Tesla Motors' Success Gives Electric Car Market a Charge

[DiamondDave]

Range bothers you? Buy a Volt. See the dupes of Big Oil/Greedy idiot rich, absolutely HATE alternative energy. Jackasses lol.

380 MAX on a volt.. still not great considering the time to charge.. not a road trip car...

And as you have been shown, the cost of the volt plus the upgrade for your home charging station, etc is not making it cost effective, even with us tax paying throwing THOUSANDS in per vehicle...

I love alternative energy.. WHEN IT MAKES SENSE... currently, electric cars are nothing more than novelties and do not make sense

Diesel.. THAT makes sense.. Diesel-Hybrid.. THAT makes sense

CNG.. THAT would make sense if there were more fueling stations...

Electric is YEARS off... not 2, not 5.. but YEARS off more than that in terms of functionality, cost, pollution savings overall, and reliability

 

[PaulS1950]

Right now, China has a near monopoly on the batteries that are most efficient for EV's. They certainly control the market. There is only one company in the USA that mines the rare earth metals that are used in the production of those batteries. Once we make our own batteries the prices will come down and the technology is already getting less expensive. The Tesla S is less than half the price of the Roadster and the car they will be introducing next will be nearly half the price of the S model. You can get a range of 300 miles on a charge and a "fast" charger that will charge the car in a couple of hours. It may not be as quick as a fillup with gasohol but it is a lot cheaper than $5/gallon. Limited maintenance is another plus for electric vehicles. No oil changes every 3 - 6 months, No plugs and tuneups and the cars will easily come down to match the price of a full sized pickup in less than 5 years.
In those areas of the country where fossil fuels are used to make electricity the price of "fuel" (a re-charge) will be more expensive than the areas that electricity is generated by hydro but it will still be cheaper than gas, alcohol or diesel.

 

[Redfish]

Right now, China has a near monopoly on the batteries that are most efficient for EV's. They certainly control the market. There is only one company in the USA that mines the rare earth metals that are used in the production of those batteries. Once we make our own batteries the prices will come down and the technology is already getting less expensive. The Tesla S is less than half the price of the Roadster and the car they will be introducing next will be nearly half the price of the S model. You can get a range of 300 miles on a charge and a "fast" charger that will charge the car in a couple of hours. It may not be as quick as a fillup with gasohol but it is a lot cheaper than $5/gallon. Limited maintenance is another plus for electric vehicles. No oil changes every 3 - 6 months, No plugs and tuneups and the cars will easily come down to match the price of a full sized pickup in less than 5 years.
In those areas of the country where fossil fuels are used to make electricity the price of "fuel" (a re-charge) will be more expensive than the areas that electricity is generated by hydro but it will still be cheaper than gas, alcohol or diesel.

why are those batteries being built in China? Because the EPA makes it too hard to build them here--------you may think that is a good thing, but lets be honest about why its the way it is.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Range bothers you? Buy a Volt. See the dupes of Big Oil/Greedy idiot rich, absolutely HATE alternative energy. Jackasses lol.

Some conservatives say they love the free market but then oppose someone's choice to buy what ever. Electric cars may not be that good yet, but to here conservatives say that they shouldn't be around is kind of wrong. The market dictates that.

 

[francoHFW]

Breaking for the clueless- You can go as far as you want with a Volt on the gas generator- 40 mpg.

A gigantic generating plant is a helluva lot more efficient at generating power than your V-8 duh.

Our government help now stops china and the EU from monopolizing this gigantic industry in the future. It's time. So shortsighted...

 

[KissMy]

Global Public EV Charging Stations Surge Past 48,705. Tesla has thousands of super fast charging stations around the country. If you buy a Tesla-S you get FREE fast recharging for life at their stations & free battery replacement warranty for life. Charging a Tesla-S at their station for 30 minutes gets you 150 miles. 1 hour charge gets you 300 miles.

Burning fuel at a electric power plant & using that to charge a electric car is far more efficient than burning it in your ICE car.

 

[Wyatt earp]

Advocating more and more taxation.. go figure...

No I am not, Just being realistic. Where are they going to get the $ if people stop buying gasoline?

Taking it away from other areas that they should not be spending on

they shouldnt bw spending all that money anyways. But you guys missed my point today because you cant say the electric cars will be cheaper, the local and federal government will have to tax them someway to keep up with road maintnenace, ect...ect...

