According to Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk, Tesla is on track to produce and sell 20,000 Tesla model S electric cars in 2013. Whether Tesla and Elon can achieve this goal remains to be seen. Elon Musk, like Steve Jobs, is the iconic face of Tesla and one should never think about selling him short. In addition to Tesla, Elon also founded SpaceX, a space exploration company, which has made some notable achievements in space exploration.
Today's question is would you buy a car from Tesla Motors?
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The Model S costs $57k because it's a luxury car. I'm not in the market for/able to afford a luxury car, so I wouldn't buy that. Of course I would love to own one, though. Just as I would love to own a Tesla Roadster, or for that matter, a real Lotus. But I'm assuming Telsa will be eventually moving into the mainstream consumer market, and at that point, when they start selling a car in my price range, I would definitely seriously consider it.
Tesla's strategy, apparently, is instead of coming from the modest, be sensible, save the earth aesthetic that other fuel efficient vehicles went with (small, not too flashy...), they're coming with the intent to show how awesome an electric car can be. So first they released a flashy high-performance sports car, and then they released a big, high performance luxury sedan. Next they're coming with a crossover SUV.
In Europe 'gas' is already over $ 9, yes NINE per gallon.
At 50000 plus a car with no gas cost that saves over two hundred a month, thats over 2400 a year. A state of the art luxury car, give me a break.
57 thousand dollars ? Give me a break? The EV 1, remember "Who killed the electric car?" back in 2000, only cost 12 thou and worked pretty well with lead-acid batteries. Why in H should the Tesla cost 57 thou unless the oil companies are rigging it to protect their oil prices? There is a dead fish here and I think I know who left it.
Bob, I don't hear you complaining about the tax break given to people who bought Humvees. I think they get less than 10 miles per gallon. And regarding development subsidies, China funds its solar and alternative energy research. We're already buying their solar products, and they will be eating our collective lunch in the very near future. Is there any govt supported research that you would condone (besides the industrial/military/politician complex?
I would buy a Tesla four door sedan if there were charging stations all over the place,.The price is to high for the 4 door sedan. The price should be 40k max to be able to sell in mass.
Here's a more sensible approach, Consumer Reports: Want to buy a used electric car, cheap?
http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2013/01/want-to-buy-a-used-electric-car-cheap.html
The price is ridiculous and, frankly, I'm sick of the government handing taxpayer money over to people who don't need it. The tax credit for EV buyers is just like the Cash for Clunkers program, welfare for those who don't need it. Consider that if Tesla does sell 20,000 vehicles in 2013, the government will hand out $150 million in tax credits to movie stars and celebrities who buy these toys.
i presume, bob, that you feel the same about the billions that the government has given to the oil companies in tax benefits, credits, etc.
Oil companies worked for their money not sit home on their fat butts begging for more.
De acuerdo , Agree 100% Oil Co. work hard for the $......
lol
You meant to say, "Oil companies work hard for their subsidies and tax breaks". Yeah, they pay their lobbyists in Washington quite well to get a favorable business advantage over other energy producing industries. By this I mean maintaining the infrasctructure status quo.
I don't disagree that "green energy" and other non-petroleum based companies waste $billions in taxpayer's money (e.g., foisting corn-based ethanol on the industry is complete sham, based purely on political backscratching, not science), but it cracks me up whenever I hear the right claiming that eliminating tax breaks for green energy companies is a good "spending cut" but eliminating necessary subsidies for oil companies is a bad "tax increase". What hypocritical nonsense.
Perhaps if they eliminated ALL subsidies, lobbyists, crony capitalists, environmental extremism, and massive OSHA regulations, this country could get back to true free market capitalism and let the scientists, engineers, entrepeneurs and businesmen determine where best to deploy capital in order to produce the most efficient products and services. This is just my libertarian pipe dream...
Oil Companies increased production of Oil in the US to new highs, and reduce our dependence to foreign oil.
Electric Cars, and especially high-end expensive cars like Tesla, are not a solution to energy problems, and definitely not for the masses.
When > 35% of electrical energy produced is wasted by our antiquated grid, (not to mention other inefficiencies), this is another example of the government putting the money where it is most seen, and not necessarily where it is most needed.
Yes, 20,000 is a large number for Tesla, but insignificant number when you calculate the energy savings associated with this total number of cars. This is, as well put by Bob, a bonus from the government (actual from all of us), to those who need it the least and who can afford buying luxury cars.
Boys:
Just a couple of words - Shale Oil. Pull you heads out, its coming. Of course, we do still have to refine it and our illustrious government will not allow a refinery to be built so we're probably still in the soup.