Tesla - the best A+ ever gotten by a vehicle

[rking117]

This is an interesting read for those of my Bimmer friends who are keeping up with the Tesla fiasco.

http://money.cnn.com/2013/08/20/auto...html?hpt=hp_t2

I guess that our governments are going to say its Too safe to drive which is why they are banning it. Yep that is next.

I suppose that the real question is will this vehicle be a contender for the latest round of BMWs or will BMW even be able to compete? (I am a big big BMW fan so i didnt say that lightly)

[Simsims]

"If you crash this car, you actually emerge healthier than you were."

[Freon]

Looks like Tesla has done a great job so far. I really hope they succeed.

My personal concern is still the life of the battery. Google searches bring up anecdotes about Tesla's battery life being good, but I find very little evidence independently that lithium ion battery technology suddenly makes them not lose 10-20% capacity every year even if just sitting on a shelf.

[02rsxpilot]

I think Tesla is going to end up being one of the defining companies of this century. It's really cool to see all of the advantages an electric car can offer, even outside the whole environmental sphere. Are batteries a concern right now? Absolutely, but as the product proves to be more and more successful, more and more resources will be applied to solving those kinds of limitations.

I'd really like to see an all-electric endurance race set up, or at least get them their own class at Le Mans and Sebring. You want to drive innovation in the car world, you do it on the race track. I think the results would be fascinating.

[Fifty3bags]

Originally Posted by 02rsxpilot

I think Tesla is going to end up being one of the defining companies of this century. It's really cool to see all of the advantages an electric car can offer, even outside the whole environmental sphere. Are batteries a concern right now? Absolutely, but as the product proves to be more and more successful, more and more resources will be applied to solving those kinds of limitations.

I'd really like to see an all-electric endurance race set up, or at least get them their own class at Le Mans and Sebring. You want to drive innovation in the car world, you do it on the race track. I think the results would be fascinating.

I agree with you on Tesla being a great company. The only limitation to the electric car is the battery life. Battery technology isn't there yet for a long-life (miles per charge) electric vehicle yet. But as companies like Tesla get going the technology will only grow.

On the electric vehicle endurance race, that would be a weird one. Once the batteries die, they'd have to sit in the pits for hours to charge the batteries.

[phobic]

" Tesla said, the car's roof was so strong that it broke the testing machine. "

kind of reminds me of how Saabs used to be. Over engineered like CRAZY! Hopefully they can stick around and continue to raise the bar. The roadster and Model S are just amazing cars though, especially the Model S.

[rking117]

Originally Posted by 02rsxpilot

...Are batteries a concern right now? Absolutely, but as the product proves to be more and more successful, more and more resources will be applied to solving those kinds of limitations...

I read that one of their models were electric stations (like a gas station) where you go swap out a battery for a fully charged one while you are on your trip. The swap was supposed to be fairly quick. The only caveat is that you have to reclaim your old battery one your way back from whereever you are going.

I would like to see them have a battery exchange program where the batteries are simply swapped dead for charged one and be on your way not worring about having to pick up your old one OR paying $1000s of dollars for the new battery. The idea is pretty sound since once you make the battery the first time it can be regenerated over and over and over again once the life cycle of the battery is such that it will no longer hold a charge. The trick is reconditioning we we already do in some industries. You simply pay for the charge and the overhead of the use of the battery (like renting).

Maybe that is the solution. Of course you dont have to do the swapping if you are doing short trips around town and you charge your battery at home. And if you never participate in the swap-a-batt program then you would have a larger charge for when you do swap one out.

So maybe it cost you around $100 per month to keep your car charged yourself but you pay $150 to swap one out every 3 months or so. that way everyone is running on a brand new or recondtioned battery. Ther ecoul even be protection plans to buy into for this. Another money maker

If you dont swap your battery out very often then you pay a higher fee such as $1500 or $2000. depending on how old the battery is.


