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people - especially on tech forums - have a tendency to underestimate the value of accumulated business knowledge. I'm glad you mentioned Ford and their electri
by eldaisfish 5y ago
people - especially on tech forums - have a tendency to underestimate the value of accumulated business knowledge. I'm glad you mentioned Ford and their electric pickup truck. Ford make a series of some of the most durable and best-selling pickup trucks the world over.
Tesla, on the other hand, have zero experience building rugged vehicles and their teething troubles will be immense. Ford, meanwhile, have been building rugged vehicles for decades. I would argue Rivian's position is similar to Tesla's in that they don't have the level of know-how that Ford do.
Despite all the justifications, i cannot see how Tesla's model will scale beyond developed markets.
- bink 5y agoI agree with you generally, but take a look at all the tech that Rivian has had to invent to get offroading right in an EV. The mechanical aspects of the drivetrain and suspension are very different than a traditional offroad vehicle. I think Ford will have less of an advantage than you think.
- panick21_ 5y agoYou overestimate the difficulty. The real difficulty is not the individual unit, but the mass production. Many small startups have produced low volume of cars that are competitive. The truck itself is really not that magically complex as you assume. And Tesla has lots of experience with the most important parts like batteries and motors. Far more then Ford. What people here underestimate is actually the supply chain, specially of batteries while overestimating how difficult it is to make any individual truck.