Tesla co-founder Ian Wright says that while he's surprised by his old company's success, the idea of a mass-market EV still doesn't seem likely.
During an interview with San Francisco Business Times about Wrightspeed's relocation from San Jose to Alameda, Calif., Wright was pleased that Tesla "worked out… quite a lot better" than he originally thought it would, praising the success of the Model S.
As for Tesla's overall goal of building EVs "cheaper and cheaper and cheaper until they were outselling the Camry," he still thinks that isn't possible, having never been "on board" with the idea among co-founders Martin Eberhard and Mark Tarpenning.
As for his own company, which makes hybrid gas-electric turbine drivetrains for medium and heavy commercial vehicles like garbage and delivery trucks, Wright says there's a $5 billion market in the United States for his drivetrains, $2 billion alone in garbage trucks. Clients such as FedEx and Ratto Group have installed Wrightspeed tech into their fleets in California, while the California Energy Commission bestowed his company with nearly $7 million in grants.
Speaking of funding, Wright is preparing an IPO in the event he does take his company public, hoping he might do better than when he sold his Tesla shares in 2010 prior to their astronomical appreciation.
The post Wright: Tesla's Camry 'Not Possible' Despite Ongoing Success appeared first on The Truth About Cars.
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