Tesla Motors Finally Turns a Profit

[coonday]

I just saw an episode of Top Gear where they reviewed this car and didn't like it. Their first model ran out of juice after only 55 miles and a full recharge takes 16 hours so they brought in a second model whose engine over heated and whose brakes broke down in the short time they had with it. So basically they were unreliable and impracticle, however it did go faster around their track than the Porsche 911 GT3. Impressive to say the least, but its top speed is still only 125 mph.

 

[mlopinto2k1]

Tesla is spelled wrong in the headline title.

 

[grieve]

I will say one thing positive about this car.. It looks pretty damn sharp!

 

[azgard]

[citation][nom]etrnl_frost[/nom]As some people have mentioned, this is probably faster than a Porsche off the line, 0-60. However, with all those batteries, it doesn't take to turns very well at all, so around the track this would be a mess (please see the Top Gear review, for example). Also, someone mentioned that this was the fastest 0-60 you can get in a vehicle - someone who hasn't been on a motorcycle, apparently.[/citation]

Keep in mind when quoting anything from Top Gear according to them all the best cars in the world always come from Europe.

 

[jwl3]

A full recharge takes overnight. Watch the Top Gear episode where it's covered. You drive it and wait for it to recharge for a full 10 hours. All the while, some psycho killer can be stalking your stalled @ss while you sit by the side of a deserted highway in the middle of nowhere.

 

[etrnl_frost]

[citation][nom]azgard[/nom]Keep in mind when quoting anything from Top Gear according to them all the best cars in the world always come from Europe.[/citation]
Unfortunately, that's because they are. Take the Ford Focus, for example, and with 100% sincerity.

It all depends though on how you define good. Some people are fine with a camry. Me, I like exciting things. Top Gear gave good marks to the ZR1 and the GTR, those aren't European. I can't say they're not biased (I hate Alfa Romeo's, a lot of people don't, and they have a fascination for the UK cars of yesteryear), but in general, they're pretty spot on. A bit exaggerating, but hey, it's media.

 

[Guest]

If i wanted to spend that kind of money on an impractical toy i would buy a Ford F-650. I live in the Texas. Where the hell am i going to drive that fast. Not to mention that you can go over 100 miles in some areas without seeing a town. I want something that I can use. I want to be able to pull several peoples houses off the foundation...in one go. Lets be honest, who really cares if it is green or not, I dont. I am one of the least "Green" people i know. Just last week i changes the oil out of my charger and mustang and burned it to dispose of it. The neighbors complained, it is not like they can do anything about it.

 

[tayb]

[citation][nom]shiftstealth[/nom]you do realize how far 244 miles is right? + a full recharge is 45 mins bro.[/citation]

45 minute full recharge? What wishful thinking is this? I can't even fully recharge my cell phone or laptop in 45 minutes or even come close. There might be a 45 minute quick charge if you need to get somewhere but the full charge is probably around 6-8 hours.

And I love how every comment that isn't "go Tesla" gets voted down. I didn't realize there were so many big fans.

 

[eodeo]

When cars start costing what they're worth (about 1000$) I'd consider getting one.

 

[Greg_77]

[citation][nom]dark_lord69[/nom]I believe they were refering to the acceleration not the speed.These this take off like a bullet launching out of a barrel the only vehicle with faster acceleration is a 1 million dollar Farrari. (I forget what it's called)[/citation]
[citation][nom]KyleSTL[/nom]Top speed is not the only way a car is fast, I believe the Tesla has a better 0-60 than most road-going Porsches, however, I too would prefer a Cayman or Cayman S over these.[/citation]

The Tesla goes 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, which is faster than the Porsche Boxter, but not the Carrera models. Any modern Ferrari goes faster than this. Besides, if you say a car is faster, usually you mean top speed, not 0-60, or else you must state that with your claim.

 

[Greg_77]

[citation][nom]eodeo[/nom]When cars start costing what they're worth (about 1000$) I'd consider getting one.[/citation]
You think a car is worth $1000? How did you come up with that figure? You could never make profit from a vehicle at that price. Besides, people pay what the market will bear. Nothing "should" cost a certain price, people pay for things for what they are worth to them, or else they don't buy the item. I hope you were being sarcastic, if so, sorry for this post 😉

 

[grieve]

[citation][nom]grieve[/nom]As a matter of Fact lets look at this recharge time in a longer term.I have had my present car for 4 years and have 130000 KM on it. If i had to charge this POS for 45mins every 392km in the last 4 years my car would have been charging for 249 hours!! over 10 days of charging... I got better things to do.[/citation]

GeezE... it takes 6+ hours to refill this pig, not 45mins!!!

So some new math...
After owning this car for 130000KM (80,778.3 miles)it will have been charging for 1992 hours... If you consider I got that milage in 3 years... the car would have been charging for 83 DAYS!!! LOL, POS!

