well.. it's pretty much official.. when the new tesla comes out with a less expensive model i'll be getting one. still interesting to see how the market will change over the next 1.5 years or so. just feel like my current car is sooo behind times, even though it's not that old and pretty well tuned
35k estimated today.. i think a lot can change in 1-2 years. i bet we'll see even further improvement in battery capacity. musk said that they expect to increase range to 400 miles on model s within 3 years. took model s for a test drive.. tried the insane mode taking off from the shoulder on the highway.. thought my eyes would pop. good thing i saved the edible for later, or i'd literally shit myself.. i can only imagine the power of the ludicrous mode.. but still there's no spin, no noise.. nothing.. it just took off like a fucking jet. incredible feeling.
So what happens if you need to go 500 or more miles? I drive from PA to WI and from PA to NY all the time. My 12 hour trip from PA to WI would take DAYS in a Tesla. I suppose if you never go anywhere those cars are fine. I like to travel, and I have family all over the US... That and I love the SOUND of horsepower
i hear yea. i drive a turbo revo tuned a4, so i certainly appreciate squeezing out horse power out of gasoline cars. but let's face it the reality is the old engine has been pushed to the limit. ev is where the next evolution is going to be. and i will probably still own a classic thunderbird or a caddy (if gasoline is something that's available in 20 years)... as far as ranges.. you can easily get 400 miles today. but the "standard" range is somewhere around 230 miles, while he is now saying that by 2017 they'll easily do 600 miles (so my info was outdated).... i can't imagine that you can get any further in a gasoline car, coupled with a fast growing super-charger network: http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger gasoline is just becoming obsolete and the "range" of ev is no longer an issue. if anything ev will deliver a lot more range per charge over the next few years.
ev boring.....noise is Part of the experience... could not imagine and dont want to. Still cool pic up post pics.. I'll pass on the silent movies tho.
Those things are sleek man. And all the power right from the get-go, no turbo lag or waiting for the curve. God.. I can only imagine lol. When you get it consider posting a few pics of her! I agree about the millage part though. It'd be a great car for cruising around your area but a road trip seems like hell. Plus can't beat the sound of a natural V-8 sitting under your hood lol. A dealership in my town had one of the new dodge challenger hellcats in. I was lucky enough to be walking by when they were moving it one day, god it sounded beautiful. Still would rather have an older Detroit dinosaur than a new car though. I'd be scared as shit to start messing around under the hood of a new car lol. Thats just me though, well enough rambling on. I hope you get that car man! I saw one when I was in North Carolina when they first came out. They're beautiful.
well noise is a relative quality .. we are used to the sound of gasoline engines, that's what we like today.. but it's going to change.. i'm sure i like the sound of a horse an carriage just as well. tesla does make "noise" it's just very different.. like what you'd expect out of some futuristic space thingy .. it's a different experience. (pretty easy to get a test drive scheduled, i would say it's worth to check it out if you can). model 3 won't come out for about a year still.. but should be at least 1/2 the price of the current model S. smaller, but will stack pack a helluva punch, let's see how the tech and ranges improve over that time.
Range is still very much an issue...especially looking at their map and seeing how little of West Texas is in their charging station network. And even when you CAN get to a 'supercharger,' it is not a gas-n-go sort of a stop but rather is a few hours given their claim of 130 EPA-rated miles on a half-hour of charging. Contrast that to my XK8 where I can have 18 gallons of gas in and be back on the road in a matter of a few minutes...and not have to stop for another 450 miles or so unless nature calls. For those of us that DO have to drive to see clients and other work-related things, time truly IS money.
clearly ev is not yet for everyone.. and in some areas/applications probably won't make sense. but look at the changes over the last 5 years... tesla motors was mostly an idea, and i don't think we had a single charger station. personally i'm just looking forward to the new technology. i have replaced pretty much everything in my car, from exhaust to break lines to fuel pump to cai, etc. etc.. i love working on cars, but i can't help it and feel how outdated the "modern" car technology is. no matter how you slice it a combustion engine is over 200 years old for the most part everything around it is also outdated.
Electric highway lanes are in the making, where the traction of your tires charges your car as you go! Ultimately though, range anxiety can be a tough battle to overcome, if you can't find a parking spot that will allow your battery some peace of mind by giving it a quick turbo-boost charge. Currently I know of very few parking spots that have this ability and a few parking garages that have incorporated technology to assist these future-ready cars that will lessen the reliance on burning fossil fuels. Props to you for making the choice in transitioning your car to a greener path! Cheers!!
"ESTIMATED" 75 miles. You'd probably get more like 40-50 out in the real world. Really the answer is hybrids. Best of both worlds... Instant electric torque, more power, excellent fuel economy... And the SOUND of POWAAAAAAA When done right they're phenomenal....
S. Florida. Just driving around I see all the sweeet cars . Lots of retirees and rich people. I go to the beach a lot so you see them cruising A1A. Its eye candy. I love the old American muscle cars best tho.
I still don't understand why they can't just use an alternator system to recharge the battery as you move on these... It seems like it would be an easy system to produce, but must need a lot of volts/amps to charge.. I've always wanted to create a "bolt-on" electric motor kit for any car that would slip over the driveshaft, have a pickup you attach to the driveshaft that charges like a rotor/stator in an alternator, and would ultimately power an electric motor you attach to axles. Maybe some day. Props to you OP for looking forward and seeing the advantages to ev. I love gasoline power as much as any other car enthusiast, but electric power too is truly fascinating stuff.