Revenge of the Electric Car Page #5

SO YOU THINK PEOPLE WOULD WANT TO GRAB IT AND PULL IT.

AND THE SECOND THING IS,

THINK OF ALL THE DUST AND CRUD AND CIGAR ASH AND EVERYTHING

THAT'S GONNA GET DOWN AROUND BEHIND THOSE CRACKS.

WELL, I'M NOT THE ONLY CIGAR SMOKER IN THE WORLD.

- ARE YOU GUYS GONNA GO IN AND MAKE SURE THAT THAT THING

ACTUALLY HAS SNAP TO IT?

- DO YOU THINK BOB BONIFACE OF THE DESIGN GROUP

WOULD LEAVE A KEY TRANSITION LIKE THA TO A BUNCH OF ENGINEERS AND DIE MAKERS?

- WELL, BUT YOU KNOW--

- LET'S PUT IT THIS WAY:

IT HAPPENED BEFORE, AND NOW WE'RE SCRAMBLING AROUND

TRYING TO GET IT BACK AGAIN.

- THESE THINGS KEEP COMING ALONG

FROM PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE CAR BUSINESS

WHO HAVE KNOWLEDGE IN SOME AREA

AND, FRANKLY, HAVE A TENDENCY

TO TREAT THE CAR BUSINESS WITH DISDAIN, BECAUSE THEY SAY,

"YEAH, BUT THAT'S THE OLD RUST BELT STUFF,

"AND THEY'RE STILL MAKING THESE THINGS

IN GREAT BIG FACTORIES WITH A LOT OF WORKERS."

WE BELIEVE IN MOORE'S LAW, YOU KNOW?

AND BY APPLYING THE PRINCIPLES OF ELECTRONICS,

WE CAN REALLY REVOLUTIONIZE THIS THING,

AND THEY ALL FALL ON THEIR BUTTS.

I MEAN, WITHOUT FAIL.

AND I HOPE THE BEST FOR TESLA.

YOU KNOW, I LIKE THOSE GUYS.

AND I THINK WE WOULD ALL LIKE TO SEE

SUCCESSFUL PRODUCTION OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES,

WHETHER THEY'RE OURS OR SOMEBODY ELSE'S,

BUT I THINK ELON MUSK AND THE GUYS

ARE LEARNING WHAT IT MEANS

TO PUT AUTOMOBILES INTO PRODUCTION.

- YUP. - IT AIN'T EASY.

- YUP.

- IN 1920, IN THE U.S., THERE WERE ABOUT 300 CARMAKERS.

TODAY THERE ARE 2 1/2.

IT IS A VERY DEMANDING BUSINESS THAT IS CONSTANTLY CONSOLIDATING

AND CHUCKING THE LITTLE GUYS OUT.

- I'M JUST HEADED TO THE MENLO STORE

'CAUSE I WANT TO DO A CAR-BY-CAR WALKTHROUGH.

I WANTED TO GET BASICALLY A RUNDOWN OF EACH CAR.

WHAT'S ITS STATUS, AND WHAT ARE THE ISSUES?

AND I'M GONNA DO THIS EVERY WEEK.

- YEAH, THIS IS, LIKE-- THIS IS DEFINITELY

ON THE LIST OF IMPROVEMENTS.

- HOLY MACKEREL.

JESUS.

YEAH, LIKE, WE HAVE, LIKE, AN ARMY OF CARS HERE.

LIKE, JESUS.

- I'M LOOKING LIKE WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO DELIVER

FOUR CARS TO THE SALES TEAM--

- THIS IS FRIGHTENING.

- WHAT'S GOING ON HERE IS,

THE TEAM HAS BEEN DOING A LITTLE BIT OF REWORK TODAY.

REMEMBER, I WAS TALKING TO YOU EARLIER

ABOUT THE VEHICLE THAT HAD THE NOISE?

IT HAD THE TRANSMISSION NOISE?

