Until just recently, Elon Musk's Tesla had the market for electric luxury cars all to itself. It was building some 400 units a week of the Model S at its factory in Fremont, Calif. and selling them for upwards of $90,000 apiece. Early adopters raved about the sedan's style and performance, while Tesla went public and became a furious growth stock.

    That's all about to change. A new competitor has arrived on the scene that has had considerable past success in selling to upscale customers: BMW. It has begun the global launch of the all-electric i3 that will begin reaching U.S. customers in 2014. Initial reviews of the car have been close to rapturous, with test drivers declaring that the i3 "drives just like a true BMW."

    For now, Tesla (TSLA) and BMW aren't competing head-to-head. The Model S is a seven-passenger luxury touring car while the i3 carries just four passengers and is designed for quick trips around town. But as Tesla fills out its product line with less-expensive models and BMW rolls out the sporty i8 hybrid-electric coupe to go after high rollers, the automakers will increasingly be targeting the same customers.

    To get an early sense of how the two sides will stack up -- and how other automakers might be affected -- here's a report card on the two companies.

1. History

    Tesla has already become the most successful automotive startup since World War II, seeming to have simultaneously mastered the arts of design, engineering, and manufacturing. Musk, its co-founder and CEO, has forged a remarkable track record as an entrepreneur, having started three successful companies. His record at Tesla, however, is short, and he has not managed the company through a downturn.

    BMW, which didn't get seriously into the auto business until after World War II, is the world's largest producer of luxury performance cars, and has a consistent history of success and growth. Although it is new to the world of electric cars, it is open to change (1-series, MINI) and has been testing alternatives to the internal combustion engine for more than a decade.

    Advantage: BMW

2. Products

    While the size and price of the Model S make it impractical for most people, it has been successfully launched, and Tesla expects to sell 21,000 of them this year at prices starting at $72,000 before any federal tax credit. If it succeeds, it would equal the combined volume of Jaguar, Bentley, Maserati, Lamborghini, and Rolls-Royce.

    BMW's i3 is a tall compact hatchback that has two full front doors and two rear half doors, which makes it the strangest-looking car the company has sold since the three-wheeled Isetta of the 1950s. BMW will have the capacity to make 40,000 i3s at prices that start around $43,000, but until it actually starts production, the appeal of the car remains unproven.

    Advantage: Tesla

    直到最近，艾伦•马斯科的特斯拉公司（Tesla）还一直完全垄断着高端电动汽车市场。这家公司的加州佛莱蒙特工厂每周生产大约400台Model S电动车，每辆车的单价高达9万多美元。最早购买这款车的消费者对它的造型和性能倾倒不已。同时特斯拉也成功转型为上市公司，股价一路高歌猛进。

    不过现在，特斯拉独霸高端电动汽车市场的局面即将改变，因为一个曾在高端车市场取得巨大成功的汽车厂商现在也加入了这个市场的竞争，它就是宝马（BMW）。宝马已经在全球范围内发布了i3全电动汽车，将于2014年正式上市。对i3的早期评测结果令人非常兴奋，试驾员们称i3“开起来就像一辆真正的宝马”。

    到目前为止，特斯拉和宝马还没有出现针锋相对的竞争。特斯拉Model S是一辆七座旅行车，而宝马i3只能容纳四人，而且只适合城市周边短途旅行。但是随着特斯拉将产品线扩展到价格较低的车型，同时宝马推出i8油电混合动力轿车以吸引高端客户，这两家厂商难免会日渐瞄准同一群目标客户。

    为了了解未来这两家公司的目标市场可能出现的重叠情况，以及其他汽车厂商将受到怎样的影响，不妨先来看看这两家公司的成绩单。

1. 历史

    特斯拉已经成为汽车业在二战后最成功的创业公司，看来它已经同时掌握了设计艺术和制造工艺。公司的联合创始人兼CEO马斯科作为一名企业家过去的创业史也是成绩斐然，他迄今已经创立了三家成功的公司。不过他创立特斯拉的历史仍然不长，而且目前公司也没有完全走出难关。

    宝马公司直到二战结束后才真正进军汽车领域，它是全球最大的高性能豪华轿车制造商，而且一直有稳定的成功和增长的历史。虽然宝马刚刚涉足电动汽车领域，但是宝马一向不拒绝变革（比如宝马1系、MINI系列等），而且早在十年以前，宝马就开始测试内燃机引擎的替代产品了。

