Like it or not, electric cars are going mass market.

[toto_48313]

Very nice article:

http://www.minyanville.com/sectors/...ndication&medium=portals&from=yahoo&refresh=1

"There are a lot of obstacles to electric-car adoption in terms of infrastructure build-out and consumer comfort with a new technology, but mark my words, the Model S is the tip of the iceberg. It's going to change the industry because it's raising the bar so dramatically. Ultimately, consumers are going to win because we're going to get far better cars. "

 

[VolkerP]

agree, and with profound insights.

 

[mhpr262]

They really seem to. I saw a Model S on my commute to work last year (one of only three demo cars in Europe atm, I believe), I have seen two BMW i3 prototypes and one i8 (a mean looking thing), two Twizys just in the last three weeks ... things are taking off.

 

[Soflason]

Great article. It's so difficult to find something to benchmark Tesla against -- I appreciate the comparison to the rapid growth/adoption of Prius as a way to (possibly) parallel what might be coming w/ Tesla. Even that comparison is not appropriate, but, at least it's a way for folks to understand the obvious upside in easy, simple terms.

 

[jkirkebo]

They really seem to. I saw a Model S on my commute to work last year (one of only three demo cars in Europe atm, I believe), I have seen two BMW i3 prototypes and one i8 (a mean looking thing), two Twizys just in the last three weeks ... things are taking off.

Three demo cars in the whole of Europe? Nope. We have more than that in Norway alone. At least 5 (one white, one silver, one black and two blue ones) that I know of.

Three in the EU might be correct, I wouldn't know.

 

[Cosmacelf]

The original article linked above was good, but failed to mention the average selling prices of the Prius and the Tesla - they are quite different. The price will be the MS limiting factor. Having said that, I'm reasonably confident that Tesla will figure out how to make, sell, and profit a $40,000 car before anyone else can. But it won't be in the next couple of years...

 

[Hache]

Here in France (cheap electricity), I see many delivery fast-foods (pizza, sushi) going for electric cars (twizy, iMiev).

 

[Iz]

Good article to read on a Sunday morning. Negative comments always have the same talking points (vehicle price, government subsidies and coal-generated electricity).

 

[tdelta1000]

EVs are already mass market. The next objective is to make them globally accepted as viable means to transport. BTW, good article.

 

[Kwillscherer1026]

EVs are already mass market. The next objective is to make them globally accepted as viable means to transport. BTW, good article.

I think for EVs to become globally accepted some drastic changes need to made to charging speeds and battery capacity, and of course price. Until this happens, which I am confident it will in the coming years, it will not be ideal for all drivers.

 

[VolkerP]

while I agree on a "convenience" point of view, there will be the aspect of availability/affordability of petrol/gasoline that will make EVs look desirable. Cheap gas everywhere surely will decease over time.

 

[Benz]

The momentum is building up. Change is inevitable, but it will take time. 2013 will prove to be a very important year in the build up towards a global EV adoption.

 

[Grendal]

I think for EVs to become globally accepted some drastic changes need to made to charging speeds and battery capacity, and of course price. Until this happens, which I am confident it will in the coming years, it will not be ideal for all drivers.

Let's say price dropped to $50 per kWh, I could see that the lower price would drive people to buy an EV over a gas car. Even with current charging rates people would change their habits for the savings.

Convenience is important but not the only driving force.

 

[vfx]

I think for EVs to become globally accepted some drastic changes need to made to charging speeds and battery capacity, and of course price. Until this happens, which I am confident it will in the coming years, it will not be ideal for all drivers.

No way that it has to be for all drivers. There are 8, 6, 4 cylinder and rotary engines. There are trucks, sports cars, mini vans, super safe cars, and enconoboxes. Telsa can do just fine grabbing just segments of the driving population. Given that they make a car thati s fast, quiet, safe ,techy, fun, roomy, and inexpensive to operate, the whole "charge at home" thing can easily be overlooked by millions who realize that 9 out of 10 is fine for them.

 

[dsm363]

I think for EVs to become globally accepted some drastic changes need to made to charging speeds and battery capacity, and of course price. Until this happens, which I am confident it will in the coming years, it will not be ideal for all drivers.

There is no single car right for all people anyway. A Prius isn't ideal for a farmer or construction worker on the job anymore than an EV is ideal for a salesperson that drives 400+ miles a day. Everything you said about price...is all correct of course too.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Let's say price dropped to $50 per kWh, I could see that the lower price would drive people to buy an EV over a gas car. Even with current charging rates people would change their habits for the savings.

