"Stress-test cost claims by imagining extreme volume Musk described a specific first-principles diagnostic he uses whenever a part or product seems expensive: imagine manufacturing it at one million units per year and ask whether it is still expensive. "If it's still expensive at a million units a year, then volume is not the reason why your thing is expensive" — meaning there is something fundamental in the design that must change. This test instantly separates problems that economies of scale will solve from problems that require a design overhaul. Source: Elon Musk, Lex Fridman Podcast, Elon Musk"