I WANTED TO POINT SOMETHING OUT TO YOU JUST KIND OF--

YOU CAN SEE IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING GOT DRAGGED

OVER THE HOOD.

- I MEAN, WE SHOULD BE INSPECTING AT THIS LEVEL.

IF IT'S GETTING SCRATCHES IN ITS SHIPMENT,

THEN WE NEED TO GET THE--

YOU KNOW, EITHER DING THE SHIPPING COMPANY

OR FIND SOME WAY TO STOP THAT, YOU KNOW?

- I AGREE.

- JESUS, THE BREATHER HOSE IS COMING UP THAT HIGH?

- YEAH. - WHAT THE...

WHY?

ARE THERE ANY OTHER RESOURCES WE CAN APPLY TO THE PROBLEM?

I MEAN... - RIGHT NOW, WE'RE USING--

- I'D RATHER OVER-HIRE FOR THIS SITUATION.

LIKE, DAMN IT, WE GOT TO GET THESE CARS OUT.

LET'S STOCK INVENTORY.

LET'S REPAIR CHIPS HERE.

I'M AVAILABLE 24-7 TO HELP SOLVE ISSUES.

CALL ME AT 3:
00 A.M. ON A SUNDAY MORNING.

I DON'T CARE.

- THIS IS VIN 23.

THIS CAR HAD A DRIVETRAIN ISSUE,

SO WE'RE SWAPPING IN THE NEW ONE RIGHT NOW.

- LET'S NOT EVEN WAIT FOR THE ANALYSIS.

JUST PUT A NEW POWER TRAIN IN,

TABLE IT FOR ANALYSIS, AND LET'S GET IT OUT THERE.

- ABSOLUTELY.

- RIGHT NOW, WE'RE FACING AN ISSUE,

WHICH IS THAT IT'S SORT OF A CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE

AMONG OUR CUSTOMERS WHERE YOU CAN

ONLY TELL THEM "DELAY" SO MANY TIMES,

AND THEN THEY START TO THINK,

"MAN, IS THIS COMPANY EVER GONNA GET ME A CAR?"

- THIS IS MY CAR.

- THIS IS YOUR CAR?

THIS IS ACTUALLY YOUR CAR?

NO KIDDING. - YEAH, 23, RIGHT?

NUMBER 23? - YES, IT'S NUMBER 23.

- OKAY.

WELL, YOU'VE HEARD THE EXPLANATION NOW.

SO I GUESS HOPEFULLY, IT'LL HAVE A POWER TRAIN TOMORROW.

- YES, ABSOLUTELY. - OKAY.

IT'S A NICE CAR.

I WAS JUST THINKING, ACTUALLY, IT'S A NICE CHOICE OF COLORS.

- HELLO. HOW ARE YOU?

- WHEN I THINK ABOUT CARLOS GHOSN

AND HIS APPROACH TO THE E.V. MARKET,

I THINK OF SUN TZU, THE ART OF WAR.

BE WHERE YOUR ENEMY ISN'T.

AND SO HE HAS DECIDED TO BUILD A MILLION-VEHICLE MARKET.

THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT BUILDING, YOU KNOW, 150,000 E.V.s

IN NORTH AMERICA IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS.

THIS IS A BIG, STRATEGIC MOVE,

AND IF IT FAILS,

THERE WILL BE NO CARLOS GHOSN,

AND THERE MIGHT NOT BE A NISSAN.

THAT'S HOW HIGH THE STAKES ARE.

- GOOD MORNING. HOW ARE YOU?

- GOOD MORNING. - YEAH.

ANYTHING SPECIAL WE NEED TO FEATURE ON IT?

WHAT'S THE WEIGHT OF THE BATTERY ON IT?

250 KILOGRAMS?

THIS ONE UNDER 250.

WE HAVE A NORMAL TRUNK? - YES.

- CAN WE OPEN THE TRUNK OR NOT YET?

- VERY GOOD. OKAY.

