"Why all the mediocre product that's the tail end of pumping billions of dollars into R&D staffed by largely the same folks Tesla has been hiring?" Because the

"Why all the mediocre product that's the tail end of pumping billions of dollars into R&D staffed by largely the same folks Tesla has been hiring?" Because they have hundreds of billions already invested in factories. That's why. You want to drive an electric car? Great, this means that the kilometer assembly line making gears, piston and other stuff is now completely useless. The investment goes down the drain. In R&D department you have 50 something years old specialized in fluids, internal combustion engines and moving parts wear. How they are going to feel when you remove ALL the internal fluids but refrigeration, remove the combustion engine and minimize moving parts and wear?. Now you need experts on electric motors, and power electronics. What are you going to do with the old staff? That is the reason.