Fire problem and pricing a challenge

Tesla in the Mass Market
From: MoveForward, in ENN.com, Electric Forum, More from this Affiliate

Tesla image via Shutterstock.

Tesla Motors is a company which seems to go from strength to strength and indeed to all intents and purposes this is a company, which has dragged the electric vehicle market kicking, and screaming to the point of mass acceptance. Anybody who has even looked at electric vehicles will be well aware that Tesla began life at the top end of the luxury car market and once this particular niche was dominated the company began to look further down the electric car food chain.

The company is looking to introduce a mass-market affordable electric vehicle within the next four or five years and despite skepticism by some experts there are few who would bet against Elon Musk leading the company onwards and upwards. But will Tesla ever really crack the mass market?

Reputation means everything

While the likes of General Motors, BMW and an array of other leading car manufacturers are now waxing lyrical about the electric vehicle market, where were these particular companies 10 years ago? 
It will be long forgotten in years to come that Tesla Motors was the company, which put the electric vehicle market on the map and has built a reputation for reliability and groundbreaking technology.

Quote from ElectricForum.com: "There’s no doubt that the name of Elon Musk is synonymous with Tesla but where do you think Tesla would be today if Elon Musk had not been at the helm?"

Some experts believe that Elon Musk has bitten off more than he can chew by targeting an affordable electric vehicle for the mass-market. They point out that the company's reputation has been gained at the higher end of the luxury market where perhaps price is not as sensitive as luxury, comfort and groundbreaking technology. However, Elon Musk is certainly not a man to sit on his laurels and if the company believes it can hit the mass market by 2017 then there must be something in the pipeline!

Secrecy is paramount

Time and time again stock markets and investors have attempted to forecast what Tesla Motors has in store for the electric vehicle market. Every time the company announces a launch date or a press conference the media goes into frenzy with speculation, counter speculation and downright untruths. 

The fact is that there are few companies as PR savvy as Tesla Motors, which manages to keep all of its secrets away from the mass media.

Read more at ENN affiliate Electric Forum.

Another Tesla Model S Catches Fire After Hitting Road Debris

By Mary Beth Quirk in the Consumerist

(ValueWalk)

In the third fiery incident since October, another Tesla Model S electric car caught fire after hitting road debris. This time the blaze erupted in Tennessee after the car ran over a tow hitch on the interstate, possibly damaging the undercarriage and sparking an electrical fire.

Valuewalk posted the news after a commenter shared a photo of the fire on a Tesla forum, and a spokeswoman for the company has confirmed the fire, noting that it wasn’t spontaneous.

“We have been in contact with the driver, who was not injured and believes the car saved his life. Our team is on its way to Tennessee to learn more about what happened,” she says. “We will provide more information when we’re able to do so.”

It sounds a lot like the first fiery incident in October, when the driver also hit road debris that punctured a shield and pierced the battery pack. Another blaze flamed up in Mexico when the driver ran over a roundabout and crashed into a concrete wall at high speed.

After the initial Tesla inferno, the company’s CEO Elon Musk responded with a blog post noting that the fire was contained to the front of the vehicle, which also appears to be the case this time. Maybe Musk will weigh in again, but in the meantime it sounds like Tesla owners should try to avoid driving over stuff.