Research over Adverts: Tesla Spends Big on R&D

A new report from StockApps.com shows Tesla far outstripping the competition in terms of research and development spending, while managing to keep their market and media popularity without spending a cent on advertising.

It’s certainly no secret that Tesla places a lot of importance on developing the tech that makes the company a household name in EVs; but the report shows that Tesla more than doubles its closest competitor for R&D spending, shelling out $2984 USD per vehicle in research costs.

And it’s obviously paying off. Gigafactories, new batteries, FSD progress, manufacturing upscaling… Tesla’s been moving at breakneck speed compared to their competitors for quite some time now.

But perhaps the more eye-catching statistic is the 0$ per vehicle spent on advertising the Tesla brand. Now, a quick glance shows that their competitors aren’t spending much on advertising either - people tend to buy vehicles as they need them, not because they can - but Tesla is a well known brand of EV, and they’re managing that solely on word of mouth. Incredible.

Both of these numbers likely come from the same source: Elon Musk himself. Elon is often heard talking about his commitment to developing new products and more efficient uses of tech; while his antics on social media have made him - and obviously his companies - very popular.