Elon Musk can be criticized for dozens of things, without a doubt. But one of the most important reasons why he is so successful as a businessman and entrepreneur is based on maintaining a clear and consistent vision in his projects, including Tesla and SpaceX.
In the case of the electric car manufacturer, Elon Musk revealed the "master plan" to make the company profitable. It was an article published on August 2, 2006, where he explained the general strategy of what at that time was a startup. In text he reveals his intention: "My objective of financing Tesla is to accelerate the change from an economy based on hydrocarbons towards one based on solar energy, which must be the main, although not the only sustainable solution."
There he also revealed the car launch strategy that has been the same to this day.
The master plan, in short, as Musk explains, is:
Create a sports carUse that money to build an affordable carUse that money to build an even more affordable carDo all of the above with a zero-emission electric vehicle
The sports car was the first Rodaster, with which the development and assembly of the Model S was financed. Then came the Model X. With all that income, research and development from Tesla, the Model 3 and Model Y were created.
Later Elon Musk would publish in July 2016 the Master Plan part 2. In which he expanded Tesla's ambitions for the future:
Create solar panels that integrate with the batteries developed by TeslaExpand the vehicle production line to develop options for all segmentsDevelop an autonomous driving system that is 10 times safer than manual drivingAllow your car to make money while you are not using it
Six years later, this second part has not finished working any of its points. The solar panels are sold, but the business has not taken off as much as expected. The second point is the one that has been developed the most. Tesla now offers four vehicle models, although there is still a long way to go to abort all segments.
The full autonomous driving system is in beta, it works only in the United States and Canada, to a small group of drivers. And allowing the car to generate money while not in use would mean activating the robotaxis fleet, which is something that, in my opinion, will not happen in less than ten years.
Tesla Model 3 the most popular car of the company founded by Elon Musk
Elon Musk reveals the first part of the master plan part 3
Still, Elon Musk has announced on Twitter that he is working on the third part of the master plan for Tesla. It will serve as a commitment to develop some new technologies and efforts within the company as has happened with previous versions.
May probably the master plan part three, based on the strategies for the company, revealed during the last 18 months by Elon Musk himself, is focused on:
Competent development of artificial intelligenceUse that artificial intelligence for the Tesla Bot and the full autonomous driving of its carsScale the production of electric vehicles to a much higher volume than today
The third point is what the CEO of Tesla has revealed in part on his Twitter account: "The main focus will be scaling to extreme size, which is necessary to move humanity away from fossil fuels, and the development of intelligence. artificial," he explained. "It will also include sections on SpaceX and The Boring Company."
Main Tesla subjects will be scaling to extreme size, which is needed to shift humanity away from fossil fuels, and AI.
But I will also include sections about SpaceX, Tesla and The Boring Company.
— Elon Musk March 21, 2022
Scaling up vehicle production would mean selling a cheap one
To be able to scale production to an "extreme" size, in his own words, does not only mean significantly increasing current or future production lines. It also involves launching a much cheaper vehicle that multiplies the demand for electric cars.
But, although they did announce a $25,000 car, weeks ago they announced that the project for that car — unofficially known as Model 2 — has been canceled, or at least paused.
Although the second part of the master plan has not been completed, the first part has. Also, Elon Musk and Tesla have the most influence in the automotive market, in general. The industry is not only facing the end of combustion engine cars, but also the challenge of total electrification.
Teslas, even with the recent price increases, continue to have a huge demand, and it is part of the reason why Elon Musk urges that the production of the brand's cars multiply. The opening of the Gigafactory in Berlin and Austin will help in the latter, but it will not be enough.
We'll see how he tackles it when he makes the final release of Master Plan Part Three for Tesla.
