Posted on 07/21/2014 7:37:53 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Tesla said this week that its $35,000 entry, due in 2017 (or thereabouts), will be called the Model 3. One of the keys to making a cheaper Tesla is battery technology, as CEO Elon Musk pointed out to Auto Express earlier in the week.
I chatted with John Voelcker, senior editor for High Gear Media, which publishes Green Car Reports, in the wake of the news. He offered insight into what impact a lower-priced Tesla might have.
Q: Tesla has sold very pricey cars to date. How might a $35,000 Model 3 shake things up?
John Voelcker: A list price of $35,000 is a very nice place to be as compared to the current Model S, which is selling well for its category, but this is a category that starts at $70,000 and goes up to six figures. So, if Tesla can in fact introduce the Model 3, as it's now called, at a base price of $35,000 with a 200-mile electric range, that will take them into a whole new order of magnitude of volume.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnet.com ...
The existence of shale gas and fracked oil production, despite government assistance to develop it further into self-sustaining heights, will continue to enable higher efficiency methods of energy conversion (combustion vs electric)to be predominant.
The only way for electric/battery to get a bigger foothold and to even begin to compete is if Government spends massive amounts of other peoples’ money to allow a select smaller subset of people to pursue their whimsy via subsidies.
Even the poor (they have to get to their mythical jobs, to the drug store to get their medicines, to take their chilruns to skrool, etc.) would need one of these eHoopties. And they’d need to gubmint to pay for it and to pay for running it, too.
They are not driving the right cars..
my current 1000 dollar car is a 2009 Chevy Uplander. It does have a prior salvage title, and I spent 300 bucks at the pick-a-part yard pulling the needed body parts (in the same color) to fix it. but I don’t think it looks to bad. it was a light front end hit, they hit a deer. cost me a bumper, left fender, hood and headlight. Total spent 1050 dollars.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5qmngz7hvpjq6qp/2014-07-19%2009.29.39.jpg
job 15 miles away? take a bike. Tesla has between charge range from 150-225
I agree. Until they can charge the car in 10 minutes, cross county would be a real time drag.
I see Teslas in LA Orange Co and San Diego all the time.
They look good.
I hope they sell enough to keep the R&D going.
When the advantages outweigh the gas powered, they will have something. I’m thinking 10 years, if they can hold on.
If they will be eligible for the free charging then 35k is a steal.
And who pays for the free charge?
And it is still way out of the range of most consumers. Below $20K is compelling. $35K is not.
The neat feature of electric car batteries is they have a limited number of recharge cycles they can stand, built in drop dead date. But, if you do not use it (park it and do not use it for a while) it dies even more quickly.
Battling this “feature” right now with a relative’s car. She was going to save so much money not having to buy gasoline,...LOL!
Gotta let the market work it’s magic. When a good cheap efficient electric car is built people will buy it. But for now I’ll take an F-type Jag please.
how much is a battery replacement and what kind of car doe she have?
I show the F type at 50,000 and up. Is that your cheap, efficient car?
0r is it 90,000?
I want it done for greedy capitalist reasons, works way better.
During summer, I don't even store any of my cordless tools in the garage; they come in to the A/C.
what’s replacement cost for which car?
Not bad at all!
Sorry I was unclear....I was talking about the car batteries crapping out under warranty.
Tesla has free charging stations across the country for the S-Type. Coast to coast for free.
and who pays for it?
“Yeah... most people don’t spend more than $1500 in gas, even with today’s prices.”
I spend over $6,000 a year. At $3.50/gallon it isn’t hard to do.
No a dream car.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
