Some products struggle to lose their bad
image. Tofu-Steaks are a prime example. Like no other food, they represent insipid
taste, an unwanted replacement. For some time, electric vehicles were suffering
the same problem. In comparison to their gas-guzzling cousins they were dull
automotive tofu-steaks. The lack of comfort and sportiness amplified the
tofu-effect. People were afraid to be seen in them. Tesla was the first
manufacturer to deal with the tofu-effect in electric vehicles.
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| 0% tofu-effect in the Model S. Foto: Tesla |
The South-African billionaire Elon
Musk has made a fortune by founding and building up PayPal. That’s when he had
the vision to build electric vehicles. He founded Tesla not to make money, but
to make an impact. That’s why he is willing to take tremendous losses.
In 2016 his company lost 773 Million dollars, just as in previous years. But
Musk doesn’t give up easily. After the saloon car Model S and the gull-winged
SUV Model X the company is launching the smaller models 3 and Y. Tesla has made
it so far, because Musk is determined to pursue his goal at any price. It remains
to be seen whether Tesla will turn profitable any time soon.
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| The flying Model X. Foto: Tesla |
Tesla was
the first to make electric cars desirable. There is no tofu-effect in
the entire Tesla line-up. Apart from appealing design Tesla offers absurd
power (up to 691bhp), a star-wars-like autopilot, air conditioning, sat-nav,
lots of space and comfort. Their vehicles are viable alternatives to European luxury
saloons. The most important feature on any Tesla is free of charge: It’s the
brand image. A Tesla vehicle can bring the future into the present. It’s almost
like owning a James Bond-car. But let’s not forget about the downside of
electric vehicles. Tesla claims their 85kW-battery to last for 250 miles. This
is subject to change according to driving style, temperature and
additional power consumption (headlights, radio, air-con). A more realistic value would be 150-170
miles.
To sum it up: Elon Musk has realized
customers don’t want a tofu-vehicle. Tesla
has developed electric cars people actually want to drive in public. Tesla cars are
everyday-vehicles but remain fascinating at the same time. This doesn’t happen
too often in the auto-business.
Text: © autofieber.blogspot.de - 2017