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Tesla working on electric car for the masses

Written by Nelson Ireson

Saturday, 26 July 2008

Tesla, the makers of the Lotus Elise-based Roadster electric vehicle (EV), has been known for some time to have a sedan in development as well, codenamed ‘Whitestar’. That car is expected to cost about half as much as the Roadster, priced at around US$100,000, and be built in much greater volume. Now Tesla’s chairman of the board, Elon Musk, is talking about the third car to bear the Tesla name, and it’s targeting a sub-US$30,000 price tag and production of about 200,000 units per year.

It’s still in the early stages - Musk and the company haven’t even decided if they’ll build it themselves or in partnership with a larger carmaker - but some of the rough details indicate it could be Tesla’s first real volume seller. The Roadster is only expected to turn out about 1,800 examples per year, while the Whitestar sedan will run nearer to 20,000 in total output after it starts sales in late 2010, but those are still tiny numbers in terms of the global market.

Third Tesla car shooting for mass-market appeal
By aiming for a sub-$30,000 price point, Tesla is clearly intending to build a car for the masses, which means production figures to match. Musk indicates the third model could be targeting annual production figures of about 200,000 units, based on his theory of volume versus cost - multiply the output volume by ten times and you can reduce the price by a factor of two, he says.

Tesla’s cars are still admittedly more forward-looking than suited to the present, however. Short ranges and a nearly complete lack of charging stations mean EV owners can’t venture far from home without seriously risking becoming stranded. Nevertheless, Musk sees the infrastructure developing rapidly once the cars are more widely in use, becoming the dominant form of transport within 30 years.

Quick to market, but more technological developments still necessary
To become the dominant mode of transport, the technology must first be mass-produced. So far no company has built any significant volume of purely electric vehicles. Tesla’s plans for their third sedan would mark a significant step forward in bringing mass-produced EVs to reality, and would do so over a relatively short development period, but it has yet to come to fruition.

The more established traditional carmakers are taking a different approach, however, building a range of advanced hybrids that use the same basic principles of EVs, but with so-called ‘range extenders’ - effectively on-board generators powered by fossil fuels or other sources - to enable the cars to travel beyond the limits of recharge stations. They are called plug-in hybrids, or PHEVs.

Key elements to the development of both EVs and PHEVs are batteries and advanced computer technology. Finding ways to produce lighter, cheaper and more powerful systems will be essential to the forward progress of the electricity-based transport movement. Tesla is already talking about replaceable battery packs and a system that allows an 80% charge in 15 minutes or less, but so far the technology has yet to see the light of day.

GM, Toyota working on PHEVs as bridge to full EVs
Speaking at the recent Plug-In Conference in California, GM’s executive director for hybrid powertrain engineering Larry Nitz confirmed that plug-in versions of the Saturn Vue Hybrid were already undergoing real world testing. The Saturn Vue is essentially a reworked Holden Captiva MaXX, and is one of the first vehicles to use the company’s global Theta platform. The plug-in version is expected to go on sale in the U.S. within the next few years.

While the Chevrolet Volt (itself a PHEV) will be sold in Australia and the rest of the world, the Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid is expected to be sold only in North America, though sharing a platform with the Holden Captiva MaXX means the technology could in theory come to Australia as well.

GM engineers are also working on two new plug-in hybrid vehicles, one based on the Flextreme Concept, and another larger and more spacious model. These cars could see broader global sale than the Saturn PHEV, including release in Australia, though they are still only on the drawing board at this point.

Toyota has confirmed it will also have a plug-in hybrid available by 2010, the same year GM will debut the Volt. It has also established a new battery research facility to enhance its future PHEVs and pure EVs. The batteries for the future car will be manufactured in a joint-venture with Matsushita Electric and will start initial production next year before going into full-scale production in 2010.

A full range of Prius hybrids is also expected to debut around the same time. The Japanese company is already world-famous for its hybrid cars, and expects to push its sales of the combination petrol-electric cars to over 1 million units annually by the time the next generation cars arrive.

