Mercedes introduces subscription formula in the US to give its electric cars a boost – Picture and sound – News

I think the negative comments are a bit shortsighted. On the other hand, the sentiment on Tweakers is often the same Electric driving is only for the rich It is, but at the same time, initiatives to make electric driving more accessible, like this one, are being dropped hard.

The cost of developing a new platform, in this case EVA, costs many billions. Even before the screw is designed, the expected profit margin on the project has already been determined. The starting price of the car depends on the willingness to pay.

Let’s say one in five buyers is willing to shell out $5,000 for a little extra power. Then, in theory, the starting price of exactly the same car could be reduced for the other four buyers by €1,000, to continue offering the same profitability – but since the starting price is now lower, the car is affordable for many more people. .

In parallel, I often see the discussion that Tesla charges money for software-based activation of the hardware on each car. Car A has exactly the same components as car B, but it costs thousands of euros to reanimate it. The alternative would be to pass on assembly line modifications and system development costs (perhaps hundreds of millions) to all customers. Even those who don’t care about autopilot at all. So the starting price of their car will be (unnecessarily?) higher.