Electric cars

AnotherJoe

Martyn1981 wrote: »

They took their time, but last night Tesla announced that the $35k TM3 is now open for ordering.

Tesla Finally Opens Up Ordering On The $35,000 Standard Range Model 3!!

They also made some other smaller price changes, and introduced a 4th (by range) TM3 model:

Add to that, range in a Tesla is much better than similar range in a non tesla, because you have (depending upon geography) access to the SC network. Fast charging, more chargers at a location, and real time availability updates.

Imagine the iPace and Model 3 owners, both do 200 miles , the iPace turns up at a motorway services where the single CCS charger is probably either in use or not working, and the M3 parks in one of the 8 SC spots at the same services.
I say this as someone who will be getting a non tesla (and not an iPace either) but can see the SC network is still a massive boon to tesla sales and will remain so for some considerable time to come especially for higher mileage / business drivers.

buglawton

I've just got that creepy feeling that one day Tesla will be bought out by a massive, probably Japanese or Chinese, auto conglomerate.

buglawton

Martyn1981 wrote: »

I'm, not sure how the companies will fair, plus or minus, but it's the dealerships that are screwed with EV's. In the US the dealerships operate as a very strong industry body, with legislation to protect them*, so they really, really aren't too keen on flogging/promoting EV's.

Most consumers will be happy to be conned with a 'service' that mainly comprises dusting the wheel covers and doing a '35 point safety and comfort check' once per year. Very profitable.

Remember: Car manufacturers have lost a lot of money on engine, clutch and transmission warranty work in the past. Think Ford Ecotec, and VW Group transmission and emissions rework. Much of that risk would go away.

Dealers? If they continue to exist much, will become vertically owned arms of the manufacturers marketing machine.

RichardD1970

Another award for the i-Pace.

Car of the year 2019

Even Clarkson said he liked it on TGT the other night (despite then ranting about charging times for electric cars).

zeupater

buglawton wrote: »

... Dealers? If they continue to exist much, will become vertically owned arms of the manufacturers marketing machine.

Hi

Which ties in with what Tesla just announced regarding the $35k model 3 ... fancy showrooms & third party retailers simply cost too much money to not be considered for potential streamlining when looking at competitiveness ...

Looks like the industry is being lined up for another major shakeup & be forced to react else Tesla will have created yet another cost advantage to drive their competitiveness & market share ...

HTH
Z

Martyn1981

buglawton wrote: »

I've just got that creepy feeling that one day Tesla will be bought out by a massive, probably Japanese or Chinese, auto conglomerate.

Not quite keeping me awake at night, but I'll admit to being a bit nervous that Tesla will be bought out by one of the giant FF/oil companies.

But ....... I think they've done too much damage already now to stop or significantly slow down the transition to EV's. Tesla have forced the issue forward, possibly by a decade, even if they ceased to exist tomorrow. Plus they are a tad expensive to buy out now, even though the share price has tanked today - weird ole world.

Possibly worth a quick sanity check and a thought back (not even a decade) to 2010, when PV was insanely expensive, now sneaking under average wholesale rates for the 'sunless' UK, off-shore wind was an interesting idea, but not considered capable of supplying 10-100 times the UK's leccy needs, and EV's were a cute and quirky idea that would arrive eventually.

I'm all for progress and optimism, but this decade has been mind blowing.

silverwhistle

zeupater wrote: »

I'm sure that they'd completely lost the plot years ago but have ridden their 'luck' well,

You'd be talking about Land Rover then! Unreliable big 4x4s that I mainly see spotlessly clean, no tow bar and in the local supermarket car park. Plenty of sailing and horsey types around here but barring a few older models they tend not to use LRs.



There's plenty of inherent demand for a torquey towing EV, and given usage patterns (home/paddock/local gymkhana/sailing club/marina) not even a demand for large range. The assumption is that people that do those activities have loads of money, but in fact they don't want to spend it on cars and there's a whole market sector currently being ignored.

NellLondon

I’m in need of a new car and having recently started driving to work (90-100 mile round trip) I’m investigating EV options and currently favouring an e-Golf.

Any thoughts on the relative merits of PCP versus leasing would be much appreciated. The whole thing is making my head spin a bit!

Thanks.

Martyn1981

Tesla Will Reveal Sub-$40,000 Model Y On March 14th In California

Gloomendoom

Martyn1981 wrote: »

Tesla Will Reveal Sub-$40,000 Model Y On March 14th In California

Price cuts announced ion the UK...

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/tesla/model-s/106168/huge-tesla-price-cuts-make-top-model-s-and-model-x-over-40000-cheaper?amp