Tesla announces its first dealership; no, you still can't have one.
By Ryan Block 
posted August 5th 2007 4:08PM
posted August 5th 2007 4:08PM
[Via AutoblogGreen]
posted August 5th 2007 4:08PM
A look back on popular stories from today in a specific year.
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
:( awww... my parents said they'l buy me a car but they won't go for the $98,000 base price
What!!!! They have XM instead of Sirius, I'm not buying.
maybe its just cause im an uber-nerd who knows nothing about cars, but when i read Tesla, i thought they meant as in "coil" i was like holy crap imagine one of those in the middle of your backyard
It seems like the people who don't understand who groundbreaking this ride is also haven't been to the website to read what they have planned for more (pun) pedestrian vehicles in higher volumes.
As well, 300 miles is more than enough for a viable distance. My BMW only sees at best 100 miles on an average week as I drive 3 miles to and 3 miles from work, plus weekend shopping, etc.
Finally, 300 miles will take me to 2 other Provinces, and at least 3 US States for a trip. You will be able to plug into 120v for recharges overnight to make the return trip.
What this all really means is we are on the verge of having a way to break the Oil Cartel's hold on US Foreign Policy. Less US Military actions over Oil will calm down the entire planet!
yeah, batteries just suck...
my laptop goes for, like, 2 hours before i have to plug it in. what use is that? until those batteries get me enough untethered computing to solve PI without the hassle of somehow locating an electrical outlet, i'm gonna retrofit my machine with a chainsaw-engine generator.
Hi Dan. I saw your comment--though a little late. I work with Miles Electric Vehicles, and we are unveiling a car that travels highway speeds this winter at the LA Auto Show. Price? $30,000. It is a normal car. Check us out at www.milesautomotive.com. Hopefully, you will hear more about us soon.
Come on, this thing is the first all electric sports car..FIRST..and it's a real weapon. Didn't see the first IC car doing this. 200 miles? Who does 200 miles a day? Even the longest car cruise I've been on was 150.
Consider - no petrol, good looking sports car, carbon fiber, 2c a mile, 0-60 in 4 sec. We pay 1.35 a litre for pigswill unleaded down here in Aus - this thing is a boon. How many brand new exotic sports cars go for
Sorry I'm late... Ratchet the Lombax @ Aug 6th 2007 12:17AM lies!
How do you have a '07 Diablo when they stopped making them in 2001?
AlexP, this IS an industry first! Tesla is actually selling these cars; GM never sold a single EV1. Instead GM leased them, then took them back and crushed them.
"AlexP, this IS an industry first!"
Actually, it's not. Electric vehicles were on the roads before ICE powered ones. Check out a book titled "Internal Combustion" for a nice history of the power and automobile industries.
Does it come with a programmable color shell?
I heard it will come in only 4 colors; white, black, variable and invisible.
I think its wonderful the US finally realize electric cars can be a great alternative versus being the number 1 nation obsessed with having huge engined trucks just to go grocery shopping.
100k for a sportscar isnt bad at all if you compare it to the fine Porsches 911s or Mercedes SLs or even BMW 6s. Only question is: are those car fanatics willing to favor ecological sense over the star/horse/whatever on their hood?
@ Torben:
I drive a Porsche right now and would consider a Tesla as my next car. I take public transportation to work and my current car is only for weekend driving. I don't even put more than 5k miles on my car in a year so something like this would be perfect in DC where I live.
You probably will never see a $30k all electric sedan. Batteries are just too expensive. BUT, what you might see is a different way to sell these cars. For example, at worst, fuel will cost you half as much AND fuel prices for electricity are far more stable (now) than fuel prices for gas. Second, maintenance costs are virtually zero in an electric car compared to a gas car. No exhaust, brakes not used as much, no transmission, no emissions sensor equipment, far fewer moving parts, etc. A cost analysis of a regular gas car including maintenance and fuel compared to a significantly more expensive initial cost, but far fewer fuel and maintenance costs ends up being the same. Combine that with aluminum frames, and carbon and/or plastic body parts and you have a car that needs little maintenance and won't rust, so it's like expenctancy is much longer. The whole buying industry would have a paradigm shift. Insurance will go down, loan terms will extend, people will end up paying less of a longer period of time AND have a better car 6 or 10 years from now than if they bought a "normal" gas car.
For those of you that commented that it will never work because of a lack of infrastructure and the time it takes to charge the battery, should look at altainano.com. Their battery charges in less then 10 min and is now available. That battery is incredible! The existing electrical infrastructure of the word can easily support that. It's nothing compared to the petroleum industry! If we had started with the electric car we would be saying that the petroleum infrastructure was impossible to create and not the reverse!
phoenixmotorcars.com is making all electric pickup trucks and SUVs right now for fleet and next year will make them for you and I. Think about it, you can fill up you car for about less than 2$ and get more than 100 milies with that. They say that with an extra 35Kw battery that will get more than 250 miles. That a winner to me.
One question... electric vehicles as a concept are popular because they cause fewer (zero?) emissions and because they relieve our dependence on foreigh oil, but what happens when a similar demand is produced for electricity (assuming widespread usage and a similar battery efficiency)? Electricity isn't produced in an environmental vacuum, though the geopolitical aspect would definitely be eased.
The big deal about Tesla isn't that it's an electric performance car (a 19th century creation). It's better power management for the performance (i.e., speed and battery life).
While internal combustion driven cars enjoyed experience curve benefits almost 100 years ago, many forget that this niche hasn't yet. GM claimed that its EV-1 per vehicle cost was $80,000, inflated with R&D expense, normally excluded when pricing. The Prius was initially sold at a loss (initial cost to build was said to be about $40K), but Toyota could afford to absorb the loss. I don't know how steep -- that is, "easy" -- the Tesla's curve will be, but Tesla doesn't have a Toyota Celica to offset its losses until its manufacturing costs come down. So it's best to go with a higher price.
I can't name a model that appeals to everyone. The two-seater sports car is the only market segment where a higher price can be asked for a car with lots of shortcomings (only two passengers, limited load capacity, not vacation car trip ready). It also shows off its strengths of speed, acceleration, and acceptable mileage. It also creates a nice buzz.
As the technology and manufacturing cost improve, we'll start to see these family car features. I just worried that the battery develops a memory like the average laptop.