"Unremarkable" Tesla is actually packed with features that are "far ahead of the curve."

Is Tesla the pinnacle of innovation? Recently, Reuters reported that Tesla has achieved a major breakthrough in its integrated die-casting technology. The innovation lies in the use of 3D printing technology and sand-mold casting, enabling the company to nearly mold all the intricate chassis components of an electric vehicle into a single, seamless unit. The latest die-casting machine can generate pressure as high as 18,000 tons.

It is understood that this technology lies at the core of Tesla's "Unboxing Process" assembly system, first unveiled by Musk in March. Thanks to this groundbreaking innovation, Tesla can now reduce the development cycle for new vehicles to just 18–24 months, cut production costs by 50%, and shrink factory space by 40%. Interestingly, right after Tesla achieved a major breakthrough in its integrated die-casting technology, Zeekr also unveiled its latest advancement in integrated die-casting on September 15—the mid-section, dragonfly-shaped one-piece die-cast structure. Shortly thereafter, Toyota Motor Corporation showcased its own prototype of a new integrated die-casting device. Clearly, automakers are rapidly stepping up their efforts to catch up with Tesla.
Of course, in addition to its integrated die-casting technology, Tesla has also pioneered numerous innovations in areas such as supercharging, battery management, motor drives, power-device materials, and autonomous driving—indeed, Tesla has even broken new ground in marketing strategies and vehicle exterior and interior designs. As the leader in the electric vehicle industry, Tesla’s groundbreaking innovations are now being emulated by other automakers. Take integrated die-casting technology as an example: models like NIO ET5, Zeekr 009, and HiPhi Z (available for configuration and pricing inquiries) have all adopted this cutting-edge technique. Meanwhile, Xpeng is also leveraging the integrated die-casting approach under its Fuyao architecture to develop its own vehicles. Moreover, Tesla’s innovative supercharging technology and its extensive supercharging network have inspired rivals such as Xpeng, NIO, and Aion to follow suit. Beyond that, Tesla’s direct-sales model has been widely adopted by major automakers, making it increasingly common to find dedicated EV showrooms popping up in commercial districts nationwide. In short, Tesla has undeniably spearheaded the evolution of the electric vehicle industry, setting the benchmark for others to strive toward—not only through technological and product innovation, but also by redefining industry-wide approaches to marketing and sales.
Since its establishment in 2003, Tesla has shaken up the entire automotive industry with its technological innovations, sparking a fierce competition between electric vehicles and traditional gasoline-powered cars. As a global leader in the electric vehicle sector, Tesla’s most significant technological breakthrough lies in its "three-electric" systems—comprising the battery, electric control system, and electric drive—all of which were developed specifically to address key challenges plaguing the EV industry, such as limited range and slow charging times. Looking solely at batteries, Tesla was the first automaker in the industry to adopt lithium-ion technology. In particular, Tesla’s lithium batteries feature silicon-based materials in the negative electrode, which, compared to the conventional graphite anodes used in traditional batteries, significantly boosts energy density—and consequently enhances the battery’s overall storage capacity.
Additionally, Tesla has adopted lithium iron phosphate (LFP) material for the battery cathode. Compared to traditional cobalt-based lithium batteries, LFP batteries are not only safer and more stable but also significantly lower in cost, making them less prone to overheating or catching fire. At the same time, LFP materials boast higher energy density and superior charge-discharge efficiency, which can enhance both the battery’s range and overall lifespan. In summary, lithium-ion batteries are renowned for their high energy density, offering advantages such as compact size, lightweight design, short charging times, and extended service life. In fact, while lithium-ion technology represents a significant innovation in terms of cathode and anode materials—something that wasn’t originally pioneered by Tesla—Tesla has successfully brought this cutting-edge technology into the electric vehicle sector. Meanwhile, the large cylindrical battery design itself marks an innovative advancement in battery packaging and form factor.

