Tesla has access to technology most auto companies simply don't is one way to look at it. Also, Elon doesn't seem to be willing to compromise on safety in the o

Tesla has access to technology most auto companies simply don't is one way to look at it. Also, Elon doesn't seem to be willing to compromise on safety in the overall vehicle designs if at all possible. The crash testing from every tesla vehicle pretty much prove this. They're in a league of their own, quite literally. Their battery packs are using Inconel instead of steel. Inconel is a super-alloy generally used in aerospace applications, such as SpaceX's superdraco rocket engines. SpaceX was the first rocket company to use friction stir welding at massive scale to manufacture their rocket bodies and as a result, developed some novel methods to do it. They transferred this expertise to Tesla, which is one of the things that makes the Tesla vehicles safer. Their welds are simply stronger due to FSW techniques. That's not to mention less obvious things such as the expertise in aeronautics and wind tunnels from SpaceX helping Tesla design more efficient body styles, etc.