Tesla Model S priced just under $50K, rest of car still shrouded in mystery
By Ross Miller 
posted March 24th 2009 8:02AM
posted March 24th 2009 8:02AM
[Via NPR; thanks, mitchell]
posted March 24th 2009 8:02AM
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.
you will have much less maintenance on electric cars as there will be no engine! less moving parts = less maintenance. Most cars only last a few years till they cost more to repair than to buy a 2nd hand replacement car. With electric cars this will change, you might get 10-15yrs before that happens.
The cars will weigh less too due to not having a big heavy engine, this will mean less destruction in car crashes, they'd be able to improve the crumple zones on cars too with no big engine so that cars absorbed impacts more and that would save alot of lives.
Electric cars will ROCK! might take 18months until there's some seriously good ones out but thats fine with me, give me 100miles range and let the car do 80mph and i'm happy. I say 90mph as 70mph is the max allowed in most countries, you may need to make an emergency overtake so you might need to go 90mph. Any cars over 90mph are pointless, dont know why ppl brag saying their car can do 190mph, unless you have a racing track then you cant do that speed without risking getting arrested.
I do not think people understand means of electric vehicle.
what do you mean it will not have a heavy engine? what do you think electric motor is just chain and pedals? what about tons of damn heavy batteries that cut your trunk space by 50-60%.
also for early adopters maintenance would cost double the price compared to traditional cars. and by no means it will be maintenance free... once again first couple years until these EV-s are polished (if it ever goes to mainstream production of course) car will cost you much more than anticipated....
The batteries do weigh a ton right now. Hopefully, this will improve. It wasn't too long ago when computers weighed a ton.
As for maintenance, EVs will have the same tires, brakes, windshield wipers,... But there are no oil changes, radiators, belts, hoses, exhaust, oxygen sensors, catalytic converters, fuel filters and a whole lot of other parts that tend to need replacing. And if car manufactures went to the cell phone model of selling the car at a discount, but having people pay a monthly fee for services and parts, we might see cars that could last 40-50 years because they use parts that wouldn't rust or wear out as easily.
if only the bearded dude unveiling the automobile had been a cute korean chick in a bikini this comment thread would have been a lot more fun! :P
....anyone with awesome photoshop skills out there?
Why are we subsidizing luxury sedans?
OOOOOOOO!! Unveiling this THURSDAY!!! OOOOOO!!! That means that the "doesn't work too well v1.0" should be available just when no one but the financial crooks can afford to buy one. And the price point!!! OOOOO!!! Just below those other cars that we haven't seen on the road much and, given the present direction of our economy willnot for many many years. OOOOO!!!! I am sooooooooo excited!!!!
Is that sarcasm? I can't tell.
The $50K is not $10,000 higher than Volt. It's $17,500 higher, since you are also going to qualify for the same discount when you buy a Chevy. A little misleading math - somebody here must be running for Congress.
Another thing, you'll be able to keep on driving a Chevy when battery gets depleted, not get stranded in a crappy motel to charge your Tesla. And you'll be able to get it serviced anywhere in the States, not 4 or 5 locations.
I'm psyched about the Tesla Model-S "affordability" but worried about the possibility of this "out of sight out of mind effect" in terms of the electric vehicle and it's true benefit or detriment to the environment. I'm aware of the "Hydrogen Hoax" article by Robert Zubrin in the New Atlantis as well as the criticism of the hydrogen economy in "Who Killed the Electric Car?". (Both pre-date 2007 -- I wonder if anything has changed as of late.) I previously thought the hydrogen economy was awesome, then I thought it was a boondoggle. I wonder if the ev is a bit of the same. I would like to read a critical article about the feasibility of electric vehicles, the projected impact on the environment, and the obstacles ahead.
Anyone know of a definitive comparison of the hydrogen car (and the required infrastructure for cars) v. the electric vehicle (and the required infrastructure).
I just wanna know where to get a set of those rims for my Prius!
Please sir, might I have on.
As an owner of a Tesla Roadster I've seen the Model S and purchased two of them already! One is for my wife and the other I'm going to give away on Mahalo.com (no idea how yet).
This is the most beautiful sedan ever made I think.... plus it runs on frickin' batteries people... come on! :-)
After reading that I laughed milk out my nose.
Either it has very crappy performance(under 120 mile range) or they are lying about the price.
So Tesla said they are losing money on each $100k Roadster sold.
Can someone please explain how can they do a even bigger one for $50k?
And does anyone know whether any of the Tesla models is going to come to the UK?