Imagine if thing lasted a little longer
What if you only needed to buy two cars in your lifetime? Would you be willing to pay a premium price? After reading a web article about how certain Tesla vehicles are still in service after a half million miles. Translate that into average domestic driver stats, and you are up into the 4x range. Remember, this is new technology, and it will only get better. Instead of owning a car for six years, you could aim at twenty-five. Doable. A reasonable hope. Assuming that you keep the salt out of everything, the actual frame might also last. And with that, we’re in to true long-term vehicle ownership.
Now, I’d like to “go electric”, as soon as the range expands a bit. Right now, an overnight charge would get me to the city and back; fits my lifestyle, as long as I never leave the province. But soon, I’ve been told…
Compare that to what we have now. Seven years in, and about 60K miles. The AC is iffy, and there are funny noises where there weren’t, this time last year. I’m sure my local mechanic can figure it out, but he’s a busy lad. Other vehicle owners also want a piece of his time.
This doesn’t fit in with the auto industry business model, either. They want us to renew, often. Five years and a new model in the driveway. It doesn’t matter that we are already over our heads with abandoned vehicles; they’ve got factories and a payroll to meet. Perhaps that’s the real reason that the folks at Tesla can’t get any respect!
