It's far far worse. Tesla is probably the only company in the world that produces\designs its own batteries, motors and electronics.
Most "competitors" are just buying batteries\electronics from a vendor and shoving it in.
Tesla partnered with Panasonic and created their own custom modules(2170), now they plan to do everything with the newly announced 4680(from raw materials to products).
Henry Ford created a factory "capable of taking in raw materials on one end and spitting out finished automobiles on the other". [0]
Not all automakers have done things that way though, and other automakers are able to complete with Ford. Vertical integration can sometimes be an asset, other times the "Not Invented Here" culture proves limiting. Tesla's had incredible success thus far, but we probably need a couple more decades to see if they maintain their first mover advantage or if other players end up being more agile and more successful.
Ford achieved the ore-to-assembly goal in 1927. General Motors become the highest volume automaker in the US starting in 1931. Ford's sold a ton of cars too though. My point is just that Ford did extreme vertical integration and were successful. But GM did things differently and that worked for them too.
Anyhow, you tout Tesla's deep work in batteries, motors and electronics (and let's not forget glass, doors, seats and other areas where Tesla has decided not to out-source). I can see where another company might be the GM to Tesla's Ford - finding success buying some of the right bits and pieces rather than spending an insane amount of money (re-)inventing them for themselves.
Tesla has a lead now, but I wonder how long it'll hold up.
At some point electric drivetrains and batteries will be available in large quantities from suppliers just like gasoline motors and gearboxes are available now.
As soon as that is the case, there will be many dozens of different car models that compete with Tesla.
Teslas vertical integration is an advantage now, because they don't have to wait for suppliers to develop what they need. But once suppliers have caught up, I'm not sure if Teslas edge holds.
Yea seriously. Tesla is just a company with a lead but they are in a industry filled with tens of thousands more engineers who have suddenly become tasked with switching to EV design at a fast pace.
And yet forecasts say that only 50% of VW and BMW sales will come from EV by 2030 with tens of billions poured into conversion they say that it isn't possible to go any faster. And they are faster than other major players.
Ah yes, most companies just buy batteries from Panasonic and shove them in their cars, but the galaxy brains at Tesla instead buy batteries from Panasonic and shove them into “custom modules” which is clearly materially different.
Just to start, as of today Tesla is Panasonic's only automotive client. Panasonic talked recently about the need to get more auto clients for their cells but so far it's been just talk.
As to your dismissive "galaxy brains at Tesla": unlike Ford or GM or Toyota, Tesla does a lot of R&D in battery cells.
I did similar searches in the past so I know that they've been hiring for cell research for years.
For contrast, despite GM claiming they make Ultium batteries, few months back I didn't find a single job post for cell engineering.
I also know that because Tesla has been sponsoring Canadian cell research lab led by Jeff Dahn.
This resulted in multiple patents awarded to Tesla.
Tesla also bought Grohman Engineering (which makes, among other things, robots that assemble battery packs), Maxwell (for their dry electrode technology) and a Canadian manufacturer of equipment for making battery cells.
Musk also talked how they work with every company that claims they have an improved cell technology and how they evaluate their cells.
There is no evidence that Ford or GM or Toyota made similar investments in batter cell and battery pack R&D and production.
Get a grip, Tesla fan. Your shares are doing fine without the reality distortion. People who buy cells from Panasonic directly are getting the exact same chemistry and form factor with which Telsa cars are equipped. Quoting from Tesla's own 10-Q filing, emphasis added.
"""Under our arrangement with Panasonic, we plan to purchase the full output from their production equipment at negotiated prices … Currently, we rely on suppliers such as Panasonic for these cells."""
Seriously, there is no shame in it. They are good batteries! They are made by Panasonic using Panasonic chemistry on Panasonic equipment, though.
The patent and the chemistry you are trying to link to — by the way, Scribd is a scam, here is a link to the PDF[1] — is university research funded in part by Tesla.
Most "competitors" are just buying batteries\electronics from a vendor and shoving it in.
Tesla partnered with Panasonic and created their own custom modules(2170), now they plan to do everything with the newly announced 4680(from raw materials to products).
They are truly unmatched.