General Discussion

tinrobot

(12,104 posts)

72. They'll only lose money if the car doesn't sell.

Sun Dec 4, 2016, 07:19 PM

Dec 2016

That article is using start up costs as part of the cost of the vehicle. The possible $9K loss stems from the fact that they spent a billion or so to develop it. That means if the car doesn't sell, they will lose most of that billion (i.e. thousands per vehicle)

However, if the vehicle is successful, the start up costs will be amortized and they will profit. That's how most new products work.

The cost of the materials for the Bolt do not indicate that it will be sold at a loss. A similar sized gas powered car would cost around $20K retail, or about $10-12K to build. GM is spending $145/Kwh or about $9k per battery pack for the Bolt. That's the biggest cost. Add in cost of the chassis, drivetrain, etc, and the manufacturing cost would be in the $25K range (for a $37K vehicle).

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The CEO of Ford just perfectly summarized the biggest problem for electric cars [View all] FarCenter Dec 2016 OP

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Looks like your Tesla figure is off Zorro Dec 2016 #24

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Right. Build an electric car that goes 500 miles on a charge, ... JustABozoOnThisBus Dec 2016 #56

That's already possible and it wouldn't take 5 mins at a station...more like 2 minutes to swap packs uponit7771 Dec 2016 #69

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Yeah Calculating Dec 2016 #39

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Tax break for hybrids. HassleCat Dec 2016 #38

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So not really a representation of freedom SubjectiveLife78 Dec 2016 #54

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Yes, Batteries are the sticking point but rgbecker Dec 2016 #49

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True, but hybrids have been doing just fine bhikkhu Dec 2016 #51

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