tesla Model 3 by German newspaper Die Welt, auto industry expert Prof. Ferdinand Dudenhöffer is quoted as saying that Tesla has a huge lead over the competition. “The technical lead is easily four to five years. Range and driving pleasure are unmatched.”

Dudenhöffer’s comments are quoted as part of a review of the Model 3 Performance by Die Welt’s experienced auto journalist, and former EV skeptic, Nando Sommerfeldt. The veteran reviewer’s previous doubts about EVs were completely blown away by his experience in the Tesla. The review article is titled “This Tesla destroys all my prejudices against the electric car” (translated).

Combatting the myth that an EV powertrain cannot match the driving experience of traditional vehicles, Sommerfeldt has an unambiguous response:

“Nonsense. The Model 3 drives terrific. … The Model 3 feels like a sports car, like an extremely fast sports car.” (Translated from German Original)

[Editor’s note: It’s not only EV skeptics who have been surprised by the Model 3. My first review of the Model 3 was titled, “Sorry, Elon — Tesla Model 3 Much Better Than I Expected.” My review of the Model 3 Performance was titled, “Tesla Model 3 Performance Is A Freakin’ Race Car — Unbeatable.” But to get the same response from old-school, skeptical auto reviews is exciting.]

The Tesla Supercharger network made a very positive impression on the former EV skeptic. After taking a road trip with his family on board, he shared his experience of Tesla Supercharging:

“After my family and I bought ice cream and coffee instead of fuel at the petrol station shop, almost 30 minutes passed. 30 minutes in which the Model 3 actually gained 300 kilometers [186 miles] of range. … The Tesla stations are widespread, well distributed and fast loading. That is the secret. I drove 2000 kilometers by car. The Superchargers have taken away my range anxiety.” (Translated from German Original)

Professor Dudenhöffer is quoted as agreeing with Sommerfeldt that the Supercharger network is a large part of what sets the Tesla ownership experience apart:

“Right from the beginning, the company had a clear plan of where its customers’ traffic flows. … The Tesla owner can also refuel at all the other chargers in this country. But first of all, it would probably be too slow for him. And second, he does not need them.” (Translated from German Original)

With the new Supercharger V3 technology now beginning to roll out to key highway locations, that 300 km (186 miles) regained in 30 minutes that Sommerfeldt experienced on a V2 Supercharger will soon improve even further — to around 20 minutes. We saw last week that the Tesla Model 3 can already regain around 180 miles (289 km) in 20 minutes on 3rd party high power CCS chargers. This is over 61% more range in that time, compared to the closest competition, the Audi e-tron. And the high-power CCS network (150 kW and above) is still nowhere near as developed as the Supercharger network.

Will Tesla’s 4 to 5 year lead remain over the longer term? If ability to attract talent counts for anything, the lead may widen even further. We recently saw that Tesla is one of the most attractive employers for engineering graduates, as well as students of most other disciplines, with other automakers hardly even on the radar.

Do you agree with Sommerfeldt and Dudenhöffer? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

About the Author

Dr. Maximilian Holland Max is an anthropologist, social theorist and international political economist, trying to ask questions and encourage critical thinking about social and environmental justice, sustainability and the human condition. He has lived and worked in Europe and Asia, and is currently based in Barcelona.

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Tesla loses another exec: HR vice president and head of diversity Felicia Mayo

Felicia Mayo in 2016, when she worked for Juniper Networks.Marla Aufmuth/Getty ImagesTesla vice president of human resources and head of diversity Felicia Mayo has left the company.
A company spokesperson told CNBC, “We'll miss Felicia and would like to thank her for her hard work over the last two years and wish her all the best in the future. We have a talented HR team in place that will continue to report into our VP of People & Places and will remain focused on advancing our mission and making Tesla a great place to work.”
Tesla is known as a mission-driven and hard-driving workplace with significant pressure to hit ambitious goals and deadlines meted out by CEO Elon Musk. Among other things, these conditions have led to a high level of churn among Tesla executives, in recent years.
Mayo is one of a few black women leaders to break the glass ceiling and rise to executive ranks in a large, Silicon Valley tech firm. Less than 0.5% of Silicon Valley tech leadership positions are held by black women, according to 2018 statistics from the Kapor Center.
She previously served as vice president of global talent acquisition and diversity at Juniper Networks, then held the role of VP of Human Resources at Tesla for less than two years. She reported to Tesla's vice president of people and places, Kevin Kassekert, and CEO Elon Musk.
During her tenure, Tesla expanded its operations internationally, began manufacturing its Model 3 electric sedan in high volumes, and implemented controversial strategies ranging from store closures and other restructuring efforts, to giving employees a discount on Tesla vehicles, if they agreed to use and give feedback on beta versions of the company's Full Self Driving software.
Mayo's departure follows the resignation of other Tesla executives in the last year, including:
Tesla's former chief people officer, Gaby ToledanoGeneral Counsel, Todd MaronVP of Legal, Phil RothenbergCFO Deepak Ahuja (who announced his retirement at the end of a Tesla earnings call in January this year)VP of Engineering, Michael SchwekutschWATCH: Highlights from Elon Musk's speech at the Tesla shareholder meeting
VIDEO2:1602:16Watch the highlights from Elon Musk speaking at Tesla shareholder meetingAutos

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Tesla investors regain confidence in a quieter Elon Musk as all eyes turn to production

SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk gestures during a conversation at the E3 gaming convention in Los Angeles, June 13, 2019.Mike Blake | ReutersTesla investors are regaining confidence in a quieter Elon Musk — even as they question the company's ability to hit its production goals for the second quarter.
The automaker's stock rose by as much as 4.3% Tuesday and is up by more than 7% over the last four trading days, giving investors a short respite from a tough year for Tesla. Its shares have fallen by about a third so far this year, shaving almost $19 billion off its market value since Dec. 31.
Musk has been largely laying low on Twitter after reaching an agreement in April with federal securities regulators governing his social media use. On Monday, he claimed he was deleting his Twitter account before changing his profile picture to black and his Twitter handle to “Daddy DotCom,” presumably in honor of Father's Day on Sunday.
While it stirred some controversy among his followers, it didn't worry shareholders, said analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities. Musk has steered clear of tweeting about the company's financial performance and production numbers, which is what got him into trouble with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“I think it takes risk out of the equation, I mean not just from the SEC situation but there's just so much more bad that could happen than good. From an investor perspective, the less that he talks on Twitter the better,” Ives said in an interview.
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Musk with contempt over a February tweet that contained production forecasts — after Musk agreed not to share potentially market-moving information without the company's approval.
Musk has frequently set ambitious production goals, only to repeatedly fall short. He told employees in a May 22 email Tesla was on track to break its production record of 90,700 vehicles set in the fourth quarter.
“In order to achieve this, we need sustained output of 1,000 Model 3′s per day. Almost all parts of the Model 3 production system have exceeded 1,000 units on multiple days (congratulations!) and we've averaged about 900/day this week, so we're only about 10% away from 7,000/week,” Musk said.
The company has produced 1,000 Model 3s on just one day since Musk sent that email, Business Insider reported Tuesday, citing documents describing Tesla's daily output rate for one segment of the Model 3 production.
Ives said he too doubts Tesla will hit that goal.
Tesla's goal of producing 360,000 to 370,000 vehicles for the year is a “herculean task,” he said. However, Ives said he estimates Tesla will be able to produce 345,000 to 350,000 vehicles, which would be the closest Musk has ever come to reaching one of his production targets and gives investors hope.
Tesla is set to release its second-quarter production numbers as soon as July 1 and earnings on July 30.

Automotive Design: Tesla & Other Carmakers Plan For “ACES” In The Future

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Published on June 18th, 2019 |

by Guest Contributor

Automotive Design: Tesla & Other Carmakers Plan For “ACES” In The Future

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June 18th, 2019 by Guest Contributor

Originally posted on EVANNEX.
By Charles Morris

The automobile has always been a very dynamic product. Since cars came into widespread use in the early 20the century, almost everything about them has been constantly (albeit slowly) changing. Over the decades, vehicles have become more reliable, more powerful, and more efficient; and a continuous stream of new features has made them more comfortable (AC, adjustable seats), more convenient (keyless entry, cruise control, GPS), and safer (from seat belts to airbags to collision-avoidance systems).

Image credit: JRR

Meanwhile, the appearance of our cars has gone through many phases, driven less by technical requirements than by shifting fashions. Most of us can guess which decade a movie was set in by looking at the cars, from the big boxy tourers of the 1920s to the rounded contours of the 1940s to the tail fins of the 1950s to the sleek sedans of the 1980s to today’s SUVs (which arguably are beginning to look a lot like those boxy tourers).

Much more change is coming, and it’s going to unfold much more quickly than ever before, thanks to a quartet of technological trends that some are now referring to as ACES (autonomous, connected, electric, shared). Tesla has been at the forefront of the first three of these developments, and intends to be a major player in the fourth as well.

In a recent article in The Conversation, entitled “Cars will change more in the next decade than they have in the past century,” Dan Lewis, Claude C. Chibelushi and Debi Roberts take a look at some of the innovations that are coming down the road.

Some changes will be cosmetic. The air intakes and grills that have long defined some brands’ signature looks will disappear, as electric powertrains don’t need them (Teslas never had them). Side rearview mirrors (wing mirrors across the pond) are also slated for extinction, thanks to improved camera technology and the need for better aerodynamics. (Tesla wanted to eliminate side mirrors on the Model X, but regulators wouldn’t allow it. Some European versions of the new Audi e-tron are spiegellos.)

Other changes will be much more fundamental — the advent of autonomy and new ownership models will gradually change the basic concept of what an automobile is. The article in The Conversation predicts that, once humans don’t need to drive, windows could be adjustable in size — larger for better views (a la Tesla’s glass roofs), non-existent for naps. Cars could even have flexible layouts, able to be configured as a mobile office, a bedroom, or a cargo carrier. Volvo’s 360c concept car presents one vision of this future.

The way we control our cars is evolving quickly, and the end result could be that they become like extensions of our human bodies. Augmented-reality systems will provide more and more information about a vehicle’s surroundings, and voice commands could someday develop into direct brain-to-computer interfaces, allowing occupants to control vehicles with pure thought. Cars will also communicate with various smart city features, from traffic signals to charging facilities to multimodal public transport.

Volvo’s 360c concept car could tease a few features we might see in future cars. (YouTube: The Tech Chap)

Alongside the technological trends of ACES, business and political shifts are changing the makeup of the auto industry. Tomorrow’s configurable, self-driving electric cars may very well be designed in China or Germany, not Michigan (that is, unless the legacy US automakers start raising their games very soon). The Conversation speculates that tomorrow’s drivers (riders?) might not be riding in a Ford, a Chevy, or a Beemer; but in a Tesla, a Dyson, an Apple iCar, or a Google.

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Guest Contributor is many, many people. We publish a number of guest posts from experts in a large variety of fields. This is our contributor account for those special people. 😀

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