I’ve held my tongue and kept my powder dry for the last few years while Tesla builds a material number of cars that make it the catalyst for legacy carmakers to not only start making all-electric cars, but vow to convert within a decade to all electric vehicles.
If Tesla was a Japanese company, the Japanese government would be investing $50-$100 billion in expanding its manufacturing capability worldwide because of its substantial technological advantage over all others in the automotive business. That includes assembly, battery and chip manufacture, self-driving software and overall software updates via the internet.
Tesla’s got the orders and is delivering record numbers of EV’s. The company doesn’t lack demand; its ability to supply vehicles is holding it back right now.
If Tesla were a Chinese company, China would be investing $50-$100 billion in expanding its production. If Tesla was a German company, a consortium of the wealthiest families in Germany would be investing $50-$100 billion … there seems to be a pattern here.
Telsa is also the most American of all domestic car manufacturers. The other big three use far more foreign-made parts or simply manufacture outside the U.S.
If Joe Biden doesn’t like Elon Musk, too bad. Let them both adopt a civil discourse that could revive American world leadership in the automotive industry and put America atop all other countries in efforts to stem global warming.
John Bridgeo
Portland
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