Half of all new cars will be electric

[Vger]

What did you expect?

Lower maintenance = job killer

But not every job killed is a bad thing. See: Parable of the broken window

About that... It is interesting to see how Tesla is apparently moving to create a serious upgrade market for the Roadster. I think they may be on to something. If they keep people interested in upgrading a car that needs little maintenance, they can recapture the lost maintenance revenue in another form, one that increases rather than decreases customer satisfaction and brand loyalty!! More happy customers = more Tesla employees = job creation! Now that is thinking different, to quote the dear departed Mr. Jobs himself! Shhh, don't tell Bob Lutz.

[Jaff]

Fantastic vista Yggdrasill, thanks for posting this pic!

Looks like some challenging routes for the Roadster (and Model S)...

And then there are of course the benefits of living in stunning nature. I took this picture a couple of summers ago. It's taken on a small peak that's 1 hour of walking from Bodø. The faintest mountains to the left are Lofoten, if you've heard of it.

[Doug_G]

Here's a different article with the same title:

Design News - Tesla's CEO: 'Half of Cars Will Be Electric in 15 Years'

[vfx]

Here's a different article with the same title:

Design News - Tesla's CEO: 'Half of Cars Will Be Electric in 15 Years'

That picture is not Elon Musk

[brianman]

Interesting how the word "new" was so cumbersome (OMG 4 characters!) to add to the title of the articles, even though it's a critical point in Elon's assertion.

[vfx]

Consumer reporter's take

http://www.clarkhoward.com/news/clark-howard/environment-energy/will-half-all-cars-be-electric-next-decade/nPzF4/

[KenEE]

For ev's to go mainstream some combination of range, charge time, charger availability, and cost must improve by more than 10x. Anyone who's been to a big Bucee's or Love's has seen 40-80+ gas pumps all busy with a line. (Imagine the lines if they needed 2x more time to fill up?)
I'm happy to contribute to progress by paying lots and putting up with inconvenience, but there's no way millions would or even could until battery tech has improved many times.

For me personally I need at least 2X what my P85 will give me just so I can drive my family to see their aunt in Fort Worth. (need approximately 300 miles going with traffic flow with AC and Radio blasting. Our ICE cars/suv accomplish this task easily on one tank and it five min to refill when needed.)

Not saying we won't get there.

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

For ev's to go mainstream some combination of range, charge time, charger availability, and cost must improve by more than 10x.

PHEVs just need cheap batteries. Once you have cheap batteries, PHEVs will supplant a significant proportion of HEVs plus add more customers due to the more persuasive driving experience and better economics.

Remember that hybrid consideration is still increasing, as are sales in absolute terms, but economics and driving experience prevent purchase. Cheaper and larger batteries dealer with those issues.

Cheaper batteries also make BEVs like the LEAF and iMiev more economical making them more popular in multi-car households.

Once you get the momentum, society will adjust and charging will become a built-in norm in construction which will lead to a gradual increase in the number of people for whom a PEV becomes a possibility.

[KenEE]

Yah, PHEV's IMO are the only thing close to mainstream ready. Electric *most* of the time, but gas when you need it. (If the cost can come down as you say)

[vfx]

Long range and faster charging do not have to be the only change. Other factors will also push people to buy electric.

Purchase price of EVs will become on par with petrol cars. Fuel savings will factor big even at today's artificially low prices

$10 a gallon gasoline will have people rethinking what's important. Already people are simply driving less with gas a$4 a gal. A car for around town might just be Ok instead of buying a gas car for the "once a year" trip. (gas goes up 8% a year)

As other brands match Tesla performance numbers all Evs will be seen as supercars. It's tough to get anyone to race a Roadster. That begrudging of EV superiority will become acceptance.

EVs already hit most of the goals of luxury cars. quiet, rigid, smooth. High end marquees will have E-versions of top end cars to take advantage of EV characteristics.