Comment by 1970-01-01
Comment by 1970-01-01 3 days ago
First mover advantage was GM's EV1. Tesla would not exist if GM didn't go and crush every single EV1 they could find.
Comment by 1970-01-01 3 days ago
First mover advantage was GM's EV1. Tesla would not exist if GM didn't go and crush every single EV1 they could find.
Doesn't matter if it was or wasn't, it was a failure that GM never followed up with. Why it was a failure is also irrelevant, because whether you feel it was a technical failure or killed by GM, GM never did anything with the project or knowledge. Effectively it was a curiosity.
If GM killed it to keep it from succeeding, then there is massive precedent to never reuse the tech. In fact, their NiMH battery patents were sold to Texaco/Chevron who held them close and never let anyone use them. From that point, they couldn't follow-up without dumping even more cash into it, effectively burying it. Until new lithium battery tech matured, there was no way to do it again.
GM didn't sell EVs for years after releasing the EV1. They didn't get any market advantage from the EV1 because they left the market after, for a long time.
We are in complete agreement here. They wasted their lead.
The EV1 gave GM no advantage.