According to the battery packaging format, lithium batteries can be categorized into three types: square, cylindrical, and pouch. Tesla has currently introduced three generations of cylindrical batteries—18650, 21700, and 4680—where the numbers indicate the diameter and height of the cylindrical cells. For instance, the 4680 battery has a diameter of 46 mm and a height of 80 mm. In 2008, Tesla launched the Roadster, which was equipped with 18650 batteries manufactured by Panasonic, marking Tesla's pioneering use of cylindrical cells in the electric vehicle industry. In 2017, Tesla partnered with Panasonic to introduce the 21700 cylindrical battery, which was subsequently adopted in the Model 3. Then, in September 2020, Tesla unveiled the groundbreaking 4680 large cylindrical battery. Starting from 2022, some Model Y vehicles have already begun incorporating the advanced 4680 battery technology. In terms of performance, Tesla’s 21700 battery cell delivers 50% more energy compared to the 18650 model, while the 4680 battery further enhances this figure, offering five times the energy density and six times the power output of the 21700. As a result, the 4680 battery also boosts the vehicle’s range by an impressive 16%.
Additionally, as battery size increases, the number of structural components required for a battery pack with the same energy capacity decreases accordingly, leading to improved space utilization across the entire battery pack and ultimately reducing costs. In terms of battery management, Tesla’s BMS system employs a master-slave architecture: the master controller (BMU) handles high-voltage functions, insulation testing, high-voltage interlocks, contactor control, and external communication, while the slave controller (BMB) is responsible for monitoring individual cell voltage and temperature, relaying this data back to the BMU.
At the same time, Tesla has also incorporated advanced software algorithms and intelligent control technologies that enable precise management of the battery’s charging and discharging processes, preventing issues like overcharging and deep discharging. Additionally, these systems continuously monitor the battery’s status and overall health, providing early warnings and allowing for proactive maintenance or repairs. In terms of electric drive technology, Tesla has taken a pioneering approach by focusing on its inverters, directly integrating silicon carbide power devices. Thanks to silicon carbide’s exceptional properties—such as high voltage resistance, low on-resistance, superior performance at high frequencies, and remarkable thermal stability—Tesla has significantly boosted its energy conversion efficiency. As a result, the vehicle’s range can be improved by 5 to 10 percent.
In addition to inverters, Tesla’s innovations in electric drive also include the flat-wire motor. Transitioning from conventional round wires to flat ones, the stator windings now use several thick, rectangular conductors instead of multiple thin, round ones. This design not only reduces the motor’s overall size but also boosts efficiency, enhances thermal conductivity, minimizes temperature rise, and lowers noise levels—offering significant advantages across the board. Moreover, Tesla continues to push boundaries in automotive manufacturing processes, with its integrated die-casting technology serving as a prime example. Typically, traditional car production involves four key steps: stamping, welding, painting, and final assembly. Automakers must first weld together various stamped components to form the vehicle body, followed by painting and final assembly into the finished car—a process that can be both time-consuming and complex. In contrast, Tesla’s integrated die-casting approach allows the entire body structure to be crafted directly from a single mold, simplifying the manufacturing workflow and enabling the seamless, one-step molding of multiple components into a cohesive whole.
It's worth noting that just a few days ago, news emerged indicating Tesla has once again achieved a breakthrough in its integrated die-casting technology. Leveraging 3D printing technology and sand-mold casting, Tesla’s current approach can now virtually cast all the intricate chassis components of an electric vehicle into a single, unified part—significantly cutting down production costs. Overall, Tesla’s advancements in lithium-ion batteries, large cylindrical cells, battery management systems (BMS), silicon carbide inverters, hairpin motors, and integrated die-casting technology have spurred rapid growth across the entire industry, while also providing the electric vehicle sector with unparalleled confidence as it challenges traditional gasoline-powered cars. Beyond innovations in its "three-electric" technologies, Tesla is also taking an unconventional route in autonomous driving, with its most notable innovation being the pure-vision solution.
Currently, there are roughly two main approaches to autonomous driving in the industry: one relies on high-definition maps to achieve self-driving capabilities, while the other is Tesla's pure-vision solution, also known as the end-to-end large-model technology route. Simply put, Tesla's pure-vision approach mimics real human driving—using the eyes to observe, the brain to process information, and the hands and feet to execute actions. However, fully realizing this approach isn't straightforward; the most critical step is identifying a viable alternative to the cognitive processes that occur in the human brain during driving. To tackle this challenge, Tesla has adopted an end-to-end large-model technology—a concept often referred to as integrated perception and decision-making. Unlike traditional autonomous-driving methods, which typically involve multiple separate modules for perception, description, prediction, and planning, Tesla's end-to-end model consolidates these functions into a single, unified system. This allows the vehicle to take in image data at one end and output precise control commands at the other. What enables Tesla's Autopilot to closely mimic real human driving is, above all, its massive dataset. Back in late August of this year, Musk conducted a live road test of Tesla's FSD V12 on X, during which the system maintained full autonomy for 45 minutes with just a single instance of manual intervention. Throughout the livestream, Musk repeatedly emphasized that Tesla's FSD system doesn’t rely on any pre-programmed conditional logic—it instead makes decisions directly based on real-time analysis of the surrounding environment.

