Tesla to stop selling electric sports car next year

[LTC8K6]

But we have other mfgs bringing the electric cars for the masses, don't we? I can't see the Tesla S competing.

 

[tontod]

But we have other mfgs bringing the electric cars for the masses, don't we? I can't see the Tesla S competing.

Yes, but most of them (like the Nissan Leaf) only has a 100 mile range. With optional packs for the Tesla S, it can go upto 300 miles.

 

[LTC8K6]

And if we put bigger batteries in the Leaf, and charge you more, it will go farther too...

The Tesla with the extra batteries will cost and weigh a lot more than the standard 160 mile range model, which is already north of $50K.

 

[tontod]

And if we put bigger batteries in the Leaf, and charge you more, it will go farther too...

The Tesla with the extra batteries will cost and weigh a lot more than the standard 160 mile range model, which is already north of $50K.

Its just north of $50k, around $57k or so (I guess a bigger battery pack will add to the cost). Thats much more palatable than the Roadster. I remember reading that they are planning on a 3rd variant, around $30k after the Tesla S - not sure about the timeframe for that one. Plus, the performance of the S will blow the Leaf away.

 

[LTC8K6]

Plus, the performance of the S will blow the Leaf away.

The use of which will reduce the range to less than the leaf... :biggrin:

 

[LTC8K6]

Don't forget that they have to figure out how to get you to pay the equivalent road taxes you used to pay when you bought fuel. Electric cars are getting a free ride right now, which cannot last. They are using the roads the same as any other car, so they will need to pay the same taxes.

 

[Evadman]

Don't forget that they have to figure out how to get you to pay the equivalent road taxes you used to pay when you bought fuel. Electric cars are getting a free ride right now, which cannot last. They are using the roads the same as any other car, so they will need to pay the same taxes.

Option 1: Remove taxes from fuel and raise the price of a plate to $1000. Good: everyone taxed. Bad: Drivers who use more resources (AKA drive more) are taxed at same rate as someone who walks everywhere and uses a car for long distances.

Option 2: government installed tracker in your car that tracks how much you drive. Good: everyone taxed by usage. Bad: Government knows my driving habits, and how often I visit the pr0n store.

Option 3: No tax at all. Good: Everyone taxed same rate. Bad: roads suck.

Need more options.

 

[tontod]

They could outfit gas stations with outlets to charge electric cars - could add a small surcharge/tax to it.

 

[LTC8K6]

They could outfit gas stations with outlets to charge electric cars - could add a small surcharge/tax to it.

That could deal with the tax.

You are still talking a comparatively long time to wait. Even if they use very high current systems and cut it down to half an hour to recharge. Imagine having to wait half an hour to fill your gas tank?

It would have to be a battery swap station, imo. Even so, the Tesla S claims a 5 minute battery swap time, which probably means 15 minutes in the real world.

 

[Evadman]

That could deal with the tax.

You are still talking a comparatively long time to wait. Even if they use very high current systems and cut it down to half an hour to recharge. Imagine having to wait half an hour to fill your gas tank?

It would have to be a battery swap station, imo. Even so, the Tesla S claims a 5 minute battery swap time, which probably means 15 minutes in the real world.

Battery swap could work, they can be done really quick if the car and tools are designed to do it. I had to swap 3,000lb forklift batteries all the time, and it took at most, 60 seconds.

Then you could charge tax per battery swap. Have to figure out other ways to solve the tax issue if there are other ways to charge batteries, like from your home outlet.

 

[LTC8K6]

This may work okay when you have relatively few electric cars, but I can't imagine what the swapping would be like with crowds of folks needing a charged battery, like on popular vacation travel days.

Recently with the bad weather forecast, you could barely get into any gas station here in town. They were all wall to wall with people filling up before the snowstorm. It was crowded, but the system did work, and everyone was able to fill up without too much of a wait.

I wonder how the grid would handle such surges, let alone a battery swap station network? When bad weather is predicted, you will have a rush to get batteries swapped or topped up.

There seems to be a move towards robotic battery swaps, but I don't see how that will handle crowds of vehicles very well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9bc4vNccL0

 

[Perknose]

Battery swap could work, they can be done really quick if the car and tools are designed to do it. I had to swap 3,000lb forklift batteries all the time, and it took at most, 60 seconds.

Then you could charge tax per battery swap. Have to figure out other ways to solve the tax issue if there are other ways to charge batteries, like from your home outlet.

This, a designed quick battery swap system, is in fact what several start-up infrastructure wannabes envision. That company now setting up, or about to in, I believe, Israel, Denmark (or one of the Scandinavian countries) and at least one other country envisions this along with quick re-charges.

In fact, iirc, motorists wouldn't even OWN the battery packs, but merely lease the ability to swap them as often as necessary, or something like this.

The idea is to get the initial cost down, which is a real bear of a "chicken and egg" dilemma with electric infrastructure -- same with hydrogen.

 

[sdifox]

Battery swap could work, they can be done really quick if the car and tools are designed to do it. I had to swap 3,000lb forklift batteries all the time, and it took at most, 60 seconds.

Then you could charge tax per battery swap. Have to figure out other ways to solve the tax issue if there are other ways to charge batteries, like from your home outlet.

60 Seconds? So what, you just fork lift it out? Just curious.

 

[TruePaige]

Really? I see no Model S on the roads, and there's a Tesla dealer down the street.

The Model S isn't even supposed to be out yet and this thread is about them stopping production of the roadster.

Actual roadsters are on the street, hence not vaporware. As far as the Model S I see no reason to doubt them. I also think you were referring to the Roadster and just looked up the definition of vaporware, which a strict definition doesn't even fit as they've shown they can produce a model S and just need to prep supply lines and factories. 😛

 

[Imported]

The Model S isn't even supposed to be out yet and this thread is about them stopping production of the roadster.

Actual roadsters are on the street, hence not vaporware. As far as the Model S I see no reason to doubt them. I also think you were referring to the Roadster and just looked up the definition of vaporware, which a strict definition doesn't even fit as they've shown they can produce a model S and just need to prep supply lines and factories. 😛

I was referring the Model S. It was mostly in reference to when Tesla first announced the Model S, and few other people and I called it vaporware from the get go. I can see the confusion though, and apologize for that.

I hardly call two working prototypes evidence that they can produce this car.