Tesla CEO Elon Musk has definitely made some bold statements over the years. However, many argue that you must be brave when your goal is to change the world. You should aim high when trying to accomplish things that no one has ever done before.
Therefore, with such high goals, you will not always meet every deadline or you will meet all predictions. Our friends on the YouTube channel E For Electric recently examined four of the claims Elon made during the Model S beta unveiling in October 2011, to see what went right and what didn’t materialize.
The first statement E For Electric analyzed from the presentation was Elon’s claim that the Model S would be the best car in the world, without exception. The Model S was and still is an amazing car, however it is debatable whether or not it is the best car in the world. E For Electric host Alex Guberman said he believes Elon’s prediction and goal of building the best car in the world became the basis for the brand’s success and the reason he bought a Model S.
“Our goal here with the Model S was to create not the best electric car, but the best car of any kind.” Elon said in the presentation of the Model S “An electric car is not as good as a gasoline car, it is much better”
The next Musk statement Guberman discusses is about 6 minutes into the video. That was Musk’s claim that there were outside forces that didn’t want Model S. to exist. It doesn’t really explain exactly who those groups were, but he said that in some cases they are funded by big oil. Guberman agrees with Musk that it became clear over time that there were (and still are) groups trying to curb the adoption of electric vehicles. It also includes the existing car dealer network among the group of people who did not want the Model S to hit the market.
There is definitely some truth to the claim that many people, and even industries that did not want electric vehicles to proliferate. At the time, the Model S was truly a game changer for the EV industry. This is because, unlike other electric vehicles of the time, the Model S could compete face-to-face with fossil fuel vehicles and there were definitely those who felt threatened by it.
Elon Musk in the Tesla Model S beta will be presented in 2011
The next thing Guberman mentions is that Elon said the electric car revolution was still on extremely subdued ground and could still “stop.” He stressed that we cannot allow that to happen because this was too important. I don’t think Elon really took a chance on that claim. In 2011, when this event was held, the electric vehicle industry was in its infancy. In fact, nine years later and that is still true. Electric vehicles still account for a small percentage of car sales in most parts of the world, although there are some exceptions such as Norway, for example.
“We are going to allow a full suite of car apps to be developed. So over time, as people come up with great ideas and cool things that can be added to the car, we can add them. If someone has developed an app for an iPhone or an Android phone and it makes sense to add it to the car, it’s very easy to adapt it for that. ” Elon musk
The final claim discussed was Elon’s statement that Tesla would allow app developers to create apps for Tesla and incorporate them into cars. This is the only statement that Guberman points out that never happened. Well, it happened, but not exactly as Elon describes it. Tesla has apps, but Tesla is not incorporating apps that people make for iOS or Andriod in their vehicles. There are Tesla data logging apps that owners find very useful, but Tesla does not incorporate them into vehicles. Personally, I think Elon was half right.
So watch the video and tell us what you think about Elon’s claims and Guberman’s analysis. As always, let us know what you think in the comment section below.
