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The story of Elon Musk and GM's race to build the first mass market electric car

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GM may have a 200 mile EV at that point, but I have little hope of them having a 200 mile car that would have any appeal to the average person who is willing to spend 35k on a car. A 55kWh chevy sonic is possible, but if given the choice between a sonic and a Model 3, almost everyone is going to think that a model 3 is the better choice. I have little faith in GM to make a compelling midsize sedan or medium SUV EV, even though there an offering in either of these classes would sell very well.
 
GM may have a 200 mile EV at that point, but I have little hope of them having a 200 mile car that would have any appeal to the average person who is willing to spend 35k on a car. A 55kWh chevy sonic is possible, but if given the choice between a sonic and a Model 3, almost everyone is going to think that a model 3 is the better choice. I have little faith in GM to make a compelling midsize sedan or medium SUV EV, even though there an offering in either of these classes would sell very well.

They also have the dealer network burden, which adds $severalk. However, it does also mean that they could expand volume much faster than Tesla, which will have to build out Service Centers to match volume.
 
I would be willing to bet that they won't have an EV, period. Not counting compliance cars, of course.

I'd bet against that. You don't think GM will be producing any EVs, other than for CARB compliance, at the time of Model 3 introduction? Rumor has it the Spark EV is going national soon, and it sounds like the Sonic EV might be starting as a compliance car but expand from there.
 
A 55kWh chevy sonic is possible, but if given the choice between a sonic and a Model 3, almost everyone is going to think that a model 3 is the better choice.

Almost everyone? What percentage of people never even heard of Tesla? If Tesla doesn't advertise the Model 3, it'll still sell very well, but there will be plenty of people who will buy GM because they don't know any better. I'd say close to half of the people who ask about my car never even heard of Tesla, which is very surprising to me.
 
GM is not the enemy, it's just another opponent/competitor. The real enemy is ICE. Therefore, it would actually be very good if other car manufacturers would present/reveal a compelling, practical, appealing, efficiënt, $35k and 200 mile EV.

But I doubt it that any other car manufacturer will present/reveal such an EV before 2020. The Tesla Model 3 will be the only EV that will have such qualities, at least for a few years. And that is not so good actually. We need more good quality EV models like the Tesla Model 3. The sooner the better. A higher global EV marketshare is what we actually want.
 
Interesting info-graphic about the Soul and EVs, They did a nice job on this -->

Kia_Soul-EV_Infographic.jpg
 
Here is the URL of that Kia Soul info graphic http://www.kia.com/us/k3/content/media/downloads/compare/Kia_Soul-EV_Infographic.jpg

It's actually not too bad. But in the vehicle comparison chart at the bottom the Kia Soul EV MSRP and EPA MPGe numbers are not shown, just "TBA". And it only shows the Model S 60, not the 85.

Back on topic, I think it is entirely possible that by 2017 GM could have a 200 mile range EV. I hope they do.
 
Even if another car manufacturer does somehow manage to produce such an EV. The Tesla Supercharger network will make a very big difference. The Tesla Model 3 + the Tesla Supercharger network = an unbeatable combination = the best possible value propesition
 
I'm all about more competition and EVs, I just don't want it to seem like GM has been all about EVs all along. Elon is the one getting out there, doing interviews, talking about why we need EVs and sustainable energy sources. GM is going along with the new kid. Principles I guess....
 
Almost everyone? What percentage of people never even heard of Tesla? If Tesla doesn't advertise the Model 3, it'll still sell very well, but there will be plenty of people who will buy GM because they don't know any better. I'd say close to half of the people who ask about my car never even heard of Tesla, which is very surprising to me.

I would be willing to bet that by the time Model 3 is rolling off the line, virtually everyone would have heard of Tesla.