# Configuration Case Study: Tesla Toyota and Volkswagen are giants. Maybe not in terms of growth rate and innovation, but certainly in terms of scale. I suspect in a few years when [Toyota's solid state batteries](https://www.ft.com/content/6224f235-568c-4e2f-8247-e7dacf0ef20c) are fully deployed, we’ll be changing our tune, but at least up until today, Tesla's **configuration** in technology set it apart. The recent teardown of the Model 3 by [Nikkei Business Publications](https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Most-read-in-2020/Tesla-teardown-finds-electronics-6-years-ahead-of-Toyota-and-VW) highlighted Tesla's advanced **integrated** central control unit. The integration is a significant distinction from the rest of the market. > Also known as Hardware 3, this little piece of tech is the company's biggest weapon in the burgeoning EV market. It could end the auto industry supply chain as we know it. An engineer from one of the big Japanese manufacturers looked at it and said, "We cannot do it," and estimated that it would take six years for their firm to catch up to Tesla.
> Most parts inside the Model 3 do not bear the name of a supplier. Instead, many have the Tesla logo, including the substrates inside the ECUs. This suggests the company maintains tight control over the development of almost all key technologies in the car. My takeaway: the relationships big automakers maintain with long-standing supply chains, helmed by whole departments which tend to fight for their own survival, have hindered their progress here.
This is a **configuration** problem. Which organizational “parts,” set up which way, will help the business achieve its strategy? In the case of Tesla vs. Toyota, the parts include external vs. internal suppliers or producers, defined by the goals of the teams associated with that work. Is it “develop the brain for our self-driving future” or “manage the supply chain for XYZ chip-sets”? --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://book.cpj.fyi/configure/configuration-case-study-tesla.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.