Posted on 01/23/2016 8:35:30 AM PST by Gandalf the Mauve
Tesla are designed to operated by the super rich in Mediterranean climates where weather is not a factor. It is a joke.
Nice looking car, but butt-ugly dashboard.
That's what I've wondered about electric vehicles. The driving range between charges sounds okay if you are moving along, but what happens if you get stuck in a prolonged traffic jam, or it takes an unusually long time to get home because of severe weather?
“We are a bedroom community for San Francisco and the Silicon Valley. With their 300 mile range, they are a teriffic commute car for executives.”
I used to see them here in Hollywood but they got strangely overtaken by more Prius drivers. 3 of my biz’ friends have them. They’re nice to look at and i drove one of them as he owed me a ride when he was drunk from a party. Epic ride..
However, I am of the mindset that anything you plug into an electrical socket is an appliance. I own an MB AMG and i love it.
The seats LOOK nice, but also LOOK uncomfortable for a long drive. Of course, you won’t be going cross country in that thing.
It’s a work of art.
I must say it does have nice lines and a lot of attention to detail; right down to the flush-fitted door pulls.
There is no source for Tesla sales claims besides Tesla. They are not tracked the way other manufacturers’ vehicle sales are tracked.
The owner of a bar I occasionally have lunch at owns one. I looked into it thru the windows and I wasn't really impressed. Maybe I really needed to sit in it to make a proper judgment but it just looked like it was missing stuff.....hard to explain.
It looks spacious. Leg-room isn’t always ample in today’s vehicles.
Who knows? Disentangling government subsidies from everything (e.g. the price of Mideast military interventions and making nice with people who want to kill us from the price of conventional IC cars) is a Herculean task.
Niche market / product. You could discuss the most popular yachts in the U.S. in the same way.
Isn't that the point? Government-sponsored alternative energy cars with the intrinsic utility of limiting citizens' autonomous mobility.
I saw one cut open for display at a shopping mall. Very impressive construction.
“However, I am of the mindset that anything you plug into an electrical socket is an appliance. I own an MB AMG and i love it.”
I’m an IC engine guy (three Corvettes), but the electric vehicle, even with it’s limitations today has a place in our transportation infrastructure. Our son lives in Castro Valley and works in South San Jose. He just sold his VW Golf GTI and bought a Nissan Leaf. HIs commute is about 60 miles round trip. He also just installed solar on his home, so now he buys no gas and his charge ups are essentially free. Plus, he gets an HOV sticker that allows him to get to work a lot quicker. I must admit the Leaf is an ugly MF, but I’ve driven it and it’s a good car, particularly for the purpose for which he bought it. And now I sleep a little easier knowing he’s not riding his Ducati to work.
These numbers demonstrate a critical concept.
Musk realized that the core technology of a workable electric had minimum cost. Selling a $50k car that’s trying to compete with IC cars in the $30k range was a recipe for failure.
So instead he decided to move up, not down, in the marketplace. Build a car that competes in the $80k and up range. Yes, it’s a much narrower market, but it’s a marketplace in which an electric could compete on style, performance, and amenities.
There is price floor for this technology so they don’t try to compete on the budget market.
But how far are they going to go in Texas in August with the AC going? Or North Dakota in January? Less than 100 miles is how far. I don’t care how well they are built, they are not practical and are way too expensive for how well they work.
Are not Cadillacs and Lincolns considered luxury cars?
If you put the Viper V-10 in it you’d have a decent ride.
So instead he decided to move up, not down, in the marketplace. Build a car that competes in the $80k and up range. Yes, it’s a much narrower market, but it’s a marketplace in which an electric could compete on style, performance, and amenities.
There is price floor for this technology so they don’t try to compete on the budget market.
...
That’s the brilliant idea behind the Tesla business.
People who can afford a Tesla S can also afford an extra real car for their convenience.
This is no great movement toward electric cars.
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