Way out of the crisis 2
kfz-tech.de/YKfz4
Really, it's only the sales result that counts. How else is a manufacturer supposed to recoup its enormous investments? Do we have it now? No, we haven't mentioned Tesla yet. They were the
first to have the platform and were still successful. Were they consistently successful, or did they go through crisis in between?
The Tesla phenomenon is only understandable because it's an American startup. Only there is sufficient venture capital for such an insane step. A massive car factory from scratch, for a
luxury sports car with a stack of commercially available batteries as its predecessor. Not a model to be emulated.
And it almost went wrong. And indeed, the company narrowly avoided insolvency. Allegedly 5 billion, regardless of dollars or euros, were invested before any real money was made. Elon Musk
still seems shocked by the difficulties in ramping up production of the Model 3.
It will be interesting to see when there will finally be another edition. The Model Y doesn't count because it's too similar. Semi and Cybertruck are much smaller editions, and autonomous
driving comes in homeopathic doses. Incidentally, Musk experienced the same near-fiasco with rockets. If what we think is true, we'll be waiting a long time for a real Model 2.
So, leaving Tesla aside, we have to summarize this as follows: People don't like to fundamentally change. One could regret having driven combustion engines for so long. It makes us not
happy, but perhaps the plug-in hybrid really is the bridge to a new world, not technologically, but better suited to the human psyche. And recent experiences, for example, in Germany, teach
us: Anything that comes too quickly is counterproductive.
People often talk about turbulence. It occurs, for example, in a pipe that expands too much. If it expands more gently, the flow remains laminar, even beyond the point just described. And that's
what we need: We need to make significant progress beyond what the human psyche can currently cope with.
A balance must be struck between the mentality of sleepyness and the inelegance of too hectic control. Because the mostly silent majority decides the pace of action, including in the fight
against climate change.
Perhaps a small example from the American can reassure you a little: If a sufficiently large group comes together, it is obviously possible to estimate the weight of a bull that they only see to
within a few grams on average.
And car manufacturers should be advised to perhaps listen more closely to the silent majority, and more importantly, not to make to play games with them. Because they are anything but open
and honest at the moment. Brochures consist almost entirely of colorful pictures, with no technical data to be found.
And when they're mentioned, they often resemble fairy tales. We're waiting for the electric car that supposedly only consumes 10 kWh per 100 km, even in winter. We bet a manufacturer will
find a use for that, similar to the urban driving cycle? And then there are the costs. Back then, Fiat was strict about ensuring that the vehicles weren't too heavy or had too much displacement
because of the tax.
Current manufacturers seem to have completely lost sight of costs. Design clearly takes priority over affordable repairs, which would allow for a similar insurance. The workshop hourly rate is steadily approaching the €200
mark. Despite a drastic reduction in the scope of repairs, workshop and inspection fees seem to be rising rather than falling.
Electric car drivers are only now realizing, and far too late, that they were too complacent about the battery's eight-year warranty, in our case, for example. And many examples show us very positively how long such a battery
lasts. So, is it all clear across the board? Not at all. Because there is still a complex electronic system that sometimes fills entire engine compartments.
And unfortunately, the standard warranty applies to them. If the manufacturer is very confident that nothing will happen, then they could extend the warranty. But do they really do that in the interest of better care? You'll be
able to see it happen. We, on the other hand, are the ones who are holding the bag, so we bought too early?
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