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Tesla Roadsters now rolling off production line
news.cnet.com — The wait for the much-anticipated all-electric sports car is almost over, as manufacturing begins this summer with anticipated ramping up later this year.
hdar3415- 661 diggs
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- timusca, on 07/14/2008, -0/+15Great, now I just need to win the lottery and I'm all set!
- jemka, on 07/15/2008, -3/+2Would you really buy this car if you won the lottery?
- diggduggDOOM, on 07/15/2008, -1/+2Depending on the size of the winnings... hell yes! These cars are sweet.
- s0crates82, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3I know I would. I'd also buy a foreclosed house, move in, sheath it in solar panels, and sell electricity during the day to Edison. I'd also probably get a safe-deposit box and fill it with a decent sized stack of krugerrands.
- timusca, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3Hell yes I would.
- mike17032, on 07/15/2008, -6/+1***** no, for what this costs I could get a real car.
This car is nothing but a gimic, and the people buying one are just doing it to show off (and smell their own farts).
- jemka, on 07/15/2008, -3/+2Would you really buy this car if you won the lottery?
- Masternajee, on 07/14/2008, -4/+5Well it is good that we are moving towards energy efficient cars. Although I dont think this one will make much of a dent in the oil consumption.
- dudefaceguyman, on 07/15/2008, -1/+8There's never going to be a single car that's gonna make a dent in the oil consumption. It's going to have to be an entire industry changing together. Cars like the Tesla Roadster are starting to get other makers to go the same electric route. Mercedes for example licensed electric technology from Tesla for their future cars.
Also, this car will make people look at electric cars in a brand new way now. Just because a car is electric doesn't mean it has to be ridiculously ugly and horribly slow.
The roadster is just the start you could say. - Murdats, on 07/15/2008, -1/+2its about building an industry, not replacing one overnight.
there is no electric car that will suit everyone.
there is no gasoline car that will suit everyone, as we can see by the thousands of different models, so rather then waiting till we have a single car to replace those thousands, how about starting to create a number of different cars that will replace some of those.
- dudefaceguyman, on 07/15/2008, -1/+8There's never going to be a single car that's gonna make a dent in the oil consumption. It's going to have to be an entire industry changing together. Cars like the Tesla Roadster are starting to get other makers to go the same electric route. Mercedes for example licensed electric technology from Tesla for their future cars.
- ChrisshEnzo, on 07/15/2008, -2/+7This is the first of many fuel efficient cars. Tesla is making a huge statement despite the impact on gas this one model has it is a big step forward.
- ratatat1, on 07/15/2008, -2/+6Let the energy-efficiency revolution begin.
- synergye, on 07/15/2008, -2/+2Unfortunately this news doesn't have much of an impact on me...
- m4csrgh3yk3v, on 07/15/2008, -1/+4Wrong. If rich people start buying these cars, it gets the ball rolling for the rest of the industry. They have money coming in for R&D and create a market where there was none before.
If you ever drive an electric car, you need this to happen first. - desertDenizen, on 07/15/2008, -1/+2Think long term. This is an early step forward on a trajectory that probably effects everybody, even if they don' t know it yet.
In fact, I'd argue that this news is going to affect you more than the vast majority of the other top ten news items on any given day.
- m4csrgh3yk3v, on 07/15/2008, -1/+4Wrong. If rich people start buying these cars, it gets the ball rolling for the rest of the industry. They have money coming in for R&D and create a market where there was none before.
- Blax, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1How do you pronounce Ze'ev? And what's the point of the apostrophe? Is it to make a differentiation between Zeev, or is it another sound, like an ! in that Russell Peters joke?
- dasamps, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Now, if I could convert my Passat to an electric engine. Only ten percent the number of components it currently has and much less maintenance...only battery replacement and getting tires balanced/aligned and such (right?).
- buddyfarr, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2actually you could. Check out the many articles they have on treehugger.com. If you can find a used electric motor out of an electric fork lift it has a lot of torque and you can install that as the motor.
- apeweek, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2Help converting your car to electric: http://evalbum.com/build
- kults, on 07/15/2008, -0/+6The 256 MPG ( http://www.teslamotors.com/ ) doesn't say much, convert it to money. 220 miles on gas is 90% more expensive that 220 miles on electricity, 4 seconds 0-60 is more than most cars anyway. In the long run this is hell of a lot cheaper if you add up the gas, engine repairs etc
- mike17032, on 07/15/2008, -0/+34 seconds 0-60 is damn fast, no question about it. That smokes most cars on the planet.
But if you drive it like that, you can be damn sure the battery wont last long at all.
- mike17032, on 07/15/2008, -0/+34 seconds 0-60 is damn fast, no question about it. That smokes most cars on the planet.
