Author Topic: TESLA EV...would you buy this car? (Read 2453 times)

Special Ed · « **on:** July 12, 2007, 01:19:34 PM »

Tesla Motors is currently taking reservations for the Tesla, a cool electric car that will change the way people think about electric vehicles. They will start hitting the road in January 08. 0-60 in 4seconds, 248hp, and a top speed of 130mph. The price is $98,000. Check out their website: www.teslamotors.com

Arnold is making a big fuss about hydrogen-powered vehicles which are a pipedream and at least five years away from remote reality before that project gets sandbagged. Interested parties should rent the excellent "Who Killed The Electric Car?" DVD which is probably available on bittorrent.com.

bigbalddaddy · « **Reply #1 on:** July 12, 2007, 01:22:10 PM »

Looks like a re-bodied Lotus Elise...way too small for these getbig tuf guyz!

michael arvilla · « **Reply #2 on:** July 12, 2007, 01:22:10 PM »

2 slow (248 hp )
2 expensive
2 small

if i had that kind of money............hell no
id buy a Viper or something else (Hemi charger)

Special Ed · « **Reply #3 on:** July 12, 2007, 01:25:20 PM »

Quote from: bigbalddaddy on July 12, 2007, 01:22:10 PM

Looks like a re-bodied Lotus Elise...way too small for these getbig tuf guyz!

Good point. No way any mass monsters could fit in there. I should re-post this on accountant and chess message boards.

G o a t b o y · « **Reply #4 on:** July 12, 2007, 01:28:08 PM »

Quote from: michael arvilla on July 12, 2007, 01:22:10 PM

2 slow (248 hp )
2 expensive
2 small

if i had that kind of money............hell no
id buy a Viper or something else (Hemi charger)

0-60 in 4 seconds is slow?

Your "Viper" won't do 4 sec.

Too expensive for a part-time personal trainer, maybe.

Small? True, but no more than any other 2-seater roadster.

Tesla plans on coming out with a sedan about the size of a BMW 5 series that will sell for around $50k in 2009. The roadster was for proof-of-concept.

RAT MCBAT · « **Reply #5 on:** July 12, 2007, 01:28:30 PM »

The money you would save on gas is paid up front in the cost of the car? Where is the savings? You can get similar performance out of a car for half the price.Whats the cost on insurance? Got to equal to any production Corvette. No true treehugger could afford one of these things.The average person who could afford this thing could care less about the environment.
However, it looks cool...

bigbalddaddy · « **Reply #6 on:** July 12, 2007, 01:29:23 PM »

Quote from: Special Ed on July 12, 2007, 01:25:20 PM

Good point. No way any mass monsters could fit in there. I should re-post this on accountant and chess message boards.

nah, just post it on the "natty" board...

Livewire · « **Reply #7 on:** July 12, 2007, 01:30:24 PM »

Quote from: G o a t b o y on July 12, 2007, 01:28:08 PM

0-60 in 4 seconds is slow? Your "Viper" won't do 4 sec.

Too expensive for a part-time personal trainer, maybe.

Small? True, but no more than any other 2-seater roadster.

You have owned him on 2 of 3 points. You can now reach 3rd base with his womanfolk of your choosing.

G o a t b o y · « **Reply #8 on:** July 12, 2007, 01:31:00 PM »

Quote from: RAT MCBAT on July 12, 2007, 01:28:30 PM

The money you would save on gas is paid up front in the cost of the car? Where is the savings?

However, it looks cool...

Savings isn't the point. The roadster is aimed at the up-market who think nothing of dropping $90k on a car (or three).

Special Ed · « **Reply #9 on:** July 12, 2007, 01:42:48 PM »

For those of you offended by the Tesla's high price tag, I give you the Zap Obvio 828E...yours for just $49,000...

Or for you bottom feeders crying about the price of gas, I present the Zap Xebra...starting at just $10,500...

More at www.zapworld.com

Don't just think about your gas savings...think about the idea of never having to go to a gas station ever again (except to use the gloryholes in the men's room!).

Don't just think about the environment...think about Dick Cheney having to apply for food stamps.

Master Blaster · « **Reply #10 on:** July 12, 2007, 01:44:51 PM »

I wonder how they generate the electricity?

Epic raping of the enviroment to create powerful batteries and power cars with coal generated electricity.

michael arvilla · « **Reply #11 on:** July 12, 2007, 01:45:11 PM »

Quote from: G o a t b o y on July 12, 2007, 01:28:08 PM

0-60 in 4 seconds is slow? Your "Viper" won't do 4 sec.

Too expensive for a part-time personal trainer, maybe.

Small? True, but no more than any other 2-seater roadster.

Tesla plans on coming out with a sedan about the size of a BMW 5 series that will sell for around $50k in 2009. The roadster was for proof-of-concept.

im not looking to get into a pissing match with ya Goat
248 hp is "2 slow" for me.............
it is too expensive for this full time personal trainer (no argument there)
i could get a lot more horsepower for a lot less money was my point (plus i wouldn't fit in the damm thing!)