BTW i expect royalties for this idea and it is now copyrighted thanks to bimmerpost. LOL

[RoundelM3]

The Tesla Model S is an amazing electric car, but with severe limitations:

1. Extremely expensive, especially if you buy the longest-range battery pack
2. Not enough infrastructure for recharge/excessive recharge time

For instance - driving 250+ miles with A/C running from one city to another - where do you recharge along the way (if necessary) and where do you plug in when you get there so's you can drive home? This is way too expensive a car for commuting, and if you can't take trips in it, it's not very practical.

When fuel cell technology is finally matured, that'll be the better choice until they develop super-batteries that provide 500+ mile range and can recharge in 15 minutes.

[rking117]

Why cant all surface material generate electricity? there is enough room on the surface area of cars to generate 1000s of watts of electricity if very small generatorsa re used. I keep thinking of the little windmills we built as kids.

[JasonCSU]

Originally Posted by Fifty3bags

On the electric vehicle endurance race, that would be a weird one. Once the batteries die, they'd have to sit in the pits for hours to charge the batteries.

For an endurance race, they would need hot swappable batteries that could be changed out on pit stops. That would make it more interesting to watch.

[shah269]

Tesla fiasco?

[MightyMouseTech]

The new Tesla Supercharger systems are going to be a game changer.

http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger

Combined with the new Model X, just wait.....

[rking117]

Originally Posted by JasonCSU

For an endurance race, they would need hot swappable batteries that could be changed out on pit stops. That would make it more interesting to watch.

They claim it is just a few bolts and the battery drops of from underneath the car.

[RoundelM3]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

The new Tesla Supercharger systems are going to be a game changer.

http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger

Combined with the new Model X, just wait.....

Yeah, that'll be great waiting in line to plug in at one of these "strategically-located" stations that will take 40 minutes or more to provide a full charge. I guess if you're not hungry you can just hang out and people-watch, which should be great when it's 95+ degrees. There probably won't be that many of these cars on the road for awhile, considering the high buy-in price, particularly with the longer-range batteries.

It's a great concept, but as they say, "no plan survives contact with reality".

[Colt]

Originally Posted by 02rsxpilot

I think Tesla is going to end up being one of the defining companies of this century.

I think so too. Apparently they are making a base model Tesla too, that's going to be about $20k or something

[kpsingh0]

I don't know what it is but I don't like tesla. Not a fan of the design and around here they are overhyped. And there is the other part of me that loves engines. Guess I'm just one of those ride BMW drives that don't care about the planet. Luckily my car isn't blue.

[shah269]

40 min to charge your car so you won't die in an accident?
well hum.......40min...waiting for a charge......that's a lot of time to hit on all the vegan chicks who bought one of these cars right?
Dude "Hi, so i see you are charging so am i! We have 40min want to go for a quickly in the back seat? I have kayle chips!"

[MightyMouseTech]

There is a guy in our local club that has a couple model S. He has it out all the time on track, autox and even the drag strip. Very impressed with the performance.

[shah269]

Really? You were? I wasn't. Took one for a little ride....it was a Lotus with a heavy head.

[P1]

Nice technology, just too bad it looks as boring as a Sonata. The interior is unappealing and frankly looks cheap.

[02rsxpilot]

Originally Posted by Fifty3bags

I agree with you on Tesla being a great company. The only limitation to the electric car is the battery life. Battery technology isn't there yet for a long-life (miles per charge) electric vehicle yet. But as companies like Tesla get going the technology will only grow.

On the electric vehicle endurance race, that would be a weird one. Once the batteries die, they'd have to sit in the pits for hours to charge the batteries.

As has been briefly mentioned, Tesla has already demonstrated that they can swap a battery pack in less time than it takes to fill a tank with gas. This is the kind of power an endurance race would have, driving technology and engineering like that, plus wiping out a lot of the misconceptions the public has about these cars. To me the big challenge, as you said, is battery life. The Model S may have a range of 250 miles, but not at racing speeds. It'd be interesting to see how often they'd need to pit.

And to the one other post about looks, I think that the Model S is superb looking, and it seems most of the car world agrees.

[Ubersmooth]

Actually the batteries can be swapped pretty quickly, i believe under a minute (don't hold me to it) tesla worked with toyota on troubleshooting battery life and found a way to effectively make the battery concern irrelevant.