- jellydoughnut21, on 07/15/2008, -3/+20-60 MPH is extremely fast for a stock car
- Murdats, on 07/15/2008, -0/+10my old car goes 0-60mph
you would be hard pressed to find one that didnt- buddyfarr, on 07/15/2008, -0/+0now that was funny...mine does 0-60 mph also. just takes it about 45 minutes to get there...
- Murdats, on 07/15/2008, -0/+10my old car goes 0-60mph
- sporg, on 07/15/2008, -4/+1Rich persons toy nothing more.
- desertDenizen, on 07/15/2008, -0/+4Elon is ***** badass. PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, SolarCity... and the dude is still in his thirties.
- desertDenizen, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Good interview with Elon Musk:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Onajosm9PWo - desertDenizen, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2July 2008 Fortune magazine feature story on Tesla:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/10/technology/copelan ...
Here's a quote for the butterfly effect hall of fame:
"GM's Bob Lutz even credited his company's relaunch to Tesla. 'If some Silicon Valley startup can solve this equation," he told Newsweek, "no one is going to tell me anymore that it's unfeasible.'"
Wow. Just wow. - Radan, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Hm... Is it just me or haven't they changed the exterior a bit from how it looks on their webpage? http://www.teslamotors.com
Looks like they added some glass so that it's possible to see the battery compartment from the outside.
Though, what I seriously don't get is why such an expensive and otherwise nice car has such of low quality interior. I mean come on.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/87/254597746_88fac2 ...
If you are going to pay 160 000 dollars for a car, one would think that you could expect it to at least match the interior of an 80 000 dollar car.
Edit: Nevermind about the changed exterior, it was just a reflection of the red car beside it. - wassim2k, on 07/15/2008, -2/+1Isn't this article a year late?
- vintershaype, on 07/15/2008, -4/+1For being left out all night, these Red Lobster leftovers are pretty good.
- apeweek, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3Sooner or later, someone is going to post here that electricity is dirtier than gasoline, so let's just head that off now:
Study showing that EV's make just 3% of the pollution gasoline does:
http://www.electric-cars-are-for-girls.com/electri ...
actual study: http://www.energy.ca.gov/papers/CEC-999-1996-015.P ...
"...in a study conducted by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, EVs were significantly cleaner over the course of 100,000 miles than ICE cars. The electricity generation process produces less than 100 pounds of pollutants for EVs compared to 3000 pounds for ICE vehicles." - bffoley, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2Ok, two questions:
1) Would the cost of "filling" this car's battery via electricity cost less than filling a tank of gas (assuming you'd get the same mileage from both fills).
2) If you're plugging this thing into the wall socket in your garage, which could possibly by powered by a natural gas or coal plant, is that really environmentally friendly?- apeweek, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2Yes, electricity for your EV is much, much cheaper, due to the greater efficiency of electric vehicles. You can drive an EV for 1 to 2 cents/mile. Gasoline is ten times as expensive.
Environmentally friendly: Greater efficiency = more miles on less energy = less pollution per mile, regardless of what gets burned. See the study in the post right above this one.- twomeyw23334, on 07/16/2008, -0/+0Rocket engines can achieve 100% efficiency when traveling at a speed equal to their exhaust velocity. They are very efficient engines.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_engine#Energy_ ...
Of course, rocket fuel ain't cheap.
apeweek, how do you sleep at night spitting your propaganda. You have to acknowledge you are a liar. Electricity is cheap because the commodity price of coal is cheaper than that of oil. PRICE != EFFICIENCY! Efficiency equals power out over power in (theres no dollar symbols in the equation). Stop implying that electricity being cheaper means it's more efficient and better for the environment.
It's in fact the opposite, most of our CLEANEST electric sources are more expensive than coal (solar, wind, etc.)
You know better, stop spreading propaganda and lies, it just takes credibility away from you and your EV cause. Or..... perhaps for once you can explain how cost=efficiency, for two non-replaceable commodities?
- twomeyw23334, on 07/16/2008, -0/+0Rocket engines can achieve 100% efficiency when traveling at a speed equal to their exhaust velocity. They are very efficient engines.
- apeweek, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2Yes, electricity for your EV is much, much cheaper, due to the greater efficiency of electric vehicles. You can drive an EV for 1 to 2 cents/mile. Gasoline is ten times as expensive.
- oishiitoriniku, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2This is an awesome vehicle that, hopefully, will begin to push car manufacturers in the right direction.
- paker, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Stop whining about the Tesla being a "rich mans toy", build your own.
http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/ - star7, on 07/15/2008, -0/+0Tesla is making a huge statement despite the impact on gas this one model has it is a big step forward.
http://www.autonovosti.com.ua
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