son's new car

Frank Fusco

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Mountain Home, Arkansas
Yesterday, my son took delivery of a new car. It is a Tesla S model. All electric, the 85kwh model. Being a dedicated greenie, he is excited. I'm still skeeptikal about driving a car with a 3,000 mile long extension cord. :rolleyes:
It is all electric, no gas engine back-up. About 300 miles range under ideal conditions. Here in the Ozarks, I'm guessing about half that is reality.
Oh, well. If he is happy, I'm happy.
http://www.teslamotors.com/models
 
That is one sweet ride, I saw one up close here in traffic one day, seriously nice car.

So have you asked him which is it, coal or nuclear powered....? :D
 
That is one sweet ride, I saw one up close here in traffic one day, seriously nice car.

So have you asked him which is it, coal or nuclear powered....? :D

He does not respond well to jokes about it. I once asked him how he was going to get it up my front stairs then make a right turn into the laundry room to use our 220V outlet to charge it up. Personally, I believe, in the long haul (no pun) the Tesla will be a failure because of very limited range. Their house is about 125 miles from mine on winding, hilly Ozark roads. He has a range of only 300 miles under optimum conditions. Meaning, he cannot make it here and then back home on a single charge. It is a very expensive commuter car. There are no service centers although some are being located around the country later. Tesla will have to send a tech to him if there is a problem. I read a review in a car magazine where two Teslas in a row went only twenty feet and died as the test was being started. Hope he doesn't have those problems.
 
That is a good looking car. One of my neighbors has one. He has installed a dedicated charging outlet in the driveway. I too question the price vs value. I do think people who buy this don't necessarily do it to save money but just to make a statement.
 
I know a couple of people in Cali who have them and most really like them. They are pretty zippy rigs and seem to work well for city commutes (especially when there is a free charging station at work!!!)
 
Personally, I believe, in the long haul (no pun) the Tesla will be a failure because of very limited range. Their house is about 125 miles from mine on winding, hilly Ozark roads. He has a range of only 300 miles under optimum conditions. Meaning, he cannot make it here and then back home on a single charge.

Frank, I think there is a market for these cars. Here in Bellingham and the surrounding area it would work perfectly. Everything is 15 minutes away and that is more a function of traffic than distance. In a two car family, with a conventional or hybrid car/truck, it would be a great second car for all your local travels which is about 90% of all of our travel needs. The price and reliability would need to be improved first for me.
 
I agree that an all-electric car isn't practical for a lot of people, but for some it can be. Although I don't think an all-electric vehicle would work for my situation, I applaud your son for being an early adopter and being willing to spend the extra bucks to help get the new technology out there. (As I recall, he was one of the early Prius owners, and that's grown pretty strongly.) I got a good tour of the Tesla S at their showroom in Santa Monica earlier this year, and there is indeed some very cool technology behind the car.

Internal combustion engines were pretty impractical when they first showed up on the market, too. ;) I think if you look at history, pretty much every form of transportation had shortcomings in the beginning, and those shortcomings either went away as the infrastructure (and public opinion) changed, or they were engineered away. If not, the technology was shelved and something else took its place.
 
I agree that an all-electric car isn't practical for a lot of people, but for some it can be. Although I don't think an all-electric vehicle would work for my situation, I applaud your son for being an early adopter and being willing to spend the extra bucks to help get the new technology out there. (As I recall, he was one of the early Prius owners, and that's grown pretty strongly.) I got a good tour of the Tesla S at their showroom in Santa Monica earlier this year, and there is indeed some very cool technology behind the car.

Internal combustion engines were pretty impractical when they first showed up on the market, too. ;) I think if you look at history, pretty much every form of transportation had shortcomings in the beginning, and those shortcomings either went away as the infrastructure (and public opinion) changed, or they were engineered away. If not, the technology was shelved and something else took its place.

My opinion(s) are: $70,000.00 is a lot of money for a "second" or "commuter" car that can barely get you to the edge of town and back. I don't believe they will be practical for the larger market until there is a break-through in super-conductivity and solar cell efficiency. Right now the concept is a novelty. There were many early all-electric cars but the internal combustion engine is the one that survived.
 
He better be asking for nothing but tail winds in them Mt's

That car does 0 to 60 in somewhere between 4.4 and 5.6 seconds (depending on the model) with a regulated top speed of 125 or 130. The horsepower is either 362 or 416, with 325 to 414 ft/lbs of torque. I suspect it can hold its own in a headwind. ;)

Frank, you must live in a BIG town, if a 300 mile range will only get you to the edge of town and back. :D
 
Frank, you must live in a BIG town, if a 300 mile range will only get you to the edge of town and back.

Cut it down to a realistic 200 mile range and understand you have to get back home. That means an outside range of 200 miles from home. BTW, using the heater or A/C cuts down range also. They have a lake house about 65 miles from their home. The Tesla can get them there and back but there would be little to no opportunity for extra errand running once they are there. Unless a charging station is installed. But, I expect that will happen. More $$$.
 
That's a nice looking car. Glad to see they are making them that look nice and not weird looking. Not sure why anyone feels the need to criticize the car or anyone that wants one. "Different strokes for different folks." It wouldn't work out for me, but if they keep improving them, and they get cheaper, maybe they will be the thing some say. Well they save the planet, not in my opinion. They well have their own set of problems to deal with.
 
Sweet looking ride! Considering the number of miles I drive in an average day, it would suit me fine. I'm thining of getting an electric motor scooter (one of the ones that looks like a real motor scooter, and isn't allowed in the mall!)
 
That's it. Cheaper. Actually, it is a luxury car for those who want it and want to make a statement they are protecting the environment. This is a proven marketing strategy for new products. If the well to do buy them then later a broader market will be reached. Big flat screen TVs used to cost $25,000.00 and sold, now a 60" is about $1,000.00.
I don't know what impact charging will have on a home electric bill. My son is installing a solar unit at his house for this car. More $$$. Methinks a 110V charge system is a necessity to avoid being stranded.
Motor scooter not a bad idea. And they don't cost $70,000.00.
 
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