Convenience is important but not the only driving force.

At $50/kWh, unless it were incredibly low density everybody would at least be driving a PHEV. The economics would be incredibly good, especially for large-engined vehicles.

 

[Kwillscherer1026]

Let's say price dropped to $50 per kWh, I could see that the lower price would drive people to buy an EV over a gas car. Even with current charging rates people would change their habits for the savings.

Convenience is important but not the only driving force.

Oh I am sure that if rates dropped $50 per kWh those that can afford to make the switch. My point is that the technology just isn't there currently for it to be "mainstream". Tesla is making some leaps and bound with their superchargers, which is a step in the right direction but I do not see people changing there habits that dramatically. Perhaps in a perfect world but our society is too focused on getting from Point A to Point B as fast as possible without interruption (charging the vehicle). Later down the road it is definitely a possibility.

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There is no single car right for all people anyway. A Prius isn't ideal for a farmer or construction worker on the job anymore than an EV is ideal for a salesperson that drives 400+ miles a day. Everything you said about price...is all correct of course too.

That is what I am saying, until there are vehicles being made for farmers, construction workers, long commuters, and everything in between it is not going to globally accepted. Not too mention countries that can't support EV usage, like the middle east.

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No way that it has to be for all drivers. There are 8, 6, 4 cylinder and rotary engines. There are trucks, sports cars, mini vans, super safe cars, and enconoboxes. Telsa can do just fine grabbing just segments of the driving population. Given that they make a car thati s fast, quiet, safe ,techy, fun, roomy, and inexpensive to operate, the whole "charge at home" thing can easily be overlooked by millions who realize that 9 out of 10 is fine for them.

That has been working for Tesla so far, but I wasn't just talking specifically about Tesla. I was merely talking about EV usage being accepted around the world. It has caught on in the U.S. and is becoming more accepted, but we are far from it being a global phenomenon. The technology just isnt there yet. I can't wait for the day that I go to Honduras and I see them driving Leafs and Volts rather than a 1970 Jeep, but it is not going to happen yet.

 

[dsm363]

Oh I am sure that if rates dropped $50 per kWh those that can afford to make the switch. My point is that the technology just isn't there currently for it to be "mainstream". Tesla is making some leaps and bound with their superchargers, which is a step in the right direction but I do not see people changing there habits that dramatically. Perhaps in a perfect world but our society is too focused on getting from Point A to Point B as fast as possible without interruption (charging the vehicle). Later down the road it is definitely a possibility.

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That is what I am saying, until there are vehicles being made for farmers, construction workers, long commuters, and everything in between it is not going to globally accepted. Not too mention countries that can't support EV usage, like the middle east.

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That has been working for Tesla so far, but I wasn't just talking specifically about Tesla. I was merely talking about EV usage being accepted around the world. It has caught on in the U.S. and is becoming more accepted, but we are far from it being a global phenomenon. The technology just isnt there yet. I can't wait for the day that I go to Honduras and I see them driving Leafs and Volts rather than a 1970 Jeep, but it is not going to happen yet.

The technology is there for most people's daily use but the price isn't (yet). I agree we are a long way from an EV being the perfect car/truck for every single auto segment but there is no one single gas powered car that fits every segment now either (that is fuel efficient at least).

 

[Kwillscherer1026]

The technology is there for most people's daily use but the price isn't (yet). I agree we are a long way from an EV being the perfect car/truck for every single auto segment but there is no one single gas powered car that fits every segment now either (that is fuel efficient at least).

I am not even talking about fuel efficiency, I am simply saying that at least vehicles are offered to everyones daily use. I know plenty of farmers around where I live that swear by their 1970s Ford and Chevy trucks that get 5 MPG, they don't care about efficiency as long as they have a vehicle that they can use to do what they need to get done. Electric vehicles have not expanded that far yet... although, it is getting there.

 

[DuncanWatson]

There are already EVs for delivery (Fedex and UPS both use electric trucks in areas), Tesla will make a EV pickup truck for towing and we will see the various market segments addressed as the EV advantage becomes clearer. The Tesla Model S is already a long commuter vehicle, especially since many long commuters are those who bought a big house out in the exurbs.

Certain parts of the world just don't have the capitol to make big shifts, so seeing a Leaf in Honduras is unlikely. What is likely is to see an electric litmotors cargo scooter. ref: