paul314
Although it won't be an issue for the luxury types, the lower price potential adopters will want to consider that for 1000 miles a month they're saving the price of something like 30 gallons of gas, which goes directly to that increment on their car payments. (And actually a little better than that, because they're paying car-financing interest rates instead of credit-card rates.)
f8lee
I wonder if the excitement about EVs will start to diminish for folks who suffer tough winters - it seems to be an issue:
https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/lousy-range-cold-weather.105476/
Of course, this would be expected as colder weather will of course kill battery life, but it's not something generally spoken of in the press.
joseph72
It is a nice article -- it makes me happy to see coverage of non-Tesla automakers finally taking BEVs seriously -- but there are some important caveats that need to be mentioned.
Firstly, some of these are being treated as compliance cars by their parent companies -- being manufactured in very small numbers, and offered in only extremely limited markets. The Kia and Hyundai are examples of this; fine vehicles... if you can even manage to order one.
Secondly, the vehicles presented all seem to have very impressive stats -- but many of these are estimates. The Leaf+, the Audi, the Taycan -- the ranges on these are estimates based on non-EPA testing cycles. Once they come to market in the USA, and have some driving history on the road, we will know what the actual numbers are. It is not too crazy to expect the ranges to drop about 10% -- or maybe more.
Thirdly, selling a BEV at a loss & propping up profitability with ICE sales is not sustainable. Customers should be skeptical of companies pursuing such a strategy -- will support for the BEV still be there in five years? How committed is the parent company, really? GM is a typical example here -- it sells the Bolt (at small volumes) at a loss of US $7k per unit or more. It has already discontinued the Spark and the Volt -- both of which received favorable reviews from their owners.
Fourthly, not all of these comparisons are exactly apples-to-apples. The Bolt, for example, does not come with DC fast charging -- unless the customer chooses to pay extra for that option. The Leaf+ apparently does not have active thermal management for the battery pack, which has caused some problems for Leaf owners in the past. GM does not offer LED headlights (which seem like a no-brainer for a car which depends on saving electricity to extend its' range) or their SuperCruise lane-keeping technology in any form on the Bolt. Nissan does have the excellent ProPilot package, but I am unsure whether it comes standard on their Leaf, or represents an optional upgrade. Porsche, Audi, BMW, and Mercedes seem to be silent on their lane-keeping abilities.
Fifthly, Tesla is not a stationary target. By the time some of these 'sometime in 2020' models roll out, the Tesla Model 3 will be available in standard range, non-premium interior trims -- with a base price of US $35k before incentives. Tesla is already offering Enhanced Autopilot as a standard feature for the Model 3 in the Chinese market -- and may eventually move in that direction in other markets as well. Longevity and performance of the battery pack is another aspect to keep an eye on -- Tesla is currently driving the technology here, improving from its' current offer of an eight year or 100k miles warranty (battery will retain 70% or more of original rated capacity while under warranty). Other manufactures offer different amounts, and that can factor into a purchasing decision.
There are lots of plans for BEVs out there; and that makes me very happy. BEVs are simply a better technology, but they are very young in their development and deployment. As it is, I believe that all of the vehicles in the above article will sell well -- they will readily find buyers whose needs they fit -- and the result will NOT be competition among BEVs, it will be between BEVS and the 98% of the market which is still ICE-only. But we as consumers need to make it clear with our purchases and feed-back to the auto manufacturers that we expect serious effort and good value in their BEV offerings, and for them to continue to push the frontier of BEV technology.
guzmanchinky
I've always wondered why they big manufacturers don't just offer electric drive on it's popular models. Maybe it just makes more sense to design a whole new car from the ground up? But yes, Tesla might not be able to survive if they bleed any sales to other companies, which is sad...
Gizmowiz
The Bolt can be fast charged for 180 miles of range in an hour. But only one time. It slows down considerably if you try to charge it a 2nd time for another 180 miles of range to almost 2 hours. So once again Chevy built in a limiter so that you'll buy there gas car and not their electric one.
apprenticeearthwiz
Tesla will undoubtedly lose market share as other EVs become available but it's worth looking at the future size of that market. 100% of all new vehicles probably by 2025. Another factor is the availability of batteries, as basic a component of EVs as ICEs have been for ICEVs. Most legacy auto makers are outsourcing their batteries which they would never have done with their ICEs. It would have been economic lunacy.
S Michael
The U.S. automakers will once again not compete for the electric vehicle market. They, as well as everyone else, knows that the magic mileage range is 500+ per charge. The U.S. car manufacturers will obfuscate, him-haw and talk, but will not make a vehicle that will meet the 500+ range. Why not? Too many ties to the fossil fuel industry. They will rely on political payoffs, bribes, lobbying whatever it will take to put off making that car.
jimbo92107
Priced for the masses = $25 thousand dollars. Wake me when that happens.
yawood
I'll start to care when you can recharge in no more than 5 minutes.
Brian M
The pure electric that might be the competition for Tesla, but the Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) like the Mitshibusi Overlander or hybrid Hydrogen/Electric vehicle (everyone seem to forget about hydrogen!
The current issue with pure electric is the practicality for a single car family. Ok you can go 100 to 200 miles, then the panic to find a charging point, followed by the wait! Perfect for short known journeys (compute), but useless if you want to visit your Great Aunt 201 miles away.
For most ordinary folk they want a single vehicle that will do both, the wealthy not so much. Hence pure electric vehicles are more for the rich and can stand the premium price.
PHEV is a different matter, especially if rebalanced to be more electric, i.e. less powerful gas engine with perhaps top gas speed of 55MPH. and battery range of 150 miles is probably the sweet spot.
Without new battery and charging technology the electric only is going to be hard pressed to compete. EV are not without their own environmental problems - hydrogen anyone?