Tesla - Page 3 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

Xist · 09-03-2013, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

The Tesla Model E won't use any gas. You can power it with sunlight or with the wind; and renewable energy doesn't require a military to defend it.

Yet! I watched the Matrix!

Ryland · 09-04-2013, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbaber

BTW, how much power are the Telsa E's solar panels and wind generator able to supply? While it may sound nice to have your car supplied with renewable energy, I am skeptical of how much range the auxiliary charging methods actually provide in the real world. Certainly solar/wind alone is not enough to actually power the car, unlike the Volt which can drive only on the gas generator.

Payback on Solar when offsetting gasoline is 7-8 years and the solar will last the rest of your life, 60+ years.

Is the Tesla S selling because it's going to save the owners money or because people who DRIVE ev's like them better then gasoline cars and figure it's worth the cost.

user removed · 09-04-2013, 12:42 AM

The as yet unasked question is life expectancy of the batteries and the replacement cost. Is there a battery warranty period, like 10 years and 150k miles?

regards
Mech

NachtRitter · 09-04-2013, 01:11 AM

A very simple thing to find out via a web search... here, I'll do it for you: Model S Facts | Tesla Motors which says

Quote:

An additional warranty covers the battery and varies by capacity. The 60 kWh battery is covered for 8 years or 125,000 miles, whichever comes first. The largest battery, 85 kWh, is covered for eight years and unlimited miles.

cbaber · 09-04-2013, 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryland

Payback on Solar when offsetting gasoline is 7-8 years and the solar will last the rest of your life, 60+ years.

Is the Tesla S selling because it's going to save the owners money or because people who DRIVE ev's like them better then gasoline cars and figure it's worth the cost.

It's not the question of whether people want the car, it's a matter of can fit it into their budget and lifestyle? Sure a high end luxury car like this will attract buyers, especially high profile brands like Tesla, no matter if it's EV or not. I'm sure I would like to drive a BMW M3 more than my Civic, but it's just not within reach. And that's my point, EV technology is out of reach for everyday people who don't buy cars as luxury items or accessories to define their image. Most people buy the cheap, economical, reliable cars. If any EV is going to take that market, the technology is going to have to allow cheaper production and better range. I would like to see an EV in the $20k range competing with popular cars like Civic and Corolla.

Are companies like Telsa really beneficial to the EV revolution if they don't produce vehicles for the 99%? EV is such a new technology with it's own problems to overcome, yet Telsa continues to focus on high end rather than a car for everyone. If thats their goal then fine I can accept that. But to hear everyone talk about how Telsa is proving that electric is the future, I just don't see it with their current line up. They don't want everyone to be able to drive EV's. Henry Ford wanted everyone to have a car when he built his company. Thats not what Telsa is doing, they are keeping electric exclusive. Yet taxpayers continue to fund the purchases of these cars, that are out of reach for most of the taxpayers. The Nissan Leaf is pretty much the only EV that can compete with the economy gasoline cars, yet as I illustrated they don't give enough benefits to justify the downsides.

Ryland · 09-04-2013, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbaber

It's not the question of whether people want the car, it's a matter of can fit it into their budget and lifestyle? Sure a high end luxury car like this will attract buyers, especially high profile brands like Tesla, no matter if it's EV or not. I'm sure I would like to drive a BMW M3 more than my Civic, but it's just not within reach. And that's my point, EV technology is out of reach for everyday people who don't buy cars as luxury items or accessories to define their image. Most people buy the cheap, economical, reliable cars. If any EV is going to take that market, the technology is going to have to allow cheaper production and better range. I would like to see an EV in the $20k range competing with popular cars like Civic and Corolla.

Out of the 10 or so EV's that are now on the market, the Tesla S is the 2nd best seller and I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes the best selling EV at some point soon.
Most people I know don't buy new cars, I bought my EV used, my parents bought their EV used, you look at Ebay and you see used factory built EV's that are a few years old so they are selling for the price of a 2-3 year old car!
One of the nice things about people who are willing to spend a lot on new things is that they often like to keep buying new things, you want a cheaper Tesla S then wait a few years and buy a used one!

hamsterpower · 09-04-2013, 12:09 PM

The revolution is not going to happen over night. But it is happening and at an amazing pace. Tesla has to sell expensive cars because they are doing TONS of R&D. Look at the remarkable difference between the roadster and the model S. The roadster took what ten years to develope and was based on an existing car (a Lotus). The S is new from top to bottom and has been called the best car EVER. IE. better than what others can make with ~100 years of experience.

The price of tech is coming down because Tesla is moving to bulk manufacturing from one-off hand builds. "Common-man" EV's will come with the financing of the weathy buying luxury models.

NachtRitter · 09-04-2013, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbaber

Are companies like Telsa really beneficial to the EV revolution if they don't produce vehicles for the 99%?

Yes, I believe so... Did you check out the wiki links I posted? All the experience they are gaining producing their own cars and supplying the electric drivetrains for cars like the Mercedes A-class and the Smart e-drive will go toward building an affordable EV, which Tesla has already said they plan to do. As with a lot of technology, it is the early adopters with money to spend (or enough credit, I suppose) that help fund the cost of the R&D to get the technology to the rest of us...

It doesn't hurt that the Tesla S achieves the highest crash test rating possible and that most reviews of the car are very positive... comparing the car favorably to the luxury car benchmarks such as Mercedes and BMW.