 

[grieve]

83 days charging... It comes with Hibernation mode, for free!

 

[eodeo]

Greg_77:

I wasn't being sarcastic. I was being realistic. Comparing cars to computers, and cost of metal parts and assembly- a 1000$ car should yield about 30% profit- in general.

That part aside, taking availability of public transit systems in one hand and unavailability of parking and driving space on the other, i dont know who it their right mind would pay a 1000$ for a toy they cant use... unless they live in a desert or a jungle.

Owning a car today means you have something to get stuck in traffic with. You're actually helping others be stuck in there with you, like a big happy angry-honking-getting-nowhere-fast family. And let's not forget that you dont pay only 1000$ for this joyous experience. Oh no. Such a privilege must cost more- and so it does.

 

[matt87_50]

" Second – It has 2 seats and is totally unpractical. Third – It is 100k American !!!!!!! "

lol, u've heard of the 'sports car' right?

also its an electric sports car, the first one. I mean if people pay money for the ugly, slow Toyota prius (and its actually quite alot I think), of course there are going to be people who will pay extra for an electric car that is actually god.

the biggest problem with this car it the tech on which its based. specifically its charge time (over a 2min fill up), tho this may be a non issue for most, its actual carbon foot print when you consider the power comes from a power plant, and also the batteries are usually bad for the planet, to produce and recycle. and the final problem is the massive amount of weight all the batteries add. saying you based it on the lotus Elise, but had to add several hundred pounds is blasphemous, its like saying " we made a J-Lo robot, but we had to reduce the size of her ass"

hydrogen looks cool, but better batteries, and renewable energy will make electric cars awesome too.

 

[falchard]

Car costs more to maintain then a 4 MPG gas guzzler due to energy prices.

 

[Greg_77]

[citation][nom]eodeo[/nom]Greg_77:I wasn't being sarcastic. I was being realistic. Comparing cars to computers, and cost of metal parts and assembly- a 1000$ car should yield about 30% profit- in general.That part aside, taking availability of public transit systems in one hand and unavailability of parking and driving space on the other, i dont know who it their right mind would pay a 1000$ for a toy they cant use... unless they live in a desert or a jungle.Owning a car today means you have something to get stuck in traffic with. You're actually helping others be stuck in there with you, like a big happy angry-honking-getting-nowhere-fast family. And let's not forget that you dont pay only 1000$ for this joyous experience. Oh no. Such a privilege must cost more- and so it does.[/citation]

Actually, comparing cars to computers makes cars look like a steal. A car is made out of a lot of metal. You think one ton of metal, processed and shaped to specifications is cheap? Have you considered the cost of initial cost? Manufacturing equipment and engineers? This cost millions of dollars. Why does a processor cost $100 to $300? Do you think the chip cost this much to make per unit? No, the cost was in the design and the equipment. Sadly, people need cars to get places in the US. I don't see what traffic has anything to do for this. You don't pay for traffic, you pay for the ability to get places. Traffic is just a fact of life. Oh, and where did you get that 30% figure? Sorry, but that doesn't make sense at all. Don't make up numbers. Car makers still don't make that kind of margin on the average car. Sorry, things aren't cheap. Also, price is not based on what you, as an individual want something to cost, but what the targeted market is willing to pay. If everyone thought the way you think, car companies would stop manufacturing cars and make golf carts, reflecting the market. You seem to have some beef with cars in general. I still feel you are being sarcastic and just trying bewilder people. If that is so, I had fun responding 😉

 

[Greg_77]

Edit: Cost of initial cost is a bit redundant, sorry

 

[coonday]

For anyone else who didn't see that Top Gear episode, the Honda FCX Clarity is really the car you'll want if you want to cut emissions. The electricity it runs on is powered by an internal powerplant that runs on compressed hydrogen. The car never needs charging, it only needs to be filled up like every other car on the planet today. Unfortunately it goes 0-60 in 9 seconds as opposed to 3.9, but at least you can seat 4 people.

 

[eodeo]

Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car.

That idea worked perfectly when mr Ford thought of it, and it worked marvelously for his T and than quite some time after that. It worked like a charm with a 100 cars. It worked pretty well with a 1000. When that number reached into hundreds of 1000, people made more roads, and made them wider. They made highways, and bypasses. There's a very famous book about building bypasses. It was so popular they made a movie about it- the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. There they went so far to demolish Earth because it was in a way of new bypass.

And the wide roads and bypasses worked well too... for a while. Then the number of cars went to millions and then hundreds of millions and until the wide roads and the bypasses no longer worked. People simply ran out of space. So they thought of new model of transportation. And this new model was fine too... for a while.

So, until we get back to the future, I'll wait for cars prices to normalize before considering purchasing one. Cars are so simple to make that even humans could do it... and so they do, albeit unrealistically pricey, for my taste.

Its good if you had fun. so did I