Is the Mach-E really 7 years behind Tesla?

[silverelan]

Tesla seems to be behind other car manufacturers and now has to play catch-up. The Tesla Model S Plaid was supposed to have come out Summer 2020 in response to Porsche Taycan. Now after today's news, it will not arrive until late 2021 in response to Lucid. The narrative that Tesla has the lead is a little bit harder to understand based on these facts.

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[Nak]

Tesla seems to be behind other car manufacturers and now has to play catch-up. The Tesla Model S Plaid was supposed to have come out Summer 2020 in response to Porsche Taycan. Now after today's news, it will not arrive until late 2021 in response to Lucid. The narrative that Tesla has the lead is a little bit harder to understand based on these facts.

That's one take away from today. The other is a battery already being produced--albeit in a "pilot plant"--that gives an EV 54% greater range for 50% less cost and can be built in a plant 1/10 the size. That is HUGE news, not only for EVs but for grid storage and our march towards a sustainable future. Oh, and Elon was very clear that he'll sell these batteries to Tesla's competitors. Would you like a Mach E with 450 miles range? Yes please?

Folks, this is not Ford Vs Tesla. This is EVs taking us into the future. Take note: Elon is thrilled with the Mach E. Most people are. Tesla Fan boys and Tesla haters aside, what is good for one EV is good for us all. It doesn't matter if it says Ford on the grill or has a T on the hood. Choices are good and everyone will choose which they like best. That's good for all of us.

 

[silverelan]

That's one take away from today. The other is a battery already being produced--albeit in a "pilot plant"--that gives an EV 54% greater range for 50% less cost and can be built in a plant 1/10 the size. That is HUGE news, not only for EVs but for grid storage and our march towards a sustainable future. Oh, and Elon was very clear that he'll sell these batteries to Tesla's competitors. Would you like a Mach E with 450 miles range? Yes please?

Folks, this is not Ford Vs Tesla. This is EVs taking us into the future. Take note: Elon is thrilled with the Mach E. Most people are. Tesla Fan boys and Tesla haters aside, what is good for one EV is good for us all. It doesn't matter if it says Ford on the grill or has a T on the hood. Choices are good and everyone will choose which they like best. That's good for all of us.

With the understanding that today was Battery Day and not Car Day, I totally get that the battery tech announcements that Tesla made are actually a really big deal. If they can improve gravametric energy density, reduce heat, and improve longevity all for 56% lower costs than today, that's HUGE. However, we shouldn't confuse battery improvements with vehicle efficiency gains. The 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid is now planned to have 520 mile range but it may take 120 kWh or more in energy to do it.

Insofar as a 450 mi ranged MME, I think we would all love to see that but Ford does not have the efficiency yet to do that with the available 99kWh of energy. Based on Lucid's presentation, there is a lot of low hanging fruit with improvements to motor design and high voltage componentry. If Ford is able to capture some of that efficiency magic then I think some amazing range numbers are possible.

 

[Nak]

The 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid is now planned to have 520 mile range but it may take 120 kWh or more in energy to do it.

Insofar as a 450 mi ranged MME, I think we would all love to see that but Ford does not have the efficiency yet to do that with the available 99kWh of energy.

Agreed. The S will get a higher capacity battery pack to achieve that range courtesy of the new technology. I'm more than OK with that. My point about the Mach E relates to Elon saying they will sell the new battery to competitors. So a Mach E with a 140 Kwh battery pack is now something that could happen in two or three years. As an added bonus, it should cost less too. Good for EV adoption which I am all for. Bad for resale value of current cars I guess. That's OK too. If your next car costs less, it's not as big a deal if you don't get as much for your trade in.

BTW, this isn't just good for the environment--which it is. Just think of the current output available from a 50% bigger battery pack. If you think EVs are crushing ICE cars at the drag strip now, just wait.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Tesla seems to be behind other car manufacturers and now has to play catch-up. The Tesla Model S Plaid was supposed to have come out Summer 2020 in response to Porsche Taycan. Now after today's news, it will not arrive until late 2021 in response to Lucid. The narrative that Tesla has the lead is a little bit harder to understand based on these facts.

The Model S is also showing its age imo too. It needs a design update, like two years ago.

 

[silverelan]

I'm just having a hard time squaring the news that the Tesla Model S Plaid will take two years to come to market because other cars keep coming out that are better in the meantime.

 

[DaveRuns]

Agreed. The S will get a higher capacity battery pack to achieve that range courtesy of the new technology. I'm more than OK with that. My point about the Mach E relates to Elon saying they will sell the new battery to competitors. So a Mach E with a 140 Kwh battery pack is now something that could happen in two or three years. As an added bonus, it should cost less too. Good for EV adoption which I am all for. Bad for resale value of current cars I guess. That's OK too. If your next car costs less, it's not as big a deal if you don't get as much for your trade in.

BTW, this isn't just good for the environment--which it is. Just think of the current output available from a 50% bigger battery pack. If you think EVs are crushing ICE cars at the drag strip now, just wait.

I think this post would be relevant in the "Mach-E Re-sale value" thread. I say that because if the Mach-E has a 140 KW battery pack in 2 years, our measely little 2021 variants will be "worthless".

 

[RonTCat]

I think this post would be relevant in the "Mach-E Re-sale value" thread. I say that because if the Mach-E has a 140 KW battery pack in 2 years, our measely little 2021 variants will be "worthless".

Would you pay to have the battery cells in your current vehicle updated? I wouldn't assume a 2023 battery pack would not fit your 2021 vehicle. A 2020 tire fits your 2015 vehicle.

 

[DaveRuns]

Would you pay to have the battery cells in your current vehicle updated? I wouldn't you assume a 2023 battery pack would not fit your 2021 vehicle. A 2020 tire fits your 2015 vehicle.

Great point.....if they allowed us to upgrade the battery pack...YES, I'd pay for it.

 

[ChasingCoral]

That's one take away from today. The other is a battery already being produced--albeit in a "pilot plant"--that gives an EV 54% greater range for 50% less cost and can be built in a plant 1/10 the size. That is HUGE news, not only for EVs but for grid storage and our march towards a sustainable future. Oh, and Elon was very clear that he'll sell these batteries to Tesla's competitors. Would you like a Mach E with 450 miles range? Yes please?

Folks, this is not Ford Vs Tesla. This is EVs taking us into the future. Take note: Elon is thrilled with the Mach E. Most people are. Tesla Fan boys and Tesla haters aside, what is good for one EV is good for us all. It doesn't matter if it says Ford on the grill or has a T on the hood. Choices are good and everyone will choose which they like best. That's good for all of us.

Agreed, @Nak. We need to focus on the improvements we all need in BEVs. Tesla's advances are good for the industry and the planet. It will be great when Tesla's battery and IT advances and the auto industry's ability to build quality cars that last truly come together.

 

[jlauro]

Actually they do sell a $35k Model 3. You have to order it off menu, meaning you can't order it on-line but instead you must talk to a Tesla representatives directly and ask for one. Basically it's a standard range without the plus. Some features are disabled and the range lowered by software, but they do sell a $35k Model 3, they just don't make it easy to order.

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