If you've been wanting to buy a more expensive model, now is probably the best time (before manufacturers raise prices).

[www.caranddriver.com]

did they also raise the adjusted gross income limit?

Bummer, now manufacturers will not be motivated to hold the line on prices. Most likely they will want to produce more of the expensive and more profitable vehicles.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

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gadje
did they also raise the adjusted gross income limit?

If thats an issue - you have my congratulations but not my sympathy.

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Speedy
Bummer, now manufacturers will not be motivated to hold the line on prices. Most likely they will want to produce more of the expensive and more profitable vehicles.

Not likely. For Tesla's part, the goal is to get more people to buy EV's, not profits. Therefore Tesla will force the other manufacturers to toe the line in order to be competitive.

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Carnos Jax
Not likely. For Tesla's part, the goal is to get more people to buy EV's, not profits.

Better not tell the shareholders.

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Lux Interior

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Carnos Jax
Not likely. For Tesla's part, the goal is to get more people to buy EV's, not profits.

Better not tell the shareholders.

The shareholders will be happy because it’ll make them a ton of money.

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Carnos Jax

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Lux Interior

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Carnos Jax
Not likely. For Tesla's part, the goal is to get more people to buy EV's, not profits.

Better not tell the shareholders.

The shareholders will be happy because it’ll make them a ton of money.

So the goal is profits, then?

Because if it's not, then they should be selling at a loss.

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Lux Interior

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Carnos Jax

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Lux Interior

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Carnos Jax
Not likely. For Tesla's part, the goal is to get more people to buy EV's, not profits.

Better not tell the shareholders.

The shareholders will be happy because it’ll make them a ton of money.

So the goal is profits, then?

Because if it's not, then they should be selling at a loss.

LOL, no. You gottta think this one through a little more. Their prices are going to be dictated by supply (both theirs and to some extent their competitors). Their profits are going to be determined by margins resulting from manufacturing efficiency. Right now they have some of the most unheard of profit margins in the car market, and they are aggressively pushing their cost down. You might not realize it, but Tesla’s real art is manufacturing.

Great, so now I can spend more money to save money on gas!

What is the payback period on an $80,000 EV per the driving habits of the average person who can afford an $80,000 EV? Difficulty: electricity costs 12 cents per KWH.

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Acer
What is the payback period on an $80,000 EV per the driving habits of the average person who can afford an $80,000 EV? Difficulty: electricity costs 12 cents per KWH.

12c? I'm paying almost double that.

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Hurts like a bastid...

I would love to see a map of the ratio of gas price vs electricity price. In other words, places with expensive gas and cheap electricity, and vice versa.

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Acer
What is the payback period on an $80,000 EV per the driving habits of the average person who can afford an $80,000 EV? Difficulty: electricity costs 12 cents per KWH.

This is a difficult calculation in part because you are presuming a fixed cost for electricity over the lifetime of the EV. Right now, the cost of adding new electricity such as solar is ~ 6c/KWH.

Also, one question I have is the long-term life of an EV vs ICE. I have a Chevy Volt PHEV. It is a 2017 model. If it doesn't get in a crash, and the Chevy paint job doesn't fail me, it's has the potential to last 20+ years in terms of drive train and the very low demand I have on the ICE motor. 100% EVs, their lifespan seems to be limited by batteries - and those continue to get cheaper and better.

So back to the original ask - an $80k vehicle is a luxury item. Elon Musk has said so for more than a decade. So let's be sure the assumption is clear.

The REAL question is when will there be a good true 250+ range EV for under $30k that has fast charging AND a national network in the US. That vehicle / network does not quite exist. The Tesla model 3 is too expensive. Note that nearly all others than Tesla are limited by the lack of a true national fast-charging network. The Bolt does not have fast charging anyway. The Nissan Leaf does not have the range. Nearly all other car companies are bringing out high-end because they do not need to make so many and are learning what customers REALLY need/use and so stick the kitchen sink and will roll out models with fewer features.

