Dateline: June 4 2025
In 2022, Tesla stock lost almost half its value in the big sell-off that saw sky-high valuations being critically questioned. Triggered by inflation fears and a tightening Federal Reserve, blue chip tech stocks like Alphabet, Apple and Amazon also saw their prices tumble, as investors took a more cautious approach to future earnings forecasts.
But the Ukraine war and the resultant squeeze on oil and gas supplies — and prices — did more than just fuel inflation. As always happens when the prices of base commodities shoot up, alternatives begin to look a lot more attractive. With petrol hitting $7.50 a gallon at the pumps, an electric car becomes more than just a way to combat climate change. And Tesla is by far the leading electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer.
Tesla’s other business is solar panels, solar roofs, and the batteries to back them up. Surging demand for electric cars has also spurred demand for charging stations, and Tesla makes them too. Smart homes and company campuses with solar roofs and parking lots, battery storage and grid interconnection are helping to balance out the energy crunch.
Central to Tesla’s rampant share price has been its ability to overcome supply constraints of critical materials like nickel and lithium, allowing it to triple battery and car production, and shorten delivery times from more than a year to just a few weeks. With every Gigafactory globally operating at near capacity, Tesla’s dominance of the EV market is assured.
Fans and investors who supported the company’s stock in its first leap to $1,000 almost five years ago have been proven right. It’s not about the fundamentals or the valuation; it’s the vision for the future — and the ability to create it — that makes a company a quantum outperformer.
- Published on June 2 2022
E-cars stay in the slow lane
Start the electric car revolution without me
Dateline: October 21 2026
Yes, I know. When Tesla stock shot up six years ago, making Elon Musk the world’s richest person, we all thought the market was prescient, and that the age of cyber trucking had finally arrived. Electric cars were going to be the next big thing, and soon!
Well, it turns out that the stock market has very little to do with reality and is mainly driven by speculation. Sure, electric vehicle innovation is proceeding in leaps and bounds, and the latest battery tech is awesome, and there are more e-car companies than you can shake a fist at.
But it’s still not mainstream. Dozens of auto companies are phasing out gas burners and some have abandoned combustion engines altogether, but the market majority still wants something affordable that fills up quickly and goes the distance.
Let’s be fair; there are some cities and smaller countries where electric cars and hybrids are edging out petrol and diesel versions, mainly because of government incentives and carbon taxes. But globally, that’s still a small percentage of autos on the roads. Despite cheaper “Chinatron” models, your average Joe sees a battery car as a luxury alternative.
If you’re a two- or three-car household, you’re more likely to go electric for at least one of them. But if you can’t afford a fast charger, live out of town, or need a daily drive that’s always tanked up, chances are you’re like me — driving a vehicle that still has an exhaust.
Don’t get me wrong; electric cars are the future. When charging networks are everywhere, and it only takes a few minutes to top up the juice at home, everyone will love the convenience and low maintenance of an e-car. But in the meantime, they can start the revolution without me!
- Published on October 21 2021
• Despite appearances to the contrary, Futureworld cannot and does not predict the future. The Mindbullets scenarios are fictitious and designed purely to explore possible futures, and challenge and stimulate strategic thinking.
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