Musk : What the world really needs is a great, affordable EV

evnow · May 28, 2013

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130526/AUTO01/305260005/1148/auto01/Tesla-CEO-sets-affordability-his-electric-car-goal" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

“With the Model S, you have a compelling car that’s too expensive for most people,” he said. “And you have the Leaf, which is cheap, but it’s not great. What the world really needs is a great, affordable electric car. I’m not going to let anything go, no matter what people offer, until I complete that mission.”

That car, not yet named, would be priced below $40,000, and reach consumers in “three to four years,” Musk said in an interview on “Bloomberg West.” It will have a range of about 200 miles (322 kilometers) per charge, he said in the television interview.

Looks like the $30k car has now slowly become a $40k car.

Assuming Tesla is actually working towards that goal, the target for Nissan/Infiniti & BMW is very clear. Get a 200 mile range EV out by 2017/18 to stay competitive.

KeiJidosha · May 28, 2013

What the world really needs is a great, affordable battery. Manufacturers already have a decade of concepts awaiting it's arrival.

evnow · May 28, 2013

KeiJidosha said:
What the world really needs is a great, affordable battery. Manufacturers already have a decade of concepts awaiting it's arrival.

What Musk is saying is that they don't need to wait for that breakthrough battery. The usual 5 to 7% cost reduction per year we have been seeing is enough to make a $40k, 200 mile EV in 4 years.

ENIAC · May 28, 2013

What I really want is a $25K CUV EV that still has 100 mile range at 70MPH after 5 years of ownership.

TonyWilliams · May 28, 2013

ENIAC said:
What I really want is a $25K CUV EV that still has 100 mile range at 70MPH after 5 years of ownership.

Like a Rav4 EV? It is all that right now. Currently $51k, with about $25k in discounts/credits/rebates.

ENIAC · May 28, 2013

TonyWilliams said:
ENIAC said:

What I really want is a $25K CUV EV that still has 100 mile range at 70MPH after 5 years of ownership.

Click to expand...

Like a Rav4 EV? It is all that right now. Currently $51k, with about $25k in discounts/credits/rebates.

When we looked at the Rav 4 EV they weren't offering the $10K mfg incentive so it was in the mid $40's all in (after the tax incentives). But even with the $10K mfg incentive it still would have been well over $30K. Having said that the Rav 4 EV is presently the closest to meeting our needs for our second EV. I suspect by 2015 the Rav4 EV will be there.

TonyWilliams · May 28, 2013

ENIAC said:
I suspect by 2015 the Rav4 EV will be there.

If you read to the bottom of the link I left, you'd see the overall net cost was:

$26,870 - $29,570

There won't be a 2015 Rav4 EV. It is built strictly to comply with California ARB requirements for "phase III", model years 2012-2014, and exactly 2600 will be built:

Why did Toyota build the Rav4 EV?

Nubo · May 28, 2013

The genie is out of the bottle. It will all come to pass. Maybe not as quickly as we would like, but it's no longer a question of IF, but of WHEN.

Once the market for EVs reaches a critical mass, the improvements will quicken exponentially, as they did with gasoline cars.

Goodtohave · May 28, 2013

I would be happy if my Leaf got 100 miles...

On the highway!

TomT · May 28, 2013

Since it is a compliance car, I suspect that the current MY RAV4EV is the last one you will see for sometime unless California changes the rules in the future...

ENIAC said:
I suspect by 2015 the Rav4 EV will be there.

evnow · May 28, 2013

TomT said:
Since it is a compliance car, I suspect that the current MY RAV4EV is the last one you will see for sometime unless California changes the rules in the future...

ENIAC said:

I suspect by 2015 the Rav4 EV will be there.

Click to expand...

I suspect Toyota will introduce a in house designed EV (some tiny car like Spark/500 etc) for compliance ...

TomT · May 28, 2013

Great, just what we need!

evnow said:
I suspect Toyota will introduce a in house designed EV (some tiny car like Spark/500 etc) for compliance ...

mikeEmike · May 28, 2013

evnow said:
TomT said:

Since it is a compliance car, I suspect that the current MY RAV4EV is the last one you will see for sometime unless California changes the rules in the future...

ENIAC said:

I suspect by 2015 the Rav4 EV will be there.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I suspect Toyota will introduce a in house designed EV (some tiny car like Spark/500 etc) for compliance ...

Why do you think they would do this? Isn't that what they are trying to accomplish with the RAV4 EV?

ENIAC · May 28, 2013

evnow said:
TomT said:

Since it is a compliance car, I suspect that the current MY RAV4EV is the last one you will see for sometime unless California changes the rules in the future...

ENIAC said:

I suspect by 2015 the Rav4 EV will be there.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I suspect Toyota will introduce a in house designed EV (some tiny car like Spark/500 etc) for compliance ...

I suppose they could change strategy and sell the Scion IQ EV to the public.

MikeD · May 28, 2013

How easy (and inexpensive) is it to get EV-only parts for the Rav 4 EV -- now and in, say, the next 10 years? Of course, this is a concern for all satisfied car owners (LEAF!) who would like to keep the car as long as possible.

For example, why are some EV motors so expensive to replace -- around $5000? Is it just because of patent holders?

TomT · May 28, 2013

The law of supply and demand?

MikeD said:
For example, why are some EV motors so expensive to replace -- around $5000? Is it just because of patent holders?

lion · May 28, 2013

TonyWilliams said:
ENIAC said:

What I really want is a $25K CUV EV that still has 100 mile range at 70MPH after 5 years of ownership.

Click to expand...

Like a Rav4 EV? It is all that right now. Currently $51k, with about $25k in discounts/credits/rebates.

Yea as long as you are in CA

I followed up with my local Toyota dealer several times, and had to give up on my RAV4 EV plans because I couldn't count on them in case of major issues. That one stung :/

TonyWilliams · May 28, 2013

lion said:
Yea as long as you are in CA I followed up with my local Toyota dealer several times, and had to give up on my RAV4 EV plans because I couldn't count on them in case of major issues. That one stung :/

Well, for the record, my local Toyota dealer won't service it at all. I have to get it to an EV certified one that just happens to be not near me.

Also, there are already Rav4 EV's in Philly and New York state. Those folks went out and found Plug-In Prius certified dealers. As one guy said recently in your area, two of the dealers that he asked about the Rav4 EV in his area were a bit miffed at even being asked the question... their response; it's a Toyota, we have to service it.

About 10% of the Rav4 EV's have already been shipped out of state, by my estimate.

TonyWilliams · May 28, 2013

MikeD said:
How easy (and inexpensive) is it to get EV-only parts for the Rav 4 EV -- now and in, say, the next 10 years?

The law requires they keep parts for 10 years. That's one of the MANY reasons why many compliance cars, like the early EV1 and Rav4 EV (Gen I), and the current Honda Fit EV are lease only. They can take them back and crush them all, and their liability for stockpiling parts is instantly eliminated.

evnow · May 28, 2013

ENIAC said:
What I really want is a $25K CUV EV that still has 100 mile range at 70MPH after 5 years of ownership.

Your 100 mile range @70 mph after spending 5 years in Phoenix but driven in Alaska winter in probably that 200 mile EV Musk is talking about

Musk : What the world really needs is a great, affordable EV

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