15 Things Tesla Is Doing Wrong

Cameron Eittreim January 27, 2020

Tesla is quickly becoming one of the most prominent car makers in the world. The company went from obscurity as a vision of the son of a well-known fashion model to become one of the largest and most well-known car makers in a very short amount of time. People love Tesla, and Tesla cars are a glimpse into what the future is going to look like. Once the entire automotive industry gets on board with electric cars, they’ll be an everyday thing.

But like with all companies, there are quite a few things Tesla is doing that are questionable. Elon Musk is not an all-knowing leader, and like all people, he makes mistakes. Tesla is still on the verge of releasing some of the most promising cars on the road. But they are going to need to tweak a few things to make sure that the company stays consistent.

Tesla is a company that has done a lot of great things in the last few years. But as the company expands its product portfolio the problems are going to mount as well. Consumer satisfaction with the Tesla brand has been high for a new car company, yet there are still a lot of things that Tesla could work on. Read on as we examine some of the things Tesla could do to improve.

15. Radical Designs

If you’ve seen the Cybertruck, then you know Tesla is offering some very radical designs. While it’s great that the company is willing to push the envelope, the designs can be a bit too much at times. The way Tesla is designing its new models is a little over-the-top and a lot of people in the automotive industry don’t like it. Tesla may need some more mainstream designs in order to appeal to a broader audience.

The Tesla design philosophy seems a bit set in its ways. Tesla cars are designed to be futuristic-looking and this is what Musk is going for. But in today’s day and age where moderate design is everything, the Tesla brand has alienated a good portion of buyers. The radical design philosophy of Tesla is a mistake, as was evident by the continued bashing of the Tesla Cybertruck.

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14. Cost Of Ownership

Let’s it, a Tesla is a very expensive car to own. And owning a Tesla is often not as much for the environment as it is a status symbol. With that being said, the cost of ownership of a Tesla is astronomical when you compare it to other types of cars. Sure the Tesla doesn’t require an oil change like a conventional fossil fuel car. But you will have to spend a pretty penny on getting the Tesla-recommended annual inspection, which can be $680. In addition to that, the cost of a battery replacement can be thousands.

Tesla is constantly operating in a low-power state to protect its expensive electronics from the elements. There are going to be parts of your car that will need to be replaced from time to time. Just the Cybertruck alone has a plethora of digital and LED lighting all around the vehicle, none of which is cheap to replace.

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13. Limited Dealer Network

It would appear that Musk is so preoccupied with going into space that he sometimes forgets about expanding his company. Right now, if you were to break down your Tesla in let’s say, rural America, the odds of finding a Tesla dealership are slim to none. That means you would probably have to pay to have your car towed a very far distance. In addition to that, the dealership network currently planned isn’t much better. Musk has the Tesla relegated to high-income areas.

These are the traditional Tesla buyers, so it’s only natural he would be targeting these areas. But if Musk hopes to grow the company, he’ll need to invest in a more widely-available dealership network. Most car companies have a dealership close by, and Tesla is still one of the few companies that have a limited reach. Mitsubishi (another comparably small carmaker) has a much larger dealership network.

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12. Customer Service Is Iffy

Right now, Tesla is still a very inclusive company, and the people who buy these cars are generally focused buyers. Tesla is still more or less a status symbol, and as such, the company hasn’t invested very much in its customer service department. The call center is very small even as the company has experienced astronomical sales. In order to get parts for a Tesla, you can only go through a Tesla dealer. This means being able to do it yourself has gone away.

Tesla, in contrast, is a very large company and should invest more in customer service. Tesla owners deserve better in the way of parts and repair. Musk has shown great interest in growing the company into one of the largest automakers in the world. This means that you’ll need a top-notch customer service department to get the job done. Tesla is definitely going to want to put more emphasis on customer service.

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11. You Have To Buy Parts From Tesla

Want to buy a replacement wheel or a new headlamp? Well, you are only to be able to get it from Tesla. The company is very inclusive with who it deals with, and at this moment you cannot buy replacement Tesla parts from anywhere but Tesla. We have to wonder what the automaker has in store for the future, but as of right now you can’t go down to your local AutoZone and get a part. Tesla has done this on purpose to protect the company’s patents.

But if the company hopes to grow and eventually be a pinnacle of the used car market, people will need access to parts. Tesla needs to branch out and allow consumers to purchase parts as needed. The electric car is the car of the future, and do-it-yourself mechanics are going to own these vehicles as well.

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10. They Need An Affordable Model

What has made virtually every car company great? A cheap car. For example, Honda has the Civic; Toyota has the Corolla. But what does Tesla have? Nothing yet. The company needs a cheap car in order to create a new niche in the market. The company will experience new heights of success if it produces a cheap car. An economy car that is electric would be a hit with consumers of all ages. In this tech-savvy day and age, a compact and affordable electric car is a must for any automaker.

Tesla would do itself some good by offering an affordable car to consumers. It could be something small and it probably wouldn’t even have to be feature-laden. Just the fact that there was an affordable electric car would be enough to entice a whole new breed of consumers. Tesla needs to take the time to examine the marketplace and invest in an affordable electric car.

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Tesla is ahead of the curve in design – we know that. But there are instances where the company has taken it too far like the Cybertruck. The Gullwing doors are a little too much to handle, and something that the automotive world really isn’t ready for on a mainstream level. Tesla is a company that has created jaw-dropping car designs. But do we really need gullwing doors to get the point across? Probably not.

The Gullwing doors need to be done with and the company needs to make moderate design changes. The cars are top-notch in terms of design but Tesla needs to change the way that the cars look and feel. Without features like Gullwing doors, they’ll be able to attract more buyers.

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