Tesla Roadster now being delivered.

[Bobblehead]

So far the company has delivered four cars, with 27 more in production. It has 1,080 customers waiting patiently for a Roadster, which is a year behind schedule. (Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, both Tesla investors, are scheduled to get cars seven and eight.) Tesla expects to be delivering four cars a week soon, a number it eventually hopes to double.

And if Mr. Musk is willing to concede that the Roadster, by itself, isn’t a world-changer, he fervently believes that the technology Tesla has created — technology that gives the car a range of 227 miles per battery charge, and enough acceleration to go from zero to 60 in under 4 seconds — will indeed change the world. The age of the electric car, he is convinced, has dawned.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/19/bu...ef=automobiles

I wonder how long before we see one cruising around Calgary streets?

[Old Yeller]

Does anyone know how long the re-charge time is after draining the battery.

[Caged Great]

I can't wait to see if their sedan comes on the market. I'll be in line for that.

[mykalberta]

I heard 100% electric cars are illegal in Canada, is that true? (with the exception of Quebec of course).

[Slava]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

I heard 100% electric cars are illegal in Canada, is that true? (with the exception of Quebec of course).

I think that the issue with the Zenn (assuming that is the one you heard about) is due to the speed it can travel and such. I think that an electric car that meets the normal standards is legal though.

^^ IIRC the charge time is about 3 hours.

[BlackArcher101]

So what's the battery life on a typical cold Canadian winter day?

[Ozy_Flame]

I saw this in Fortune magazine. If I recall correctly, Musk and his former partner were at odds of using particular types of materials to manufacture the automobiles. Musk was seeking the cheap route (and $109,000 per car being cheap), and his partner (I believe it was Marc Tarpenning) wanted to go the route of "a few well-built cars for a select few." There was a big falling out somewhere down the line. The whole company was in a mess, and this car could have been better produced if all this legal and financial red tape (not to mention in-house fighting) was resolved better.

I'll have to refer back to the article, but it isn't all roses and sunshine at Tesla Motors right now.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by Old Yeller

Does anyone know how long the re-charge time is after draining the battery.

From Tesla's site, it says about 3.5 hours.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

So what's the battery life on a typical cold Canadian winter day?

The batteries are heated, according to the website. And anyone who drives one of these is going to keep it in a heated garage. Battery life should be fine in cold weather.

[HockeyPuck]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xdNCQZQLhvA

Here's Jay Leno's review... The car looks pretty sweet.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

I saw this in Fortune magazine. If I recall correctly, Musk and his former partner were at odds of using particular types of materials to manufacture the automobiles. Musk was seeking the cheap route (and $109,000 per car being cheap), and his partner (I believe it was Marc Tarpenning) wanted to go the route of "a few well-built cars for a select few." There was a big falling out somewhere down the line. The whole company was in a mess, and this car could have been better produced if all this legal and financial red tape (not to mention in-house fighting) was resolved better.

I'll have to refer back to the article, but it isn't all roses and sunshine at Tesla Motors right now.

I have that same article. Its very interesting. While things may not be all that rosy, they're still pretty good! They sound to me like they are going through typical growing pains.

[Bobblehead]

I think I read that article, as well.

But the fact that they are shipping, just opened another showroom (in silicon valley) and have over 1000 outstanding orders I would think bodes well for them, at least in the short term. And with the price of gas skyrocketing and "green" awareness becoming mainstream it would probably be a good time to be producing this product.

[arsenal]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

So what's the battery life on a typical cold Canadian winter day?

I am guessing you could go about 10km's

I don't see electric cars being a viable option for canadians, at least in alberta. The winters are too cold to drive it. The only time you could drive would be in the summer, and probably no farther than 100 km from your home.
Plus it could require a power source that you could plug into when you are away from home.

Since you would be using someone else's electricity to charge your vehicle, would you then have to pay for said electricity usage? Or would it be provided as a service as some do now with plugs for the block heaters when it is freezing in canada.

[arsenal]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

The batteries are heated, according to the website. And anyone who drives one of these is going to keep it in a heated garage. Battery life should be fine in cold weather.

So you are draining the battery to keep the battery warm correct?
What if you work at a building that does not have heated underground parking?

Electric cars are wonderful. I just see are too many logistical, infrastructure problems with them. Hydrogen is a much better solution.

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by HockeyPuck

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xdNCQZQLhvA

Here's Jay Leno's review... The car looks pretty sweet.

Very good video. What is the price tag of this guy, mid 100's?

[Flames89]

[Igottago]

Nice..I'm not a big car buff but its nice to see a car that sheds some of the myths about electric cars and their performance. These guys seem to have engineered a pretty sweet ride. I liked the video with Jay Leno driving it. If I had the cash the environmentalist in me would consider this car.

[GoinAllTheWay]

I think if we go to full electric cars, I saw an ariticle once where you would have solar panels on your garage and a special collector that charges up during the day. When you come home at night you would plug it into the collector and only use solar generated power, none off the grid.

I would REALLY like that kind of setup.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by arsenal

So you are draining the battery to keep the battery warm correct?
What if you work at a building that does not have heated underground parking?

Electric cars are wonderful. I just see are too many logistical, infrastructure problems with them. Hydrogen is a much better solution.

Maybe there is room for both? Battery powered cars may not work in cold climates, but in California it may be perfect. And if Tesla can do this for battery powered cars, maybe someone else can make a viable hydrogen powered roadster become a reality.

I'm just impressed that the whole concept has come this far, and hope that this can show that there is a viable market for alternate fuel vehicles.

While I don't think there is a conspiracy by car manufacturers to block alternate fuel, I do think they are slow in changing the way they want to do business. Upstarts like this may compel them to hasten their own programs.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by arsenal

So you are draining the battery to keep the battery warm correct?
What if you work at a building that does not have heated underground parking?

Electric cars are wonderful. I just see are too many logistical, infrastructure problems with them. Hydrogen is a much better solution.

The power drain to keep the batteries warm shouldn't be a whole lot. A small percentage of the overall power consumption.

If you happened to work at a building without heated parking, plugging the car in probobly would keep the batteries warm enough.

I think its hilarious that you mention logistical and infrastructure problems, then reccomend Hydrogen. Hydrogen is the one source that requires the most infrastructure and logistics change - Far more than simply electric vehicles.