The History of Tesla
90年代末,通用汽车推出的EV1电动汽车虽受追捧,却在2003年停产。通用汽车的这一决定激发了特斯拉的诞生。2003年,硅谷工程师Martin Eberhard和Mark Tarponing出售电子书业务后,开始制造环保汽车,埃隆·马斯克作为早期投资者加入并领导融资。
特斯拉计划从高性能跑车开始,逐步实现规模经济,目标是降低成本,使电动汽车更普及。公司首款车Roadster原计划使用莲花Elise底盘,但最终成本失控,特斯拉一度濒临破产。2008年,马斯克采取重大措施,裁减员工,筹集资金,Roadster最终生产2450辆,续航里程达244英里,减少里程焦虑。
2010年,特斯拉在纳斯达克上市,成为自1956年福特以来首家上市的美国汽车公司。随后,特斯拉推出Model S和Model X,但电池成本仍是限制。2013年,马斯克宣布超级工厂计划,旨在降低电池成本,使电动汽车更具竞争力。特斯拉还发布了自动驾驶仪,推出家用电池产品,并在2016年宣布面向大众市场的Model 3。
特斯拉的长远目标是加速世界向可持续能源过渡,通过工厂自动化和产品化,提高生产效率。公司计划推出Semi卡车、皮卡和针对城市交通的EVs,以及基于Model 3的跨界车Model Y。特斯拉还希望建立一个生态系统,让房主使用绿色能源,并可能将其卖回电网,改变能源范式。尽管目标宏大,特斯拉的战略和愿景正逐步实现。
In the late 90s, a groundbreaking electric car called the EV1 quickly drew a loyal and hardcore following. However, the spark behind GM’s first EV ended abruptly in 2003. Electric car enthusiasts gathered in California at a mock funeral for the car, which was discontinued and cancelled by GM. The automaker claimed there was not enough market demand to keep the EV dream alive, so they rounded up the cars, shipped them off to the desert, and crushed them under the scorching sun.
The death of the EV1 was a defining moment for electric vehicles, not because it was an early setback for the green movement, but because it was also a catalyst for rebirth. The destruction of the EV1 inspired the creation of Tesla Motors. In 2003, two Silicon Valley engineers, Martin Eberhard and Mark Tarpenning, sold their e-book business for 187 million dollars and started Tesla to build a greener car. Elon Musk joined as an early investor, leading the Series A financing and taking on several other roles as well.
Tesla’s plan was simple but potentially genius. They focused on lithium-ion batteries, which they expected to get cheaper and more powerful for many years. They started with a high-margin, high-performance sports car. The aim was to shed the existing stigma around EVs and use the revenue to fund a more affordable car. They aimed to achieve economies of scale so that Tesla could target other segments like semi-trucks. Tesla also planned to integrate energy generation and storage in the home and develop other emerging technologies like autonomous vehicles.
With the plan set, the company was ready to build its high-performance, low-volume sports car, the Roadster. Tesla wanted to reduce complex manufacturing by plugging the Tesla-developed battery and powertrain into the existing chassis of the Lotus Elise. However, the company began customizing more and more parts, which made costs spiral out of control. By the end, the Roadster and the Elise had little in common, just 7 percent of parts by count.
Tesla was on the verge of bankruptcy, and several CEOs came and went. Eventually, Elon Musk took the job. In October 2008, Musk made drastic changes to save the company. He cut 25 percent of the workforce, recalled 75 percent of the Roadsters, raised 40 million dollars of debt financing, formed a strategic partnership with Daimler, and borrowed 465 million dollars from the US government. A total of 2,450 Roadsters were made, and the iconic car became the springboard for the EV revolution.
Each Roadster had a 992-pound lithium cobalt oxide battery, giving the car an impressive 244-mile range. This reduced range anxiety and made EVs more appealing to the masses. In 2010, Tesla IPOed on the NASDAQ, raising 226 million dollars. It was the first American car company to go public since Ford in 1956. The carmaker then aimed for a wider market by focusing on two new cars, Model S and Model X.
The two models were poised for success, but Tesla’s ultimate potential still seemed limited by the high cost of lithium-ion batteries. After all, if batteries were too expensive, EVs could never compete with gas on price, and they would never be mainstream. To combat this, in 2013, Elon Musk revealed ambitious plans for the Tesla Gigafactory, a massive operation to reach economies of scale in lithium-ion battery production and ultimately make EVs cheaper than gas-powered vehicles.
As Tesla built its Gigafactory, it hit many other milestones. The company released Autopilot, giving the Model S semi-autonomous capabilities. The Powerwall was revealed, a lithium-ion battery for the home. Finally, it announced the Model 3, the car for the masses in 2016. By the end of 2017, Tesla’s market value had surged forward, just seven years after its IPO.
To understand Tesla’s ambitions for the future, you need to know two things: their mission, which is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy, and their strategy, which is to productize the factory so that vehicle assembly can be automated at a revolutionary pace. Tesla knows that building a few electric cars won’t make a dent in the global energy picture, which is why it’s using its factory tech to go bigger and better.
The Tesla Semi will go from 0 to 60 with an 80,000-pound payload in just 20 seconds. Musk also says he wants to build a pickup truck and EVs designed for high passenger density urban transport. The Model Y will be a crossover built on the Model 3 platform, and there will be an ultra-low-cost model built as the company achieves scale. To do this, it will also need bigger and better gigafactories.
Tesla also wants to change the entire energy paradigm by popularizing an ecosystem that allows homeowners to run their appliances and cars off green energy and even sell it back to the grid. Tesla’s goals are ambitious, and the company’s strategy is even considered naive by some. But if Elon Musk and Tesla can perfect the building of the machine that builds the machine, all bets will be off.
The question is, will Tesla achieve their ambitious goals?