Source: Elon Musk Goes On Twitter Rant About Automakers Killing EVs Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to take investors to task for shorting his company’s stock. In so doing, he said that he and others started Tesla in 2003 as a response to GM sending electric vehicles to the crusher. He further asserted that since large “legacy” automakers were busy killing off whatever EV programs they had, the only chance for EVs was for him to start his own company, even though, in his opinion, any new company started to sell EVs was certainly doomed to failure. Some of this is obvious but it doesn't make sense to complain in public. Do the job; deliver the product, and; move on. But perhaps something else is at play with Toyota recently selling off all of their Tesla stock, taking a huge profit. Bob Wilson
If you think this is his first time ranting about something, especially on twitter, then you must not follow Elon very closely.
That's quite unlike the hype machine we know as GM. Their ever-changing story, along with many examples of "over promise, under deliver", has staged the market in favor of Toyota's quiet advance. How Tesla fit into the big picture had been a head-scratcher for mainstream consumers. There was never any way that amazing vehicle simply referred to as Model S could become mainstream in that form. We (the well-informed pursuing electrification) knew from the start it was only a stage toward reaching the mass-market goal. Model 3 is what will bring Tesla a very big step forward. There are many steps to go still though. Seemingly simple efforts, like home recharging, end up being rather complicated for more reasons than we care to admit. That's where I see Toyota contributing heavily to the quest Tesla is on. With such a wide & diverse market, we need to hit every aspect the consumer will have to deal with. Toyota can help greatly with the transition from hybrid to plug through Prime. They have a massive Prius owner base to leverage. They have also configured Prime in a way that will stir some interest from those wanting a Toyota but were not interested in Prius or any other hybrid. It other words, Toyota is working on bringing up the base at the same time Tesla is establishing the target. It's a win-win situation. We do wonder how other legacy automakers will handle the transition. GM will run out of tax-credits sometime next year, triggering a phaseout which will result in profit loss. The current high MSRP and low sales doesn't cast the situation in an appealing light... hence things like that rant.
Tesla and Musk are in desperation mode. IMHO. Tesla cars are of average to poor quality build when components other than the electric drives and controls (suspensions, in particular). Toyota is justified in pulling out of a relationship with the sinking ship, although taking profits is reason enough. Until there are serious breakthroughs in battery technology and/or solar cell recharging efficiency (either one would work), true EVs will be outshone by Hybrids. Except on the golf course. Building cars is difficult.
I used to be a regular a while ago but lurk around here now, still got my Gen3 which was a game changer back in 2009. These days I spend my spare time in Tesla forums while waiting for my Model 3. Someone photographed a Gen3 Prius and Model 3 in testing side by side and incidentally, happens to be the same color as my current Prius and the hope is to replace it with a Model 3 in white. Besides color, I see a lot of similarities: Guess I am a part of that sinking ship now
