EVs are so simple. Why all this complexity just to continue using gasoline? Wait and in two years, buy an EV and drive it for the next 30 years. ICEVs are obsolete and it's a matter of time before we all can afford an EV.

I watched the Tesla presentation and enjoyed it; but, nothing other than dreams will happen until Tesla can build a car we all can afford. Nissan and the other legacy companies have proven EVs are not their top priority else they would have made better progress by now in selling less limited EVs.

Nope, it's up to Tesla to drive the industry into EVs.

I will gladly own a Tesla as soon as someone gives me one, pays the insurance, and the taxes. I'll take care of the rest.

I don't even think 80 month loans make it affordable to me...even at 0% its almost half as much as what I make a month after taxes/insurance.

Just wait till big OEM get the mass market EV segment rolling... Tesla doesn't have their clout or supplier relationships. As soon as a viable battery technology comes to mass production, the big three will be on it. They don't do much niche work as its not profitable(most special editions, even though they are pricey, loose the companies millions and millions of dollars), even Tesla is hurting and it has NO competition.

Mahonj. You said it. Idling is a top issue with transport vehicles - vehicles of any size, dimension and use. Every vehicle must be hybridized to fix this.

@mahonj,
"Why did they stop at 48V, why not go to 60V ?"
Actually nominal 48V is as close to 60V as they can get, taking into account safety margins never to exceed 60V in any case of overvoltage at any operating temperature.
When only lead-acid batteries were available, at the end of 1990s, the auto industry proposed 42V system. Those batteries had wider voltage fluctuations, so 42V was selected - See Wiki 42V system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42-volt_electrical_system.
It says: "The limiting factor for direct voltages is a shock-hazard protection limit of 60 V, which must not be exceeded even during voltage fluctuations caused by extreme conditions. This limit eliminates the option of an automotive electrical system with a nominal battery voltage of 48 V, because at low temperatures the charging voltage of the battery can attain 60 V. Also, the price, weight and volume of batteries are influenced by the number of cells, which must therefore be kept to a minimum."

Specification LV148 defines voltage levels for 48V system:
36V-52V - Standard Operation; Full components performance
52V-54V - Upper Limited Operation Range (Regen braking peak, Calibration)
54V-58.5V - Overvoltage Range; Overvoltage countermeasures to be activated
58.5V-60V - Safety Reserve

IMO it would make sense to have a PHEV 48V for cars that spent too much time in stop-n-go traffic, especially in areas where AC is used for many months of the year. Add the ability to precondition the car. Use 1kWh to 2 kWh battery. Single motor power is usually 5 kW continuous, and up to 12kW (or even 15kW) short peak power. But they can use 2 e-motors, with double power.
Such cars should be equipped w/ electric AC, and 48V electric powertrain should have at least two gears, so it can provide good performance moving cars in electric only mode up to 30 or 40kph. Lighter cars would benefit more from this system.
The main advantage of 48V system is said to be price - anything below 60V DC is considered Low Voltage, no safety measures needed.

I am happy to see that the 50 km/h usual limit for changing mode EV to HEV, slowly decreasing to 30-40 km/h for a better safety and costs. But not only, if you look behind the electric plug, and if you consider the complete energy cycles (regarding both efficiency and emissions). Even so, it is not the topic of the day.

My main remark is that it is a new parallel architecture which will be added to an already long list. Few innovations are trying to challenge series-parallel architectures (Prius type). This last has a huge innovative potential. For instance, in a 10KW power electric propulsion chain, you can increase the rotor inertia of the Genset in order to store kinetic energy (150 KJ which can have the same usage than the energy in a battery). During the rotor acceleration, the braking power of the Genset can be easily increased to 20 KW, even 30KW. In addition, there are plenty of other interesting developments. Design is a little more complex but equipment’s are not.

@T2
Thanks for your comments,
Electrical braking in a Prius is made with the Motor working as a generator. A 54 kW Motor! Even if electronic limits the recovered power up to 10KW for protecting the battery. In fact the braking torque of the Genset is mainly used to control and to limit the Engine torque through a planetary gear. The fatal generated power is then recovered in the battery or in the Motor. I you want vehicle performances; you need a powerful electric propulsion chain for balancing the Engine torque through the planetary gear. The purpose of my example is to demonstrate that it can be achieved with less electrical power provide some innovative arrangements.
The wearing of the braking rotor is spectacular but it does not means that all braking power is recovered. A30 % limit for the energy recovering is usually admitted.
We have two problems with electricity:
-It should be produced and production is not clean yet. Having a small background in the field (35 years), I have the feeling that it will last.
As soon as you call for electrical power you multiply energy conversions: thermal - mechanical- electrical - chemical - electrical – mechanical without considering daily leaks and transport losses. Each conversion has its own cumulative inefficiency. At the end, global result is poor. In addition, energy losses are costly because they have been generated by top cost equipment’s.
For me, only the complete energy cycle should be considered regarding efficiency, emission and costs. What is genius in a Prius is that the electric power can be reduced as soon as the Engine has achieved its best working point.