What leaders of automotive industry could learn...

3.7.2014 Another view about from one of our e-mobile event-pirates

’What Elon Musk did, is taking batteries from consumer electronics, combining them to big packs with intelligent battery management systems. That is no rocket science.”

Dieter Zetsche, head of Daimler AG, comments on Tesla’s recent move to make its patents public, saying it may be good PR for the California carmaker, but that it cannot teach Daimler anything it did not already know.

Knowing what I know about this...
1. investing in Tesla was the single best investment Daimler has EVER made

2. Dieter may be speaking over his head with regards to what he and his team are really able to do, and what not.
3. Elon Musk also builds rockets, so in a way, yes Dieter, it is kinda rocket science.

Most people who know what is going on here and most of your engineers would agree, it is a bit more challenging than you state here...The world, and me, kindly request evidence soon of what Daimler is able to do to drive "the re-invention of the car" as your marketing departments call your electric car program to date. What have you developed in-house that compares to that of Tesla? Please give examples of say a significantly advanced electric drivetrain or perhaps a locally developed battery pack. If the battery and the battery pack technologies are not significant, please let us know where is Li-Tech Evonik battery pack that was supported by German taxpayer money in its development these days? did they not go bankrupt? did they also not understand the rocket science of building a battery pack? Perhaps you can show a successful in house project say Hybrid 500S (please try to buy one of these folks, it is literally impossible to walk out with this product because the sales folks will do their damnedest to sell you something else, with money in the trunk).

Sorry I am ranting, but when I read quotes like this from so-called leaders of industry, then I really expect them to say more, be more enlightening, constructive or supportive, or in the least be accurate. I find Dieter's greatly underestimates and undervalues Tesla technology and doesn't offer the world any significant sign that Daimler has developed or even plans do develop anything that shows they know better. Please do so! Please start the race to electric cars from your side. Please show us products that prove what you say is accurate. Or, give credit where credit is due, be a man and a leader and get cracking to create great products for the future...Tesla agains is the single best investment in the history of Daimler, and commentary as such is really a sign of the sad state of premium traditional automotive. Let's burn rubber and not oil...now.

German version:
Was die Automobilindustrie noch lernen könnte