If we use the first 2 parts of the ‘Master Plan’ as an indication to our prediction, we have to start with the objective. Elon Musk had an elegant plan to reach his self confessed goal of accelerating the advent of sustainable transport. In a stroke of genius, he started with a sexy & pricey roadster to prove EV’s can look great. He knew that he had to create a network that boasts the possibility of driving from coast to coast in the US even though most people would rather fly than drive from LA to NYC.
- He then launched the Model S & X for the luxury market so the wealthy early adaptors, rich and famous celebrities and personalities can adapt them while the rest of us can aspire to them
- When he got the money from the above, he invested in the Gigafactories to pump out the Model 3 & Model Y to open his brand to the masses
- He has already disclosed his lateral shift to offer other segments of the automobile market to offer Pick up trucks, Semi’s & buses
- If we agree that cars solve terrestrial short haul travel, we can see that in parallel to the above, Elon Musk has also devised concepts for Tunnel Boring & Hyperloop to solve terrestrial medium and long haul travel. If that is not enough, he created SpaceX to use re-deployable rockets to solve space travel
Tesla Model Y Teaser
This covers “Master Plan” Parts 1 & 2. Here are our predictions for Part 3:
- Tesla will create buses for the roads, trains for the Hyperloops and pods for their underground tunnels
- As battery advancement increases range, they will create (private &a commercial) electric planes
- Tesla will also build luxury electric speed boats and larger electric yachts
- Tesla will then offer an autonomous self driving taxi or Uber type service through their app
- Finally, once their Supercharger Network is larger than all gas stations in the US, they will open it up for all other electric cars for charging at a fee and build / sell adaptors that those users can use to connect their electric non Tesla cars. By then, just like the gas car replaced the horse, the electric vehicle would have become mainstream and would have replaced the gas car.
In the end, most people consider Tesla a car manufacturer. If dropping the “motors” from their name was any indication, they will emerge to become a melange of the following:
- A clean energy & power utility provider (solar power, batteries, roofs, superchargers)
- A global & universal transportation carrier,
- A road, tunnel & hyperloop construction company,
- An insurance company,
- A sensor company,
- An AI company
- As well as a car, truck and plane manufacturer.
In Lehman’s terms, they will be the equivalent of Shell, Exxon Mobile, Esso, Maersk, Boeing, AMTrack, Bechtel, Pratt & Whitney, GEICO, NASA, NVIDIA, Qualcomm and about 5 car & truck manufacturers combined
Nikola Tesla never received his share of stardom for inventing AC or alternating current or the electric motor among many other fascinating things. Now, at least the legacy of his name lives through Elon Musk’s company.
Watch out for the coming age of light & Tesla everything. You have been warned…