Perhaps the Model X should have been a service vehicle. A cube van ! Instead of intricate, rich, and lavish, it would have been bigger, sparse, barren, and ready for business, as well as for customization for those who couldn't wait for a factory-built SUV/CUV... remember the rockin' custom Econoline 150's in the 70s and 80s ?? :biggrin: In the same way the Roadster - Model S - Model 3 development strategy (oh and the original one didn't mention the X by my recollection) paved the way in cautious steps, the X cargo van could have created a robust, "overly engineered" service platform that've readily adapted to a luxurious SUV / CUV vehicle with towing capabilities. Just an idea, I haven't done a business plan or anything ... the commercial vehicle market is a very different one. Thoughts ?
Cube vans have horrible aerodynamics. 300 miles of range could easily work out to 150 miles real world. I do agree that most local delivery trucks will soon switch to electric because they stand to save a ton on gas even if the upfront costs are higher.
lol both very nice :biggrin: How about this: Ironically, that beast was born of the opposite strategy I suggested above -- a car that was made into a van that was then turned into a service vehicle. Poor Torqueflite 4-speed car transmissions :scared:
I suspect the commercial space runs on thinner margins than Tesla seems to want to chase. That said, Smith Electric Vehicles seems to do OK. And Nissan is doing an electric version of the NV200 van. The space is littered with the remains of dead companies though. Sadly Bright Automotive's PHEV Idea van never saw the light of day.
Hopefully Ford will approach Tesla to get an electric drivetrain for their Transit Courier and similar vans. I rather doubt the same will happen with the Mercedes-Benz/Dodge Sprinter vans.