As far as build quality the upcoming Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 look real good.I'm not so sure. What percentage of vehicle sales are trucks with that kind of towing capacity? Pretty small. Most buyers rarely if ever tow.
I don't think it will, certainly not by 2030 as these pie in the sky predictions say.
I agree. Tesla's build quality is on par with a late 70s K-car. GM's been building cars for 100 years, it's not going to take them a decade to "catch up" to anybody.
Tesla's gonna have to change their whole sales/distribution/service model if they ever want to be more than a niche player, albeit one that gets a lot of attention. As for Musk himself, I'm leaning more toward huckster than innovator.![]()
How do you define “gets used like a truck?” A college kid working with me a few summers ago told me that I should be driving a Prius because I parked and we walked, rather than driving across a marginal bridge. (The abutments were so bad that one corner had dropped a foot.) I’m not sure how well a Prius would handle 10 ply tires and going up the gravel semi maintained roads that I drive at faster mph.All of them, I think?
Truck sales are not based on reality. It’s based on those rare instances.
I hauled a pallet of block once in the last two years, I should have a F450 flatbed.
I have a 5800 pound travel trailer. I need a 3/4 ton. Heck, I might upgrade to a 5th wheel. Better get a one ton diesel.
I work construction, heavy equipment operator. Medium sized company, up to 200 field employees. The amount of young guys or women just starting out that show up to work driving a beater sedan? 10% at best. The amount driving a 1/2 ton (or higher) extended or cc truck? 75%. Our parking areas at large job sites look like the start of the used truck lineup at a large car dealership.
I’m going to guess that 75% of new trucks sold get used as a truck less than 5% of their time on the road.
I don’t have a problem with that, either. Buy and drive what ya want, it’s supposedly a free country.
Plus, the tow ratings are based on flatland statistics. I live in the country, and have a 1000' hill between me and any supplier. I drive a compact pickup, and hitch a trailer on the back if I have large loads, like a couple feet of plywood, to haul. I have to downshift to make it over the hill. The owner's manual says I have a 5000 lb. towing limit, but I'm lucky to tow a ton up a steep hill in 2nd gear. I could imagine a battery melting under that load. How a F150 would do towing a travel trailer in the Cascades where you encounter 15 miles of 6% grade is hard to imagine, particularly when you end up on high plateau and don't have a chance to regen because there's no downhill.All of them, I think?
Truck sales are not based on reality. It’s based on those rare instances.
I hauled a pallet of block once in the last two years, I should have a F450 flatbed.
I have a 5800 pound travel trailer. I need a 3/4 ton. Heck, I might upgrade to a 5th wheel. Better get a one ton diesel.
I work construction, heavy equipment operator. Medium sized company, up to 200 field employees. The amount of young guys or women just starting out that show up to work driving a beater sedan? 10% at best. The amount driving a 1/2 ton (or higher) extended or cc truck? 75%. Our parking areas at large job sites look like the start of the used truck lineup at a large car dealership.
I’m going to guess that 75% of new trucks sold get used as a truck less than 5% of their time on the road.
I don’t have a problem with that, either. Buy and drive what ya want, it’s supposedly a free country.
I have more confidence in GM building quality cars than Tesla. If Tesla can do it then GM or any traditional automaker will do it better. I do give credit to Musk for the innovation.
I don't have a problem with this in principle; I use the road I should be expected to pay for it. The method they use to come up with a fee is subject for debate though; one proposal was to require a GPS in every vehicle to track the mileage. A lot of my driving is on private roads so the above would save me money; yet I would rather pay the extra rather than have BB tracking my every move.MSN
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