Seminar “Disruptive Electrification. The Effect of Tesla on the field of Mobility in Germany”

University Nürtingen-Geislingen (HfWU). Sustainable Mobilities Program

www.hfwu.de

In this course we will study the impact of Tesla for Germany’s economic, social and political landscape in relation to the automotive industry, the transportation sector, and the field of mobility. The question looming on the horizon is the following: Which role is Tesla playing in the “Verkehrswende” (turnaround in traffic), i.e. the paradigmatic shift in mobility – besides its disruptive effect on the German auto industry?
We will focus on Tesla as a digital company, as a disruptor of the established industry, and as one key player driving forward the electrification of privately owned cars.
Will the advent of Tesla result in an ecological update of the automobility dispositif?
We will examine Tesla as a facilitator of a socio-technical change, as a factor in the digitization of social structures.
We will analyze Tesla’s production system in comparison to Fordism and Lean production, the dominant role model in automotive industry.
We will analyze the Tesla ecosystem comprised of software-centered product, platform-shaped business model and its customer relations.
We will examine the effect on German work relations, unions, and the land of Brandenburg as projected third largest site in car industry.