The Tesla Thread

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Azure

Does the supercharger network work for other electric cars?

What we really need is Ford, GM, Toyota and the other big players to get their electric cars down to the same price point. Mass adoption will result in more investment in battery technology and we might see some serious breakthroughs.

Pretty sure the Bolt is cheaper than the Tesla

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Pretty sure the Bolt is cheaper than the Tesla

Yeah. That's exactly the point. It's not about price, it's about horsepower and prestige. The Tesla kicks ass. The volt and leaf do not kick ass

[Itse]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Yeah. That's exactly the point. It's not about price, it's about horsepower and prestige. The Tesla kicks ass. The volt and leaf do not kick ass

I also think it's largely about what I mentioned before.

Other manufacturers are not going around saying that their new cars are totally awesome future-cars that kick the ass of those old gas guzzlers. Their dealerships probably aren't pushing those electric cars in anything close to the same way as Tesla can do with their own. Their business is still mostly in the traditional car market, and they can't afford to alienate them. Tesla can, so they have a huge edge in marketing.

Plus it doesn't hurt that Tesla's apparently are kind of awesome. (I'm personally not much for cars.)

[millhouse11]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Pretty sure the Bolt is cheaper than the Tesla

the Bolt starts at $37500 US. So pretty similar

[HotHotHeat]

These two cars are the same price. Let me know how that works out for you, GM.

[pseudoreality]

The Volt is a crappy car. it uses recycled parts and has maintenance issues. i believe traditional manufacturers are not putting their A Team on making the electric cars and are just doing it because they have to. Tesla is 100% focused on making high quality electric cars.

[NuclearFart]

http://www.techinsider.io/how-tesla-...ic-cars-2016-3

Still some TBAs there, but Musk is stating the stats will be even better (for the same cost) once it actually goes into production.

One thing the chart doesn't address is availability though - waiting until 2018 is going to be a big negative for many.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by NuclearFart

http://www.techinsider.io/how-tesla-...ic-cars-2016-3

A random thought occurred to me while watching that autopilot demonstration video on that page. Complete speculation coming up.

What if autocompanies secretly don't like it because it threatens a major selling point for expensive cars, how it feels to drive it?

[NuclearFart]

Originally Posted by Itse

A random thought occurred to me while watching that autopilot demonstration video on that page. Complete speculation coming up.

What if autocompanies secretly don't like it because it threatens a major selling point for expensive cars, how it feels to drive it?

I wouldn't be surprised if that's not factor on some level, but what are you defining as an expensive car?

People that buy performance car$ are willing to pay the premiums because they like to drive, although that might not the demographic you are referring to, nor will it be the majority.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

This would be a fantastic commuter for the missus going to and from the hospital. No real advantage for me since I live and work in downtown (so I walk everywhere unless I have the driving bug or it's raining heavily). The only thing that makes this a no-go for us is the range, and the state of the supercharger network east of Calgary. With our families residing Winnipeg and rural Saskatchewan, it makes what is normally a day of driving into possibly two with a stop for charging needed.

Once the supercharger network matures, this car is a game-changer for us.

This is definately a real challenge. I was talking to a buddy who has a coworker that owns a Tesla. The way he explained it you could map out a trip and they tell you where charging stations are located, what your charge level would be when you get there, and how long it would take to 'top up' and carry on. For example, driving to Vancouver from Calgary may be somethign like: Calgary>Golden. Estimated charge left 30%, time to charge - 15 minutes. Golden>Kamloops, charge left 45%, charge time 10 minutes. and so on.

Below is a link that shows where there are charging stations, there is a real gap between Calgary and S Ontario.

https://www.teslamotors.com/en_CA/su...er?redirect=no

[Hack&Lube]

Definitely not liking that interior as much as the Model S. It looks strange like somebody just bolted a monitor onto a mount in the middle of the car instead of how it's integrated into the dash on the S which just looks better. Not a fan of no read-out directly in front of the driver unless there is an amazing HUD.

I'm not a fan of the overall aesthetic or design. I suppose we've been trained for the past 100 years to expect a grill on the front of the car. It makes sense for an electric vehicle not to require one but why still retain the overall shape/profile of where one should be? It looks like somebody just drywall mudded over the grill.

I'm looking forward to the day when there are more alternatives with competing designs.

[peter12]

Well, one thing is for sure, Elon Musk can sell anything to a sucker. $10B raised in capital for whatever he wants, and most people who want a car won't see one for 3 years. Of course, three years for such a new technology could mean 30 years.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by peter12

Well, one thing is for sure, Elon Musk can sell anything to a sucker. $10B raised in capital for whatever he wants, and most people who want a car won't see one for 3 years. Of course, three years for such a new technology could mean 30 years.

I was kind of bummed I missed out too.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by peter12

Well, one thing is for sure, Elon Musk can sell anything to a sucker. $10B raised in capital for whatever he wants, and most people who want a car won't see one for 3 years. Of course, three years for such a new technology could mean 30 years.

Lololol. It's not like he's delivered anything groundbreaking or anything already. Someone's angry about progress

[peter12]

I think he's a rent-seeker, but people believe what they want to believe.

http://streetwiseprofessor.com/?p=8091

[HotHotHeat]

How's your self-landing rocket coming along, Peter?

Also, the article you posted is from Feb 2014, and ends like this:

But he has a cult of personality that portrays him as some towering visionary genius.

Maybe he is. If he is, he should be able to make it all on his own, like some 19th century titan (Rockefellar, Carnegie), without collecting hundreds of millions from taxpayers.

Didn't he just do exactly that?

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by peter12

I think he's a rent-seeker, but people believe what they want to believe.

http://streetwiseprofessor.com/?p=8091

Just read it...
So no different than any other corporation then...

[peter12]

The point I am getting at is that Musk runs companies that are wildly unprofitable, and that only can stay afloat through massive government subsidy. Typically, in the long run, companies like that tend to sell themselves more on hype than on products that can actually scale in a sustainable fashion.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Just read it...
So no different than any other corporation then...

Equivocating is not an argument.

[Fuzz]

So you are saying he shouldn't operate like any other corporation? Taking full advantage of tax handouts, lobbying government etc? What would his shareholders think if he did that?