Tone-Deaf Trillionaire Launches $200,000 Electric Car Into Sour US Market

Tesla is set to unveil its new Roadster electric sports car on October 1, with a base price around $200,000 (or $250,000 for a "founders" edition). To reserve one, buyers put down $5,000 on a credit card, then must wire an additional $45,000 within 10 days or lose the reservation. This is not a car aimed at the average homeowner shopping for an efficient daily driver — it is a high-end sports car, and the original 2006 Roadster, adjusted for inflation, would cost about $166,000 today.

For homeowners thinking about whether an EV makes sense for their own driveway, the more useful news is elsewhere. Battery costs continue to fall, and automakers like Ford are working on cheaper assembly methods, both of which are expected to push everyday EV prices down over time. Roughly $30,000 is considered an affordable price point for an EV in the US now, with $60,000 at the higher end of "affordable" before a car counts as a luxury purchase.

There's also new data worth knowing if you're weighing an EV against a gas car: an analysis of UK vehicle safety inspection records found that EVs break down less often than gas-powered cars, and that reliability edge grows as mileage adds up. Combined with rising fuel prices, that strengthens the case that EVs can cost less to own over time, even if the sticker price is similar to a comparable gas vehicle.