Toni Koschier @ToniKoschier

Finnland: Peter Dinklage auf gross ... #ESC2026

Just finished a one-week trip to China. I've now "survived" all the major (~20) L2 self-driving and robotaxi vehicles in both the US and China. Some thoughts & observations: ▶️L2 self-driving I tested major brands like $Huawei, $Li, $NIO, $Xpeng, and $Xiaomi. Overall, they exceeded my expectations. The rides were not overly cautious and handled complex situations (yes, road conditions in China are very challenging!) quite well. Nothing compares to $Tsla's approach. I see imitation learning/end-to-end as the only effective approach for self-driving. While Chinese peers perform well on main roads, they struggle on frontage roads due to reliance on high-precision maps and rule-based methods (e.g. cars stopped in the middle of the road where there was no clear white lining). Chinese EVs' self-driving capabilities are far ahead of those from US and EU brands. I doubt any Chinese players can profit from L2 self-driving, not because it’s not useful, but because it’s hard to differentiate, and price wars dominate the market in China. Chinese consumers and regulators seem much more receptive to self-driving. Even with a 5/10 self-driving capability, cars are practically *hands-free(!)* Insurance-wise, for L3+ cars, OEMs bear responsibility for incidents, so OEMs avoid labeling cars as L3+. ▶️Robotaxi I tested major brands like Pony.ai, $Didi, and $Bidu. I'd rate Pony.ai equal to $Waymo, and it's ahead of other peers. However, the same issue applies here: user experience is nearly perfect (in Yizhuang, Beijing), but expansion is the real question. Chinese robotaxi companies are very sophisticated. While the rest of the world focuses on technology, Chinese peers treat it as a product, considering unit economics, operations, mass production, etc. Interestingly, most companies expressed a preference NOT to operate fleets themselves. They aim to be asset-light and let fleet managers handle operations. Policy Support: China has a very clear approval process, driven by data (autonomous driving distance, fully driverless distance, intervention rate, passenger ratings, etc.). ▶️Chinese EVs In major cities like Beijing or Shanghai, EV adoption (green license plates vs. gas cars with blue license plates) seems to be 40%+. If 40% of cars on the road are EVs, then EV penetration (defined as the % of new car sales) must already be over 50%. In shopping malls, the ground floor is filled with EV showrooms—easily 10+ brands, many of which are unfamiliar Chinese brands. It appears almost too easy to make an electric car, which is a stark contrast to the US. $Xiaomi, for example, can achieve a 10% gross profit margin in its first year of operation, compared to $RIVN's -45%. Additionally, $Xiaomi cars are priced at 30% of $RIVN's price. It's fascinating to see how China transitioned from "couldn't make their own gas cars at all (only JVs)" to "dominating EVs globally." The government deserves credit for setting the direction and executing effectively. China now controls the entire supply chain, with $CATL holding 40% of the global market share. 🔹How did it happen? The success of the industry Incentives were set just right: the government provided incentives early on to make EVs and gas cars have comparable MSRPs, allowing consumers to choose based on functionality. This approach differs from how the IRA offers incentives... Perfectly competitive market: $TSLA was brought in, and competition was welcomed, unlike the US, which has a 100% import tax on Chinese EVs. Strategic regulations: License plate restrictions were used effectively; for example, taxis and minivans are required to be EVs. 🔹The challenges Despite the success, the industry faces challenges with low-margin companies and struggling stocks. The intense competition shows no sign of ending. Well-funded global OEMs and Chinese state-owned car companies continue to subsidize, leading to new EV brands emerging annually. The natural tendency in China is to race to the bottom. I think this ties back to China's history as the "world’s factory," where manufacturers price products at "cost plus" versus the US and developing countries, which price based on "affordability/value creation." 🔹The wow EV feature >Software features that surprised me the most: - Everything in the car can be voice-controlled. Not just simple tasks like playing music; users can adjust the height of the steering wheel and set the temperature easily. - Self-parking, which $Tsla has yet to release to all FSD users, is already a table stake in China (I'd rate the quality as 10/10). >Other fun hardware features: - Mini fridges in the car - Infotainment systems - IoT: remote access the car/home via cellphone - all connected together - Heads-up displays - UV-protected glass roofs: $Xiaomi took $Tsla's design, but the glass roof of the $Xiaomi car is made of double layers with silver, blocking 99.9% of UV and infrared rays...as a result, heat is no longer a problem inside the car

Julian Assange is free. Yes.

@elonmuskADO Depends on what it offers

@RonFilipkowski Dunning-Kruger at its best

🇺🇲 SEC approved all 9 #BitcoinETF 🥳📈🔥 Mega Bullish for 2024-2025 📈 #Bitcoin

@florianklenk Who is this Kathine Hammer Person?

"Wir betreten klimatisches Neuland"

refer.beeper.com/6nzsp6 Hallo crowd. Nachdem ich gefühlt 20 Posteingänge habe und den Überblick über die ganzen Nachrichten von iMessage, Signal, WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, Linkedin, X (Twitter), Instagram, etc. verliere, habe ich als Lösungsansatz eine neue Gattung App gefunden. Die konsolidiert nämlich den Eingang aller Instant-Messaging-Apps auf einen einzigen Eingang. Enjoy.

🚨URGENT: It's been a month since @aidesep_org sent a letter to @GCFTaskForce demanding it cut off funding to any member state that contributes to the dismantling of Indigenous rights and deforestation, but to date have received no response. #ProtectPIACI amazonwatch.org/take-action/de…

T minus 5 ...

Sende hundertmal tausend Bitcoin, sonst My Ei kaputt, Easter kaputt, alle kaputt ... eine etwas andere Ostergeschichte #ostern2023 sh1.sendinblue.com/aj091mw4n9pfe.…

@v10vinit @onbeeper You got an invite? Can I have one, too?

Anyone @onbeeper ?

@onbeeper Hi, I signed up for your waitlist and was just wondering if anybody else was using Beeper so I could get an invite ...

Witnessed and recorded the most INSANE car crash yesterday, you can see Autopilot also swerve and avoid the rouge tire for me $TSLA

Diese Meinung teile ich im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes. diepresse.com/6267600/mikl-l…