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Comments (7) Add Comment

kent beuchert, July 27, 2008 | 02:56

What Tesla is aiming at is to produce a car that will match the MitsubishiiMEV and Think and Renault and Nissan all of which will have a short 100 mile range, meaning the ability to reach destinations and return that are lesss than 40 miles away. They don't have a range extender engine, which would make them practical for two simple reasons : 1) the companies don't have the ability to produce a range-extended car, or at least not with the next 3 years, and they are looking to capitalize on the demand for electric cars, withmany of those wanting them not awar of their limitations and costs. The Mitsubishi EV, for example, will cost the same as the Chevy Volt, but won't have any long (or medium) range capabilities, and its $20,000 battery pack is NOT warranteed for 10 years like the Volt. I look upon these efforts as attempts to take advantage of an ignorant public. Look at how many of them believe that the EV-1 was a sensible vehicle.
In the end, a battery-only electric can't accomplish any more than a plug-in with around 40 or more miles of electric driving range can, both in terms of gasoline or carbon avoidance. Anyone driving a battery-only electric WILL have to have a range extender engine just like the Volt - only theirs will be sitting inside a gas powered vehicle parked next to their electric car.

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Paul Scott, July 27, 2008 | 05:00

I strongly disagree with the previous comment. As one who has been driving a Toyota RAV4 EV for almost 6 years, I can attest to its viability as a primary vehicle. It's important to consider that most households have more than one vehicle, so as long as one is a PHEV, your long distance driving needs are met, yet the primary vehicle, the pure EV, will be used for all daily driving.

A 100 mile range is not very limiting at all. That's a lot longer than 90% of global citizens drive each day. Also consider that virtually all personal vehicles sit in parking lots for many hours each day. It's not a problem to construct solar carports over these lots and install plugs for charging while the cars are waiting to be driven home. Of course, time-of-use rates should apply for any peak time charging to dissuade this practice to only those who really need it. The vast majority of EV owners will charge at night while they sleep.

For those who need to drive long distances a lot, and only have one vehicle, then the PHEV is the vehicle for them. If you have little need for driving long distances, the simpler EV is the preferred choice since its lack of an internal combustion engine means virtually no maintenance. My EV, fo instance, has only recently had its first maintenance, a new pair of rear shocks. And this was after 5.5 years and 61,000 miles of driving.

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Randy Maas, July 27, 2008 | 10:26

When the first gasoline car made its debut, nobody thought much of it or held hopes out for its success. Yet, today we see all those nay sayers were wrong. Eventually, everyone could agree that a horse and carriage were perhaps best left behind. Now it's the electric cars turn. Sure, they need work. Yes, they are limited in range. I agree that most are rather funny looking. However, that will all change as more and more of us agree that gasoline cars are best left behind as we move into global awareness that we all need to do what we can to protect the only place mankind can live: the Earth.

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Allan deLaubenfels, July 27, 2008 | 11:21

Those of you who think that gasoline powered vehicles are the only ones which make sense need to think. In a few short years, oil will be exhausted PERMANENTLY. The correct comparison for an electric vehicle is not a gasoline powered vehicle but a horse and buggy. Since it will take a person's lifetime to make the transition, right now is the time to begin in earnest to do the job. Quit whining! I am on my second electric vehicle and I LOVE them. I do have a supplemental gas powered vehicle, but it is seldom used.

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Pep, August 14, 2008 | 01:06

Go Tesla!! Make a sexy fast electric car for driving enthusiasts and a cheaper everyday model for the masses. Just watch out for the hired assassains from the powers that be...your messing with rich aholes who basically own the planet. Lets get one thing straight folks: oil is not running out -that's part of their excuse to keep jacking up the price, duh. They force people into gas guzzlers, promote V8s and hummers, and then turn around and say your wrecking the environment (which is tru) just so they can pass this carbon tax!! Wake up, it's all about mo-nay

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bob, September 17, 2008 | 12:26