In other words, Tesla's end-to-end large-model technology is akin to the "ChatGPT" of autonomous driving. After being trained extensively on real-world driving data and leveraging deep learning and reinforcement learning, this large model has developed robust autonomous driving capabilities, enabling it to handle the vast majority of driving scenarios.
Additionally, the data fed into Tesla's end-to-end large-scale model primarily comes from Tesla's Shadow Mode. To drive the self-evolution of autonomous driving, Tesla has equipped every vehicle with Shadow Mode, which collects various types of driving data during user-driven sessions and then uploads this information to the cloud for analysis—ultimately enabling the system to closely mimic real-world human driving behavior.

According to Musk, Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system will have a safety index 10 times higher than that of human drivers. Through software updates, Tesla can transition from requiring occasional human intervention to achieving fully autonomous driving—a milestone of immense significance. If Tesla FSD is successfully implemented, the autonomous driving industry as a whole will reach a pivotal turning point. While Tesla’s technological innovation remains its core strength, its breakthroughs in product design, marketing, and service systems serve as the perfect finishing touch—yet they undeniably place Tesla far ahead of the competition. In terms of aesthetics, Tesla’s hidden door handles are virtually unprecedented in the automotive world, a design choice specifically aimed at reducing drag. Meanwhile, the vehicle’s overall shape boasts a minimalist approach, with a futuristic and strikingly modern silhouette.

