Tesla to Produce 'Affordable EV' by 2016

So apparently Clooney didn't like his Roadster. I love mine. So I guess I cancel out his comment. Clooney was fabulous in O Brother Where Art Thou, however, so I'll forgive him his silly comment about the Roadster. (And what do you expect when you buy the first model of the first car built by a brand-new company? There's going to be a few bugs.) Hey, even my 2004 Prius had to have a couple of firmware updates.

 

Trouble at the Tesla Plant expect a stock decline tomorrow

Tesla Says Three Employees Hurt in Plant Accident

 

So, what's next, pestilence?

 

I think maybe someone is selling TSLA short, and now wants to spread as much pessimism as possible to assure the price drops.

 

Agreed.
The accident sounds like one that could have happened at any number of metal working factories. If the Tesla site was still making Toyotas and GMs, it wouldn't be news.

 

People get hurt on the job everyday, why is this news!?

 

It's news because there are people afraid of electric cars, or who feel that their gasoline lifestyle is threatened, or they merely see a struggling, vulnerable company, and like hyenas they want to "help" destroy it. It's news because some people driving gasoline cars are envious of people who can afford an expensive electric car. And it's news because it's a "first" and it sounds sensational. Finally, it's "news" because news these days is nothing more than entertainment. Honesty has long gone by the wayside in news reporting, and relevance is of no concern to the managers of news outlets, whose only concern is readership/viewership/ratings which affect what they can charge for advertising, and therefore their profits. Nobody is hired in the news business anymore for their ability to report the news. They are hired for their ability to maximize profits.

 

What is a gasoline lifestyle?! If anything, those folks should welcome the success of alternative means of transport for what it would do to gasoline demand and thus the price. I can't lie, I'm also envious of those who can afford an expensive electric car that can go almost 300 miles between charges. Finally, indeed, truth is fallen in the streets.

 

The gasoline lifestyle is exemplified by Top Gear. People for whom power is not enough: They need noise as well. They like the smell of it at the pump. They love to rev their engine at a stop sign even though it serves no purpose but to show everyone around how loud their car is. They want to feel that they can drive anywhere at the drop of a hat. Someone on Prius Chat once said he needed two gasoline cars because maybe his daughter in college 300 miles away would need his presence immediately, and maybe his wife would be away somewhere in the other car, and if his was electric, he would be delayed getting there. Now that the Model S can go 300 miles (yes, it can, if driven carefully) he would say that maybe he'd have to go 400 miles on an instant. A gasoline car gives them the feeling they can go anywhere. Once Tesla's network of superchargers are in place, these folks will say maybe they'd have to go on the secondary roads, or they'd say that stopping for a half-hour charge every 300 miles is too much. They are in love with gasoline.

As you point out, they'd be better off if fewer people were using gas, but they deny that there's any shortage. They think the price rise is just market manipulation. Fortunately, more and more people are recognizing the superiority of electric, and once an EV with a usable range is cheap enough, we'll see people buying EVs faster than Tesla, Nissan, and GM put together can build them. The younger generation is more open to change than their parents.

 

Ahh, thanks for the clarification. I have a soft spot for the odor, too, but have to resist the temptation to linger due to the health risks. Beyond those who like gas for the superficial reasons (odor, noise), I can understand the practical desire surrounding range anxiety (especially with so few charging stations, which of course will change). I am spoiled by the Prius' (C, in my case) capability of going up to 500 miles on one tank, though 400 is more typical. Ideally, keeping at least one fuel-powered vehicle and one electric is good for people like me (and the above) in the transitory present and near future.

 

Yes, I am unwilling to give up the ability to drive from Spokane to Golden, BC, without a 4-hour recharging stop, there being no superchargers on that route, or the ability to drive from Revelstoke, BC, back to Spokane, same story. So I keep my 2004 Prius for those longer trips, as well as for hauling recyclables and parking at the airport when I fly. The rest of the time, it's electric for me. So much so, that I had to buy a battery minder for the Prius. I think the Prius gets about 1,500 miles per year. So when I do have to burn gas, I'm doing it in nearly the most efficient gas-burner there is.

What I tell people is that most two-car families would be better served with a stinker and an EV than with two stinkers. I understand one-car households that sometimes take long trips sticking with a stinker.

 

Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA) To Become A Mass-Market Automaker?

 

^ In that chart, they grossly understate the volume of Roadsters built. There were actually 2,500 built. The chart says 1,000. They also give the price of the top trim level. There were two trim levels: Sport and non-Sport. Base price for the non-Sport was $108,000. Sport started at $128,000 and then you could add options. I think a fully loaded Sport model was around $150,000. So they are stating the price for a fully-loaded non-Sport, or a moderately-optioned Sport. That's a very odd way to do it. I paid WAY less than what the chart says. The prices given for the others seem similarly screwy. They should state what those prices actually refer to.

 

I suspect the quantities are annual sales and the prices are the average price.
I'm not sure if I agree with their guesses, but for someone not in the company it seems plausible.

 

^ Okay. That makes sense. But "average price" is really not a useful figure. Price range would be more useful.

 

The graphic was produced by Barclay's and is aimed at people looking to invest what is Tesla's potential growth pattern. The target audience might not care what the companies products are.

 

Bloomberg: "Has Tesla Reached Limits of the Millionaire Market?" Video

 

Their answer seems to be, "no".
Of course, many buyers are not millionaires so the question is misleading. Editors like that though.