Hollis Johnson/Business Insider
- When we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, some of us may take the plunge on car ownership.
- It's going to be easy to buy or lease a gas-powered vehicles, but the time couldn't be better for checking out an electric car.
- To that end, Tesla should be high on your shopping list.
- But the brand comes with some pros and cons. Here's a rundown.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
In the car business, a debate has broken out. As the US emerges from the coronavirus lockdowns, there's a chance that consumers will avoid public transit, favoring automobiles instead.
But with gas prices lower than they have been in years, the question is, "Will they go for traditional vehicles, or take the plunge on electric cars?"
No one could be sure, but the early handicapping favors the gas-burners; there are more of them waiting around to get sold and the manufacturers and dealers are likely to offer plenty of sweet deals.
But! What about the dramatic improvement in air quality experienced by smoggy cities in even EV-friendly states such as California? Do people really want to squander that, having seen what a pre-car LA, for example, is like? (It's sublime, by all accounts, and that isn't taking the emptied-out freeways into consideration.)
Opportunities like this don't come along very often. If just one or two in ten new car buyers went electric, it would very much move the needle, almost overnight.
There are plenty of EVs in the market. But invariably, a lot of consumers will gravitate toward Tesla. Understandably, as Tesla makes excellent all-electric cars.
But they aren't without a few drawbacks. Here's a rundown of the pros and cons:
PRO: Design. Tesla's electric-vehicles are currently the best-looking EVs on the market, with an aesthetic that's both venerable and elegant. You won't get tired of looking at your car.Hollis Johnson/Business InsiderPRO: Obviously, your gas-pumping days are history. Teslas don't require petrol, so you can say goodbye to the filling station, forever.Reuters/Mike Blake
PRO: Improved air quality. The coronavirus pandemic shutdowns so greatly reduced traffic in smoggy cities like Los Angeles that residents got their first real look at what a post-fossil-fuels future could be like. And it was pretty stunning.Getty Images/TheCrimsonRibbon
PRO: Performance. The fastest Tesla, a Model S, can outrun Ferraris and Lamborghinis in a 0-60 mph sprint. But even the, ahem, slowest Tesla leaves most gas-electric hybrids in the dust.Tesla
PRO: Over-the-air software updates. Tesla routinely upgrades the software in its vehicles. The updates are wirelessly beamed to vehicles, so owners can wake up and literally have an improved car.Matthew DeBord/BI
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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