Holy cow... so I checked out Tesla S in person today, I had no idea.

[MagickMan]

Again, you're arguing against an invisible opponent. This rabid oil-chugging electricity-hating madman, bent on Tesla's destruction. Who is apparently me.

It is your perceptions that are the issue here. I'm saying 'this design doesn't seem very good,' and you're being...I hate to say it, but I have no better word...a fanboy.

I did strike a nerve. Your comments are all baseless, you have no supporting evidence (or valid counters of any kind), and then start name-calling. Really? "This design doesn't seem very good", you claim, despite all the tests and engineering studies from independent 3rd parties (such as the NHTSA) that contradict you. It's completely illogical.

 

[schmuckley]

What powers Tesla: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Big_Bend_Power_Station.jpg

It still requires fuel.

anddd..Then there's the part where you're riding above a big battery that can explode/catch fire: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/11/10/tesla-accident-fire/3488405/

 

[KentState]

What powers Tesla: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Big_Bend_Power_Station.jpg

It still requires fuel.

anddd..Then there's the part where you're riding above a big battery that can explode/catch fire: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/11/10/tesla-accident-fire/3488405/

Electric cars are more about who controls the source of energy vs. environmental impact. The biggest benefit to the environment is containing pollution to more controllable areas. I still question the side effects of having to source rare-earth materials from countries like China which will soon be using their capacity for their own population. Will we be trading our 8% dependence on oil from the Middle East for 100% dependence on China for battery components? I'm by no means well versed on all of this, but I've yet to find a "free" lunch.

 

[Kaido]

Electric cars are more about who controls the source of energy vs. environmental impact. The biggest benefit to the environment is containing pollution to more controllable areas. I still question the side effects of having to source rare-earth materials from countries like China which will soon be using their capacity for their own population. Will we be trading our 8% dependence on oil from the Middle East for 100% dependence on China for battery components? I'm by no means well versed on all of this, but I've yet to find a "free" lunch.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-cardboard-bike

:|

 

[MagickMan]

What powers Tesla: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Big_Bend_Power_Station.jpg

It still requires fuel.

anddd..Then there's the part where you're riding above a big battery that can explode/catch fire: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/11/10/tesla-accident-fire/3488405/

Did you read how long that moron rode around with a damaged battery, with the system giving him constant warnings? Yet despite that, he got out without being harmed in any way and even his personal effects that stayed in it the entire time, until the fire was put out, were completely unaffected. What a deathtrap!

As I said before, I didn't order one to be a conservationist, we want one because they're very nice cars with unique advantages and gorgeous styling.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

anddd..Then there's the part where you're riding above a big battery that can explode/catch fire

we already discussed this. it does not explode, and any car can catch fire

 

[Phanuel]

What powers Tesla: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Big_Bend_Power_Station.jpg

It still requires fuel.

Do you know where your fuel comes from? It still requires electricity.

 

[natto fire]

Electric cars are more about who controls the source of energy vs. environmental impact. The biggest benefit to the environment is containing pollution to more controllable areas. I still question the side effects of having to source rare-earth materials from countries like China which will soon be using their capacity for their own population. Will we be trading our 8% dependence on oil from the Middle East for 100% dependence on China for battery components? I'm by no means well versed on all of this, but I've yet to find a "free" lunch.

This thread is quickly heating up to P&N levels, and so far on this page, your post is the most rational. It is technically a dead horse in that anyone well versed in EV tech knows that the battery is the weakest link by far. Energy creation technology has jumped leaps and bounds, but storage is still somewhat tricky.

There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch, is a phrase I learned in college (community college for the inevitable grammar/spelling Nazis) and still holds true to this day. There are technologies that improve current ones so much that they seem to be infinitely better, such as solid state transistors, and lots of medical tech, but it must still obey the basic laws of physics.

My interest in cars as a hobby has dropped quite a bit, but I really got into energy storage and distribution when I worked with a very neat solar array and battery bank at a WWOOF farm. It wasn't just the PV panels, but the solar heating and greenhouses that turned me around to the fact that all energy is the same thing, just the method of transmission and storage is different. I have read lots of papers from physicists and wish I was smart enough to be one, but I hope to focus more on practical methods of energy storage and distribution rather than theoretical ones.

