Tesla Model S

[Turbowned]

I think the car is cool and all, and I admire Tesla for pushing the envelope with the development of useable electric cars, but I don't see it as the "COTY". Why? Because I have yet to see one on a U.S. roadway. Also because Robert Cumberford, the design editor for Automobile magazine, didn't have anything particularly nice to say about it. Which car do I think deserves COTY? Well, that's a silly question. Look what forum we're on!

[Dimman]

Originally Posted by FrX

Last I had heard, Tesla expects to be cash-flow positive next quarter. A far cry from bankruptcy.

PayPal notwithstanding (even though he hasn't had any involvement in years), I greatly admire Elon Musk for the money he has dumped into the research and development of new technologies in respect to his electric car and space ventures. This is in contrast to the countless other millionaires and billionaires who only use their money to speculate on short-term investments.

In addition, his enterprises are remarkably vertically integrated. The great majority of the actual manufacturing of Tesla cars and SpaceX rockets is done in the US, rather than via international contractors. Keeping this money in the hands of US residents.

This is *good* for the country.

Is 'cash flow positive' the same thing as profitable? Just sounds like they have more investment or loans lined up.

[BRZfan]

UPDATE: I researched (googled) "Motor Trend DeLorean":

Motor Tend selected the DeLorean car as "Import Car of the Year", April 1962.

Does history repeat itself??? We'll see.
Do I subscribe to Motor Trend? No.

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I would expect that Tesla will be further supported by the federal gov't (that's us). We'll just have to wait and see.

Haven't read the Motor Trend report yet. I wonder what their evaluation was for the DeLorean. Any car historians out there?

Also, isn't Tesla in the process of developing am more broadly-marketed vehicle?

[Jayde]

BRB trading in BRZ for a Telsa.

[RaceR]

Originally Posted by Jayde

BRB trading in BRZ for a Telsa.

I could end up cross-shopping a GT86 and Tesla Model S.
Base Models S is cheaper than a GT86 here. And the performance version costs about a 1/3 of BMW M5.

No need to say Tesla is starting to get well known where I come from. People are queuing up to get the car.

Definitely a worthy winner!
I made this thread, and most people tought the Tesla would win. No surprise it did. Most innovating EV the market have ever seen. And the first good EV in terms of range, performance, cabin space, luggage space, technology, premium feel, looks, etc..

[blur]

Originally Posted by BRZfan

Regarding being "SOL on charging locations": the Suppy will follow the Demand as have gas stations during the growing popularity of horseless carraiges.

Then what? Wait a number of hours to charge your car? Supply and demand isn't the solution.

[einzlr]

Originally Posted by ZDan

And many will prefer a quieter powerplant. You wouldn't take an electric vehicle on a long trip (at least not with a well-developed plan) any more than you'd take a 19' sailboat across the Atlantic, of course.

Hehe people have crossed the Atlantic in far less That said - +1 to all your points and *currently* electric vehicles are not suited to long trips, but it's looking a lot like it's only a matter of time before there's enough charging infrastructure (and maybe even battery-swapping technology, logistics and infrastructure) to change that.

[einzlr]

Originally Posted by ZDan

Obviously, big projects require huge investment, but Musk has demonstrated that he's responsible with large-scale projects and he gets results. He's not just in it for a buck, he wants to DO stuff, and he has demonstrated that he's capable of getting incredible results (private firm creates vehicle that docks with the space station, this is no small feat).

As a matter fact, he doesn't even have to be in it for a buck because he's already very wealthy.

He started with the Roadster because he wanted to show the world that electrics can be cool, that they don't have to be just the street-legal 30mph golf carts we'd seen before. He used the Elise to base it on because that was more practicable than starting completely from zero and because he was able to partner with Lotus. Now that he's shown what's possible, he's moving on to other categories of vehicles. Word is that they already have other vehicles in the pipeline e.g. an SUV.

[einzlr]

Originally Posted by RaceR

I could end up cross-shopping a GT86 and Tesla Model S.
Base Models S is cheaper than a GT86 here. And the performance version costs about a 1/3 of BMW M5.

No need to say Tesla is starting to get well known where I come from. People are queuing up to get the car.

Definitely a worthy winner!
I made this thread, and most people tought the Tesla would win. No surprise it did. Most innovating EV the market have ever seen. And the first good EV in terms of range, performance, cabin space, luggage space, technology, premium feel, looks, etc..

How much charging infrastructure do you have in Norway? In the US, it's starting to pick up a little bit in California (i.e. Tesla is building a whole network expressly for owners of their cars, where they will be able to recharge for free) but not much elsewhere. Until this is solved, electrics will be a tough sell in the US.

[Dimman]

I like the idea of rapid battery switching. But quick change batteries would need to be engineered with the car from the start. Plus there is the potential for abuse given battery condition. But I think driving up to a 'service station' and having someone change your batteries and wash your windows in 5minutes, like the old days, would appeal to more people than having to park at charging stations. Or instead of the battery jockeys, it could be automated.

It will come, but I don't think $100k vanity cars are going to do it.

[SVTSHC]

Like it or not the internal combustion engine is going to start declining in popularity and the demand for alternative fuel/electric vehicles is going to continue to rise. That said, I love the model S and I'm glad it won car of the year. An electric vehicle is great for daily commuting and there are a lot of people with a "beater" for a daily driver; why not get a daily driver that'll save you a ton of money?

I'll use myself for example, I drive roughly 250 miles a week it'd be very generous to say I do 50 miles a day to and from work so the extra should account for miscellaneous trips. Telsa offers a 300mile battery pack and a full charge from empty to full is roughly $16. That's about $16 a week give or take, and my current car costs me almost $50 a week.

Track car, daily driver, and I personally rent large vehicles for long trips seeing as I don't do the road trip thing very often.


I respect Elon Musk immensely, I respect any businessman with the good sense to step away from the mold and actually invest in the future of humanity. It's not all about short term investments and quarterly gains, all that shows is that you can make money given the current situation. Those are the companies that tend to tank when the world is ready to change.

[gmookher]

been considering the Tesla but the one we'd want is still cost prohibitive from a cell cost -$77k too much.

[Dorb]

Face it, if we all had 60k to drop on a new car, this would not be what we would look at. This would be so far down the bottom of my list. Not to mention can you even find a dealer if you wanted to buy one...

[SVTSHC]

Originally Posted by Dorb

Face it, if we all had 60k to drop on a new car, this would not be what we would look at. This would be so far down the bottom of my list. Not to mention can you even find a dealer if you wanted to buy one...

1. Speak for yourself
2. There is a dealer at the mall 9 minutes from my job and 25 minutes from my house

If I owned a house or lived in an apartment building with a garage charging station and was in the market for a dedicated Daily Driver this would actually be at the TOP of my list.