http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/tesla $100,000
It is like the Lotus in that it is the smallest car in america, is all aluminum and uses a li-ion battery pack(the best out there but expensive). Has only 2 seats and a 200 mile range(lowered from the original 250+).
Will this new car be lighter? no
Will it have a longer range? no
Will it have better batteries? no
So explain to me how it will be $30,000 and actually useful?]]>Jun 30th 2008 4:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 4:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/The Lotus is smaller than any of those car and is all aluminum. Have you seen a elise? it's smaller than a Miata.
It weighs 1900lbs with a little engine. The Tesla weighs 2700lbs even with the aluminum and li-ion advantage!
If they make it really really slow like a Prius they should be able to get another say 40 miles from the same design(probably not). To get the price down something will have to give and for a $30,000 car everything would have to give a lot. The Prius sells for $25k in mass production and it would probably cost over $10k more to add li-ion batteries. And that would not be fully electric. Unless there is a way better battery or a way cheaper one I think this is FUD.]]>Jun 30th 2008 4:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 5:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/I think you are a bit mixed on low volume manufacturing and high volume manufacturing. The Elise SC (0-60 4.4 secs) probably the closest to the Tesla Roadster (0-60 3.9 secs) in performance already costs $55k base price. And it still uses a cheap toyota engine. Compare that to a corolla @ $15k or a yaris @ $12k. The difference in cost is very large between low volume manufacturing and high volume manufacturing. Also the roadster uses expensive carbon fiber. Also the range is 220 miles not 200. The Roadster is also burdened with being the car that is supposed to generate revenue of Tesla to use to fund the company. As you see with the Whitestar (or Model S), once things get going in higher volume the margins will be lower.

He's talking about a car that's 4 years away. 4 years is a long time for technology to evolve. We are on engadget right now, you should know that. He also didn't mention how many seats the $30k car will have or the performance or any details. Mitsubishi can make a 4 door EV and Subaru can make a 2 door one for ~$20k-$25k, maybe less, I don't see why Tesla can't make a useful EV for $30k, 4 years later.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/29/mitsubishi-shows-off-sporty-all-electric-i-miev-car-tesla-puts/
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/12/26/subaru-ev-could-arrive-as-early-as-2009/

The car Tesla just announced is going to be around $60k in case you are confusing this $30k promise with the $60k Model S.]]>Jun 30th 2008 5:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 5:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jul 1st 2008 1:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jul 1st 2008 2:03AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/
>_>]]>Jun 30th 2008 4:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 4:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/
http://www.chevrolet.com/electriccar/

Yes it's real and yes they're shooting for 2010. Last I heard it will probably be priced higher than this, but to say GM is screaming in horror/apathetic about electric cars is completely wrong.]]>Jun 30th 2008 3:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/
I will believe GM is pushing electric cars when i see it. no sooner]]>Jun 30th 2008 3:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/
To be completely correct,the Chevy Volt is a plug-in hybrid.

And last time I checked,toyota is doing the same thing by 2012 I believe?]]>Jun 30th 2008 3:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 4:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/
I'm still waiting for me quadcore laptop that gets 15 hours battery life on a 20 minute charge.

(I can't wait for an electric car, but anyone with a brain knows that it's the technology that's holding it back... GM's got nothing to do with it. Believe me, after their current losses they'd be scrambling for a profitable EV1)]]>Jun 30th 2008 5:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/
Make sure to notice the guy from TH!NK (which was owned by Ford at the time) who says that they'd explain the limitations of electric cars to people and then they would expect to pay LESS for them than a gas car, when in fact they cost many times more.

The movie itself fingers many causes at the end, not blaming just GM. It blames nearly everyone (mistakenly exonerating battery technology).

Give it a real watch next time, you might find it interesting.]]>Jun 30th 2008 6:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 10:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jul 1st 2008 12:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/

anyway...toyota has also promised to produce enough hybrids to balance out profits with gas powered cars by 2010, and they have promised to have a complete hybrid fleet by 2020.

chevy might produce its first hybrid by 2012, but lets see its production and sales records and then we'll talk.]]>Jul 1st 2008 2:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jul 8th 2008 10:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 4:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/
I think this may be the direction Tesla eventually goes. They'll make money by designing the electrical parts needed to go into cars versus manufacturing on there own.

Tesla doesn't have the infrastructure to build cars at the price point they are discussing unless they partner with one or more companies. To effectively build their cars for cheaper, they'll have to mass produce them. To mass produce them, they'll need to partner up.]]>Jun 30th 2008 4:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 4:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/
Don't f*ck this up Tesla!]]>Jun 30th 2008 3:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jul 1st 2008 1:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/
Quiet + great acceleration = yes please.

2 cents per mile is also enticing :-D]]>Jun 30th 2008 3:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/
Pretty easy to make promises without specifics.]]>Jun 30th 2008 3:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/
now thats what im talking about right there... ya baby ya ;-)]]>Jun 30th 2008 3:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/Jun 30th 2008 3:22PM