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Detroit Electric
- Thread starter TEG
- Start date
tommolog
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AMPd
Well-Known Member
Adm
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I'd like to see Tesla take one of their previously owned Roadsters and do a one off with Model S batteries and an updated PEM. It looks like a Roadster with yesterday's tech.
I'm really excited to see what Tesla does with Roadster 3.0 in a few years... what if they throw in the dual motor AWD, 0-60 in 2.2?!? Needless to say, it's gunna be epic.
So basically, it's perhaps slightly better than a Tesla Roadster on high speed acceleration, but has worse range. And it's completely untested by a new manufacturer, and costs over $50k more than a used 2010 Tesla Roadster with less than 5000 miles on it. Also, it's significantly more expensive than a new fully loaded Tesla Model S.
I can't see this being a huge success... They're 6-7 years late.
I can't see this being a huge success... They're 6-7 years late.
Also, quote from the press release:
"The SP:01‟s bi-directional charge and discharge feature is made possible through the patented Detroit Electric home charging and power back-up unit, named „360 Powerback‟. It is a smart home-charging and power back-up unit that enables the SP:01‟s battery to be charged at the rate of 8 kWh (240V@32A)."
Would I like the company building my electric car to know the difference between kWh and kW? I'm leaning towards yes.
"The SP:01‟s bi-directional charge and discharge feature is made possible through the patented Detroit Electric home charging and power back-up unit, named „360 Powerback‟. It is a smart home-charging and power back-up unit that enables the SP:01‟s battery to be charged at the rate of 8 kWh (240V@32A)."
Would I like the company building my electric car to know the difference between kWh and kW? I'm leaning towards yes.
It would be nice.
Didn't the Zap! guys buy the Detroit Electric brand? I never got the impression that they could design or engineer themselves out of a paper bag.
GSP
There is a market for a car such as the Detroit Electric roadster, but how big it is and and whether Detroit Electric (DE) can deliver are open questions.
Market-wise, it would only go after part of the original market for the Tesla Roadster. Some people bought the Roadster because they wanted a sports car with good performance. DE has a shot at this market. The other part of of the Roadster market was composed of people who bought it despite it being a sports car. They wanted to support electric cars and have a placeholder for a sedan. Many of these Tesla owners only a put a few hundred or a few thousand miles on their cars. These people have moved on to the Model S, and they will not consider the DE roadster.
The higher top speed and lighter weight will appeal to some sports car buyers. If the ingress and egress are better than the Roadster, that would be a big plus.
Even with the best of execution, I would not expect the market for the DE roadster to be as big as the market was for the Tesla Roadster.
The price point will be a challenge, but used Roadsters may not be competition for many of the potential DE buyers. Some people will never consider buying a used car, and the DE roadster will be more "exclusive."
Execution will be a major challenge, but the new owners of Lotus seem to be doing a good job at Lotus.
Market-wise, it would only go after part of the original market for the Tesla Roadster. Some people bought the Roadster because they wanted a sports car with good performance. DE has a shot at this market. The other part of of the Roadster market was composed of people who bought it despite it being a sports car. They wanted to support electric cars and have a placeholder for a sedan. Many of these Tesla owners only a put a few hundred or a few thousand miles on their cars. These people have moved on to the Model S, and they will not consider the DE roadster.
The higher top speed and lighter weight will appeal to some sports car buyers. If the ingress and egress are better than the Roadster, that would be a big plus.
Even with the best of execution, I would not expect the market for the DE roadster to be as big as the market was for the Tesla Roadster.
The price point will be a challenge, but used Roadsters may not be competition for many of the potential DE buyers. Some people will never consider buying a used car, and the DE roadster will be more "exclusive."
Execution will be a major challenge, but the new owners of Lotus seem to be doing a good job at Lotus.
I agree there will be a market, I'm just fairly sure it won't be massively big. Tesla sold around 600 Roadsters per year, and it was a new revolutionary electic car with no alternatives for it's electric range, and cheaper as well. If Detroit Electric sells more than 200 cars a year I'd be surprised. That means the next incarnation of the Tesla Roadster will be on the market before Detroit Electric has sold it's 999 cars. At which point they're screwed.
I don't think these guys stand much of a chance. That said, lots of small companies have done fine serving the high-end collectors market for garage queens, so you never know.
There will eventually be new players in the EV market, but they will have to do at least as well as Tesla in capital efficiency plus bring some new innovations to market if they are to succeed. A "me too" Tesla clone that is more expensive and less capable is DOA.
Johan
Ex got M3 in the divorce, waiting for EU Model Y!
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