Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by r00fus 4774 days ago
> First, will Tesla be able to manufacture profitably in the sub-$50k range (competing with the Audi/BMW/MB low end), with a car that is range-comparable to the S?

I can tell you what Musk is betting: that the supercharger network will eventually make this a moot point. Of course, advancing better batteries will result in the lowest Model S range (160mi) likely becoming Tesla's "baseline", I imagine.
2 comments
otoburb 4774 days ago
It would be really funny if the large automakers can comfortably compete with Tesla lower priced electric cars and a significant chunk of Tesla's revenues come from licensing the supercharger network out to said large automakers.
link
jannotti 4774 days ago
The supercharger network doesn't really help all that much if you don't have ranges like the S. Let's suppose you only have 100 mi range. If so, you have to stop for fairly long time (on the order of a lunch break) in order to recharge. And the numbers I've seen say 30 minutes for a "half charge". If that was also true of a 100 mile range car (or even 160), then 300 mile trips in one day become a huge hassle.

And 200 miles trips also become very difficult if you can't be sure of a charger at your destination. So I think a 200 mile range is pretty important.

link
r00fus 4774 days ago
And the big question as to whether a Tesla is a "trip" car or "commute/grocery grabber/fun" car.

There is a large market for electrics that don't meet all the needs an ICE can do - many many families have more than one car. Especially the ones that can afford a luxury vehicle like a Tesla/Audi.

link