Anjani Trivedi, Columnist

Tesla Made a Smart Bet in China. It’s Paying Off

Elon Musk’s strategy of using a less expensive, more practical battery is now being rolled out globally. Getting more cars on the road faster ultimately will win the EV race.

A visionary.

Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Tesla Inc. seems to have gotten it right. The usually fantastical Elon Musk is set to give the electric vehicle market and its various players a reality check.

At its third quarter earnings call, Tesla said it’s switching to a less expensive type of battery – the central part of the vehicle – for the company’s standard-range cars globally. Tesla already had been using these in some of its cars in China, where sales have been soaringBloomberg Terminal primarily because prices were kept down. That was a shrewd, prescient and realistic move.