Tesla is no longer one of the 10 most innovative electric-car makers, according to the new Electromobility Report from the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, published Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. Tesla slid from 6th to 11th place with 78 index points, electrive reported. It is the first time since the ranking was introduced in 2016, when Tesla topped it, that the company has fallen out of the top 10.
The new top 10
- Geely Group: 207 index points
- Volkswagen Group: 204
- BYD: 192
- Mercedes-Benz Group: 147 (up three places)
- BMW
- SAIC
- Hyundai
- Renault
- GM
- Stellantis
The top three are unchanged from CAM's last ranking in January. Tesla's own score actually rose by 3.4 index points, electrive noted, but rivals overtook it by bringing significantly more battery-electric innovations to production. The German trade outlet Automobil Industrie (SP-X) summed it up the same way: German makers caught up further, Chinese groups held the lead, and Tesla fell back sharply.
What CAM measured
The study covers 2021 through the first half of 2026 and logged 910 series innovations from 38 automaker groups. CAM scores them mainly on range, power consumption and charging power, plus first-in-segment launches and advances in batteries and charging. Examples it highlighted include BYD's flash charging (up to 1,500 kW through a single port on the Denza Z9 GT), bidirectional charging at Mercedes and BMW, and the VW ID.3 Neo's 629 km WLTP range from a 79 kWh battery.
"Tesla, however, is losing significant ground in the innovation race," study leader Stefan Bratzel said, adding that "the decisive factor is no longer just who offers electric vehicles, but who delivers the most compelling overall packages in terms of range, charging power, efficiency, and cost."
What it means for Tesla
CAM's method rewards production-car hardware such as range and charging speed, not software like FSD or Tesla's Robotaxi service. The ranking lands on the day Tesla reports Q3 results after the market close (see our earnings preview), and a day after BYD launched a new flash-charging car (see our BYD Seagull story).