BMW says electric car mass production not viable until 2020

Post by kalleboo » Fri, Mar 23, 2018, 4:17 AM UTC

odammit wrote: post #249

Cookingboy wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>BMW can wait til 2020, but by then they’ll have missed the boat. What boat? Are people going to stop buying cars in 2 years? We aren't talking about cellphones here, 2 years, or even 5 years is nothing in the automotive industry. The current 3-series is 6 years old and a good 3-4 years behind competitors and is still selling strong. Having a 2-3 years lead in this industry is literally less than half the lifecycle o…

The boat that has all the $100k sales on it from people that don’t want to wait 2-3 years for a BMW. That boat. It’s red row boat in case you’re curious.

Post by bobsil1 » Fri, Mar 23, 2018, 4:32 AM UTC

sweden wrote: post #186

davewritescode wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you’re way oversimplifying the situation. BMW isn’t anything like Microsoft. It’s important to remember that, if you count hybrids, BMW already sells more electrified cars than Tesla and the vast majority of them at a more affordable price point than Tesla (the i3 is a pretty good value). BMW sells a ton of cars and has made pretty good progress on the electric front. They’re just not a hype machine like Tesl…

I don't think the situation isn't being oversimplified, I think OP's post is a good summary of the whole situation. I also don't think the i3 is good value. If you compare it to a BWM series 1, you can get a better car for a better price. On the other hand, a Tesla Model 3 is perfectably comparable to a BWM series 1. Tesla has been making good electric cars since 2012 and the BMW i3 was very limited in range until la…

Post by gwbas1c » Fri, Mar 23, 2018, 4:34 AM UTC

reubenswartz wrote: post #166

This has a lot to do with culture. Microsoft had a mockup of an e-reader before the Kindle, but the powers that be in the company insisted that it should run Windows (not out of malice, but because that's how they saw the world.) When Bezos, who, at the time, ran a giant bookstore, started his Kindle project, he put them on a secret team in a different building. Car companies are run by people who love engines that b…

Post by erdle » Fri, Mar 23, 2018, 4:57 AM UTC

gwbas1c wrote: post #295

reubenswartz wrote: post #166

This has a lot to do with culture. Microsoft had a mockup of an e-reader before the Kindle, but the powers that be in the company insisted that it should run Windows (not out of malice, but because that's how they saw the world.) When Bezos, who, at the time, ran a giant bookstore, started his Kindle project, he put them on a secret team in a different building. Car companies are run by people who love engines that b…

2020 is very soon. In car terms, it's "tomorrow."

Post by jhall1468 » Fri, Mar 23, 2018, 5:34 AM UTC

Havoc wrote: post #227

kokx wrote: post #221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they are both having trouble scaling up different parts of the production line. So far, it seems that Tesla has been focussing quite a lot on getting great at producing batteries, including the logistics for that. Which is what they seem to be good at (given that they produce industrial size battery stations and batteries for home use as well). But they do not have as much experience in managing a mass produc…

I don't quite see lithium battery tech to be a market dominating advantage. Case in point - despite branding Gigafactory is at least in part a Panasonic operation. Don't believe me? See panasonic annual report: https://www.panasonic.com/global/corporate/ir/pdf/panasonic_... Largest lithium battery supplier in the world? Panasonic. https://www.statista.com/statistics/235323/lithium-batteries... BMW doesn't need experi…