TESLA in Sacramento

[CelticFlyer]

I couldn't believe my eyes! I saw a Tesla Roadster parked on the streets of Sacramento. It was around the time the CARB vote was being cast, about a week or so ago. I'm guessing they were in town to show support for the higher standards.

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee299/GrabberOrange/IMG_9580.jpg

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee299/GrabberOrange/IMG_9577.jpg

What a sight! This car is AMAZING looking. Beautifully crafted. The numbers are impressive too...

0 to 60 in 4.7 seconds
125 mph top speed
220-mile range

I mean, if you've got to sport four wheels, this is the way to go! ;)

The only number that wasn't impressive was the price tag. Somewhere around $100,000. Yikes! I'll just have to keep playing Lotto, I guess. :LOL:

[smoove7410]

They have been building a showroom/servicing garage right next to where I work on Santa Monica Blvd. in West Los Angeles. They gutted the place and have been doing demo and construction for about 7 months. It will open May 1st, and it looks very, very nice.

[Miracleman89]

For $100,000 they better do more then look very very nice! For me each car should come with Superbowl tickets, World Series tickets, and a one week stay at Virgin Mobile tycoon's private island!

[RAN]

Don't be so hard on the Tesla... it's paving the way for the lower priced WhiteStar, which in turn will pave the way for the next model that will really be affordable. Just be glad there are enough people that want a green high-performance sports car and that can afford it to get Tesla to the next phase. :-)

[Miracleman89]

I am sorry I just think paying $100,000 for a car (any car ) is absolutely ridiculous! I think part of the problem with making the world a greener place is that everything that is green cost about double, compared to a similiar non green item! If theses "green companies" were really concerned about our environment then it wouldn't be this way! That's just my opinoin I could be wrong.

[cpaddock]

And check out those mirrors.....must have some special features to be better than cameras?

[CelticFlyer]

You've got a point there, MiracleMan. Even coffee filters made from post consumer products cost more than double the price! I'm afraid things won't get better until the process of recycling is streamlined, and the demand for more recycled products grows.

Still, it's good to see that interest in electric cars is growing, and becoming more mainstream, despite the price. I only hope the people who get these cars drive them! Remember what happened to the Plymouth Prowler? It was a cool car, but everyone who bought one locked it away in their garage. I rarely saw them on the road. Some say the car was only manufactured to generate showroom traffic. I hope electric cars don't suffer the same fate.

[Mark Tomlinson]

Zero to 60 in 4.7 was a trade magazine's results on wet pavement in less than ideal conditions. The official number is 0 to 60 in 4 seconds, but it tested at 0 to 60 in 3.9. To get an idea - you know what 60 MPH looks like in your car - so pretend you're behind the wheel of a Tesla and say, "Go.. 2.. 3.. 60".

MM, I know where you are coming from, but you should read Tesla's business plan. It's posted in their blog somewhere. Essentially, all new technology goes through an economics curve. The first usable plasma TVs, PCs, VCRs, refrigerators, electric lighting, even wallpaper, were playthings of the rich. Tesla could make an unusable EV that everyone could afford - that had been tried and failed many, many times. Or they could follow the usual technology adoption curve and make a desirable car that the wealthy actually want, and drive the market down from there. You got to start somewhere, and so far it's working. Bob Lutz has publicly commented that Tesla was the impetus of the Volt.

By the way, if you are in the market for a "supercar", the Tesla Roadster is actually a bargain. Comparable vehicles go for much more. A popular comparison is a $400,000 Porsche.

[CelticFlyer]

And check out those mirrors.....must have some special features to be better than cameras?

Yeah, really! I didn't check, but I'm hoping those mirrors fold in.

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee299/GrabberOrange/IMG_9578.jpg

[WarpedOne]

>> I am sorry I just think paying $100,000 for a car (any car ) is absolutely ridiculous!

I don't heared you complained about BMW, Audis, Mercs etc. that are double that price.

But when it comes green it should be comunity work? Don't be a hipocrite.
It has to pay for itself if it ever wants to survive = make money for owners / shareholders.

[Satt]

>> I am sorry I just think paying $100,000 for a car (any car ) is absolutely ridiculous!

I don't heared you complained about BMW, Audis, Mercs etc. that are double that price.

