What Happens When A $35,000 Tesla Arrives?

[solman]

What happens when a much more affordable Tesla arrives? An expert offered his thoughts to CNET.

Tesla said this week that its $35,000 entry, due in 2017 (or thereabouts), will be called the Model 3. One of the keys to making a cheaper Tesla is battery technology, as CEO Elon Musk pointed out to Auto Express earlier in the week.

I chatted with John Voelcker, senior editor for High Gear Media, which publishes Green Car Reports, in the wake of the news. He offered insight into what impact a lower-priced Tesla might have.

Q: Tesla has sold very pricey cars to date. How might a $35,000 Model 3 shake things up?
John Voelcker: A list price of $35,000 is a very nice place to be as compared to the current Model S, which is selling well for its category, but this is a category that starts at $70,000 and goes up to six figures. So, if Tesla can in fact introduce the Model 3, as it's now called, at a base price of $35,000 with a 200-mile electric range, that will take them into a whole new order of magnitude of volume.

Why can't they do that today?
Voelcker: Lithium ion battery costs need to come down (as one salient reason), both through advances in technology and higher volumes. They made the Roadster, which was a two-seat performance car. They made 2,500 of those. They've made more than 50,000 of their Model S sedans. Once you get into volume manufacturing, like the Model 3 that Musk described, then you're talking not about tens of thousands of cars per year but, ideally, hundreds of thousands of cars per year. That battery production capacity doesn't exist. That's where the gigafactory comes in. Musk said we can't do the Model 3 unless we have that factory.

[Praveenz]

nice

[psycopk]

instead of 35k car he should focus on self fuelded car using solar power..  he should do this with solarcity integration

[Anta Assamey]

instead of 35k car he should focus on self fuelded car using solar power..  he should do this with solarcity integration

 

Appudu car pickup and speed chala chala taggipotundi kada.... i don't think he will think of it near future for production.... Concept car kavali ante they will show something

[Maximus]

[Thingarodu]

Appudu car pickup and speed chala chala taggipotundi kada.... i don't think he will think of it near future for production.... Concept car kavali ante they will show something

 

at the same time production cost kuda taggipothundi... economic car kinda release cheyochu emo.. less price + no fuel cost ante janalu egabadutharu

[ChampakDas]

not feasible even if they did that would sit as a toy

instead of 35k car he should focus on self fuelded car using solar power..  he should do this with solarcity integration