The name Kalashnikov calls up very specific imagery. Ammunitions, gun grease, war-torn regions, electric cars… wait, that last one sounds incorrect. Well, not if Kalashnikov has anything to say about it. Their EV concept, called the CV-1, was recently announced. More than just being a one-off tech demo, though, the company swears that the CV-1 is the first step in their ambition to compete directly with Tesla. Yes, that Tesla.
Photo Credit: Moscow Times
This is Weird
Yes, this is as weird as you are thinking it is. What’s even weirder about this is the look of the car. It resembles Russian-made hatchbacks from the 70’s, which makes a weird sort of sense. A company like Kalashnikov getting into consumer products is, however, somewhat unprecedented. The company’s spokesperson also confirmed that they are looking into producing other consumer products. Namely, they are interested in creating cell phone cases, umbrellas and other innocuous items.
Kalashnikov vs Tesla?
As of yet, there are no official plans by the gun manufacturer to begin production of the CV-1. Currently, it is unclear when, or if, these will go into production and subsequently hit a mass market. However, the reported tech under the hood is impressive. Firstly, it has around 215 miles of range on a single charge. Secondly, it sports 295 horsepower and can run zero to sixty in six seconds. For a boxy electric car, that’s actually really impressive.
That said, it remains to be seen if a mass-market release will even materialize. And, if it did, would people the world over even be interested? The name Kalashnikov carries some very specific baggage. They are not only Russian, a word that currently is very loaded in America, but they are also weapons manufacturers. Guns are hardly a popular topic of conversation in America, at least with those who are likely to want an EV.
Could it Work?
If the CV-1 intends to be a competitor with Tesla, it will need a few things. The first is that the (admittedly impressive) technology that is reported to be under the hood needs to be standard. The second is that the car needs to be priced aggressively. Tesla’s Model 3, for instance, is sold for around $30,000. The CV-1 would need to come in well under that, around $25,000, to even turn heads.
That said, if it is both high-quality and affordable, it might be a worthy alternative. However, the biggest nail in the coffin for Tesla would be if Kalashnikov can rapidly make the cars and have them ready for a large release soon. Tesla has had numerous production problems, so if the Russian arms maker could produce their vehicles rapidly and to order, they may well compete with Elon Musk yet.
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