My son Bala who, after pursuing higher studies and settled down in the US, helped IE catch up with technology. ECL, publishers of IE, was among the first units in the Guindy Industrial Estate to switch to computerisation and electronic printing; we continued with this quest for technology by setting up a roof top solar facility ahead of others. In a way these helped us survive the high mortality rate of the industrial units in Guindy in those times.
In my current trip to the US Bala has been driving me through the sophisticated network of multilane roads across the US. More interesting is the drive by his newly acquired, fully electric Tesla car. In the past couple of weeks, we drove through close to 2000 miles. I was struck by the marvel of technology. Of course, most of these advanced features are widely known. I point to a few of these that impressed me much.
Tesla’s Elon Musk was almost at the point of bankruptcy sticking to pouring millions of dollars on his dream project. Significantly, other promoters gave up and moved out. Musk had unbounded confidence in electric cars, persisted with and achieved the breakthrough, solving supply chain issues, addressing marketing and servicing needs and setting up nationwide fast-charging stations (called Tesla Superchargers).
Post-Covid, he is riding the crest of a huge demand. There is a waiting period of more than a year for his iconic products; this despite sizeable increase in the price over the past couple of years. There is a hefty premium even on used vehicles!
I remember such a craze for the acquisition of a Maruti car in the mid-1980s: registrations for purchase with deposits of Rs 10,000 each initially for Maruti 800 and Omni and Rs 25,000 for the Maruti 1000cc exceeded 500000!
As is known, the Tesla has no engine; with boot spaces under the bonnet in the front and also in the rear. There are no traditional moving parts, except perhaps the wheels. In the fully computerised system, there is a fund of information on every aspect – like the mileage available in the battery charge, air pressure of tyres, charting the path ahead, providing pictures of other vehicles by the side…
The company offers the choice for fully automated driving, with the driver needing to be vigilant for any contingency. Lane changes, adjustment of distance with the vehicle ahead, navigating to preset destinations… are all automatic even at high speeds of 80 mph. Acceleration and deceleration were like race cars!
Tesla has taken care to work continuously on improvements making effective use of the electronic feedback of data and study of the driving behaviour. The mileage for fully charged batteries is in excess of 200 miles and this info is updated in real-time based on external conditions like weather, passengers, cargo weight… The Tesla supercharger network has thousands of chargers spread across the country (mostly along expressways, in larger supermarkets and public spaces) and the car provides charging information along a route. These superchargers can charge 100 miles in about 9 minutes. The company also provides for emergency service in case the car runs out of energy.
Automated parking is another special feature. For the citizens spending long hours on cars and with pressure on parking space, especially in large cities, this appears a boon. The car can be summoned to where someone is (for a “pick up”) or park itself in identified spots.
In less than a year, petrol price has increased by close to 70 per cent in mid-west US and was around $5.30 per gallon (3.75 litres) and just starting to decline. It was just around $3 a year ago. The cost of fuel per mile for Tesla is around 20 per cent compared to cars running on petrol if one charges at home when power rates are cheap and about 50 per cent lower when using the higher-cost super-charger network.
Tesla distributes the vehicles directly and not through dealers. Every aspect of sales and service is electronic. Easy charging facilities are available at residences, parking spaces… Households can comfortably charge in a few hours overnight.
Bala mentioned the cost for charging during nights (in Chicago) at just around 11 cents per kw against around 3 to 4 times at the Tesla charging stations. Other high-end fully electric vehicles from BMW, Mercedes, Cadillac, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Volkswagen… are also popular. But their custom is a fraction of Tesla’s. The switch to EV, though sizeable, is yet small due to the much higher prices. The recent steep rise in the price of gasoline would help accelerate the switch to EV.
One witnesses such a rapid switch in China which enjoys the first mover advantage. China has also cornered sources for precious lithium and cobalt for battery production and also focuses on improving technology.
India has just begun the switch and need to catch up fast.
