VW CEO drinking Tesla Kool-Aid?
 

VW's EVs "will be available for half the price of a Tesla and just as capable" 15 months from now. Yeah, right.... ;)

https://electrek.co/2018/10/26/vw-ce...2020/?pushup=1

I don't see why not tbh, given the amount of resource VW has to throw at it. Their entire diesel research budget for starters :ROFL:

Someone (oh it was you! :D) posted a good article about it a while back, talking about while Tesla has good technology, they are still learning how to make cars in volume. One can't argue that VW has any problem with the latter, and Audi has most (all?) of the tech now. I think its really just a case of them figuring out how to make an acceptable amount of technology cheap enough to put in a Golf, and then sorting the battery.

I think we're not getting the model 3 until the end of next year? Given the pricing in the US it'll probably be £35-40K here, so can VW make an equivalent e-Golf for £20K by then? I wouldn't bet against them.

The mainstream manufacturers have been waiting in the wings, as MJ says they have the resources to make better and cheaper Tesla comparisons. It's only a matter of time really. EVs are still not my cup of tea though+++

I don't doubt they will be able to make some EVs for half the price of a Tesla: what I don't believe at all is that they will deliver the same capability in 15 months time.

And they certainly won't deliver Tesla volumes by that date - Tesla is now the biggest selling car manufacturer in North America by value.

Waiting in the wings is more like scrabbling to catch up - without any clear strategy on charging infrastructure or capability to deliver electric powertrain volumes. The next year will be even more interesting than the last two ;)

Totally agree.
As the months and years have spun by, Tesla has been building, in addition to electric cars and battery plants, an extensive network of chargers. The other manufacturers, as yet, have nothing. Nor do they have actual EV's, as opposed to vapour ware, that can credibly compete with Teslas offerings.

Tesla are neither the biggest selling Manufacturer in the USA let alone North America, nor do they have the highest revenues of any manufacturer. 17th by volume, 16th by revenue for Cars in the USA.

They may have huge market capitalisation, but they have bugger all cash left, huge liabilities and only squeaked a profit in Q3 2018.... and a whole of load of precedents pointing to a big fail.

Tesla got a march on the product, but haven't actually profited from it, nor are they likely too. The competition becomes so fierce from now on that Tesla will struggle to maintain a margin if they don't sort out their production, oh and did I mention the debt!

Here's the source Reffro, so don't shoot the messenger, even if I was talking about sales by value, not volume. ;)

https://electrek.co/2018/10/24/tesla...#disqus_thread

I'm surprised you think they're likely to have a big fail, given your knowledge of the industry: (some) people have been predicting this for years, and they're way more viable now than they've ever been - e.g. the margins on the Model 3 are higher that of those from traditional other makers - unless you're disputing that too - which is (one) of the factors behind their market cap.

Tesla -v- traditional car makers.
This person makes an interesting argument on the subject.
https://www.quora.com/Why-dont-bigge...for-themselves

Slightly off topic a wee bit. The biggest issue with EVs IMHO is the charging, take the West End of Glasgow as an example, an affluent, trendy, even bohemian area where one might think the demographic was a perfect target for EV sales. However most of the accommodation is in the traditional Glasgow tenement, albeit upmarket ones, where the average street can’t cope with the simple parking requirements of existing ICE vehicles. The flats will often have 2 or more cars with 8 flats in each “block” therefore taking up a similar street area to a decent sized detached house, so at least 16 cars require charging in that pavement space. Nobody seems to have come up with a solution to that scenario. Assuming this could be addressed the additional load on the National Grid would be huge and would it cope? To me it’s just shifting the environmental issues to a different sector. Then factor in the Glasgow Uni Students who enjoy a few beers of an evening staggering home amongst a tangle of cables etc..or just simply unplugging them for a “jolly jape” on their way home. Also until EVs can cover a similar "real" range (see recent What Car tests) and can be refuelled as quickly as ICE cars I can't really see the appeal. Of course the usual caveat applies; I am just a simple country boy and may not understand any of this+++

Yep, EV's are not a shoe horn in for everyone. But then why would they be. EV's are a new way of achieving mobility, and just like with the replacement of horse drawn transport, adaption will occur. There will be answers even for issues like charging at apartment buildings with on street parking. After all its not beyond us to have on street chargers, chargers at work and chargers everywhere else.

As for cable trailing around. Here you go, complete with an S8 parked on top of it;)

Increased power demand. Again adaption. We're not in a fixed system, it evolved this way over time to suit the demands and requirements of our society. It will continue to evolve. Glass half full here +++