From an interior perspective, Tesla has eliminated every physical button and dashboard element that could be removed, replacing them entirely with a central touchscreen. Even in the Model X/S and the new Model 3, Tesla has gone so far as to eliminate the traditional gearshift lever, opting instead for seamless gear selection directly on the touchscreen. Meanwhile, in terms of its marketing strategy, Tesla employs a direct-sales model, cutting out the middleman markups typically associated with dealerships. This approach not only makes pricing more transparent but also brings the brand closer to consumers by establishing stores and experience centers in major commercial districts—enabling Tesla to connect with customers more swiftly while effectively communicating its brand values and philosophy.
Additionally, Tesla has adopted a deposit-based model—customers place an initial deposit to join the waiting list, and only after some time can they take delivery of their vehicles. In fact, a significant portion of Tesla’s vehicle production funding comes directly from these customer deposits, effectively addressing its capital challenges. Perhaps the most remarkable example is Tesla’s Cybertruck, for which orders have already surpassed 2 million units, generating deposits totaling over $200 million (approximately RMB 1.459 billion). For many automakers, such a sum would represent a substantial financial boost. To tackle the persistent issue of charging convenience, Tesla has also strategically rolled out its Supercharger network, offering not just vehicles but also electricity services. As of now, Tesla has established 50,000 Supercharging stations worldwide, with more than 10,000 of them located in China. On September 15, Tesla officially shared on the X platform a photo of its 50,000th Supercharger station.
Starting from June of this year, Tesla has also been frequently opening up its Supercharger network to its competitors, with automakers such as General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, and Toyota successively joining the Tesla Supercharging network. It’s safe to say that the primary reason Tesla has become the industry leader in electric vehicles is its relentless, end-to-end innovation across the entire value chain. To put it bluntly, today the EV industry essentially consists of two types of cars: those made by Tesla—and everything else, which largely revolves around imitating or building upon Tesla’s groundbreaking innovations. And let’s not forget that most of these innovations ultimately trace back to Tesla itself. Take the core “three-electric” technologies as an example. In 2020, Tesla introduced its innovative large cylindrical battery design. Fast forward to September 2022, BMW officially announced that starting in 2025, it would integrate the 4680 large cylindrical cells into its “NEUE KLASSE” next-generation models, having already signed supply agreements with CATL and EVE Energy. Meanwhile, NIO and Svolt Energy recently formed a joint venture aimed at jointly developing large cylindrical batteries, with mass production expected to begin as early as 2025. In the realm of electric drivetrains, both the Xpeng G6 and the IM LS6 feature cutting-edge 800V architectures powered by silicon carbide power devices—critical components that enhance efficiency and performance. Additionally, the Xpeng G6 incorporates an advanced 8-layer flat-wire oil-cooled motor, designed to withstand high voltages while minimizing energy losses. Notably, automakers like Volkswagen, NIO, and BYD are also actively investing in flat-wire motor technology, further solidifying its growing importance in the EV industry.

When it comes to integrated die-casting technology, some of the most notable examples include the NIO ET5, Zeekr 009, and HiPhi Z models. In terms of autonomous driving technology, Xpeng claims that its XPILOT system is the only domestically developed, end-to-end self-researched autonomous driving solution currently in mass production. Meanwhile, GAC is also pursuing a pure-vision approach to autonomous driving, and their independently developed XTracker method even clinched the global top spot in the pure-vision category at the nuScenes Autonomous Driving Challenge Competition in August 2022. As for supercharging stations, Xpeng has become one of the automakers with the most extensive charging infrastructure after Tesla. By August of this year, Xpeng’s ultra-fast charging network had expanded to cover over 100 cities, with more than 230 Xpeng S4 supercharging stations now operational across China. Additionally, Xpeng continues to enhance and expand its charging network further, with data showing that the company’s charging network now spans 337 prefecture-level administrative regions and municipalities directly under the central government nationwide, offering services through over 1,000 Xpeng-operated charging stations (including the S4 ultra-fast chargers).

Recently, Gao Xiang, General Manager of XPeng Motors' Smart Charging Technology Co., Ltd., announced that the company plans to have 3,000 ultra-fast charging stations completed by the end of 2025, and 5,000 by the end of 2027. In terms of exterior and interior design, today's new-energy vehicles almost universally come standard with hidden door handles, while in-car screens have gone even further—automakers are not only upgrading to larger central displays but are also significantly surpassing Tesla both in size and quantity.
Additionally, in terms of marketing strategies, new-energy vehicle showrooms have become ubiquitous across commercial districts, and the order-based model has already become standard practice in the industry. Yet these once-innovative approaches are no longer considered groundbreaking—indeed, for some automakers, the direct-sales model may not even be a viable option, as the manpower and capital investments required often far outweigh the returns. In fact, when we talk about innovation, it’s always been driven by a small group of individuals. And as a company led by such innovators—Tesla—whether in technology or marketing, it consistently stands out in remarkable ways, making it a true bellwether for the automotive industry.
This wind vane reflects, internally, the product’s technology and value orientation, while externally, it points toward the product’s price strategy. The ongoing price war this year was triggered by Tesla’s initial round of price cuts earlier this year—and it’s precisely Tesla’s strong product value that enables the company to wield significant influence over pricing. (This article is from Gasgoo.)

Translated from Sina Auto

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