Tesla Motors...

[tazman9r]

So there has been much talk about oil prices, gas costs, and alternative energy. I've read solar and wind power bantered about as a power source for everything from mopeds to boats to homes, and I've done a bunch of reading about Brown's Gas (HHO), which many seem to think is either a potential saving grace or the greatest science fiction hoax ever.

Whichever alternative energy source wins out as the most viable (I believe it will be a combination of many), it will need to be a form of energy that allows for the least amount of change in the current options and abilities of the market. This means that one cannot expect a lunch box sized car that only goes 40 miles per hour will sell because the market enjoys driving faster, larger, etc., vehicles.

This is an excellent example of an electric car that I believe will sell very well. It is called the Tesla, by Tesla Motors. It out performs a Porsche, has similar lines to a Ferrari 360 Modena, and has a 225 miles range, and only casts as much per month to charge as your central air conditioner in summer (approx. $120 per month). The base model sells for about $110K, so for being on the pricey side, it is priced to compete with other automobiles in its class. And the company is considering an after market solar panel for charging the batteries away from home and/or without reliance on "the grid". This is a cool car, check it out...

Tesla Motors

It will be mine, ... oh yes, it will be mine.

[jshua]

i also like the tesla roadster and i think people will see lots of them on the road. I also hope that the batteries hold up better that the prius.
good luck getting one

[Ivan]

@tazman: You should get two, one to charge up while you're using the other.

[Mega B]

At a $110K i will pass on it,you can buy a hell of a lot of petrol for that amount.

[HarveyJ]

I've registered my interest for one of these things. They're damn sexy, and the idea of a silent sports car really has me going.
Only problem is, being an all electric motor, they're currently not deemed "street legal" here, as there are no licensed mechanics that are able to service them. Bloody stupid legislation if you ask me.

MegaB: It's a sports car... if you're after a sports car, coupe, roadster or other ersatz penis extension, this is the car for you!
The thing ends up paying for itself in terms of fuel saving in jsut over 6 years of daily use, if you drive 75km per day (which is pretty much the average commute + shopping trip).

[tazman9r]

I am actually eyeballing both the Tesla and the Lotus Elise. This way I can use the Tesla for commuting and "in town" stuff, then the Lotus for "out of town" stuff. I like the Elise not just for it's looks and performance, but also for its price, $55,000 fully loaded is pretty good for an import sports car. It has a 189 horse engine and weighs like 2000 pounds, so its power to weight ratio is as good as my father's 6 cylinder Porche. It does pretty good on gas, too. 21 city and 27 highway, not outstanding, but better than sports cars with larger engines. It does 0 - 60 in about 5 seconds, which is fine with me. If I want to go faster than that, I'll buy another sport bike, which by the way, also gets great gas mileage. My ZX-6R got like 35 miles per gallon, and 37 mpg without the MTBE additive that they like to add to gas in northen California.

My interest in the Tesla really has more to do with that its is built in the U.S. (if you can still call the Bay area part of the U.S.) and can easily match pace with other domestic and imported sports cars. The fact that it is electric is frosting on the cake, I get all that performance and I don't have to rely on a fuel that is so expensive. I am actually way better at fixing on electronics than gas driven engines anyway, another perk.

Many studies have suggested that purchasing a new car to get better fuel performance ends up costing you more money. I'm not attempting to save money buying a Tesla and an Elise, even if in the long run (like 10 years, 6 as suggested by HarveyJ) I would actually balance my costs out. I'm not trying to screw the oil companies. I'm doing the thing that a free market allows me to do, go find a more appealing option. The fact that I can go buy a car built in this country, that has the look and style of an import and who's performance will compete with other sports cars, is very appealing to me. I wanted a Vector for the longest time, before they stopped making them. I am curious what the maintenance and upkeep costs will be, the hidden costs. Rechargable batteries fail over time, I wonder at what rate that will occur, and what the cost will be to replace them. That said, the fact that now I can buy an American built sports car that doesn't use gas, is silent, and costs as much or less to charge as run my central A/C for my house? I am all over that, man. I drive a 1989 Jeep Pioneer right now, and if my website does what I hope it will I'll be in the market for a new car, a new house, and a few other things. I'd love to have a car that doesn't rely on gas, and a home that doesn't rely on "the grid". Not because I am trying to "save the planet" but because I would rather be self reliant for these things. The government can't tell me how I should or shouldn't use gas if my car doesn't use gas. It can't tell me how to cool or heat my home if I don't rely on them for power. Not having to live my life with government imposed restrictions, that's what I call freedom.

The reality is that whenever the public does what its government asks and "conserves", the tax revenues fall and the taxes rise on the item being "conserved". It's the governments way of increasing revenue while reducing supply.

Bottom line, the more "unplugged" I can be, the more freedom I will have.