6 ms·

Tesla needs time to establish its reputation. With only one car, one that is expensive regardless of taxation, that is not going to be an easy task. This may be

Tesla needs time to establish its reputation. With only one car, one that is expensive regardless of taxation, that is not going to be an easy task. This may be doubly so in China. Outside of China... They really need lower priced cars if they are in it for the long haul. At their current price point they are merely skimming the low hanging fruit of the wealthy, people who can afford a second car that has limitations. They are simply not moving fast enough into the price point of where the majority of cars sell and as such are ceding that market to the established players who once they focus their attention will pretty much lock it up because of better brand awareness. Both Ford and Chevy will have cars in the lower range with sufficient range by the 2017 model year.

mikeash 12y ago
There's no need for a Tesla to be a second car. Lots of people just own that, and nothing else. As for an affordable, long-range Ford/Chevy EV in 2017, I'll believe it when I see it. As far as I know (and I certainly could be wrong), battery price and production capacity are the limiting factors for an affordable, mass-market EV at the moment, and Tesla is the only one taking steps to remedy that. Tesla is also the only one solving the problem of long-distance travel. Ford and Chevy may produce EVs that can go 200 miles on a charge, but they'll also go about 200 miles in a day. Tesla's Model 3 will go 200 miles on a charge but 5-800 miles in a day (depending on how hard you want to push it).
- dragontamer 12y ago
  > battery price and production capacity are the limiting factors for an affordable, mass-market EV at the moment, and Tesla is the only one taking steps to remedy that. Kinda, not really. LG Chem's Michigan factory is selling to both Ford and GM now, and I hear that its still got production capacity to grow. Michigan in general is littered with the scattered remains of various battery manufacturing facilities that have gone bankrupt through 2010 and 2015. The investments are there, the market demand for EVs isn't however. The hope is that Tesla will be different however, which it may very well be. But it is treading upon a region where many others have failed.
- maxerickson 12y ago
  Is the Chevy Volt too pragmatic to be considered a competitor with pure EV?
  - mikeash 12y ago
    It's certainly a competitor. Any car is a competitor to a pure EV, except to the irrelevantly small segment of the population who refuses to consider anything else. Personally, I thought the Volt is pretty cool and seriously considered it when buying a new car about two years ago, but the lack of a middle seat in the back was a deal-killer for me. Similarly, I considered Ford's Energi plugins, and rejected them because they lacked cargo space. I ended up going with a Prius v, which is a decent car and has lots of room. For EVs to be interesting, they need to get away from the model of building a compromised car that people buy because it's an EV. The batteries intrude into the cabin, the range is poor, they often look weird, etc. I don't think most people are buying a Volt because it's the best car for the money. They're buying it because they want an EV, and it's an OK car for the money. A Model S, on the other hand, is just plain good. It's a nice car that just happens to be an EV. There's no, "This is a problem, but at least it's an EV." It's, "This is great, and can you believe it's an EV too?" The only "but" with the Model S is, of course, the tremendous price. It's similar to hybrids. The original Honda Insight was extremely efficient, but compromised. The original Prius was similar. You bought them to save gas, and sacrificed for it. Fast-forward to 2013, and I bought a Prius v because it was the best car for my needs for the money, ignoring fuel efficiency. The fact that it got 40-50MPG was just a bonus. And that's why they're popular. If Tesla can repeat the Model S experience with the Model 3 at a more reasonable price, I can't see anyone else matching it. That's a big "if" of course, but they at least have a shot. Are the other car makers going to build something that's just plain good, or are they going to continue building cars where being electric is the main reason to buy them?
  - coryrc 12y ago
    It's small, uncomfortable, and expensive, as well as having poor mpg on gas. In about any calculation, a Corolla is a better deal. The Leaf, on the other hand, is selling gobs of them for a good reason.
    - 12y ago

mikeash 12y ago

There's no need for a Tesla to be a second car. Lots of people just own that, and nothing else. As for an affordable, long-range Ford/Chevy EV in 2017, I'll believe it when I see it. As far as I know (and I certainly could be wrong), battery price and production capacity are the limiting factors for an affordable, mass-market EV at the moment, and Tesla is the only one taking steps to remedy that. Tesla is also the only one solving the problem of long-distance travel. Ford and Chevy may produce EVs that can go 200 miles on a charge, but they'll also go about 200 miles in a day. Tesla's Model 3 will go 200 miles on a charge but 5-800 miles in a day (depending on how hard you want to push it).

dragontamer 12y ago
> battery price and production capacity are the limiting factors for an affordable, mass-market EV at the moment, and Tesla is the only one taking steps to remedy that. Kinda, not really. LG Chem's Michigan factory is selling to both Ford and GM now, and I hear that its still got production capacity to grow. Michigan in general is littered with the scattered remains of various battery manufacturing facilities that have gone bankrupt through 2010 and 2015. The investments are there, the market demand for EVs isn't however. The hope is that Tesla will be different however, which it may very well be. But it is treading upon a region where many others have failed.
maxerickson 12y ago
Is the Chevy Volt too pragmatic to be considered a competitor with pure EV?
- mikeash 12y ago
  It's certainly a competitor. Any car is a competitor to a pure EV, except to the irrelevantly small segment of the population who refuses to consider anything else. Personally, I thought the Volt is pretty cool and seriously considered it when buying a new car about two years ago, but the lack of a middle seat in the back was a deal-killer for me. Similarly, I considered Ford's Energi plugins, and rejected them because they lacked cargo space. I ended up going with a Prius v, which is a decent car and has lots of room. For EVs to be interesting, they need to get away from the model of building a compromised car that people buy because it's an EV. The batteries intrude into the cabin, the range is poor, they often look weird, etc. I don't think most people are buying a Volt because it's the best car for the money. They're buying it because they want an EV, and it's an OK car for the money. A Model S, on the other hand, is just plain good. It's a nice car that just happens to be an EV. There's no, "This is a problem, but at least it's an EV." It's, "This is great, and can you believe it's an EV too?" The only "but" with the Model S is, of course, the tremendous price. It's similar to hybrids. The original Honda Insight was extremely efficient, but compromised. The original Prius was similar. You bought them to save gas, and sacrificed for it. Fast-forward to 2013, and I bought a Prius v because it was the best car for my needs for the money, ignoring fuel efficiency. The fact that it got 40-50MPG was just a bonus. And that's why they're popular. If Tesla can repeat the Model S experience with the Model 3 at a more reasonable price, I can't see anyone else matching it. That's a big "if" of course, but they at least have a shot. Are the other car makers going to build something that's just plain good, or are they going to continue building cars where being electric is the main reason to buy them?
- coryrc 12y ago
  It's small, uncomfortable, and expensive, as well as having poor mpg on gas. In about any calculation, a Corolla is a better deal. The Leaf, on the other hand, is selling gobs of them for a good reason.
  - 12y ago