    优势方：宝马

2. 产品

    尽管Model S的尺寸和价格让大多数人望而却步，但是自从这个车型发布以来，它已经取得了相当可观的成功。特斯拉预计今年共销售21,000辆Model S，定价为税前72,000美元。如果这个目标达成，那么它将相当于捷豹（Jaguar）、宾利（Bentley）、玛莎拉蒂（Maserati）、兰博基尼（Lamborghini）和劳斯莱斯（Rolls-Royce）的销售总量。

    宝马i3是一辆高坐姿的紧凑型掀背车，有两个前门和两个尺寸缩水的后门，因此它也成了继50年代的三轮汽车Isetta之后，宝马公司生产的外型最古怪的一款车型。宝马有能力年产4万辆i3，单价大概在4.3万元左右。不过在其最终投产之前，量产车型的外观仍然无法得到最终确认。

    优势方：特斯拉

3. Range

    In electric cars, what counts is how far you can go on a single charge, and the range numbers that are displayed on the instrument panel usually can't be duplicated in the real world. Tesla says the Model S can travel up to 300 with a beefy battery. But an Edmunds.com tester discovered he burned up 251 miles of indicated range after covering just 121 miles, which made his ride home a bit uncomfortable.

    The i3 will have an optional range extender, a motorcycle-like gasoline engine that can power the car for 186 miles, BMW says, which should prevent embarrassing roadside breakdowns. Otherwise, the car is said to be able to travel about half that distance, 93 miles, on a single charge. But we won't know for sure until the cars are actually on the road.

    Advantage: tie

4. Range anxiety reduction

    Tesla will expand its network of fast-charge stations beyond California and the Northeastern states and expects to have about 200 charging stations nationwide when it is completed. In addition, at a demonstration of its battery swap technology in June, Tesla showed two Model S sedans having newly recharged batteries installed twice as fast as they could get filled up at a gas pump and without the driver getting out of the vehicle.

    A display in the BMW i3 will show the location of nearby recharging stations and will also offer a roadside assistance program in some areas. The assistance vehicle will provide a jolt rather than a tow, so the i3 can scoot on to the next charging station.

    Advantage: Tesla

5. Technology

    The greatest technological achievement of Tesla has been its ability to successfully integrate all the components of the car, especially its 7,000-cell battery power system, without a glitch. At the same time, it has taken the unusual step of making in-house components that automakers usually outsource, like aluminum body panels and plastic pieces.

    BMW is no slouch either in R&D. The chassis of the i3 is made of aluminum while the passenger compartment is formed largely of lightweight carbon fiber, a first for a mass-production car. As a result, BMW says the four-passenger car only weighs 2,800 pounds, about 1,000 fewer pounds than a Chevrolet Volt.

    Advantage: tie

3. 里程

    对于电动汽车来说，最重要的莫过于一次充电的续航里程，不过仪表盘上的续航里程跟我们在真实世界里跑出的里程通常不可能完全一致。特斯拉表示，凭借Model S超牛的电池，它可以一次性跑300英里。不过专业汽车网站Edmunds.com的一位试驾员却表示，他在跑了121英里之后，仪表盘上的里程就显示他已经跑了251英里，让他在之后的回家路上有些惴惴不安。

    宝马表示，用户可以选择在i3上安装一个像摩托车引擎一样的汽油增程发动机，从而可以让这款车型再多跑186英里，以避免车子因为没电了而尴尬地在路上“罢工”。另外据说i3一次充电后就可以跑93英里。但是在这款车型最终上市以前，一切都还不能肯定。

    优势方：平手

4. 缓解“里程焦虑症”

    特斯拉将在加州和东北各州以外扩展它的快速充电站网络，预计等到这个项目结束时，全美将有大约200个快速充电站。另外特斯拉还在今年六月展示了它的换电池技术。通过两辆Model S的演示可以发现，它们换电池的速度比普通汽车在加油站加油差不多要快两倍，而且无需司机下车。

    宝马i3上的一块显示屏可以显示附近充电站的位置，同时宝马也会在某些地区提供道路救援服务。不过这种道路救援服务并不是拖车服务，而是先给你充一定量的电，使你的i3有足够的电量赶到下一个充电站。

    优势方：特斯拉

5. 技术

    特斯拉最大的技术成就就是它成功地无缝整合了该车的所有部件，尤其是那个由7,000块小电池组成的动力系统。同时它迈出了不同寻常的一步，就是自行制造汽车元件，比如铝合金车身面板和塑料件等，而不是像其他厂商那样从外部采购。