But when it comes green it should be comunity work? Don't be a hipocrite.
It has to pay for itself if it ever wants to survive = make money for owners / shareholders.

While I understand your point, let's be nice people. I know we all have stong beliefs and opinions, but let's try to steer clear of name calling and degrading of others. All he is saying is he wishes green was more affordable if I am reading him right. Like most of us here, we want a good-looking, affordable green V1 as soon as possible and the longer we wait the more frustrating it gets.

Just my $.02

[Miracleman89]

>> I am sorry I just think paying $100,000 for a car (any car ) is absolutely ridiculous!

I don't heared you complained about BMW, Audis, Mercs etc. that are double that price.

But when it comes green it should be comunity work? Don't be a hipocrite.
It has to pay for itself if it ever wants to survive = make money for owners / shareholders.

No offense, but it is obvious you weren't paying attention!!! I said "ANY CAR" !!!!!! This includes Tesla, Mercedes, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, Porsche, Saleen, Bugatti, Morgan, Jaguar, Maybach, Ford, Chevy, Hummer, Dodge, Chrysler, Honda, Lexus, Toyota, Scion, Kia, Audi, VW, Buick, Pontiac, Saturn, Suzuki, Mercury, Lincoln, Cadillac, Mazda, Plymouth, Duesenberg, Auburn-Cord, GMC, DeSoto, Allstate, American Austin, American Bantam, AMC, Avanti, Checker, Crosley, Eagle, Edsel, Essex, Excalibur, Franklin, Frazer, Graham, Henry J, Hudson, Hupmobile, Imperial, Kaiser, LaSalle, Marmon, Muntz, Nash, Oldsmobile, Packard, Panoz, Pierce-Arrow, Rambler, Reo, Shelby, Studebaker, Stutz, Terraplane, Tucker, Willys, Bricklin, Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, Etc.

Do I need to continue or do you get the point!

I think it is ridiculous to pay $100,000 for ANY CAR!!!!!!!

I hope this clears up any confusion as to whether or not I am a Hypocrite!

[cpaddock]

Is there any doubt that the middle class is shrinking? From my perspective (Blue Collar)
I am just thankful the V1 hasn't started out at the top end of the price scale. So I'm
not going to complain too loudly if it creeps up some during development phase. But of
course I do have a limit.....
I agree that $100,000 is an insane amount to spend on a ride. We have some pretty whacked out values as human beings, and not just in America. Let's see, a five dollar donation can restore sight to some poor child in India, but we opt to spend $2000 on a Guicci handbag. This is not going to change. But Ian and Co. have a vision which represents "one small step for Man" and I will remain optimistic and supportive as long as I can.
Aloooooha!

[CelticFlyer]

Very well said, cpaddock. =y:

And MiracleMan, you forgot to mention DeLorean! I'm surprised that one slipped by you, considering your signature quote. :LOL:

And yeah, to me, $100,000 is WELL beyond what I'm willing and/or able to pay for a car. Maybe a house...a "starter" house anyway.

[WarpedOne]

Do I need to continue or do you get the point!
I think it is ridiculous to pay $100,000 for ANY CAR!!!!!!!
I hope this clears up any confusion as to whether or not I am a Hypocrite!

Cool, but you pointed that out when someone saw and mentioned Tesla.
You were quiet when the talk was about other superexpensive cars.
I hope that clears up the situation. :rolleyes:

[Mark Tomlinson]

Hey, MM, I agree with you about $100,000 being way too much to pay for any vehicle. Bottom line is I think any manufacturer who charges more than $50,000 for an ICE is ripping their customers off. But that's the law of supply and demand, isn't it? People are willing to pay it, companies are willing to charge it.


If theses "green companies" were really concerned about our environment then it wouldn't be this way!

See, that's where Tesla Motors gets interesting. First off, it's not really just a "green" company. It was founded by electrical engineers who saw that the ICE (at about 20% efficiency) has gone as far as it can, and that electric cars will dominate in this century. Combine that with the environmental and political aspects of oil, and you have a better picture of Tesla.

Martin Eberhard figured out that it was going to cost an arm and a leg to make a BEV that wasn't what he calls a "punishment car" - cars, he explains, that are driven by people who think they shouldn't be driving cars. The batteries and the battery systems alone will cost way over the price of a reasonable four door sedan. But the price wasn't going to go down until someone started selling a lot of them.

