I answer a lot of questions on Quora. Many of those questions are about automotive things that may be of interest to CarNewsCafe readers. Like this one.
What electric car company will replace Tesla in the future?
This answer won’t be popular, but I think it will be one of the mainstream automotive giants quietly taking over EV sales. Tesla lovers like to poo-poo the idea that any mainstream automaker is up to snuff with electric vehicle tech and capability, but the truth is that many major carmakers are very advanced with their EV research and capabilities. Especially the Germans.
I very much suspect that if Tesla is replaced or absorbed, it will be by BMW or Volkswagen. Nissan is also a possibility, especially with its Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance and their combined expertise and manufacturing capabilities globally.
I point out these specific companies because all three are heavily vested in EVs and self-driving/automation.
BMW not only has the manufacturing and knowledge, but has gained a market share with plug-ins as a major portion of their business. They also have streamlined, clean manufacturing and a well-deserved reputation in automotive.
Volkswagen has gone all-in with electrification as a means towards keeping themselves as the world’s top-producing manufacturer (post-dieselgate) and is rapidly deploying the infrastructure their business requires to make them a large-scale EV producer.
NRM, meanwhile, has already been the world’s most prolific EV seller and has a lot of in-house expertise and manufacturing knowledge as well as an extremely diversified global talent pool and resource draw.
These are just the beginnings. General Motors is also much more advanced than many would assume and Toyota and Mazda just broke ground on a joint factory in Georgia, USA that will be largely dedicated to electrics. Toyota makes a lot of hybrids, yes, and seems totally vested in them, but that’s a company that is full of not-stupid people and I very much suspect that they’ve quietly been working hard on battery tech and EV options. It’s almost assured given how well-done their plug-in hybrids are.
So those are my choices. I think that many EV proponents are remiss in ignoring what the established manufacturers are capable of.