The source of energy can come from so many places, that IMO is why electric vehicles might take off, it is just a matter of storing it. Suppose it takes your average Wal-Mart patron a week to generate the energy to carry them and 3000 pounds of metal to a 5-6 mile round trip to shop. This would never work now of course because of entitlement, but I think it is a good idea to work more towards energy storage so that large amounts of expelled energy can be derived from short bursts of expelled energy.

 

[jagec]

What powers Tesla: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Big_Bend_Power_Station.jpg

It still requires fuel.

anddd..Then there's the part where you're riding above a big battery that can explode/catch fire: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/11/10/tesla-accident-fire/3488405/

Electricity can be sourced from many different places (including ones that burn no fuel at all), but last I checked I can't put anything but gasoline in my car.

And every single vehicle has you riding with a massive store of energy, that's a thermodynamic fact. Cars burn down all the time as a result. I personally suspect that the dangers of lithium batteries in accidents will end up being roughly comparable to the dangers of gasoline in accidents and both sides will end up mad.

 

[natto fire]

Electricity can be sourced from many different places (including ones that burn no fuel at all), but last I checked I can't put anything but gasoline in my car.

And every single vehicle has you riding with a massive store of energy, that's a thermodynamic fact. Cars burn down all the time as a result. I personally suspect that the dangers of lithium batteries in accidents will end up being roughly comparable to the dangers of gasoline in accidents and both sides will end up mad.

Yep, the proper operation of an ICE involves trillions of controlled fires. Gasoline and diesel still dominate as efficient energy stores, but as you point out, electricity is a much more flexible energy medium with it's numerous sources. Tidal energy on the Atlantic coast could charge a battery near the Pacific coast, and although there would be tremendous losses through eddy currents it would still not be as much as a diesel powered truck carrying gasoline the same distance.

I remember being a foolhardy teenager riding in a dual tank Ford Econoline ruminating that I was sitting on top of over 50 gallons of the same fuel which provided numerous reckless endeavors such as the pop can golf club experiment.

When it seems like drivers could not care less about paying attention to the trajectories of their missiles it seems kind of silly to go after manufacturers for providing ever safer cars to less attentive drivers.

 

[bigi]

Real winter driving in Norway

I've enjoyed both of his videos so far. Apparently, the Tesla S performs very well in cold conditions too.

The superchargers are key to their success and all are FREE.

 

[LTC8K6]

Supercharge capability is an extra cost option on the base 60Kwh model S. $2K option when ordering, $2.5K to upgrade later.

 

[SSSnail]

What powers Tesla: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Big_Bend_Power_Station.jpg

It still requires fuel.

anddd..Then there's the part where you're riding above a big battery that can explode/catch fire: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/11/10/tesla-accident-fire/3488405/

Just about the stupidest post in ATG.

 

[1prophet]

What powers Tesla: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Big_Bend_Power_Station.jpg

It still requires fuel.

anddd..Then there's the part where you're riding above a big battery that can explode/catch fire: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/11/10/tesla-accident-fire/3488405/

You mean like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru0X5uIyeZ0

 

[jaedaliu]

Well, it kind of snowballed into that. At first we were going for the regular 85kWh but were told it would add 2 months to the delivery because "they aren't building any right now due to demand for the Performance model". So we said okay, which secretly made me happy so I didn't fuss very much, and by then if you're spending that much, you reason that you might as well get all the options you want... it takes on a life of its own by that point. :\ We were going to get a BMW or Merc estate, maybe even a Cayenne, but the Model S has nearly as much storage space and looks 10x better.



The Mrs wanted the pearl white, and up close it really is stunning to see.

So, it's been 6 weeks. How much longer until delivery?

 

[JackBurton]

I don't believe it's a rational dislike, from what I gather he works on ICEs so anything completely without one he sees as a threat.

The Model S being electric wasn't the main reason we chose it. We wanted something that; comfortably seats 5, has large amounts of storage space, offers stellar performance, and looks attractive (to me crossovers and SUVs are pretty damned ugly). It fits all of those, the fact it gets >80 eMPG is a bonus.

That's awesome man. I love the Tesla Model S. If you live in California it's even better with all their quick charging stations. Even better, a battery swap. Freakin' cool as hell.

 

[ponyo]

So, it's been 6 weeks. How much longer until delivery?

When Castiel gets his GTR.