TESLA Electric Truck?

[Gale Hawkins]

Here's what will never make the news. Toyota is going to sell a plug in Rav4 that will get up to 40 miles on just battery power. They will sell more of them and sales will increase than Tesla will sell model 3s. If Toyota (the big 3) were to make a plug in hybrid truck that could get 50 plus miles on a charge with a real engine in it for when you needed the range or power it would sell much better than an EV truck. As Tesla fans love to say, most people don't drive that far each day. Even if you drive 75 miles to and from work that would be 1 vs 3 gallons of gas.

First drive: the first-ever hybrid Toyota RAV4 | Top Gear

Toyota RAV4 EV Models, Generations & Redesigns | Cars.com

Do you know why Toyota did not make a go of it with the Rav4 EV and Hybrid the first time around?

Toyota Mirai - Wikipedia

While this Toyota was able to match Tesla's Model 3 range and cost for some reason they only sold several thousands per this info in the USA. My take they are coming with hybrids again as a stop gap measure until they develop the skills to compete with EV's from other sources. While not so much in the USA currently but in the rest of the world if major car companies can not figure out how to do EV's the Chinese EV's I expect will own more and more of their current market share.

Hybrids still burn fossil fuels which is more and more of a no no in Europe and China. Hybrids were a good hack until EV battery costs started dropping and the event of fast EV charging stations. Because hybrids are a hack their days are numbered as are more and more cars with IC based engines.

This was not just a Toyota problem but Ford had the same kind of failure with their EV's and Hybrids of the same era.

Everyone agrees Tesla is years ahead in the EV market (the only market with a long term future per world governments). If Ford does not make the Mustang and F-150 EV's to the standard of Tesla EV's they are at risk at staying in business with only ICE vehicles.

EV's are so much less expensive to build than ICE's now that battery prices are dropping. Robots bring quality at a lower cost.

Because Ford has a bad track record with EV's and Tesla has such success I expect we will see the first 100K EV trucks from Tesla before we see the same number from Ford.

The Tesla Super Chargers are world wide so why would a traveler look at any other brand of cars and trucks. Sure my Leaf is fine for 90% of my driving but not all of it. With ICE development stopped it is just a matter of time EV's will be our only vehicle option it seems.

Today there are many unknowns and few if any knowns other than ICE's are going away.

 

[Oaktree]

I'll be buying one. Bought the license plate for it last night.

View attachment 630617

California will let you register a car before you even own it?

 

[davrow]

California will let you register a car before you even own it?

No, but they allow you to buy a personalized plate and you can use it when you do register the vehicle. $43 per year to hold the plate without using it on a vehicle.

(price varies per plate style)

 

[California]

That plate may be worth a lot more in a few years.

 

[two_bit_score]

No, but they allow you to buy a personalized plate and you can use it when you do register the vehicle. $43 per year to hold the plate without using it on a vehicle.

(price varies per plate style)

That plate may be worth a lot more in a few years.

Most likely it will!



TBS

 

[sailfast]

The supercharger concept is ridiculous. If it takes me more time to charge my car than fill it up with gas then it is a step backwards and just a waste of time. Show me an electric vehicle that has BETTER range and quicker refueling than the gas/diesel counterparts then I will give it a look.

When I stop to fill up on a trip I usually eat a meal and use the head... Sounds like a good fit.
The great thing is I never need to charge while driving around town... Since I don't need that I actually save time and laugh at the suckers filling their tanks as I drive by gas station.

 

[Jstpssng]

When I stop to fill up on a trip I usually eat a meal and use the head... Sounds like a good fit.
The great thing is I never need to charge while driving around town... Since I don't need that I actually save time and laugh at the suckers filling their tanks as I drive by gas station.

I never fill my tank while driving around town either.

 

[CHF4]

The supercharger concept is ridiculous. If it takes me more time to charge my car than fill it up with gas then it is a step backwards and just a waste of time. Show me an electric vehicle that has BETTER range and quicker refueling than the gas/diesel counterparts then I will give it a look.

Pretty sure people said the same thing about their horses back in the day...

“My horse can get free fuel by eating grass anywhere! There are no gas stations or roads to drive these things called automobiles & I’ll be stuck or out of gas just driving down to the next little town over..my horse can go through mud and snow but not this ‘auto’”

But plenty of people started using them in cities..cars & that way of life evolved. It takes time.
The same way the modern electrics are evolving. I’d rather an American energy company get my ‘gas money’ vs Middle East or Venezuela etc etc. (granted a lot of fuel now comes from the US today, prices are still fluctuated by all the Middle East garbage/issues). Electricity doesn’t fluctuate daily at the whim of Iran causing issues in the middle east.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

One has to factor in lots of things to consider electric. Solar panels, enough to run a typical home is probably going to be $20-$30K. An electric car would start at about $40K.
One car we have is a Hyundai Accent. They're pretty cheap, about $18K averages about 35mpg.
So not having solar+ev that's about $50K difference.
My electric bill averages $75/month. Home+garage+horse stable+barn (we're conservative), that's about $1K/year.
Now $50K @ 5% interest is $2,500/year. (Invested in the market exceeds that.)
Buying from power company I have no maintenance. I have a generator (stupid waste of money since in 40 years we've been without power a total of 10 days...maybe).
Gas for car...9k miles/year about $580. I change oil+filter myself 3k...so about $90.
Electric is Interesting but doesn't add up.

You are on target as I see it.

I think this is why Tesla has announced they plan to stop selling EV's when automamus driving vehicles are legal in the USA.

 

[big bubba]

my take? it will be the Edsel design of "futuristic" trucks. the style will quickly fade
but the engineering will no doubt be the wave of the future