> they have their supercharger network
How much would it cost to replicate the supercharger network? I’ve always thought Tesla’s deepest moat was its battery production.
How much would it cost to replicate the supercharger network? I’ve always thought Tesla’s deepest moat was its battery production.
I wonder. Panasonic's got a truly massive amount invested in the Nevada "gigafactory" and I imagine they could sell batteries to Mercedes if they wanted to.
A "9V Battery" is in fact a battery, made up of 6 cells. But an "AA battery" is actually a cell (made up of a single cell of size AA).
Its important to remember the technicality here. An 18650 Lithium Ion Cell is made by Panasonic. When the cells are merged together with electronics (over-voltage / under-voltage sensors, charging, balancing, etc. etc.), that's when it becomes a "battery".
Tesla's biggest moat is certainly its "battery", the electronics and smarts that it uses to put cells together. But Panasonic owns the chemistry, so to replicate Tesla's efforts, other manufacturers will be able to buy cells from Panasonic and build their own batteries.
The question therefore, is whether or not other companies can combine cells in such a way that they are properly cooled, properly maintained, etc. etc. It seems possible for sure, but Tesla certainly has a headstart on battery technology. (But no "moat" on cell technology).
Not the way I read it initially though. But yeah, seems to checkout.
When electric cars take off there will be independent charging stations scattered every few blocks, just like gas stations are now. They will be paid for not by the car makers, but by the stores nearby, just like convenience stores pay for their own gas pumps today.
My guess is tourist traps and shopping malls will pay for them - places that want to attract visitors for long enough to charge. Which is to say I think most people will find a slower charge that doesn't take battery life away will be a consideration when choosing which tourist trap to go to. Obviously different battery technology has different fast charge considerations and so I might or might not be right depending on how bad the effect is on real world batteries.
Do you drive an EV?
Remember, the poor are not buying new cars. Even if suddenly all new cars were electric it would still be years before the poor get to these cars.
The supercharger network is one of Tesla's greatest strengths. The majority that I've been to are already at rest stops, malls, shopping centers, etc. that are close to the highway, so I can fill my battery while doing other stuff and stretching my legs. Plus, the range of the Model 3 is such that I need more stops during a long drive than the car does.
This is a park with no gas stations in winter (there is one open seasonally within a nearby national forest). So, I have to think about my tank capacity and when I might need to take a trip back down out of the mountains to refuel if I am on a long stay. I asked him about range anxiety and he said he used the superchargers in the Central Valley during his approximately 500 mile trip to the base of the mountain. He spent one night in the last little town before the park entrance gate, and used their 110V outlet in the parking lot to top off his car over night.
Up at about 8k foot elevation, he had a good charge remaining, and would have plenty for local driving during his stay and the descent back to town would actually restore much of his charge due to regenerative braking.
First off, Tesla's charging network is better and faster than anyone else's. That said, I think the difference might be overstated, but with a Tesla I know all charging will be easy to locate, functional, and fast.
With another EV I might worry about DC Fast charging standards, who owns it, how much it will cost, whether I am a member of their network, etc. I think it's probably less bad than I assume, but the mere fact that I have doubts helps Tesla.
That is to say, the marketing benefits are likely greater even than the actual functionality benefits, even though the functionality is by far the best.
- there is usually only one or two plugs, so it may be busy - or it may be broken because they are not well maintained - or, last trip a location list as open 24hrs was in a locked gated parking lot. - pricing is not transparent (is $5 per use better or worse than $0.35/kWh + $2/hr?) - Some areas are not served well, by anybody including Tesla. I live in East Oakland and there is no nearby fast charging.
Tesla's network is incomparably better.
Fortunately I mainly charge at home so I don't have to deal with the charging network horror very often.
Speaking as an actual Tesla owner, I could not disagree more.
I just did a 2000 mile road trip in my Model 3, and had absolutely zero instances of range anxiety or problems with the super chargers. I stopped to charge approximately every 3.5 hours (the car lasts longer between stops than two passengers and a dog), and on average, I'd add about 200 miles back in the 30 minutes it takes to walk the dogs, go to the bathroom, and get a snack. I'd argue that the supercharger system is more practical than a normal gas stop, since you can't do anything else while filling up your tank. With the supercharger, if I take a couple extra minutes waiting in line for a coffee, I'm getting more miles. It took a lot of the stress out of the drive, and I absolutely would not want to go back to doing an ICE-based road trip.