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What is the value and potential that supports Tesla becoming the “world’s largest automotive company by market value”? Is it autonomous driving? Or is it electric vehicle sales? There are many opinions.

But recently, a Twitter user used a simple Excel chart to provide another dimension for people:

Tesla is not just an automaker.

Musk saw this tweet and personally appeared on the scene. He also exclaimed that “most ordinary people do not understand Tesla.” The atmosphere of finding a kindred spirit is real.

What kind of chart?

In fact, this chart has been circulating on Twitter since October last year, with different versions during this period.

Until recently, Musk found it and exclaimed that people don’t understand Tesla.

What kind of content is in the chart that has such a great impact?

In fact, it’s very simple, an Excel table that divides Tesla’s 2021 business into six major pieces, separately stating the product, and finally attaching the relevant players in the field.

Except for the entire vehicle, vehicle engineering, and other businesses, most of the emphasis is on the commercial context of Tesla’s artificial intelligence software and hardware, battery, and energy sectors.

For example, in the artificial intelligence software and hardware section, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence are the focus. The product includes Tesla’s representative FSD autonomous driving system, as well as autonomous driving chips and visual perception technology related to it.

Tesla’s Dojo supercomputer and Dojo computing chip, as well as the intelligent cabin operating system released at AI Day last year, are also included.

In addition, even Musk’s promised but not yet achieved RoboTaxi is prominently listed. This is the trend.

In terms of competitors in the subdivided field, in addition to autonomous driving players such as Waymo and Cruise, there are also chip giants such as Nvidia and Intel, and well-known internet companies like Google.

If the AI software and hardware section represents the technological characteristics of Tesla known to the public as a technology company.

The battery and energy sector greatly exceeds people’s recognition of Tesla.

The chart shows that in the field of batteries, Tesla’s business includes battery cells, power batteries, and finally battery recycling, not only competing with companies like CATL but also a host of battery recycling companies, such as Redwood Materials, whose founder also comes from Tesla.

In the field of energy storage, Tesla has a wide range of businesses, not only providing the supercharging network to serve the Tesla electric cars but also offering home energy storage solutions. In addition, Tesla has extended its reach to the energy trading field. Some power companies claimed in August of last year that Tesla Autobidder, an energy trading and control platform, is capable of disrupting their markets and should be taken seriously. Surprisingly, Tesla’s businesses are not just limited to cars. The company is also involved in HVAC air conditioning technology, among other fields. When it comes to Tesla’s competitors, only half of them are related to the automotive industry, while most of the others have little to do with it.

Ma Yilong’s grand vision is difficult for ordinary people to grasp. One table lists all the businesses that Tesla is involved in, even though some are Musk’s unfulfilled promises. The points that this netizen wants to express through the picture are as clear as his tweet:

Tesla is much more than just a car company.

The intention is clear, and he even @Musk. Musk also expressed his appreciation for the picture in the first place and replied to this loyal fan:

Most people have no idea.

With one response after another, the atmosphere of “like-minded people” was established.

How is Tesla’s performance evaluated by the outside world?

Is it true that most people have not seen the value of Tesla beyond a mere car company, as Musk claims?

Actually, no.

In most cases, Tesla appears in media reports as a car company, either releasing financial reports and delivery data or being compared with other new and old car makers. Another situation is related to autonomous driving accidents. However, after the 2020 Tesla AI Day, there is a clear perception in the market about whether Tesla is merely a car company.

Media sources have also listed Tesla’s business divisions, including the ones for complete vehicles, batteries, energy storage, and artificial intelligence, aiming to make the public aware that Tesla is more than just a car maker. Some outlets have even used Musk’s definition of Tesla as a collection of dozens of technology start-ups, many of which have no connection to the traditional automotive industry.This also justifies the picture in the previous article that only a small portion of the companies in the automotive industry are competitors of Tesla, while most of the companies seem to have no relation to cars.

In a sense, although this picture is simple, it provides another dimension for evaluating the value and potential of Tesla: the smart car mother ecology, which includes various traditional and emerging industries such as whole vehicles, the Internet of Things, energy, and artificial intelligence.

And Tesla’s business has deeply penetrated every link in this ecology.

Or, Tesla’s commercial layout is a self-contained ecology and a smaller version of the smart car mother ecology.

What do netizens say?

Every appearance of Musk on social media can become a carnival for netizens.

In response to Musk’s endorsement of this picture, netizens are also enthusiastic about giving Musk a shoutout, like this one:

And this one:

However, some people have different opinions and have taken Musk’s unfulfilled promises off the table, posting a revised version of Tesla’s commercial map:

Of course, now the whole world sees the value and potential of Tesla, and there are many imitators in terms of strategy and tactics…

So the question is, based on Tesla’s exhibited mother ecology, who do you think in China is most similar? Who is making the fastest progress?

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This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.