Musk had better have some whoppers left hiding up his sleeves.
But now that the big manufacturers are gearing up, IMHO, hasn't the fun kinda expired?
All those other car makers will have to get batteries somewhere.
Isn't the Tesla Semi just spreading them too thin?
Do you let manufacturing catch up, or keep forging ahead with new applications for EV technology?
The main thing about all of these old ideas is that they were abandoned for a reason, and the people who want to revive them often haven't properly researched the reasons why they were abandoned.
Even solar PV is a spinoff of 1960's space tech. Not exactly out of date, but not original either.
The main thing about all of these old ideas is that they were abandoned for a reason, and the people who want to revive them often haven't properly researched the reasons why they were abandoned. The assume that because they have an improved version of the old tech, everything will be fine. However, they may have overlooked a fundamental gotcha which is not overcome by the improved performance of their new version. As happened with Edinburgh's trams.
Often their reason for new people working on these technologies is the complete opposite of what you said. People often research why these things were abandoned, find that other advances have removed the blockage, and find that further progress can be made. For example, batteries may still suck, but they are so much lighter, denser and cheaper than a few decades ago that anything that was blocked by poor batteries is certainly worth revisiting today.
Electric cars, the elephant in the room seems to be that electricity supplies are going to be barely enough for ordinary needs if we have to go 100% renewable, and yet they want to shift the transport energy demand onto that source as well? Let's be sensible now, this is trying to get not one but two quarts out of a pint pot.
It's easy to bash the company, especially investors who demand profitability while building a company and an industry.
Often their reason for new people working on these technologies is the complete opposite of what you said. People often research why these things were abandoned, find that other advances have removed the blockage, and find that further progress can be made. For example, batteries may still suck, but they are so much lighter, denser and cheaper than a few decades ago that anything that was blocked by poor batteries is certainly worth revisiting today.
I'd say that the opposite often arises, that someone finds a way to improve an old idea and automatically assumes this will solve the problems with it.
In the case of trams there were two really serious gotchas - The services in the road had to be relocated, and that the rails are a death trap to bicycles. Possibly not too clever for motorcycles or horses either.
In the case of wind energy, early promoters actually claimed that intermittency wouldn't be a problem if they were deployed continent-wide. Turns out that's not the case, and if they'd asked any aviator or met man they'd have known that high pressure regions can span vast areas. (I suspect they did know but were careful not to let slip to politicians)
They're now trying to push more wind investment on the strength that backup batteries will solve the intermittency. Thing is, that might be possible, or might not be, but it's jumping the gun because batteries on that scale haven't been developed yet. Let's see proof that it is feasible this time!
Electric cars, the elephant in the room seems to be that electricity supplies are going to be barely enough for ordinary needs if we have to go 100% renewable, and yet they want to shift the transport energy demand onto that source as well? Let's be sensible now, this is trying to get not one but two quarts out of a pint pot.
Saw a financial statement today in the newspaper,
Rating of Tesla dropped to b3 , what equates to that the banks ask 8% interest on a loan for the company.
Some 5% bonds are now being sold below 90% of their initial price.
Debt is 7,5 billion$
They are producing 2000 cars when they should be producing 5000 cars and that is due to too far robotised production process. The end assembly of the interior in Japan is still done by hand to insure the quality, at Tesla they robotised it and suffer the consequences.
Sounds like it is starting to fall apart and at that moment Musk asks for a 2,5 billion$ bonus which strange enough he is not getting.
A couple of years ago he was far ahead of the conventional carindustry.
IMO If he had then focussed/concentrated on this one enterprise and expanded then it could have been a huge succes.
The problem with him IMO is that he is a person that can create things and get them started very well but then switches to the next thing he finds interesting in a week (hyperloop, battery factory, spaceX, electric plane, electric truck, etc).
The only way that can work, IMO is to step back in time and leave the next important step; to keep the business going and growing, to other persons that can fully concentrate on that business and have experience in that business. Some costly mistakes would not have been made.
He could even have choosen the Apple WOW let some manufacturer that has the knowledge and factories built the cars or parts of the cars instead of trying to do everything yourself. There is not one succesfull carmanufacturer that not has many many suppliers delivering halfproducts.
So it is not a question of loving or hating, he sure has his merits it is a question of finishing the job you started by stepping out in time instead of trying to keep 10 balls in the air all by yourself.