Why Tesla's Next Big Thing Could Flip the Auto Industry Upside Down

fool.com ^ | Daniel Sparks | Daniel Sparks

[Steve_Seattle]

"I will never, not ever, buy an electric or hybrid vehicle. If someone gave me one, I’d sell it immediately - for scrap, if necessary."

Whether it's in 10 years or 20 years or 50 years or 100 years, fossil fuel gasoline will eventually become prohibitively expensive and we will need an alternative. Whether that's electric cars or something we don't even know about yet, that day will come. Today's automotive model will not last forever.

[wrench]

The on-board equipment and software exists today to allow states to tax by the mile. The on-board equipment in new Mercedes cars has it today, it just isn’t enabled...yet.

They got the road tax thing covered, the free ride is about over for sparky.

[jjotto]

And their ‘profit’ margin comes from selling green energy credits, not cars.

[mrsmith]

It won’t be electric cars using the batteries, it’ll be ‘drones’.

If Harry Reid can keep China from making the batteries more cheaply.

[Sasparilla]

Solyndra, anyone?

[AmericanVictory]

But think of all the coal we can burn to make the electricity to charge the batteries.

[jjotto]

Electric horseless carriages, also around at that time, didn’t make it past playground for the rich. And the IC kind didn’t loot taxpayers.

[FreedomPoster]

Yeah, I’m in the South, and looking at your locale, you’re in Iowa. Bad winters could be a killer, I don’t think electrics will ever do well outside the Sunbelt and West Coast. As crazy as it sounds, sometimes I think they need a little diesel tank and a Webasto auxiliary cabin heater.

E-classes are BORING. This thing GETS IT from 0-80, really so from 0-40 or 50. Instantaneous electric motor torque is pretty cool in the cut-and-thrust of close-in suburban driving.

[Steve_Seattle]

"It is good to see people pursue alternatives to what we commonly call “fossil fuels,” if only because we are inherently curious, creative, and called to subdue this creation."

That's an intelligent point; too many people here remind me of people who said, 120 years ago, that the personal automobile was an impossible dream. The fact is that the day will come - maybe not in our lifetimes, but probably in the lifetimes of our children or grandchildren - when fossil fuels will become relatively scarce, hence expensive, and we will need an alternative.

[morphing libertarian]

Never? How old are you?

[MNDude]

No thanks, I am happy with my Volt.

[jjotto]

A broke federal government shouldn’t finance excitement for rich guys.

[catnipman]

“The Motley Fool is one of the best financial advice sources out there.”

It’s also one of the worst, since pretty much anyone can post their “analysis” there. There IS a reason it’s called fool.com.

[Steve_Seattle]

"They have a 200 mile claimed range."

Probably 98% or more of auto round-trips are in the 1-60 mile range. 200 miles is plenty before a recharge.

[Graybeard58]

Never? How old are you?

Old enough to know that I will never buy an electric car (Or any G.M. vehicle).

[babygene]

“Then it takes what an hour to recharge?”

So lets do some quick math here. a horse power is equal to 745.7 watts. That”s 6.214 amps. Assuming the car had 20 horse power, that would be 128.28 amps hours (at 120 volts) for every hour the car was driven.

Most houses in the United States don’t have an electrical service that would charge the batteries that fast.

[re_nortex]

Back when I was in school, all of our school buses ran on propane....and propane products? :)

[cripplecreek]

And propane accessories.

[al baby]

You are a younin then

[jjotto]

Math and lefties, including Tesla fanbois, don’t mix. It’s a very expensive toy. Conspicuous consumption financed by the taxpayer.