After wowing the auto press with the sleek design of Tesla Motors’ all-electric Model S, company CEO Elon Musk is now making an economic argument to consumers–and, perhaps, the U.S. government–for buying the luxury sedan.
After months of anticipation, Tesla on Thursday took the covers off the Model S, an electric sedan priced at $56,400 but that qualifies for a $7,500 federal tax credit.
In a newsletter to customers on Friday, Musk, who is also product architect at Tesla, touted the many benefits of electric vehicles over gasoline cars, including price.
“The ownership cost of Model S, if you were to lease and then account for the much lower cost of electricity versus gasoline at a likely future cost of $4 per gallon, is similar to a gasoline car with a sticker price of about $35,000,” he wrote.
