That’s how I see it. Who else is really pushing hard in this direction and what exactly have they contributed?
Um, everyone? Audi/Porsche/VW, Ford, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes, Hyundai.... All of these manufactures are actively selling, or developing, EVs.
What exactly has Tesla contributed? They moved sales of EVs from a miniscule fraction to a tiny fraction? They certainly didn't invent the electric car, nor were they even the first to mass market one.
Are they licensing their technology? Are they not building a charging network exclusive to their vehicles? Again, what contributions have they made to the benefit of the auto industry?
They are a business, looking to make money on their product; rightfully. They aren't this altruistic entity moving humanity forward. Why are we pretending they are?
And push hard in the EV direction? What other choice does Tesla have?
I just recently bought an EV. I wanted a SUV for a daily driver having a 70 mile daily commute. I need to be able to get to work rain, hail, sleet, or snow.
I looked at the Tesla Model X and the Audi Etron. Given the faster acceleration and the longer range, I thought the Model X would be the no brainer.
I ended up with the Audi Etron. The overall build quality was significantly better, and the cabin noise was noticeably quieter.
The support is also on an entirely different level. Given Tesla's quality control issues, you would assume they would work harder on advancing their service department.
Instead, service is a mess, and, when your car needs service , you could be completely screwed. Instead of offering loaner vehicles like before, Tesla now resorts to Uber Credits, or tells you to rent something. 80K on a car that is likely to have something malfunction, and I get Uber Credits! Quite the contributors!
My overall point here is that, just continuously pushing the EV hardware forward at the expense of everything else that makes the whole of a car, doesn't make you "gamechangers." It just makes you really good at one thing, and subpar everywhere else.