Special Ed · « **Reply #12 on:** July 12, 2007, 01:49:46 PM »

Quote from: Master Blaster on July 12, 2007, 01:44:51 PM

I wonder how they generate the electricity?

Epic raping of the enviroment to create powerful batteries and power cars with coal generated electricity.

According to Benjamin Franklin, all we need are kites, brass keys, and lots of lightning!

Besides, the way the environment has been dressing lately, she probably wants to be raped.

timfogarty · « **Reply #13 on:** July 12, 2007, 01:53:09 PM »

I worked for AeroVironment between 1988-1990. We built the prototype Impact for GM, which became the EV-1.

The infrastructure for hydrogen is more like 10-20 years away. Plug-in hybrids, gas or natural gas engines with very large batteries that you also plug in at night, are the immediate solution.

And I've been seeing a few Smart Cars in my neighborhood of late.

G o a t b o y · « **Reply #14 on:** July 12, 2007, 01:56:48 PM »

Quote from: michael arvilla on July 12, 2007, 01:45:11 PM

248 hp is "2 slow" for me.............

Last I checked, "horsepower" was not a unit of speed or acceleration. The only time horsepower is a usefull measurement is when you're talking about similar vehicles (weight, geared, type of power, torque, etc). A 248-hp electric engine will make this particular car go from 0-60 in 4 seconds. A 600-hp V-10 gasoline engine in a Viper takes 4.3 seconds to travel the same distance.

http://www.albeedigital.com/supercoupe/articles/0-60times.html

michael arvilla · « **Reply #15 on:** July 12, 2007, 02:04:56 PM »

Quote from: G o a t b o y on July 12, 2007, 01:56:48 PM

Last I checked, "horsepower" was not a unit of speed or acceleration. The only time horsepower is a usefull measurement is when you're talking about similar vehicles (weight, geared, type of power, torque, etc). A 248-hp electric engine will make this particular car go from 0-60 in 4 seconds. A 600-hp V-10 gasoline engine in a Viper takes 4.3 seconds to travel the same distance.

http://www.albeedigital.com/supercoupe/articles/0-60times.html

what about 1/4 mile times?
Viper should pull a 12 second or 13 second at most in the quarter mile (that's how we race when i was younger/1/4 mile)

i like horsepower and cubic inches............give me a big block Hemi in a 1970 Roadrunner and im a happy man!

G o a t b o y · « **Reply #16 on:** July 12, 2007, 02:05:11 PM »

Quote from: Master Blaster on July 12, 2007, 01:44:51 PM

I wonder how they generate the electricity?

Epic raping of the enviroment to create powerful batteries and power cars with coal generated electricity.

Three points:

1) The world is running out of oil. Sometime in the next 50 years or so (probably less) the tap runs dry. Supply shortages and "gas lines" will occur intermittently way before that. Most of the oil now available is overseas, in a region hostile to us. China (a nuclear-armed power) is trying to modernize, and at some point we'll be at war with them over middle-eastern oil. On the other hand, there's plenty of coal here in the US. We are the "Saudi Arabia of coal".

2) Only a portion (far less than half) of our electricity comes from coal. We also get electricity from Natural gas (another thing we have a LOT of), nuclear, and hydro. Potential future sources are wind and solar.

3) Even though electric plants well outside of cities will still be "polluting" (unless we go to more nuclear or renewables), our cities will no longer be smoked with smog from vehicles (since electric vehicles produce none), improving the health of city and suburb dwellers. Also, traffic noise will be greatly reduced.

G o a t b o y · « **Reply #17 on:** July 12, 2007, 02:19:15 PM »

Quote from: Special Ed on July 12, 2007, 01:42:48 PM

For those of you offended by the Tesla's high price tag, I give you the Zap Obvio 828E...yours for just $49,000...

Or for you bottom feeders crying about the price of gas, I present the Zap Xebra...starting at just $10,500...

More at www.zapworld.com

Don't just think about your gas savings...think about the idea of never having to go to a gas station ever again (except to use the gloryholes in the men's room!).

Don't just think about the environment...think about Dick Cheney having to apply for food stamps.

Nobody besides tree-huggers will drive crap like that. That is Tesla's whole concept: build a great car people will want to buy first, then make it electric. That's why they're doing a roadster first, then a mid-sized sport sedan. The "bottom market" will be last. Electric cars of the past have always been as above: pieces of shit nobody would want to be caught dead in.

