The brand Tesla, specializing in electric cars and founded by the unpredictable billionaire Elon Musk, has just achieved an excellent result in the third quarter of 2021, with the record of deliveries. Unlike the other brands, all more or less in trouble, Tesla seems to have found a small key to overcome the moment of tiredness of semiconductors. The chip crisis is in full swing, after all.
According to what Teslarati has reconstructed, “Tesla’s strategy to overcome the semiconductor shortage is no secret. At the conclusion of the second quarter of 2021, Tesla said his team had demonstrated an unprecedented ability to react quickly and mitigate production disruptions caused by semiconductor shortages. Tesla was able to do this by using software and new microchips to build its vehicles. Although Tesla’s third quarter 2021 production and delivery results are proof that flexibility and a significant degree of vertical integration are key to overcoming the global semiconductor crisis, also show that the automotive sector is in dire need of innovation“.
Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel, also gave a reading of the situation. On Fortune he had explained that the automotive sector often uses ‘primitive’ chips which, in the event of increased demand, are usually directed to other markets, such as that of household appliances. Some of these transistors are now a very rare commodity. Yet these components have already been around for 10-15 years. Basically, if car manufacturers were using newer chips, the semiconductor shortage would not be so bad for the industry.
In reverse, Tesla uses new generation chips or even studies them at home. And so do brands like Rivian, Lucid and Nio. The idea is to exploit this great technological capacity to ‘force’ suppliers to study something specific, in order not to lose the order. In this way Tesla earns in all directions, because if a supplier (for example) fails, there would be the chance to devise an equally valid alternative at home. Of course, even traditional car manufacturers have a great relationship with suppliers: but without an adequate investment in software and electronics, today they find themselves chasing.