For ten years, Tesla has been leading the way in the field of electric cars. All other manufacturers – American, European – are far behind. Only the Chinese, who have fully integrated Tesla’s industrial principles, are in the process of taking key positions in this market.
Why this delay of Western manufacturers? What are the Volkswagens, Renault-Nissan or Stellantis not able to implement?
The Tesla method, because there is one, goes far beyond the design of the car. Starting from a blank sheet – and also because everyone was betting on its failure – Elon Musk redesigned the entire product and how to manufacture it. His method is therefore a combination of absolute leadership (surprise), but also of a large autonomy left to his teams, which drastically reduces the decision-making process as much as the bureaucratic layers. Finally, massive use of data makes it possible to adapt cars and their services in near real time.
To talk about it, Control F invited Michael Valentin, consulting engineer for the automotive industry. He is the author of two books on the subject, the latest of which is entitled The Elon Method, how to turn a Mammoth into a Unicorn (Dunod, 2023). With him, we will dive into the little-known mysteries of the most disruptive of car manufacturers.
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The team: Frédéric Filloux (presentation), Jules Krot (editing and production), Xavier Yvon (editor-in-chief)
Music and design: Léonard Filloux
Logo: Jérémy Cambour/L’Express
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