“What is going with Tesla these days?”
This is a question animating today’s conversation. Still the leading global force in electric vehicles (EV) sales and as a brand, Tesla and Elon Musk have been key contributors in advancing the EV revolution.
And while their current market position might be the envy of the industry, their grip is slipping. An EV revolution in price, technology and industrial capacity is taking place in China. Tesla sales have plummeted in Europe. Musk’s actions in dismantling the federal government as a Special Advisor through DOGE have sparked protests and vandalism of Tesla property. The Model Y is the top-selling car in the entire automobile industry, but virtually all existing Cybertrucks have been recalled for construction issues amid lagging sales.
Tesla is reaching what feels like an inflection point as the EV world it helped usher in seems poised to grow beyond its designs. The face of the brand and leader embracing interventionist, hard-right politics in multiple continents is having profound ripple effects, further complicating Tesla’s goals.
To help unpack this highly-unusual moment is Fred Lambert. Lambert is the Editor-in-Chief of Electrek.co and fancies himself a “Tesla historian.” In this conversation, we explore what’s happening to the EV world, where Tesla fits into all of this, what role Musk’s behavior is having on the brand, what his record of Telsa leadership shows and where this all leads.
Timestamps are as follows:
00:00 Intro
02:43 Opening, how is Tesla doing?
05:42 What’s happening to EV market in China?
11:49 How did China get so good, so fast?
14:27 Musk’s popularity in China
18:58 Is Tesla reliant on China?
20:44 Who is the self-driving leader in EVs?
27:44 Is Tesla in trouble in Europe?
30:50 Who is winning in EVs in Europe?
36:13 Who makes up the pro-Tesla brand supporters?
46:55 Elon’s “all-hands meeting” for Tesla
51:49 Why is Tesla in the robot business?
54:23 Is the robotaxi vaporware?
55:20 Why is the Cybertruck a flop?
58:56 Is Tesla semi-truck business real?
59:59 What does vandalism of Tesla products mean?
1:06:37 How would you grade Elon Musk’s leadership of Tesla?
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