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Tesla’s Competitive Advantage Under A Magnifying Glass — The Netherlands

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Published on December 12th, 2019 |

by Maarten Vinkhuyzen

Tesla’s Competitive Advantage Under A Magnifying Glass — The Netherlands

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December 12th, 2019 by Maarten Vinkhuyzen

It’s easy to ignore Tesla’s Dutch sales success as just a temporary fluke created by an incentive change. And it is, but that is not the interesting thing about it.

What’s interesting is how the other cars that are subject to the same change react, and how different that is from how Tesla’s vehicles react. It illustrates the competitive advantage of Tesla under a magnifying glass.

Dutch electric vehicle sales in the first 9 days of December:

Perhaps over 90% of these cars are company cars made available for private use as a “Benefit in Kind” to employees. With this kind of company-provided vehicle, the employees have a large amount of freedom to choose the car they like the best within a budget allocated to them. The incentive for electric vehicles is that they provide a lower addition to the person’s taxable income compared to gas burners. This incentive will be smaller next year, which will make the upfront cost competition with fossil fuel addicts more difficult.

Another challenge in 2020 is the start of new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations. Carmakers will be fined for every gram they exceed the 95 grams of CO2/km limit. They are all well above that line at the moment. The best way to lower the average is to sell more zero-emissions vehicles. Over a dozen new fully electric models will go onto the market as a result. These December sales, however, will be a lot harder to match in the new year.

All of these models are fighting for customers on equal terms. All can get the same incentives. All are subject to the same regulations. Some have large dealer networks, some have fewer sales locations. That is the biggest difference. As we can see, though, the one with the least sales locations sells the most. That is not logical.

There is no home turf advantage for any of them, like the Detroit Dwindling Three have in the USA or French and German carmakers have in their home countries. This is a pure beauty pageant comparing the cars and dealer networks on equal terms. With the whole industry trying to deliver as much as possible before the deadline, we have a unique opportunity to compare their popularity.

I can only speculate about why Tesla is winning so many more sales than the competition. According to José Pontes in his recent report on November sales in the Netherlands, there are a number of reasons. Some carmakers, like Volkswagen Group, are just not that interested in a few dozen extra sales. Others were late in realizing what was happening, like Renault and Nissan, or were just starting production of a refreshed model, also Renault and Nissan.

But this is not the real explanation I am looking for. Why is Tesla delivering about 10 times as many as the next guy?

Okay, it is a better product at a better price for many people. But is that it? (Personally, I am waiting for my Renault ZOE in two weeks.) The Tesla Model 3 is getting nearly three times as many sales as the rest combined, while almost everyone is pushing to get as many cars out the door as possible in this end-of-year rush. That is a big difference. Is it just the cool factor? All the hype, Twitter wars, fanboys, and media attention? Is it something else?

Perhaps only the Ford Model T has been this dominant.

Please share your experience.

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About the Author

Maarten Vinkhuyzen Grumpy old man. The best thing I did with my life was raising two kids. Only finished primary education, but when you don’t go to school, you have lots of time to read. I switched from accounting to software development and ended my career as system integrator and architect. My 2007 boss got two electric Lotus Elise cars to show policymakers the future direction of energy and transportation. And I have been looking to replace my diesel cars with electric vehicles ever since.

And putting my money where my mouth is, I have bought Tesla shares. Intend to keep them until I can trade them for a Tesla car.

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28,000 Tweets Helped Elon Musk Develop Tesla Cybertruck

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Published on December 9th, 2019 |

by Johnna Crider

28,000 Tweets Helped Elon Musk Develop Tesla Cybertruck

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December 9th, 2019 by Johnna Crider

In a heartfelt article written by Kristen Netten on Medium, she explains why the Cybertruck is the truck for a hero. When one thinks of a hero, we may think of police or firefighters or even our own personal heroes who have impacted our lives. Elon Musk is one of mine and is a hero to millions of people around the world for all the good he has done through his companies.

The article explains how 26,000 comments from the Twitter community about the Cybertruck helped Tesla create a truck that is fit for a hero.

It all started in June of 2018 when Elon Musk asked his followers what they would like to see in a truck. Kristen’s article also shows evidence that Elon Musk engaged in a bit of market research with this tweet.

You ask your customers what they want, and they tell you. This is exactly what happened in the case of the Cybertruck. Mike Maat replied to Elon saying that they wanted a flatbed with no wheel well humps. R-Dub said that a built-in bed cover that could roll out when needed would be great, and also that it would be “next level to have solar panels built into the bed cover.” Jeff Mueller brought up air suspension and suggested a heavy-duty air compressor to run air tools. Elon loved that idea and even replied saying that it was a great idea and that it made sense to add a utility port. He also said the truck would have a Tesla pneumatics system (which is why that makes sense).

NocturnusAnime created a list of features that Elon Musk implemented into the Cybertruck (look at the photo above). That list is:

300–500 mile range,
bed or camper shell lined with solar cells to help with regen,
front trunk alongside long bed option,
comfy/spacious crew cab for those in the back,
toolbox compartment in the bed that doubles as an ice chest, like the Nissan Frontier Titan has.

In her Medium article, Kristen sums up other things like off-road capabilities, on-road performance, the price, and how Elon saw the request to make it reasonably priced like the Model 3. Kristen also shows that the 2018 tweet asking for truck comments and recommendations wasn’t the first time Elon mentioned the truck. He also brought it up in 2017: “I promise that we will make a pickup truck right after the Model Y” — a promise that he, despite what critics have said about Elon keeping his promises, has kept.

Not only does Elon Musk keep his promises, but he listens to his customers. This shows that he values his customers. As an artist who sells jewelry made with minerals, I often get people who have entire stories to tell about a stone, or as to why a mineral means so much to them. My job in that aspect isn’t to make them jewelry, but to listen to their story. Stories are what keep us connected. Stories are part of what make us human. They help us learn, communicate, and be better people. People who listen to their customers show that they care. This is why so many people (including myself) admire Elon Musk.

Who is the hero Kristen was talking about in her article? It was definitely Elon Musk, a guy who happens to be a billionaire but isn’t shy about using his funds to help humanity. Whether it’s dropping everything because he was asked to help save lives or helping an American city upgrade their water system while our government sits back takes its time.

Even though Elon Musk was the hero Kristen had in mind when writing her article, Elon Musk isn’t the only hero. Many members of the Tesla community are also heroes. Whether it’s a group of people raising funds to send a care package to someone in need, donating toys to the Salvation Army, or pledging to plant millions of seed and trees, this community is a network of people to admire. It’s no wonder why we are all “obsessed with Tesla,” as Viv explains well in the tweet above.
Follow CleanTechnica on Google News.
It will make you happy & help you live in peace for the rest of your life.

About the Author

Johnna Crider Johnna Crider is a Baton Rouge artist, gem and mineral collector, and Tesla shareholder who believes in Elon Musk and Tesla. Elon Musk advised her in 2018 to “Believe in Good.”

Tesla is one of many good things to believe in. You can find Johnna on Twitter

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