That’s better than the $100,000 Tesla Roadster, but more expensive than the Chevy Volt, expected to hit about the same time for $40,000.
On the other hand, the Tesla Model S five-passenger sedan will be able to go 225 miles on a single charge (at least according to Engadget, I can’t find any official info on Tesla Motors’ site yet), substantially better than the 40-mile range on the Volt.
This is good news.
And when Tesla gets around to releasing a $25,000 electric sedan in 2015 or so, it could well be a mainstream product.
But I stick to my original prediction that the first batch of electric cars won’t be cost-effective for average buyers.
Heck, even hybrids don’t currently make sense for a lot of drivers.
Check out this story today from our automotive reporter, Terry Box, on the current wave of “hybrid hysteria:”
Because of the higher cost of the Prius compared with a Toyota Corolla - which starts at about $15,000 and gets 27 miles per gallon in town - a buyer would need to keep the Prius for at least 5.5 years to justify the additional expense, he said. The dealership is selling its Priuses for their window-sticker prices, he said.
“When we walk them through the survey, probably 50 percent of our Prius prospects leave in a Corolla or Camry,” Mr. Mathews said. “With all the anger on this [fuel] issue, we just want to make sure people buy the car they really need.”
Drew Campbell, president of the New Car Dealers Association of Metropolitan Dallas, said he doubts that skyrocketing fuel prices will continue their “irrational” movement up. He suggested that people carefully assess all of the costs involved before jumping from a depreciating large vehicle to an inflated small one.
“When there’s blood in the streets, sometimes the best course is to not get in the street,” he said.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Entries (RSS)