ANYTHING ELSE?

THAT'S IT? - YEAH.

- VERY GOOD.

AFTER YEARS OF PLANNING,

CARLOS IS READY TO LAUNCH HIS $6 BILLION OFFENSIVE.

THE ONLY QUESTION:

WILL HIS RIVALS GET THERE FIRST?

- WANT TO PLACE IT IN THE MIDDLE.

- CAN CARLOS GHOSN AND NISSAN MAKE MONEY ON THE LEAF

AND OTHER ELECTRIC VEHICLES?

'CAUSE WE DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THE CAR'S GONNA COST.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROFIT MARGINS ARE

AND DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PRODUCTION VOLUME IS.

- YOU KNOW, THERE IS THAT THING THAT GM TALKS ABOUT,

THAT RANGE ANXIETY, AND, YOU KNOW,

ARE PEOPLE GONNA BUY A CAR THAT CAN ONLY GO 100 MILES

BETWEEN REALLY LENGTHY CHARGES?

THE SCARIEST PART IS,

CAN THEY REALLY GET THE COST OF THESE BATTERIES DOWN?

AND WILL IT BE SOMETHING THAT'S SORT OF VIABLE LONG-TERM?

- ULTIMATELY, CARLOS GHOSN

HAS TO BE THE GREATEST SALESMAN ON EARTH

AND CONVINCE CONSUMERS ACROSS THE GLOBE

THAT THEY SHOULD BUY ELECTRIC CARS.

OTHERWISE, THE RISK DOES NOT PAY OFF.

- IT'S STARTING AT 9:50.

- 9:
50?

- BUT WE'RE GONNA GO STRAIGHT INTO THE BRIEFING RIGHT NOW.

THIS WAY. - OKAY.

THE SHORTCUT FROM THE ONGOING PROBLEM

TO THE SOLUTION IS A BREAKTHROUGH.

THE SOLUTION IS MASS-MARKETED ZERO-EMISSION MOBILITY

ON A GLOBAL SCALE.

OUR ENVIRONMENT IS CHANGING,

AND SO IS THE WAY WE ARE ADAPTING TO THESE NEW REALITIES.

NISSAN IS BRINGING AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE LINEUP

DESIGNED FOR THE MASS MARKE BY OFFERING ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

AT THE PRICE PEOPLE CAN AFFORD.

OUR TECHNOLOGY IS REAL.

- WELL, AFTER THE FIRE, CHARLOTTE AND I

WERE LIVING ON THE BUS FOR TWO MONTHS,

AND WITH THE FIRE, IT MADE ME REALLY LOOK AROUND,

MADE ME OPEN MY EYES AND SEE WHAT ELSE IS AVAILABLE.

THANKS TO A LOAN FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS,

GADGET STARTS OVER.

- THIS IS THE NEW BUILDING.

THE THING THAT I REALLY DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT THIS

IS THAT THIS IS A DISPOSABLE BUILDING.

IT'S JUST A SHEET-METAL SHED.

I'M GONNA BUILD A NEW BUILDING INSIDE OF IT,

AND AS MY BUILDING COMES UP, I'LL SLOWLY TEAR THIS ONE AWAY,

SO IT'LL BE SORT OF THE OLD SHEDDING AWAY

AND THE NEW COMING UP THROUGH IT.

THERE'S NO ELECTRICITY AT ALL.

THERE WERE HOMELESS PEOPLE LIVING IN HERE WITH FIRES,

SO THE WHOLE PLACE IS COVERED WITH SOOT.

I WANT TO TAKE THIS ROOF AND TAKE IT UP HIGHER.

WE'LL HAVE A COUPLE OF CAR LIFTS IN HERE.

AND THEN IN THE BACK PART OF THE BUILDING,

THIS WILL BE A NICE LITTLE PLACE FOR A GARDEN.

THE FIRST THING I WANT TO DO IS REBUILD THE PORSCHE.

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