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I expect it's a similar comparison to chips and fabs. Apple designs their own chips, TSMC fabs them. Apple maintains their edge because it's their proprietary

I expect it's a similar comparison to chips and fabs. Apple designs their own chips, TSMC fabs them. Apple maintains their edge because it's their proprietary design. Tesla may do the same.

TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
I think my point is: Toyota etc. may do the same, no?
- sfifs 8y ago
  Sooner or later mass scale technologies become commodities accessible to all. The question is can competitors stay solvent for longer than tech takes to commoditize
  - TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
    Yes, thank you. I didn’t know it, but that’s what I was trying to say. Is Telsa’s battery tech and production advantage a big enough differentor to enable them to lay waste to all the other large auto producers? I don’t believe so. It’s hard to imagine a future where Tesla is the only car manufacturer.
    - oarsinsync 8y ago
      Apple's advantages are big enough differentiators to enable them to lay waste to most other large phone/tablet/smartwatch producers performance and profits. They're not the only phone/tablet/smartwatch manufacturer though. Not all consumers care for 'best in $metric' products, and where consumer priorities differ, opportunities for others exist. IE, Tesla can maintain their advantages without the rest of the industry disappearing, it's not a zero-sum game.
- HillRat 8y ago
  Toyota’s been in the battery game for over two decades, for both hybrids and EVs. While they aren’t fully committed to EVs yet, they’re still planning to release multiple model lines in 2020+ (and if Libtec manages a breakthrough we could see a much more significant commitment to all-electrics). In general, while Tesla’s field experience in battery technology is an advantage, I’d be cautious of anyone claiming it’s a market barrier. Tesla’s real advantage is that it doesn’t have any choice but make EVs work; none of its competitors, for better or for worse, have their backs up against that particular wall.

I expect it's a similar comparison to chips and fabs. Apple designs their own chips, TSMC fabs them. Apple maintains their edge because it's their proprietary design. Tesla may do the same.

TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago

I think my point is: Toyota etc. may do the same, no?

sfifs 8y ago
Sooner or later mass scale technologies become commodities accessible to all. The question is can competitors stay solvent for longer than tech takes to commoditize
- TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
  Yes, thank you. I didn’t know it, but that’s what I was trying to say. Is Telsa’s battery tech and production advantage a big enough differentor to enable them to lay waste to all the other large auto producers? I don’t believe so. It’s hard to imagine a future where Tesla is the only car manufacturer.
  - oarsinsync 8y ago
    Apple's advantages are big enough differentiators to enable them to lay waste to most other large phone/tablet/smartwatch producers performance and profits. They're not the only phone/tablet/smartwatch manufacturer though. Not all consumers care for 'best in $metric' products, and where consumer priorities differ, opportunities for others exist. IE, Tesla can maintain their advantages without the rest of the industry disappearing, it's not a zero-sum game.
HillRat 8y ago
Toyota’s been in the battery game for over two decades, for both hybrids and EVs. While they aren’t fully committed to EVs yet, they’re still planning to release multiple model lines in 2020+ (and if Libtec manages a breakthrough we could see a much more significant commitment to all-electrics). In general, while Tesla’s field experience in battery technology is an advantage, I’d be cautious of anyone claiming it’s a market barrier. Tesla’s real advantage is that it doesn’t have any choice but make EVs work; none of its competitors, for better or for worse, have their backs up against that particular wall.