Tesla and the Future of the Electric Car Since their appearance on the commercial market in 1897, generations of electric cars have failed to live up to their promise as the sustainable energy alternative of the future (“Ford Motor Company”). Characterized by high cost, poor performance, short ranges, and unattractive exteriors, electric cars have done poorly in the American market in comparison to sexier, foreign made models (Becker and Sidhu). However, this trend was altered drastically with the introduction of the Tesla Roadster in 2006. The world’s first Lithium-ion battery powered car, the Tesla boasts an acceleration of 0-60 in four seconds and a battery range of 245 miles (“History of the Electric Car”). And as of August 2013, the National …show more content…
In the early 1900’s, it even seemed electric vehicles might overtake the combustion engine as the wave of the future. Electric vehicles lacked the noise, smell, and difficulty in starting and driving that were synonymous with gasoline powered cars. Sales for electric vehicles peaked in 1912, and as they offered such luxuries as decorated interiors and exteriors, these cars were primarily marketed toward the upper class (Bellis). So why didn’t this trend of sustainability continue into the late 1900’s and early 21st century? Much of the explanation can be attributed to Henry Ford and the establishment of the Ford Motor Company in 1903. Ford’s Model T embodied the first affordable, efficient, and reliable automobile geared toward the average American. Then with the creation of the world’s first moving assembly line for cars in 1913 and the introduction of interchangeable, standardized parts, Henry Ford changed the automobile industry forever (“Ford Motor Company”). With this kind of competition on the rise, electric vehicles could no longer compete and gas powered automobiles soon monopolized the commercial …show more content…
light-vehicle sales. This prediction relied on companies adopting separate battery manufacturing ownership, a concept that falls directly in line with Tesla and the Gigafactory. Also, if these estimates are correct, UC Berkeley expects the U.S. trade deficit to lower by between $94 and $266 billion due to lower petroleum imports. Similarly, a boom in the electric car company would create anywhere between 130,000 – 350,000 jobs in battery manufacturing industry and in the overall electric vehicle construction process (Becker and Sidhu). Nevertheless, Tesla is not yet equipped to overtake the market completely. Tesla vehicles are still extremely high-end sports cars, as the 2017 Tesla Model 3 is predicted to have a starting price of $50,000 (Young). That being said though, what is exciting about Tesla and Elon Musk is what they might mean for the future of electric vehicles. This is truly the first time since the early 1900’s that the public has been interested in electric vehicles as not only the sustainable option, but also the attractive automobile choice. Mr. Musk has succeeded in making sustainable energy sexy, and there’s no turning back from