Tesla’s 5 Biggest Competitive Advantages
Tesla continues to apply its research to its all-electric auto fleet, surpassing its competition at every turn.
Tesla continues to apply its research to its all-electric auto fleet, surpassing its competition at every turn.
Last night, Tesla CEO Elon Musk spoke at the virtual World AI Conference 2020 in Shanghai. He shared just how close Tesla is to reaching “Level 5” autonomy. He also said that Tesla China will get a chance to create original designs and engineering in the future.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, Elon Musk’s name has been splashed all over the headlines — much of it related to controversial posts on Twitter. Lost amidst the thunder and lightning erupting from Musk’s tweetstorms, was a little-publicized AMA with Hack Club. In short, this is must-see TV. In fact, it might be Musk’s best interview ever.
With 500,000 Teslas generating data, no other auto manufacturer can offer the constant improvements that Tesla does, says beleaguered exec.
Tesla is a tech company, not just a car company. Although, some still seem to believe otherwise. Joel Feder sparked a debate on Twitter by voicing his thoughts about Tesla. In his tweet, he says, “Reminder: Tesla is a car company. Tesla is not a tech company. It builds cars.”
Some argue that Tesla Smart Summon should not be released because it is “beta” software. That is not a strong argument. According to Lifewire.com:
Beta refers to the phase in software development between the alpha phase and the release candidate phase. Beta software is generally considered “complete” by the developer but still not ready for general use due to a lack of testing “in the wild.”
For people working in software development, like I used to do, the 80–20 rule is infamous. It states that about 80% of the job is done in the first 20% of the time. The last 20% of the development will take about 80% of the time.
As you read this, Tesla’s vehicles are out there on the world’s roads, learning, learning. Like precocious children, they’re steadily building a mental image of the world around them, a body of knowledge that forms the heart of Tesla’s Autopilot suite of features.
Less than two years ago, Tesla built and installed the world’s largest lithium-ion battery in Hornsdale, South Australia, using Tesla Powerpack batteries. Since then, the facility saved nearly $40 million in its first year alone and helped to stabilize and balance the region’s unreliable grid.
If you listen to Tesla’s quarterly earnings conference calls, you’ve likely heard the voice of Deepak Ahuja, the company’s CFO, answering questions. Deepak typically provides a calm, soft-spoken counterpoint to company CEO Elon Musk. He’s also got a fascinating history at Tesla.