Just joined up to the forum, with great interest in Porsche's first performance EV. This car is going to set a new benchmark for what electric vehicles are capable of and if any company can deliver the driving characteristics we've come to expect from a performance car, its Porsche.
Glad to see other people getting in on the ground floor. I'm inclined to agree that this car is looking to do for performance electrics, what the prius did for hybrids.
I think this is just the beginning of 800kw battery packs for EV's. We've already seen that even GM has started with prototypes based on the same powerplant.
For me the most exciting fact is that it'll still have 911 characteristics worked in, as Porsche promised. Apparently they won't be the only one to make a well rounded performance product. Tesla is also committed with the new Roadster that will apparently rival all aspects of what makes a sportscar great.
The rumored specs of the upcoming Roadster are pretty staggering. But now with other premium brands like MB, Audi and Porsche getting fully into EV development, I'd expect some serious rivals by the time it comes to market. And none of these established brands will have the same issues with mass production and quality control.
What Tesla has achieved in just a few short years is really impressive, especially when you look at how many other new brands have failed during startup. They need to get on top of their huge backlog of orders however, because consumers wont be waiting around for months/years to take delivery when there are so many new comparable models that will be available.
Tesla will have to keep interest going strong elsewhere, by say getting fleet contracts organized ahead of time, so while they might lose in the short term, the long term might be promising.
I did read that they are now producing 1,000 Model 3's daily, which should help them inch closer to sustainable profitability. I still think there are years out from ever production an entry level $35k variant, as they have said their current costs to produce are around $40,000. Suppose they could sell at a loss...