## 03-21-Tesla Tesla makes cars and runs a large, global charging network. They have first mover advantage in EV, but they are not first mover in car mobility. Mass producing cars for a global customer base is very difficult, but not in itself special. You need large factories, the customer base has high expectations and it there's lots of locally differing regulation to adhere too. The competition is fierce, there are many solid companies around that have decades of experience. The old guard was somewhat reluctant to jump on the EV bandwagon, but they did ran experiments: BMW had the i3 in 2013, Renault launched the Zoe EV in 2012, and many other EVs came to market created by traditional car companies. The reasons they didn't follow through on them may vary, but I guess their non-EV business was vastly more profitable than the EV business, so in the end of the day these large companies did what large companies do: slow down innovation and protect the bottom-line. But Tesla didn't have this issue, and took a good idea and ran with it. Also better understanding the customer anxiety of needing to charge on their way, and hide the technicalities to make this a seamless experience: they went all-in by building their own physical charging network. Also the role of software taking center stage in their offerings allowed for intelligent navigation, cost optimisation, charge network guidance, etc... They operated well, and it shows: they are the benchmark for any EV worth its worth. But the old guard is catching on, with generation after generation of better EVs. Selling cheap EVs is now taken over by the Chinese, and having non-Tesla charging networks available in most important markets are becoming a reality. So what's next? Self-driving taxis? Humanoid robots? I don't see it. A luxury car brand, yes. But that has limits on what it is worth.