cheaper to operate than an electric car?

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Perhaps you could explain exactly why I'd WANT any of those 'features'

Perhaps you could explain why I'd care what features you find desirable?

[spdfrk]

Lucky for you gas is so cheap. Gas is the cheapest it's been in Canada in a long time but still not as cheap as you guys. My Malibu best is 5.7 cents (costco super) per kilometer and my electric Suzuki is doing an average of just over 1 center per mile (3.6 cents/kW regulated rate)...

[sendler]

Originally Posted by spdfrk

(3.6 cents/kW regulated rate)...

What is the real cost of your electricity at the bottom of your bill? Divide the kWh used by the actual payment to see what it is with all line charges and fees.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Grant-53

EV is essentially an urban vehicle. It must compete with the bicycle and the bus system.

Exactly! If you've got fairly short (sub)urban drives, and the disposable income for a 2nd or 3rd vehicle, they'll do that job quite well. But they won't save you money. And many people would do much better with telecommuting and a bike.

My home is not the best candidate for solar electric but rather solar hot air in the winter when my maple tree is not shading the south side. Trees are great for dealing with carbon dioxide too.

I didn't know you lived in my house :-) Big maple tree shades the south, east has apples & pears, west is cherries, though they're not tall enough to give much shade before the sun goes behind the mountain. So no good place for solar PV.

[NeilBlanchard]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Perhaps you could explain why I'd care what features you find desirable?

Modern cars have gotten safer, and the Tesla Model S is arguably the safest car, ever. It is safer because it is an electric car - much better crumple zones, much better center of gravity, no explosive fuel.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

the Tesla Model S is arguably the safest car, ever.

Well, if you ignore its tendency to drive itself under tractor-trailers at (probably quite a bit more than) legal highway speed.

[gone-ot]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Modern cars have gotten safer, and the Tesla Model S is arguably the safest car, ever. It is safer because it is an electric car - much better crumple zones, much better center of gravity, no explosive fuel.

So, does that make it's highly combustible (contact with H20) lithium a "feature"? (devils advocate)?

[spdfrk]

I could go total power utility cost/kWh but distribution and surcharges are mental in Canada which is what I'm already paying to power my house. Using more power might bring the average cost/kWh down but I don't see the point since that will also fluctuate month to month. See you guys in Syracuse, NY are paying almost triple by kWh alone.

[NeilBlanchard]

Huh? That accident was driver error - he was watching a movie, or something.

There have only been a couple of deaths in a Tesla. The crash testing was five stars plus - nearly perfect. It can hardly be rolled over - the Cg is ~16" off the ground. The roof BROKE the roof strength testing jig.

I'll take lithium over gasoline ANY DAY. Gasoline is VERY explosive. When we get solid state batteries, they will be even better.

The Tesla Model S has the highest crash test score of any car, ever.

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Huh? That accident was driver error - he was watching a movie, or something.

There have only been a couple of deaths in a Tesla. The crash testing was five stars plus - nearly perfect. It can hardly be rolled over - the Cg is ~16" off the ground. The roof BROKE the roof strength testing jig.

I'll take lithium over gasoline ANY DAY. Gasoline is VERY explosive. When we get solid state batteries, they will be even better.

The Tesla Model S has the highest crash test score of any car, ever.

Wear your seatbelt, don't text, don't drink, don't speed, and drive any new car costing 50K or more and you have about a zero percent chance of dying in a car crash. The Tesla almost encourages distracted driving which is the #1 cause even beating out drinking and driving now. So the car supposedly will take care of the distracted part but does it beat not being distracted at all because you know you need to be paying attention? We will see when millions of people are doing it rather then the few brave Beta testers.

Take my $3000 2003 Forester for example. Today while going 70mph down a backwoods Montana highway I saw a buck at full trot coming on an intercept vector to the front of my car from an open field on the side. I knew to start braking now, long before that buck was potentially coming through my window. Does the Tesla know what a suicidal deer looks like way off the side of the road? How does it tell that from a cow standing out there or does it jam on the brakes when a cow is walking 40 yards off the road? The old Subie and my brain combined to come to a stop just as the deer passed in front. Had I waited until the deer was obviously in my path, not going to be in my path, it would have been bad.