S1997

Is it time for TESLA and Electric Vehicles?

http://www.pickenspl...les-the-answer/

I don't know, but I did have a 220 volt outlet included in my garage wiring. If there is a switch to natural gas for large vehicles and for generating electricity ( along with wind energy), then it appears to be in our future, Maybe we should be buying some of those TESLA stocks.

But Teslas are way expensive, and the cheaper EVs and plug in hybrids are floundering on the new car market. At one time I was going to look at the Chevrolet Volt, but there was a perceived fire danger, and they only had gramps acceleration. Now they are being discounted by $5000 in MSRP.
http://www.forbes.co...ore-from-tesla/

I just got rid of a perfectly good Tahoe that my son was driving, because I was going broke buying gasoline for it (9/10 mpg in the city). Please don't recommend the plug in Prius , but I do have quite a few friends who have one in the garage and use it for a DD commuter.

Terdburgler

EV's have come back in fighting force with Tesla leading the way.

They are probably the future of cars, but until they come anywhere near price for performance of petrol I don't see me buying an EV for quite some time.

Same goes for hybrid cars too.

Legal Bill

I'm in agreement with EVs as a short distance DD commuter, but agree they are too expensive and too limited at the moment. The new discount on the Volt is a step in the right direction. I will probably wait unitl battery technology can deliver 100 miles on a charge even in the colder climates before i give them serious consideration. the Volt's small on-board engine is a testament to the fact that battery technology is not where we need it for a practical application to automobiles in colder climates. Thus, my next car will not be an EV or a hybrid unless there is some sort of amazing breakthrough in the the next three years.

dlq04

If you are looking for the best bang for the buck, nothing, I repeat, nothing beats buying a two-year old gasoline car of any size, model, manufacturer, etc. For the most part they all make great cars these days. If you want save the planet and spend unnecessary money to do it or put up with the hardship that comes with EV's (long term cost, etc.)... go for it.

boltonblue

I just saw an article that pointed out that consumers buy for their exceptional and not average needs.
98% of the time they just drive back and forth to work. < 60 miles.
there are those weekends though where they run to Vermont or go to the kids etc. and folks don't wna tto have to go rent a car for that trip.

With all of that said the Tesla is an awesome looking vehicle. Reports indicate that they will also be adding an all-wheel drive option.
Hopefully with economies of scale they'll get it cheaper.

ralper

I think Elon Musk's business model is brilliant. He is in the process of building a number of "filling" stations, largely powered by solar panels. The promise of free charges for life to anyone buying a Tesla has to help sell the cars. But what about the expense of building and maintaining the filling stations? I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Musk has in mind to equip the stations with adaptors to enable the stations to charge any plug in electric vehicle. I would be willing to bet he will support the stations, even make a profit, by charging the other brands for their fill ups.

In the mean time, the promise of free charges helps to sell Teslas.

I do think the future, of a large part of it does belong to electric vehicles, but I think there are three problems;

1. Battery technology has to improve to the point where the cars can go at least 200 miles on a charge, regardless of the weather. I believe that this will happen in the future.

2. The cost of the cars has to come down. Automakers have to be able to market a real car (not a Nissan Leaf) in the popular price range. This too I believe will happen as the technology gets better and the economies of scale kicks in.

3. The time needed for a charge has to be reduced to about the same or slightly longer than the time needed to fill a tank of gas. I'm not sure about this one. I think that manufacturers, engineers and scientists will have a very hard time reducing the time needed to charge the batteries. I think that this could be the stumbling block for electric vehicles. We don't like to wait for anything, especially a battery charge.

Legal Bill

Rob, that is why the hydrogen fuel cell makes a lot of sense. It is a lightweight, on board electicity supply that can be filled up in a fashion similar to gas tanks.

ralper

I don't disagree with you and I've long wondered why this technology and natural gas cars haven't taken off.

S1997

It is interesting to see who is buying the Tesla S.




http://www.cnbc.com/id/100970641?__s...sla%27s%20Mode

boltonblue

I suspect it is the chicken and egg problem.
Hydrogen is a great answer but the hydrogen fueling infrastructure isn't there yet and since the demand isn't there yet, no one will invest in the infrastructure.