Carmakers all over the globe are really finding ways to lower down the costs of electric and hybrid vehicles.
Recently, Tesla has reworked the ex-GM/Toyota NUMMI plant in Freemont, California into a high-tech electric car factory, but it may soon outgrow the place. The company–which has built about 30,000 Model S sedans so far — has previously hinted at a larger plant that would coincide with plans to ramp up production.
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk described a “Giga Factory” that would build battery packs for a future mass-market electric car. Tesla currently buys individual battery cells from Panasonic, but under the new scheme it would start with raw materials and finish with complete packs.
The Giga Factory would likely produce batteries for Tesla’s “Gen 3” models, which are expected to be significantly less-expensive than the current Model S and will sell in larger volumes. Set to appear around 2016, Musk previously quoted a 200-mile driving range for the cars, despite the fact that they will use smaller battery packs.
One of those cars will be a small sedan, likely called Model E. Musk previously said the car would compete against the BMW 3-Series in the lucrative small luxury segment, and would have a starting price of less than $40,000. A crossover based on the same platform is also possible, as is a a new sports car to succeed Tesla’s first production model, the Roadster. However, both won’t see showrooms for some time, if they get built at at all.
Very exciting news for the automotive industry, indeed. But it makes us more wanting for a similar development in the Philippines. Which makes us wonder: whatever happened to our Alternative Fuels Act?
We thought we already made headway, when the House approved HB 5460 on March 2012, while the Senate passed its version Senate Bill 2856 last January 2012. But somewhere between consolidating the bills, pushing it towards a real law went kaput. How long – again – will we wait for a true development in this arena?