Tesla...

[Omhra]

http://www.teslamotors.com/index.php

This is encouraging.

 

[TSPenguin]

Yes, and nothing new at all. Teslas have been in mainstream media for the past couple of years.

 

[T.Neo]

Nothing more then a golf cart with a fancy fibreglass body bolted on top.

 

[Omhra]

Fine then, I will resume doom and gloom.

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

For a long time I have been a fan of the Tesla car. It has a pretty good driving range, and I always thought that the only barrier was it's price.

However, it turns out that this is not entirely true. Let's ignore the new-price of a Tesla roadster here (because if you include that, it's much more expensive anyway).
With the current electricity price it is cheaper to charge compared to the ammount of fuel needed. But someone calculated that in the end, it will cost you more (will try to find the link).

The reason for this is: the Li-Ion battery pack. They only last for about 400 charges. On a regular base, you'll need to buy a new pack for about 20000 dollar (?). So in the end you spent much more for each mile (even new-price ignored)...

Better off buying a regular Lotus Elise than Tesla's one, for now..

Regards,
mcduck

 

[Biscuit]

...
Better off buying a regular Lotus Elise than Tesla's one, for now..

Yeah, but the Lotus doesn't come with quite as much 'smug' installed at the factory as an electric car.

:rofl:

 

[PhantomCruiser]

The Tesla is pretty cool looking, but I agree with the guys on top gear. The tech just isn't 'there' yet to make these things affordable. And it didn't do too well on their track.

They thought pretty well about the new Honda though.

 

[Omhra]

I wonder (as they don't tell us) if Tesla is using this
http://www.nature.com/nnano/journal/v3/n1/full/nnano.2007.411.html ?

I once returned a hand held TV because of battery tech just not being there... now my P.D.A. goes on and on for days...
there is hope... now that there is a lucrative objective to get this things managed.

 

[T.Neo]

Fine then, I will resume doom and gloom.

Oh, please do.

 

[Bj]

The reason for this is: the Li-Ion battery pack. They only last for about 400 charges. On a regular base, you'll need to buy a new pack for about 20000 dollar (?). So in the end you spent much more for each mile (even new-price ignored)...

From wiki;

The Tesla Motors Club bulletin board estimated the 2007 ESS replacement cost at approximately $20,000; this cost is likely to decline in the future. Tesla Motors, in February 2009, stated more about the ESS including placing the current replacement cost at slightly under USD$36,000, an expected ESS life span of 7 years/100,000 mi (160,000 km), and began offering owners an option to pre-purchase a battery replacement for USD$12,000 today with the replacement to be delivered after seven years.

Although It needs proper citations.

Even if it goes down to $10K, the battery alone is more expensive than my entire car. These kinds of cars are more for people like Ichiro Suzuki who gets $15 million/year.