So there's the problem, isn't it? How do you sell a lot of BEVs to drive the price down when the current price means no one will buy it. The answer is that people DO buy very, very expensive cars. Not most people, to be sure, but enough people that they can influence the cost of the technology. So there's the market segment you start in.

Car number two from Tesla is code named the Whitestar. It's a four door sedan that should cost a little more than half as much as the Roadster. Still expensive, but it will appeal to a much larger market. Most of the design work is done and it will be officially announced within the next couple of months. But the key to making it salable is continued sales of the Roadster driving technology cost down.

After the Whitestar, Tesla expects that they (and other players by then) will have forced a sea-change which will allow them to roll out the car you really want. So far all I know is that the code name is Bluestar and it should be directly competitive with cars you are probably looking at today.

[Miracleman89]

Cool, but you pointed that out when someone saw and mentioned Tesla.
You were quiet when the talk was about other superexpensive cars.
I hope that clears up the situation. :rolleyes:

I am sorry I missed something !!!! where is the talks about the other super expensive cars??? I will be happy to post there that I think it is ridiculous to pay $100,000 for any car! And yes that does include Delorean and Hey, I also missed Land Rover! ;)

[CelticFlyer]

I was just pullin' yer leg, MiracleMan. I knew what you meant. I guess everything is relative; if we were all millionaires, maybe the prospect of dropping a 100 grand on a car, exotic or otherwise, would seem "reasonable." However, I still think that spending that kind of money on a car is simply narcissistic egotism.

But as consumer demand rises, and living a greener lifestyle becomes more "fashionable," perhaps the price of these cars will drop as production volume increases.

[cpaddock]

People of Earth! Anybody catch the article at ABG about how Exxon, THE most profitable
company in the history of capitalism is able to do this by limiting production? They have no intention of trying to meet the demand as this would cause the price to drop. I guess
I'm just concerned about the catch 22 of Venture One acheiving a high level of demand
which could cause the price of available units to rise as pain-at-the-pump brings on
a panic of sorts. Let's hope VV is prepared to ramp up production as they surely have a winner on their hands. I'm somewhat pessimistic about the prospect of seeing a large shift in consciouness when faced with the vehemence of climate change deny-ers and
the greedy rubbing of hands at the promise of untapped oil reserves becoming accessable as the Greenland ice sheet and Arctic sea ice melts! ver hear the saying "Nero fiddled while Rome burned"?
Oh well, tommorow IS another day!
Aloooooha!

[AZEqualizer]

Just incase you didn't spend enough money when you bought your Tesla Roadster:
Edmunds Inside Line (http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=135787)notes that Brabus will add a little something for some more $$$.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autobloggreen.com/media/2008/11/b08aa174.jpg

BOTTROP, Germany — German tuner Brabus (http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=123441) may be known for maximizing horsepower on traditional gas- and diesel-powered cars, but notice the lightning-bolt-festooned logo of its new Zero Emission division. The first project out of the division is a customization project off the electric Tesla Roadster (http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=124716) that will be on display at the 2008 Essen Tuner Show in Germany.
Brabus says the first priority was "a more exciting sound" for the currently quiet electric sports car. Several simulated engine sounds can be selected by the driver using Brabus' "space sound generator," which rises and falls in volume depending on how much power the electric motor is putting out at a given time. Choices: racing engine, "typical" V8 internal-combustion engine, or Beam or Warp sounds, which Brabus calls "futuristic soundscapes" but doesn't describe further. Chances are, the average video game user will find those two soundtracks familiar.
Naturally, the Tesla Roadster also gets cosmetic modifications. In front, the tuner has added a carbon-fiber lip and daytime running lamps in the grille. These and the rear lamps have matte white surrounds. On the side, "futuristic space lights" are turned on by pulling the door handle or using the keyless fob; there are also carbon fiber air inlets. In back, there's more carbon fiber in the form of a rear wing and rear diffuser.
Inside, the Brabus logo is found on scuff plates and upholstery, and the floor is upholstered with leather.
Brabus Monoblock S light alloy wheels, 18 inches in front and 19 inches in back, paired with Pirelli P Zero Nero high-performance tires, and a matte white paint color complete the conversion.
Inside Line says: For the electric-car driver absolutely determined to prove that he is not a tree-hugging wimp. — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/11/01_teslabrabus.jpg