Remember that Cybertruck vs. tug of war video F-150? Now, Elon has kinder words.
Cars are tough
In a rare example of giving credit to its competitors, Tesla CEO Elon Musk praised fellow American automaker Ford for not “failing thousands of auto startups” in a Thursday’s Tweet.
“Prototypes are easy, production is difficult and positive cash flow is painful,” added Musk.
Musk was responding to a topic about a book on “Motors that move markets,” a book about Alasdair Nairn’s auto industry history, posted on Twitter by investor Sam Korus.
The figures show how participation in the North American automotive technology market in 1900 was not yet biased towards gasoline. In fact, steam engine and electric technologies had a significant advantage – an important point for both Tesla and Ford, each trying to enter the electric market more than a century later.
Sleepless in California
Musk knows very well that it is a high-risk business. The businessman has always lamented the problems that Tesla encountered in increasing production and meeting demand.
In 2018, the billionaire spent sleepless nights at the company’s factory hoping to make the necessary changes to keep Tesla afloat.
Tesla vs. Ford
Tesla and Ford exchanged fire with each other, especially when it comes to the sensitive topic of both companies’ truck offerings. Tesla’s next Cybertruck made an appearance in 2019, for example, in a cheeky video showing the truck pulling a gasoline-powered Ford F-150 pickup up a hill during a tug of war.
Ford vice president Sunny Madra considered the fight unfair, challenging Musk to a face-to-face test. Such competition will only become more relevant when Ford launches its first fully electric F-150 in 2022.
And Ford’s vice president, Darren Palmer, also apparently threw a serious shadow at Tesla last year – but without naming the electric car company immediately – for poor quality control.
All in all, it is a breath of fresh air to see Musk recognize that the automotive industry is immensely challenging. In addition, both Ford and Tesla – and their customers – are likely to benefit from a good deal of competition in the market.
More about Ford and Tesla: Watch a totally destroyed F-150 electric truck on a snowy trail