Comments on: The Magic Price for New Electric Cars: $45,000

By: tapra1

tapra1 — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:22:47 +0000

car to run on batteries. It's hard to believe that what seems nothing more than a grown-up version of the D-cell.jjwyy

By: Auto Parts

Auto Parts — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:36:32 +0000

I hear that Tesla is shooting for a new model in the 30k range. If they can hit that and make it look good, unlike most stuff in that price range they will have a potential hit on their hands.

By: Mike F

Mike F — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:05:58 +0000

Ya, a little expensive now but I remember I bougt my first destop computer in 1999 and it was nearly $1000 and it was just a gateway. Now you can buy most desktops for under $500. Give these some time and I think $18,000-$30,000 will be achieved. Man I would really like to have an electric car.

By: Lost Prius to wife

Lost Prius to wife — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:59:41 +0000

David, it is my understanding that the Chevy Volt will be in the Camry category but slightly bigger than the Camry.

Also, a fully loaded gen III Prius will cost ~$35K (tax added in) for our area of Colorado. Of course, one could buy the base gen III Prius (type II; ~$22K + tax) or wait for the Prius type I (~$21K + tax). I suspect the Prius type I may be a modified gen II Prius with limited options. No real R&D, no new tooling costs, and previously designed parts would allow the approximate ~$21K price tag. This would still give customers a hybrid that is capable of 48 mpg while allowing Toyota to have a profitable car to sell.

By: Need2Change

Need2Change — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:52:43 +0000

To me, I rather have a $40K-$45K Volt, than a $46K MiEV.

By: Need2Change

Need2Change — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:46:11 +0000

I agree with Steved28, these are early adopter prices.

The first CD player that I saw cost $1700, and CDs were $25. Records sold for about $5 at the time. I waited until the price dropped to $600 before I bought my first CD player. Now there's $20 CD players.

I was an early DVD adopter. I paid $1500 for my first DVD player. The $100 DVD players today are probably superior to my first DVD player.

What the article does not say is that Mitsubishi also stated that once volume picks up, they expect the base price of the MiEV to be about $20K. It's competitive at that price, and it will probably be a better car than the $45K first edition.

By: David

David — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:49:31 +0000

A Volt at $40K with a $7500 tax credit is suddenly a $32,500 car. I think it's competing with the Camry Hybrid more than the Prius.

Does anyone know offhand what the interior dimension of a Volt are? What kind of car it's close to on the INside? I've heard everything from Cruze to Malibu-sized (and even 'Prius' sized on the outside)

And the guy who was promoting the Tesla S? Sorry. It doesn't have the range for trips to the mountains or a day-trip to NYC (235 miles from my house) and it's $10K more than a Volt.

Now, put a backup power source in the Tesla and you have a competitor.

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:36:10 +0000

Electric motorcycles? There are a few out for less than $15,000.

By: Lost Prius to wife

Lost Prius to wife — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:55:05 +0000

I agree with most of the comments that the EV is now in its expensive infancy. But do not forget that some car manufactures are already looking to the future. The third generation Prius is already wired to replace the existing NiMH with the upgraded lithium batteries once Toyota has decided which type provides the best reliability / cost for the Prius. My best friend even thinks that in the future one will be able to drive into a battery service station, hoist the car up, drop out the old underperforming battery pack, plug-in the new one, and be on one’s way in a matter of minutes.

By: crookmatt

crookmatt — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 14:09:33 +0000

This is why I think Hybrid cars are ultimately so important. Companies need the prospect of making a profit if they are going to have enough incentive to put real R&D money into electric cars. $45K is out of most peoples price range, especially when you can purchase a very nice, fully loaded hybrid that only burns a couple grand of fuel each year.

However as companies (Especially Toyota, Honda and Ford) continue to develop their electric car technology via hybrids, the $45K price tag will come down, while at the same time their performance and driving range will increase. Unfortunately this may take a couple decades (much like solar which is just now on the verge of reaching price parity with fossil fuels)

So even if you don't buy an EV vehicle today, by buying a hybrid gas/electric, in my opinion, you're still doing you're part to bring about a pure EV future.