Tesla Stakes Insurance Claim!

Tesla Stakes Insurance Claim!
by Roger C. Lanctot on 08-25-2019 at 2:00 pm

In its most recent shareholders’ meeting Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk noted that the Tesla Model 3 is the highest revenue producing car in the U.S. and fourth best-selling by unit volume. He also noted Tesla’s vehicles’ industry-leading fuel efficiency and range.

Musk took the further step of emphasizing the lower cost of

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2019 the Year of Electrification

2019 the Year of Electrification
by Roger C. Lanctot on 12-31-2018 at 7:00 am

After two years of wrestling with and at least partially resolving fraud charges over its “defeat device” to manipulate emissions testing results, Volkswagen emerged in 2018 as the flag-bearer for electrification in the U.S. The company also concluded 2018 as the largest producer of passenger cars in the world.

In spite of or … Read More


Connected Cars High Tech Low Demand

Connected Cars High Tech Low Demand
by Roger C. Lanctot on 11-04-2018 at 6:01 am

The latest reliability report from Consumer Reports which dumped on domestics and rained glory upon Asian imports highlighted a conundrum facing car makers. The more effort car makers put into innovation, the greater the risk of consumer confusion, system failure and lousy reliability scores.

The picture is even worse if one… Read More


Forget the Saudis: Apple or Google should acquire Tesla

Forget the Saudis: Apple or Google should acquire Tesla
by Vivek Wadhwa on 09-02-2018 at 7:00 am

Steve Jobs wanted to build an electric car as far back as 2008. In 2014, Tim Cook reportedly funded the project. To date, though, Apple has had little to show for it, and the rumors are that its electric vehicle will launch as late as 2025— long after such things become common commodities. Google has already had self-driving electricRead More


What Mary Meeker Missed

What Mary Meeker Missed
by Roger C. Lanctot on 06-01-2018 at 12:00 pm

It must be a measure of the dim view taken of the automotive industry by Silicon Valley types that of the 294 slides in Mary Meeker’s annual Trends presentation delivered at this year’s Code Conference less than 10 of those slides refer to transportation. The Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner even managed to avoid… Read More


The Good the Bad and Tesla and Uber

The Good the Bad and Tesla and Uber
by Roger C. Lanctot on 04-08-2018 at 7:00 am

In “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” circa 1971, Gene Wilder plays a vaguely misanthropic Willy Wonka who leads the young winners of his golden wrapper contest on a tour of the seven deadly sins within his candy factory and labs. (Who can forget Augustus Gloop?) At one point, Mike Teavee, a television-obsessed… Read More


Blackberry Reboot Nears Completion

Blackberry Reboot Nears Completion
by Roger C. Lanctot on 02-18-2018 at 12:00 pm

Jalopnik’s report that car maker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) had experienced a failed software update that had thrown the infotainment systems in some MY 2017-18 vehicles into a never-ending cycle of rebooting was a reminder that cars are indeed becoming smartphones on wheels. Blackberry CEO John Chen has no doubtsRead More


Why I remain optimistic about Tesla

Why I remain optimistic about Tesla
by Vivek Wadhwa on 08-18-2017 at 7:00 am

Tesla’s stock price recently took a hit because of concerns about its delivery capabilities and about increasing competition from carmakers who are switching their product lines to electric. With a market cap still exceeding $50 billion, it can be easy to argue that Tesla’s price remains severely inflated, especially when youRead More


Does Elon Musk Hate Artificial Intelligence?

Does Elon Musk Hate Artificial Intelligence?
by Matthew Rosenquist on 07-22-2017 at 7:00 am

Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and CEO of Tesla, was quoted as saying Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the “Greatest Risk We Face as a Civilization”. He recently met with the National Governor’s Association and advocated for government involvement and regulations. This seems to be a far cry from the government-should-leave-the-market-aloneRead More