Weekly Blog: The World Takes On Tesla

The Paris Motor Show opened its doors to the general public on Saturday, and the excitement from what's on show has been...electric.

Some of the most eye-popping new and concept cars on show for the Parisian petrolheads don't need petrol at all.

Electric cars have become serious business, with major manufacturers unveiling their own take on the enviro-conscious vehicles to rival frontrunner, Tesla.

These are the cars that have Paris buzzing.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen Showcar I.D. The first Volkswagen prepared for automated driving. #mondialAuto #ThinkNew #volkswagen #vw

A photo posted by Volkswagen (@volkswagen) on Sep 29, 2016 at 8:31am PDT

The Volkswagen I.D is the German auto brands first step into both the electric vehicle (EV) and the automated driving market. The I.D will cost approximately $30,000 ($5k less than a Tesla Model 3) and will go more than 600 kilometres on a single charge (almost double the distance a Tesla can). The catch? The I.D isn't due to be on sale until 2020 and won't be fully autonomous until at least 2025.

Renault

#record 👍🏻🎉🍾 The #ZOE establishes a new record with the longest driving range of any mass-market electric vehicle: 400 km (NEDC) available now! #instacar #cars #passionforlife #electriccars

A photo posted by Renault Official (@renault_live) on Sep 30, 2016 at 6:59am PDT

Renault debuted a redesigned version of their 2012 EV, 'Zoe'. With a 300 kilometre range on a single charge, and a price of $29,000, Zoe can keep up with Tesla in more ways than one. Although buyers will have to lease their cars battery, which Renault says will "reduce the purchase price" and ensure buyers "only pay for what they need".

Mercedes-Benz

What an entrance! The #MercedesBenz #GenerationEQ concept vehicle had its world premiere at #MondialAuto in Paris. How do you like it? #switchtoEQ #eMobility

A photo posted by Mercedes-Benz (@mercedesbenz) on Oct 2, 2016 at 2:58pm PDT

Mercedes took unveiling EV's to the next level by unveiling a complete electric sub-department to the car brand, Generation EQ. Whilst the department will eventually release electric sedan, wagon, coupe and convertible models, they did show off their first Electric SUV model, the Mercedes EQ. Whilst the EQ doesn't yet have a release date, the SUV is expected to cost at least half that of Tesla's SUV equivalent.

The release of further EV competition will be music to Tesla CEO, Elon Musk's ears. The green-thinking billionaire previously released all of Tesla's electric vehicle patents to the public (and Tesla's competitors) to "accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy".

It seems the transition is well underway, and so far, it's looking good.

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