 

[Wyatt earp]

Because for most people, they get the equivalent of 100 mpg? DUH. Too bad the dupes make selling these cars so difficult in brainwashed hater dupe areas lol.

they don't sell because the cost/benefit ratio sucks. It has nothing to do with being for or against alternative energy. Its about taking a realistic look at it and concluding that the govt is wasting our money.

when these things become financially viable, private capital will flood into them. Its not the government's role to "invest" our money in this stuff.

and thats the problem, electric cars have been around since the internal combustion engine, Electric motors work great, the batterys suck today as they always have, not much progress in a 100 or so years.On the other hand hydrogen cars is kicking ass in the progress they have made in the past 20 years. there is so much room for improvement. I think they are up to 28 hydrogen filling stations in California now.

 

[Wyatt earp]

Fyi on the hydrogen cars of the future. BtwI Have no idea why the U.S. goverment is backing stupid battery powerd autos. Has to be politics.

The Future Of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) - Business Insider

In short, because you get "unlimited" range, there's no engine noise. The electricity is generated in the car, so a major downside of BEVs — that the power stored in the battery runs out, often rather quickly — is not an issue. With the proper infrastructure of hydrogen refueling stations (which could be incorporated into present gas stations), FCEVs would have the same "unlimited" range as cars with internal combustion engines. That means no range anxiety and no long battery charging times,

 

[francoHFW]

Hydrogen fuel cells are years away. Don't worry, dupes, Sean Rushbeck etc etc will dismiss and fear monger them too. Big oil and greedy idiot rich forever!

 

[Wyatt earp]

Hydrogen fuel cells are years away. Don't worry, dupes, Sean Rushbeck etc etc will dismiss and fear monger them too. Big oil and greedy idiot rich forever!

Bullshit. Battery cars are friking dinosaurs.

USA TODAY

The cost of making a hydrogen fuel cell-powered car has fallen so dramatically that the same vehicle that cost about $1 million in past year can now be made for as little as $50,000 when it goes on sale in the U.S. in 2015, a top Toyota engineer says.

 

[Wyatt earp]

you need to make the power not charge it. Batterys suck and they always have. Obama is playing the wrong horse in this race. That dude should read about it and not listen to hacks that want grant money....

 

[Wyatt earp]

Hydrogen fuel cells are years away. Don't worry, dupes, Sean Rushbeck etc etc will dismiss and fear monger them too. Big oil and greedy idiot rich forever!

and you really should get "Informed" like I am and watch frickin Alan Aldas show on left leaning PBS and stop watching stupid shit. Because thats how I learned about hydrogen cars.

 

[Jarlaxle]

It has supercar body, interior, and performance....I'm still pissed Pub pundits ruined the Volt and Fisker. Pub dupes!

ya dang pubs refused to buy a piece of shit car

Volt- MT Car of the Year- You're a perfect dupe. Pubs are rich a-holes who dupe you...you're not in the Big Oil club, just a brainwashed dupe of Rush Seanbeck. Everything you know is wrong. lol

Only someone as dumb as you would think "car of the year" means anything. Past cars of the year...
Plymouth Volare
Ford Mustang II
Renault Alliance
Dodge Aries
Chevy Citation
Dodge Omni
Chevy Monza
Chevy Vega

Yeah, every one a SUPERB vehicle!

 

[Jarlaxle]

Glad to see this. I can't figure out why they're so damnably expensive, though. It has to be a hell of a lot cheaper to manufacture a battery than it is to manufacture an internal combustion engine.

I expect electric cars for we peons will be coming soon enough.

What you think is obvious, isn't. An internal combustion engine holds more power per pound then does any battery. It costs more to construct a batter of the same power. And batteries are not necessarily cleaner considering how much of our electricity is made from coal. Also the chemicals and semi precious metals make electric cars unaffordable to the average Joe. Natural gas would be a better solution then batteries. Until super capacitors can be made, if ever.

What the hell???? this dont even make sense...... A electric motor is way more powerful, horse power to horse power then the internal combustion engine. Why do you think frieght trains run on Diesel Electric?

