Obrist, the Austrian firm that put gas and methanol range extenders in Tesla Model 3 and Model Y prototypes, is bankrupt with about $37 million in debt.
Now, I’m not saying that it’s a dumber idea than putting rocket thrusters on a car…
FWIW, it was a janky range extender rather than a full combustion drivetrain. Effectively turning the Model 3 into a plug-in (series) hybrid.
It’s not the worst idea in itself - EREVs are very much a thing that meets some people’s needs. But trying to retrofit an existing Model 3 into one seems difficult, complicated, unreliable, and most importantly, expensive. All to make it happen on a brand that heavily markets that they are electric only. On top of that, they chose the cheaper “affordable” model instead of the luxury model, meaning would-be consumers are going to be much more price-conscious.
If it wouldn’t expose their incompetence in a competitive (and well-established) marketplace, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Musk pivot to fossil.
Right, I feel like the only person who would buy this is someone who has never had an EV, wants one, but is also scared of range anxiety. This person would also have to be willing to spend a huge amount of money on an unreliable, poorly built car. I don’t think that person exists.
Anyone who has owned an EV will tell you how much range is not a big deal. The only time I think about it is when I’m planning a road trip, but I don’t think most people are doing that often.
FWIW, it was a janky range extender rather than a full combustion drivetrain. Effectively turning the Model 3 into a plug-in (series) hybrid.
It’s not the worst idea in itself - EREVs are very much a thing that meets some people’s needs. But trying to retrofit an existing Model 3 into one seems difficult, complicated, unreliable, and most importantly, expensive. All to make it happen on a brand that heavily markets that they are electric only. On top of that, they chose the cheaper “affordable” model instead of the luxury model, meaning would-be consumers are going to be much more price-conscious.
If it wouldn’t expose their incompetence in a competitive (and well-established) marketplace, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Musk pivot to fossil.
It was a dumb idea because range anxiety was a complete fabrication of the auto media. IRL, Tesla owners didn’t need more range. No demand = no money.
Right, I feel like the only person who would buy this is someone who has never had an EV, wants one, but is also scared of range anxiety. This person would also have to be willing to spend a huge amount of money on an unreliable, poorly built car. I don’t think that person exists.
Anyone who has owned an EV will tell you how much range is not a big deal. The only time I think about it is when I’m planning a road trip, but I don’t think most people are doing that often.
It definitely was the worst idea. If you want an EREV, you can just buy one.
The BMW i3? No thanks.
They’re not really a thing in Europe, but they’re popular in China. In Europe people prefer hybrids.