3 ms·
UTVs are a huge market. According to one article[1], there were 670,000 sold between 2010 and 2012. That's about 223,000 per year. They range from about $10K
by atourgates 10y ago
UTVs are a huge market. According to one article[1], there were 670,000 sold between 2010 and 2012. That's about 223,000 per year. They range from about $10K - $25K new, and are popular for hunting, recreation and outdoor work (think a mini pickup that can go anywhere). If we assume the average purchase price is $15K, that's $3.3 Billion in annual sales.
I'm amazed by how many people around me, in rural Idaho, have spent ~$15K on one.
But, even assuming this thing is real, no one is going to spend $42K on one. Especially when I suspect there's a significant overlap between "people who are skeptical of electric vehicles" and "people who are likely to purchase a UTV".
You'll notice they left price out of their comparison table, because it would look like this:
* NIKOLA ZERO: $42,000
* POLARIS RZR 1000 TURBO: $24,999
* CANAM MAVERICK TURBO: $22,999
* ARTIC CAT WILDCAT: $20,999
And they're comparing the Zero to top of the line most expensive models from their competitors. I think the average purchase price is probably much closer to $15K on a UTV.
I will say that the pricing is the one thing that lends credibility to this company. I expect building a good electric UTV really would cost close to $40K. If I were just trying to build hype, I'd price it much closer to my competitors.
[1] https://www.sema.org/sema-news/2014/07/utility-task-vehicles-by-the-numbers https://www.sema.org/sema-news/2014/07/utility-task-vehicles...