It's not the electric motor that is the problem. It is the BATTERIES! God and goddess, this is like talking to a mental patient.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I have a few questions for you electric car lovers:

1. how long can it run on a charge?
a. with the AC on
b. with the heater on
c. with the radio on
2. how many KW hours to recharge it and how much does that cost in $ ?
3. how many recharging stations are on any interstate hwy?
4. how much does it cost to buy?
5. how much to replace the batteries?
6. where will we dispose of the batteries since they are hazardous waste?
7. compare the total cost for driving 500 miles in this to the cost of driving 500 miles in a standard car? note. I said TOTAL cost.

New technology is great and we should always be looking for better methods of transportation. But until one of you can show me how to power an 18 wheeler across the country using something other than oil, this is all just playing.

LOL. You are totally full of shit. The EV is on a roll, and as the batteries improve, will take over the market in the form of pure EV's and hybrids. Already, Freightliner is producing hybrid trucks.

There is just no way that people like you can admit that our government helped start a winner, in spite of the Transcontinental Railroad and the Corps of Discovery.

Freightliner and Kenworth have been making hybrid trucks for several years...but there is a yawning chasm between a hybrid and a true electric vehicle. God and goddess, THINK!

 

[Jarlaxle]

not very many americans are in the market for a 100K car. your market is very limited in that price range.

and why won't you answer my question about running the AC or heater? really screws up your calculations doesn't it?

great----a "luxury" car that you can't run the AC or heater-----great

Crap. You are such a lazy ass. Here are some figures;

Are there range estimates based on A/C usage | Forums | Tesla Motors

From the ammeter, it looks like my Roadster consumes roughly 6A running the A/C when it is stationary; at 400V that's 2.4kW.

If you're driving a Roadster at 55 mph, the car requires about 12.5kW. So with A/C that will now 14.9kW.

53kWh battery capacity with 12.5kW consumption gives 4.24 hours of travel. Since we're going at 55 mph for 4.24 hours, the distance traveled is 233 miles. That matches the published performance curve.

53kWh battery capacity with 14.9kW consumption gives 3.56 hours of travel at 55 mph, for a distance of 195 miles.

That indicates the Roadster's A/C might reduce the range by about 16% or 38 miles.

So on the 85kWH battery of the Tesla S that would be less than 50 miles of the 250+ range.

OK, thanks, thats good info. 16% loss for the AC

how about running the heater on a 20 degree day?

Probably about the same (most electrics use a heat pump for heat and A/C)...but, of course, the battery capacity will take a hit in the cold!

 

[Wyatt earp]

What you think is obvious, isn't. An internal combustion engine holds more power per pound then does any battery. It costs more to construct a batter of the same power. And batteries are not necessarily cleaner considering how much of our electricity is made from coal. Also the chemicals and semi precious metals make electric cars unaffordable to the average Joe. Natural gas would be a better solution then batteries. Until super capacitors can be made, if ever.

What the hell???? this dont even make sense...... A electric motor is way more powerful, horse power to horse power then the internal combustion engine. Why do you think frieght trains run on Diesel Electric?

It's not the electric motor that is the problem. It is the BATTERIES! God and goddess, this is like talking to a mental patient.

What hell? did you even bother to read my posts dork? before you flamed me? no shit its the batterys....

 

[DiamondDave]

What the hell???? this dont even make sense...... A electric motor is way more powerful, horse power to horse power then the internal combustion engine. Why do you think frieght trains run on Diesel Electric?

It's not the electric motor that is the problem. It is the BATTERIES! God and goddess, this is like talking to a mental patient.

What hell? did you even bother to read my posts dork? before you flamed me? no shit its the batterys....

And no shit roads have to be maintained.. but as gas cars go away in the far future, it does not have to come from MORE taxation or a per mile tax.. it can come by cutting spending that should not be done anyway.... you don't always have to tax MORE ot come up with a new tax... you can indeed cut and reallocate

 

[Cowman]

Try as I might, I simply can not find in the Consitution where it says that the Presdient has the authority to fund private companies with tax dollars.

I don't mind, in fact I encourage, people investing their own money into companies to produce new technology. But I fail to see where the Constitution authorizes the use of Tax dollars to do it.

Since when does the constitution have to authorize it?

How about since it was written?

Have you ever actually taken 30 minutes to sit down and actually read, word for word, the Constitution and think about what is actually says? Or are you one of those that only know the parts that you want to know.. and think you know what it says?

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;


Thanks, idiot.