In terms of total cost of ownership (something any Mac user understands!), the EV is in its best state ever vs ICE. Here is a link that should be considered pro-EV, but I think the data is good:
[insideevs.com]

Another from Consumer Reports but from Oct 2020:
[advocacy.consumerreports.org]

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Carnos Jax

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Lux Interior

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Carnos Jax

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Lux Interior

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Carnos Jax
Not likely. For Tesla's part, the goal is to get more people to buy EV's, not profits.

Better not tell the shareholders.

The shareholders will be happy because it’ll make them a ton of money.

So the goal is profits, then?

Because if it's not, then they should be selling at a loss.

LOL, no. You gottta think this one through a little more. Their prices are going to be dictated by supply (both theirs and to some extent their competitors). Their profits are going to be determined by margins resulting from manufacturing efficiency. Right now they have some of the most unheard of profit margins in the car market, and they are aggressively pushing their cost down. You might not realize it, but Tesla’s real art is manufacturing.

Any long-time Apple watcher should immediately understand the Tesla business approach. Apple for decades wanted to make the best tech for themselves, and figured it would be popular for others. The assumption was that profits would follow competency. And once they had a portfolio of vetted products - Mac, iPhone, iPad - they brought in a supply chain guru to continually make these cheaper and better. Tesla is still getting its next wave of products out the door. Some will be great, some will fail commercially - some will do both. But if Tesla were to focus on maximizing profits right now, they would likely take fewer risks and NOT bring out products nearly as quickly, which would compromise long-term profits.

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Carnos Jax

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Lux Interior

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Carnos Jax

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Lux Interior

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Carnos Jax
Not likely. For Tesla's part, the goal is to get more people to buy EV's, not profits.

Better not tell the shareholders.

The shareholders will be happy because it’ll make them a ton of money.

So the goal is profits, then?

Because if it's not, then they should be selling at a loss.

LOL, no. You gottta think this one through a little more. Their prices are going to be dictated by supply (both theirs and to some extent their competitors). Their profits are going to be determined by margins resulting from manufacturing efficiency. Right now they have some of the most unheard of profit margins in the car market, and they are aggressively pushing their cost down. You might not realize it, but Tesla’s real art is manufacturing.

And selling ‘green’ credits to other companies.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

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Speedy

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Carnos Jax

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Lux Interior

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Carnos Jax

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Lux Interior

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Carnos Jax
Not likely. For Tesla's part, the goal is to get more people to buy EV's, not profits.

Better not tell the shareholders.

The shareholders will be happy because it’ll make them a ton of money.

So the goal is profits, then?

Because if it's not, then they should be selling at a loss.

LOL, no. You gottta think this one through a little more. Their prices are going to be dictated by supply (both theirs and to some extent their competitors). Their profits are going to be determined by margins resulting from manufacturing efficiency. Right now they have some of the most unheard of profit margins in the car market, and they are aggressively pushing their cost down. You might not realize it, but Tesla’s real art is manufacturing.

And selling ‘green’ credits to other companies.

yes, and they break this out in their earnings now.

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sekker

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Speedy

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Carnos Jax

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Lux Interior

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Carnos Jax

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Lux Interior

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Carnos Jax
Not likely. For Tesla's part, the goal is to get more people to buy EV's, not profits.

Better not tell the shareholders.

The shareholders will be happy because it’ll make them a ton of money.

So the goal is profits, then?

Because if it's not, then they should be selling at a loss.

LOL, no. You gottta think this one through a little more. Their prices are going to be dictated by supply (both theirs and to some extent their competitors). Their profits are going to be determined by margins resulting from manufacturing efficiency. Right now they have some of the most unheard of profit margins in the car market, and they are aggressively pushing their cost down. You might not realize it, but Tesla’s real art is manufacturing.

And selling ‘green’ credits to other companies.

yes, and they break this out in their earnings now.

Plus it’s free money, so why not take it? But the important thing is that even without that money Tesla makes boukou profits on each car.

if they really wanted to help, they could make the credit refundable to make it available to lower income folks. Not everyone who buys cars has that much tax to pay.

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San Antonio, TX (in the old city)


"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
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"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." - Theodore Roosevelt (1918)

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