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Comment on Tesla's Big Gamble: Can The Electric Car Go Mainstream?parent

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I think that was about as useful a list of demands as mine:

- $30k base price

- Be a Ferrari

You're basically asking for the performance and size of an M3, the reliability of a Civic, the range of a Japanese gasoline car, all for the price of... well, a Civic. Presumably all while maintaining electric's 200mpgE+. Of course it would sell; it would be the biggest bargain in automotive history.

*mpgE = miles per gallon equivalent

I don't think so. I'm basically asking for them to sell me an all electric replacement for a V-6 accord with the absolute minimum trim level (which runs around $25-27k) But with the inconvenience of having to spend several hours charging it instead of a few minutes refueling it.

I won't pretend to be an expert on internal combustion engines, but I don't think the demands are that bad. Electric engines have 100% torque all the time, which isn't true of gas engines. I believe that essentially implies a fast take off speed isn't that difficult for an electric car, and would have very little affect on it's overall distance per charge.

Any light weight electric vehicle could be a Ferrari.

And I believe Shai Agassi said his goal is to get a car down below $10,000 (without the battery). If safety wasn't a concern, it'd be easy to build such a car.

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