    宝马在研发上同样不惜血本。宝马i3采用了铝合金底盘，而轿厢部分则大部分应用了轻量的碳纤维材料，这也是量产车第一次采用这种技术。因此宝马表示，这台四门电动汽车的重量只有2800磅左右，比雪佛兰沃蓝达（Chevrolet Volt）轻了大约1000磅。

    优势方：平手

6. Distribution

    Tesla has no dealers; it sells cars on its own and has faced court battles with auto retailersover state franchise laws that would restrict it from doing so. The system seems to work fine for now, but more lawsuits, as well as Tesla's own growth plans, may force it into a more conventional set-up.

    BMW manages an established network of 339 independent dealers, and while they may not win many customer satisfaction awards, they know how to manage inventory, provide service, and move the metal.

    Advantage: BMW

7. Future products

    No auto company can survive by making just a single model, and Tesla has several more in the pipeline. The first is the Model X crossover, due in 2014. Built on the same platform as the Model S, it would feature "falcon-wing" doors that provide fuller access to a third row of forward-facing seats. Due to arrive at the end of 2016 are the first of the so-called "Gen 3" models, a small sedan and a crossover, which will cost half as much as a Model S.

    Coming later in 2014 from the BMW "i" brand are the i8 coupe and convertible, extended-range plug-in hybrids that can go about 19 miles on electricity alone before the gas-powered range-extender kicks in. Also made of carbon fiber with an aluminum chassis, the sports cars will be capable of head-snapping acceleration -- zero to 60 in around five seconds -- and carry an equally head-snapping price, expected to be around $125,000.

    Advantage: Tesla

8. Buzz

    Few industrial companies have exploded from the starting line as quickly as Tesla. Plaudits have been showered on the Model S, its stock price has multiplied several times, and Musk has become an international celebrity of Jobsian proportions.

    BMW is leader in alternative energy among established auto companies, and its risk-taking with the "i" cars is considerable. But even with signature dual-kidney grilles and Hofmeister kinks, the i line may get lost among the dozens of other high-profile cars and crossovers BMW already makes.

    Advantage: Tesla

6. 销售渠道

    特斯拉没有经销商，完全靠自己销售汽车。由于特许经营法案限制了汽车厂商自行销售汽车的行为，特斯拉已经为此与汽车零售商们打了几场官司。目前特斯拉的销售体系运转得还算不错，不过随着官司越来越多，加上特斯拉自己的扩张计划，或许可能会迫使它越来越多地朝传统汽车厂商的经营模式转变。

    宝马已经有了一个成熟的经销商网络，涵盖了330家独立的经销商。虽然他们可能没有获得过太多“客户满意奖”之类的名头，但是他们知道怎样管理库存、提供服务，以及怎样把车卖出去。

    优势方：宝马

7. 未来产品

    没有一家公司能仅凭一款车型生存下去，特斯拉也正在筹备几款新车型。其中首当其冲的就是即将于明年发布的Model X跨界车型。它和Model S诞生于同一平台，它的“鹰翼”式车门可以方便第三排乘客更加轻松地进出。另外特斯拉还计划于2016年底推出一个名叫“Gen 3”的产品线的第一款产品，“Gen 3”可能涵盖了小型轿车和跨界车，它的售价大概只有Model S的一半。

    宝马“i”家族将于2014年迎来i8混合动力敞篷跑车。在汽油增程发动机介入前，它仅凭电力大概可以跑19英里。I8也采用了铝合金底盘，更惊人的是从静止加速到时速60英里只需5秒——当然它的价格也是很惊人的，预计单价将达到12.5万美元左右。

    优势方：特斯拉

8、名声

    很少有一家工业公司能像特斯拉一样迅速崛起，Model S这款车也得到了大量的赞誉，特斯拉的股价已经翻了好几番，而该公司的CEO马斯科在国际上已经成了像乔布斯一样响当当的人物。

    在替代能源方面，宝马在各大知名厂商里也是走在前列的。开发“i”系列轿车让它承担了不小的风险。但即便i3也继承了宝马经典的双肾式格栅和“霍夫迈斯特拐角”式的C柱，但是面对宝马已经取得巨大成功的众多轿车和跨界车型，它仍然有可能泯然众人。

    优势方：特斯拉（财富中文网）

    译者：朴成奎