Quote:
Originally Posted by Traum
I'm not fan of Tesla, but I recognize and respect the company for what it is. Many industry critics have indicated that in terms of battery and EV drivetrain tech, Tesla has a roughly 10 year technological lead over other other auto manufacturers.
So how does Toyota with the real kitchen and the real chef plan on catching up to that? And is your "real chef" a real chef when you're running 10 years behind?
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While I have some reason to believe there are things that Tesla is 10 years ahead of their competitors I'm not sure many of them are going to be relevant to the average buyer. Tesla is better at packaging batteries and optimizing power draw so that their cars have the most EPA tested range (though the advantage is much smaller in day to day to use) but beyond that what else do they do that's a differentiator?
Their build quality is HORRENDOUS, their designs are not innovative, their materials are pretty meh, and the ability to charge faster is an advantage that's going away.
For folks who are gripped by range anxiety there seem to be some fairly compelling options showing up soon (the VW ID lineup) that represent 80-90% of the technological achievement of Tesla, achievements which cover the bulk of the needs of the average buyer.
I look at the VW ID.4 and I think to myself that it's going to end up replacing my RDX in a few years (once I have a place to charge it). I look at the Tesla lineup and I think that it's all poorly built machinery with great underlying tech.