Edit: If they ever get that electric Golf to similar range, I think that will be a pretty good option.

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/01/04/plug-hybrid-electric-ve...

But even for a daily driver, most days I only need about 50 miles range on most days. So for a Tesla model S or 3, I'd be hauling around the weight and expense of a 250 - 350 mile range battery that I won't be using 95% of the time. So I'd rather have a 60-mile battery (like the Volt), but with a high performance electric motor (like a model S), and a very low HP (small) ICE engine that won't add much weight. For extended-range driving, the electric motor would provide acceleration while the ICE directly powers the rear wheels and provides cruising (and mild charging when the battery gets too low).

As a native English speaker I have no idea what you're saying. At best you're saying that a Tesla is an unrealistic option for your unspecified context.

I mean there is not much competition in electric cars right now because its still a new product, only for a few early adopters. In time it will become more mainstream with more choice and for me its only then would I look for one.

Electric cars have an order of magnitude less moving parts, barely any maintenance to do on them (no need to change the brakes, no oil, no filter on the engine...)

I can see why PHEV are appealing right now, but they are not a good long term decision.

Second, most competitors are years away. Tesla is producing and shipping their mid priced car already, while most others are merely announcing, planning and developing theirs. If you want a 200 mile range, Nissan Leaf is already a decent competitor, though.

Most of us would like longer ranges (300 miles or more), and there is literally no other company than Tesla with EVs of that range. The EVs from VW, BMW, Daimler etc. are not on the market until maybe 2020, and with shorter range. Their second attempt will be ready 2-3 years after given the usual production cycle. By mid 2020, Tesla likely has substantially longer range than 300 miles and lower prices than $54,000, and they may very well be close to producing 1,000,000 EVs yearly (they just need to double current production rate once per year to achieve that).

By 2022-2023, when the competitors are finally ready with cars that can compete with the 2018 Tesla model 3, I bet Tesla is already down in the upper end of the low priced segment or the lower end of the mid priced segment and that they produce several millions of EVs yearly.

Like you, I would love for the others to catch up. Competition is good. But I increasingly doubt it will happen.

Tesla can literally just copy their current production lines a number of times at different places in the world, wait for the battery efficiency to improve as it has done every year, wait for battery price to drop, as it has done every year, while expanding their charging networks. Not that I think they won't keep innovating. It's just that they are so far ahead already.

Sorry, but no. One can be had in just a couple months at this point, and that lead time will dwindle quickly now that they've really ramped production.

[1] http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/news/150839/new-tesla-model-3-pric...

Doesn't seem like a couple a month right now and at all. Of course it could dwindle fast from here on out, but even if production doubles you'd still be looking at more than just a couple months. And you'd likely see pre-orders go up accordingly as well, I'm sure there's people who haven't pre-ordered because it makes no sense paying $1k to be on a 3 year waiting list, I wouldn't be surprised if waiting lists didn't budge nearly as much as production rates increase. And besides, doubling production isn't exactly trivial despite Tesla's erroneous claims in the past.

A large chunk of the 400k are probably outside of the US, and another chunk are waiting for cheaper configurations.

If you are in the US and order a 'First Production' model (Long Range battery + premium interior) you will definitely not be at the back of a 400k long line.

Going off of this I would assume the parent poster isn't in the USA. In other countries, the Tesla Model 3 isn't expected to start deliveries until 2019.

Volkswagen e-Golf

Renault ZOE

  Jaguar i-Pace

  Volkswagen e-Golf

  Renault ZOE

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Golf#Volkswagen_e-G... [2] https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1111560_renault-zoe-sti...

The fact that you do not own the battery is also reflected in the price of the vehicle, it would take us 8 years to reach a break even, I have not yet owned a car for 8 years.

A nice bonus is that the Zoe got the highest possible score on a corrosion test, a big thing where I live since roads are frequently sprayed with salt winter time.

250km is 155 miles, which is close enough to the 150 miles claimed in the parent comment.

It's also still below the 200 miles requested in the original comment.

I'd venture to guess it's only with the premium brands, and only when buying new (or maybe used-certified) and only with a model with terrible fuel economy.

7 years would be, for the average American, 100k miles. (Assuming that $90k Tesla costs nothing at all to operate...) Even at a generous 35 cents a mile for fuel and maintenance, that leaves $55k for purchase cost, and that may not be exclusively premium-only "make" territory, but at a make like Honda, that's going to be a fancier model.

Take that per mile cost difference down to a more realistic 20 cents ($3.60/G, 30mpg, independent shop for maintenance, no tires or suspension since electric cars need those, too), and now it's $70k, well within premium brand territory.

Residual value of the Tesla is likely to be better, but if it was financed, that cost would be higher, too. I'm not sure how to estimate that.

However, there are also significant savings from being electric. So, it's possible to afford one on a developer's 100k/year salary especially if you keep it for ~10 years.