Featured Prius crushes the rest of the affordable EV sales

you're pretty much spot on. if you think tesla is affordable, i'm in the wrong zip code.

if you want to debate whether prime is 'crushing' other affordable ev's, i'm up for that.

 

The base Bolt is $37.5k, and does not include DC fast charging capability.
The Leaf's price goes over $30k once you include delivery; same goes for the Ioniq Electric.
And if we are talking affordable for the majority, the Prime's starting $27k is almost half the median household income in the US.

For many, none of these cars are affordable.

 

ASP of a new light vehicle in december 2017 was $36,113, which is just about exactly where a standard pack model 3 goes $36,200 including destination. Demand is so high I don't expect them to make many until 9 months from now, but that is because hundreds of thousands are willing to pay for the long range pack($9K) and premium package ($5K). The percentage of new car buyers where the standard pack is affordable is quite high. On the other hand a new prius is not affordable to most in this country, between student loans or low paying jobs, many need to buy a used car or somehting more stripped than the prius. Most hybrid drivers though have much better than median income or wealth.

I fail to see how you can compare a prius prime to a $54K tesla and call the tesla middle of the road. To get there you have the premium and long range pack + autopilot added on. The most expensive configuration is $78K for performance, that means that 5.6 seconds to 60 is not enough, nor 5.1 nor 4.5, but people willing to pay for 3.5 seconds to 60mph with dual motors (aka all wheel drive). There simply aren't options to get to $70K any other way. On top of that you can pay for self driving $3K, $5K for autopilot, and $2.5K for bigger than 18" wheels and a different color paint job. I don't understand how you would talk about a 10 second car to 60mph being the one you want then you decide 5.1 seconds is too slow ;-)

I understand until the wait list goes down that $54K before tax credits is not affordable, but really the base configuration is in today's market. 40% of the country can't afford new cars. I'd say most of the rest can afford the loan on a tesla. Lets say a base model is affordable to a quarter of the country. It is definitely much much higher than 10%.

I thought your family had a camry hybrid. Cost with gas and insurance will not be that much higher than a model 3's base version. I'd say massachusets is less than ideal for a sports sedan, but its a stretch to say $28K for a prime is affordable but $36K for a tesla is not. Perhaps its not affordability its the wait list that separates it. ;-) How are the leaf or bolt more affordable than a model 3.

 

well, ok .... it's still a pigeon hole w/in another pigeon hole. Consider how the article is only based over a few months, not the entire production. iirc chevy volt has sold over 150K since inception. Maybe someday? I look forward to the day that the prime will surpass that number .... & by that time, maybe have a whole bunch more EV range too.

.

 

The BMW 3 series starts at $35k, and it can easily be pushed above $60k.
BMW charges $300 for Apple Carplay; $1200 for dynamic cruise control.

 

when you can buy a tesla for 35k, add it to the game. right now, you can't. i think that was the authors point. but he doesn't think you ever will, and i disagree with that. i'm hopeful at least.

prime on the other hand (and others) has steep discounts and rebates in some areas.
even cali has been throwing 2-3k at it in rebates and discounts.

 

"right now" ends MUCH sooner than this blogger ever imagined ..... at the end a this year I
Tesla Shareholder Meeting: Musk Remains Chairman, Promises a $35K Model 3 By End of Year

 

promises, promises.

 

I think you have me confused with someone else. The model 3 isn't going to be available to the average Joe in any time frame where a $35k loan and a full tax rebate is possible. I haven't commented on the acceleration of any car beyond commenting that even the v's acceleration is enough for me.

Nowhere was I comparing a Prime to a Model 3. But responding to the assertion that a Model 3 was affordable.

 

Not yet in UK. Could be because ours is a smaller market! Need an emoji for spits in disgust!

 

Thanks to Bexit, shrinking even more.

Bob Wilson

 

Now, now! You're begining to sound like one of our Europhile politicians who blame everything bad on Brexit.

 

The great thing with production goals nearly where planned;
Tesla fixes Model 3 battery/chassis marriage bottleneck, builds 500 units/day for clearer path to 5,000/week | Electrek

it means the $35K version will be on schedule (end of year) to be in production before the end of the year. No, it won't get the full $7,500 - but even with the throttled fed about, when one kicks in several of the state incentives (states that have the most EV's & largest auto populations for the most part) ... the cars will STILL be in the $20K's. That means used prices will similarly be most excellent by next year!
.

 

Same can be said about Tesla. Many Americans across the Midwest have never even seen a Tesla.

 

It doesn’t come in a pickup with a wind turbine.

Bob Wilson

 

I I saw my second Tesla 3, yesterday. The floodgates have opened.