Master Blaster · « **Reply #18 on:** July 12, 2007, 02:27:17 PM »

Quote from: G o a t b o y on July 12, 2007, 02:05:11 PM

Three points:

1) The world is running out of oil. Sometime in the next 50 years or so (probably less) the tap runs dry. Supply shortages and "gas lines" will occur intermittently way before that. Most of the oil now available is overseas, in a region hostile to us. China (a nuclear-armed power) is trying to modernize, and at some point we'll be at war with them over middle-eastern oil. On the other hand, there's plenty of coal here in the US. We are the "Saudi Arabia of coal".

2) Only a portion (far less than half) of our electricity comes from coal. We also get electricity from Natural gas (another thing we have a LOT of), nuclear, and hydro. Potential future sources are wind and solar.

3) Even though electric plants well outside of cities will still be "polluting" (unless we go to more nuclear or renewables), our cities will no longer be smoked with smog from vehicles (since electric vehicles produce none), improving the health of city and suburb dwellers. Also, traffic noise will be greatly reduced.

1) As oil becomes rarer and more expensive, forms of oil that are harder to collect or process will become more economical. The idea that the world will run out of oil in 50 years is absurd: http://economics.about.com/cs/macroeconomics/a/run_out_of_oil.htm

2) actually over 60% of our electricity comes from coal (in the U.S.), up from around 40% in the 70's (and wind power is a joke)

3) Yes, lets export our pollution to the country where our crops are grown and red-necks live.

GigantorX · « **Reply #19 on:** July 12, 2007, 02:29:15 PM »

I've read about Teslas roadster. Sounds good and all but I hear the range was a lot shorter than first reported. Somewhere in the area of 40 miles? If so, this thing will be a no-go. Good attempt though, EV's are end game for propulsion in my eyes. GM has been developing an EV that is a plug-in and has a very small 3-4 cylinder engine to charge the battery. That seems a pretty good way to go, although they are still waiting on the Lithium Ion battery tech to advance as well.

bigmac77 · « **Reply #20 on:** July 12, 2007, 02:34:42 PM »

You are a crackhead if you think this POS will can even be mentioned in the same sentence as a Viper. Maybe it will do 0-60 in 4 seconds, but after that, the Viper will rape it all day long. A STOCK 2002 Viper can handle 180mph all day long, top speed on the Tesla, 130mph. Give me a f*^%ing break!

delta9mda · « **Reply #21 on:** July 12, 2007, 02:36:31 PM »

the car is cool but i doesnt make noise.

Special Ed · « **Reply #22 on:** July 12, 2007, 02:38:18 PM »

Quote from: bigmac77 on July 12, 2007, 02:34:42 PM

You are a crackhead if you think this POS will can even be mentioned in the same sentence as a Viper. Maybe it will do 0-60 in 4 seconds, but after that, the Viper will rape it all day long. A STOCK 2002 Viper can handle 180mph all day long, top speed on the Tesla, 130mph. Give me a f*^%ing break!

180 MPH all day long! What a joke. You've never broken 120mph in your life, and there's nowhere in this country other than a racetrack anyone could drive 180mph.

Nothing funnier than muscleheads talking cars. I can bench 550 suddenly becomes I can drive 180mph all day long!

marcus · « **Reply #23 on:** July 12, 2007, 02:45:11 PM »

Can-Am Spyder 15,000

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=119581

G o a t b o y · « **Reply #24 on:** July 12, 2007, 02:47:30 PM »

Quote from: Master Blaster on July 12, 2007, 02:27:17 PM

1) As oil becomes rarer and more expensive, forms of oil that are harder to collect or process will become more economical. The idea that the world will run out of oil in 50 years is absurd: http://economics.about.com/cs/macroeconomics/a/run_out_of_oil.htm

That's still open for debate. There's a lot of argument on the large-scale sustainability of tar-sands (which actually are in production in very limited amounts in Alberta) and shale oil (which many believe to be a pipe dream). There is no consensus either way. Even if proponents of these sources are right, and it is the long term solution (although supplies of it would run out eventually as well), it would be a difficult transition (you couldn't get up and running in a reasonable amount of time), and we could find our economy in tatters due to shortages or at war with china long before that happens.

Quote

2) actually over 60% of our electricity comes from coal (in the U.S.), up from around 40% in the 70's (and wind power is a joke)

49.7% as of 2005: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_generation

You're right about wind power except in very limited circumstances (high-wind coastal or plains areas). Solar will probably be the renewable technology that wins. The technology exists RIGHT NOW to power an average home with solar panels on its roof and using storage batteries. Systems are available commercially. Unfortunately, the economies of scale aren't there yet to make the systems cheap enough to make people want to buy them. All that is missing is the political will to subsidize adoption, which eventually would create the economies of scale to drive the actual price down.

Quote

3) Yes, lets export our pollution to the country where our crops are grown and red-necks live.

Seriously, making vehicles electric concentrates the pollution and fuel problems at central sources, allowing them to be managed, and solved. It gives us options and time due to the many different ways available to generate electricity. The status quo, putting fuel directly in vehicles, is a recipe for disaster given the current and likely future situation.