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 ...
Still to expensive.
35K is still a “luxury” car.
I want gas, and pistons, and cams, and horsepower.
Many libs will trade their Priuses in for Teslas?
To be honest $35k is still too expensive. Model S is marketed as $70k, but its really $100k to get a good version. So I suspect it will cost $50k to get a good version. 3 years is very optimistic. I suspect 5-10 years before we see affordable tesla cars
And I doubt there’s any such thing as a used electric car.
$35k is barely above the price of the $32k average car.
Elon Musk just came out in support of destroying the Patent system. Said garage tinkerers, etc, with new ideas should just take them to a big company, seeking employment in return.
Now, the guy did walk the talk by releasing all of Tesla’s patents. But at this stage of the game he can afford to, right?
I want horsepower, and quick refueling.
Where's my nuclear powered car?
Yeah... most people don’t spend more than $1500 in gas, even with today’s prices.
It is for me. I own 2 Hyundai Sonatas, 04 & 07.
Will you just look at that S car go!
I believe the patent system needs serious reform.
In a SHTF situation, you can’t even barter, borrow or steal electricity unless it’s with a generator and some gas.
So, you are stuck. It’s just easier to BBS the gas than it is to BBS gas for a generator.
It’s like I really want 50 million Americans with their little EBT ECars out there getting electricity supplements for charging their eHoopties.
Nope, they can keep them.
If I had a house fixed up with a windmill in the backyard and solar panels on the house....with all my power requirements contained within my reach....and my job was only fifteen miles away....YEAH, I’d buy one. I admit...the battery replacement cost is going to be a ‘bear’ to handle, and there’s probably some $1,000 disposal cost related to them. But if I could drive to work and have zero cost related to fuel....it’d probably convince me to go this way.
Might be a great car, I dunno. But my observations definitely aren't positive.
Fire extinguisher sales will skyrocket?
Plenty of room for you, your passenger, and storage for 2 sets of golf clubs.
All of that can be achieved for less than the Tesla price. You would be paying for the name ‘Tesla’, not the ability to drive an electric vehicle.
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