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Comment by bischofs | Hacker News Reader

Tesla looks like they will lose that cool new thing vibe soon, the novelty of an electric car will wear off - especially when porsche or benz come out with an electric sedan or coupe. These companies will offer a much more compelling product with the ownership value that people expect from a luxury car company.

I have shopped a model S and besides the electric drivetrain it is not really that nice of a car compared to an E class or a porsche panamera - The interior is weak as far as fit and finish. As soon as the the germans offer a similar product on the high end ( and with GM already offering a full electric on the low end ) tesla is done.

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You mean "Tesla is done" as in their mission objective has been reached, EV are the future?

Whether or not Tesla survives is getting less and less important every day (unless you are a shareholder).

You make a great point, as I was thinking the exact same thing.

Sure, Tesla as a company may not take off as some people expect, but they have already had a huge impact on the automotive industry and the American Collective Consciousness.

Curious, where is everyone going to get their batteries?

Tesla doesnt make batteries they just package the cells, anyone can do this if the market demands it. Automotive companies are quite good at supply chains.

You dont know what youre talking about. They do make batteries. 2170s are rolling off the gig assembly line as we speak. They are already in their products. Please think before you speak.

you are correct, my bad. I did think before I spoke though so that was not necessary. It is interesting how angry people get when you say anything negative about tesla. And my point stands that anyone has access to battery technology - Samsung sdi and LG chem can scale up with any partner just as tesla and panasonic could

I apologize. There isnt really an excuse for the way i addressed your comment. As for the anger one sees among tesla fans, in my case its because tesla was a laughing stock for years before the model s and wide recognition. Fake reviews, hit peices, a death watch and not to mention the response from the average joe whenever tesla was brought up in conversation. Being called a loser by a presidential candidate despite achieving so much and surviving such massive challenges. People love to hate electric cars and especially tesla even now. They spread misinformarion about batteries being dirtier than gas or how emissions are moved and not eliminated. All of these things have made many tesla fans very bitter.

Well technically Panasonic makes the batteries in a facility that it co-owns/manages with Tesla.

Yes, and Tesla makes the battery packs using these cells.

Packaging the cells is the hard/expensive part. Nevermind the battery management software. And the point of the Gigafactory is to compress the supply chains between raw materials and finished product. It's an all-in investment whose singular goal is to make battery packs cheaper. The only way other companies are going to match that efficiency is if 1) they make a similar investment or 2) Tesla/Panasonic screw up.

GM's partnership with LG Chem seems to match the market demand today more closely than Tesla'a expectations for tomorrow.

People are buying CUVs due to low gas prices. The electric buzz is already wearing off.

In my opinion that's like saying the "DVD buzz is wearing off" in comparison to VHS. :D But yes, if you don't believe electric cars are going to take over everything, the Gigafactory looks super risky, and regardless it's definitely an enormous investment to have on the books while it's not paying for itself.

That's my feeling too. "I drive a Tesla" won't mean anything if it costs $35k and everybody has one, even if it were a nice car. And if Honda or Mazda offered fun to drive $35k electric car with same range, I'd probably get that over Tesla.

Preferring an electric Porsche or Mercedes over an electric Tesla is one thing, but to say the "electric car novelty will wear off" is complete nonsense. EVs are the future, and they're only going to continue to replace gas-powered cars.

You're missing the point. If indeed your second point is true:

> EVs are the future, and they're only going to continue to replace gas-powered cars.

Then the fact that the "electric car novelty will wear off" is a given. By definition, electric cars can't both be the norm and a novelty at the same time.

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