Tesla enjoys a good master plan. Elon Musk published the brand’s first Master Plan in 2006, promising to build a sports car, use that money to build an affordable car, use that money to build an even more affordable car, and provide zero-emission electric power generation options. The brand followed that up with a second Master Plan Part Deux in 2016, which aimed to integrate battery generation and storage, expand Tesla’s EV product line with a more affordable car and a pickup, and introduce self-driving, along with the option to put your Tesla to work as a robotaxi. That last part is still in progress.
From there, Tesla Master Plans have become progressively more frequent and less straightforward. The company revealed a third Master Plan in March 2023, a 40-plus-page document not penned by Elon Musk, about building “Sustainable Energy for All of Earth” with two yet-to-be-revealed Teslas under sheets. And now, about two and a half years later, Tesla published Master Plan Part IV on its Twitter/X.com page. And it’s… more than a little vague.
Being charitable to Tesla, there’s not much that feels concrete in Master Plan IV. The third Master Plan included numerous charts and more than 70 citations of government data and scientific papers. Master Plan IV consists of several truisms promoting “sustainable abundance.” Tesla appears to redefine itself as not just a car company, but a company that builds “physical products at scale and at a low cost with the goal of making life better for everyone.”
“We have been working tirelessly for nearly two decades to create the foundation for this technological renaissance through the development of electric vehicles, energy products and humanoid robots.
Now, we are combining our manufacturing capabilities with our autonomous prowess to deliver new products and services that will accelerate global prosperity and human thriving driven by economic growth shared by all. We are unifying our hardware and software at scale, and in doing so, we are creating a safer, cleaner and more enjoyable world.”
The document references “guiding principles” for the future, including infinite growth, innovation, solving tangible problems with technology (solar energy generation and storage, autonomous driving, and the Optimus robot), and ensuring autonomy benefits all of humanity by providing “greater access” with affordable products available at scale.
So to recap: a company that builds “physical products” to make “life better for everyone.” Infinite growth and solving tangible problems will be part of that. Sounds like a very specific master plan, this.
Tesla hardly references its role as an automaker at all in Master Plan IV. Therefore, it’s challenging to draw too many conclusions about future Tesla automotive products. The best indicator may not be the text, but a diagram included that exhibits Tesla’s vision of “Sustainable Abundance (2025).”
The document displays a nearly identical Tesla vehicle lineup, with both the Cybercab and the Robus in service. One vehicle is white, which may be the upcoming affordable Tesla – a stripped-down, cheaper version of the Model Y. Sadly for those holding $50,000 deposits since 2017, the Tesla Roadster 2.0 is nowhere to be found. The Model Ys appear to have two-tone paint with a darkened roof. It’s unclear whether that’s a stylish new wrap or a hint at a new functional feature (solar panels?).
The phrase “sustainable abundance” crops up often in Tesla’s latest Master Plan, which, at exactly 1,000 words, is certainly a bit short compared to the previous plan. By comparison, a typical CarBuzz new vehicle review cracks 1,000 words. Not that you can’t say a lot in 1,000 words, but we’re struggling to find anything of substance in Tesla’s new plan. It’s filled with catchy buzzwords and snappy phrases (like sustainable abundance) while simultaneously avoiding specifics. If anything, it almost has an AI cadence to it.
To be clear, we’re not saying Tesla’s Master Plan IV was actually authored by Grok, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot developed through his other company, xAI. We will, however, say this: after running the plan through four AI detection systems, three registered at least some measure of AI content. One pegged it at 100% AI. Another landed at 49%, with the third at 15%. The fourth, obviously, came back 0%. Take that as you will.
In any case, Tesla’s current Master Plan seems to not focus at all on cars. Considering Tesla is a car company, we suspect there might be some shareholders scratching their heads about all this.
Source: Tesla / X
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