Tesla's Impact On The Automobile Industry

Ever since the first gas powered vehicle was prototyped in 1886 by Karl Benz, the automobile has been revolutionizing and transforming into bigger and better things. Automobiles have transformed from the clunky build and gas guzzling engine to sports cars and very efficient engines that can get up to 40 miles per gallon. A new type of technology has developed over the recent years and can possibly change the automobile industry for good: electric-driven vehicles. The start of the electric-driven vehicle began with the grandma grocery getter at the store, toy cars, mo-pads, motorized scooters, and wheel chairs. In the early 20th century, battery powered vehicles were very popular until combustion engines took over the industry with the booming
gas and oil industry on the rise. But, in the late 20th century electric vehicles began to make a comeback for environmental and economic reasons. Ever since, almost all auto makers have tried to take a stab in the electric automobile market but none of them took off as expected.
In 2003, a group of engineers created Tesla Motors, which will change the automobile industry forever. By 2008 they launched their first vehicle, the Tesla Roadster that made other electric vehicles look like toy cars. Since then, this company has developed even better electric driven automobiles that blow all the others out of the water. Tesla Motors have created a breakthrough in the technology of vehicles. By creating an affordable, efficient, and fashionable car, they are revolutionizing the automobile industry and change the meaning of it. I believe that Tesla Motors is not only changing the way the United States views vehicles but make their products the American standard and put two Tesla’s in each garage in America and eventually make this change
worldwide. Tesla Motors is an American company founded by a group of engineers out of Silicon Valley in California. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, states that their goal now is the same as it was when they began building the first prototype which is to “accelerate the advent of sustainable transport by bringing compelling mass market electric cars to market as soon as possible,”(Musk, Elon p1) and they are not far off from accomplishing this goal. In 2008, Tesla released their first electric sports car, the Tesla Roadster, which wasn’t a big hit only selling 3,000 of them. The reason for this was the cost of the car, base models upwards of a $100,000, and the founders of the company promised the world they would improve the product and make them affordable to all. Since then, they have done just that, they have released the Model S and Model X. Both of these models are top of the line electric vehicles encompassed with some of the most cutting edge technology known to man. These two models out shine any other electric car ever made. What makes them so special is the Cutting edge technology Tesla Motors have and the other makers do not have. Unlike other electric vehicles, Tesla’s Model S and Model X have a range up to 294 miles on a full charge, reach 0-60 miles per hour in less than 3 seconds, and reach up to 155 miles per hour. Compared to other vehicles, most can only go between 50 and 100 miles and have top speeds of 60 to 70 miles per hour. Every year Tesla has put more and more vehicles on the road at a slow rate, as expected, because they are a new company and the price of the vehicles. The base price for the cheapest model is $71,500 and can go upwards of $115,000 for the best of the best. But, Tesla Motors has recently unveiled their next model, the Model 3. The Tesla Model 3 will change the game; it will have 215 miles per charge, auto-pilot mode, 0-60 miles per hour under 6 seconds, and very affordable starting at a mere $35,000 (Webb, Arron p2). When this model is released and begins delivering in late 2017, a new era will begin. The big question is, why would we transition from gasoline vehicles to electric vehicles? Well, the answer is because there are many economic and environmental factors go in to the reasoning behind the movement. Both sides of the spectrum have their advantages and disadvantages, so let’s take a look at both sides. Gasoline vehicles have many advantages themselves hence the reason why they have dominated the automobile industry for over a century now. Some combustion engines can have a range of up to 500 miles on a tank but most average 300-400 miles per tank still beating all electric vehicles, including the Tesla. Gasoline is also a lot more readily because of gas stations on almost every corner compared to the few charging stations that electric vehicles have. Diesel, a derivative of gasoline, powers machinery and equipment that are necessary for building and improvement of cities. Trucks and 18-wheelers are also powered by diesel and are a necessity for the transportation of goods and produce. And one of the biggest advantages is that the gas and oil industry has created millions of jobs and if gas were to never be used for vehicles then there would be a huge loss of jobs for not only the United States economy but the global economy as well. While gasoline vehicles have some ups, there are a lot more downs when speaking in terms of the future. Worldwide, we approximately use about 96 million barrels of oil per day netting to about 35 billion barrels a year. Eventually, these large oil reserves will run out so we must start making the change sooner than later before we run out of oil. Humans use more and more oil everyday and depleting it at a rate faster than we can count. This in turn is harming our environment with the CO2 emissions and the other pollutants that come along with burning gasoline. Also, the costly upkeep and maintenance of gasoline engines is quite the task such as changing the oil and replacing parts constantly. And with the increasing oil prices, electric vehicles sound like the better alternative of transportation. While the Tesla line of vehicles does have their downs, the positives greatly outweigh the negatives. I believe that the cutting edge technology Tesla has created is the next best thing and will soon dominate the industry. Although the Tesla models have a shorter range than gas vehicles, they do have a tremendously longer range than other electric vehicles by almost three times. And the charging time can take upwards of an hour compared to a ten minute stop at a gas station. However, the Tesla’s have no emissions whatsoever and there is little to no upkeep because these vehicles require no oil at all. This new line of vehicles will create a new industry and therefore result in the creation of new jobs. Compared to earlier models, the Tesla has made an affordable model that will revolutionize the game. The Tesla models are much more advanced than any other maker’s electric vehicle and cannot be put in the same category as the basic electric vehicle and hybrid because of all the technology used in the making of the Tesla models. Therefore, Tesla Motors has begun to revolutionize the automobile industry and will soon become the norm of the world because of all the advantages they have over the typical gasoline vehicle. Tesla Motors has done something that most automobile makers have never been able to do, become so popular so fast.
The movement of the Tesla is on the rise because of the many economic and environmental factors that have burdened not only the United States economy but the world economy as well. Tesla’s mission is to become the American standard for automobiles and eventually the entire globes standard as well. They want to be the start of the full transition from gasoline vehicles to electric vehicles and wean off the use of gasoline engines. They want to have two Tesla vehicles in every garage across the entire nation. There are goals and desires are not a dream, they are a reality. When Tesla releases the Model 3 in late 2017, the automobile industry will forever be changed. They have finally prototyped a luxury electric vehicle that is more efficient, affordable, and fashionable than any other leading electric
vehicle. Tesla Motors blows any other maker out of the water by a landslide. I think that they are very well capable of meeting their goal as long as they keep creating new technology that betters their vehicles such as giving them the range a gasoline vehicle has and improving the auto-pilot mode. By doing this, the movement will begin to commence and lead to them to the top of the market like Henry Ford did in the early twentieth century. I believe that after Tesla releases their latest model in 2017, the market will soon begin to change from gasoline to Tesla’s. I think that by the mid 2020s nearly three quarters of all vehicles on the road will be a Tesla especially if they continue developing the cutting edge technology like they already have. Tesla Motors is the future of the automobile industry, with their recent breakthrough in electric vehicle technology. The vehicles that they have created are top of the line products that trump any other vehicle on the market. The technology that Tesla has created can possibly lead to electric trucks, eighteen-wheelers, and even race cars. And in the wake of this, the world can wean off the oil and gas industry with this type of technology. America is slowly moving towards the electric vehicle as the standard of automobiles and eventually the world will end up the same way.

Works Cited
Musk, Elon. "The Mission of Tesla." Tesla Motors. Tesla Motors, 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

"11 Electric Cars With Most Range." EV Obsession. N.p., 29 July 2015. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

"Accelerating Sustainable Transport." Model 3. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.