OT: Tesla Model 3

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by summilux

Direct to consumer for cars actually works! I hope other brands try this.

oh hell yes. not having to even step foot into a sleazy dealership would be a huge bonus.

[livingminimal]

Poo-pooing of Tesla is comical. Is it perfect? Nope. But someone has to come first, and Fortune favors the bold. In 20 years we will be able to look back and say, yeah, the first electric car was killed off, but this time period will be seen as an absolute turning point in getting us off of ····ing fossil fuels.

[livingminimal]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

oh hell yes. not having to even step foot into a sleazy dealership would be a huge bonus.

A-freaking-men...the bike industry should tr...

...wait a second...

[Ken Robb]

So since the maximum federal tax break of $7500 (and some state credits?) diminish after the 200,000th Tesla is sold how many of the "buyers" who lose out on that will walk away? I guess that depends on what the re-sale values/prices garnered by flippers seem to be then.

I read yesterday that while $35,000 is the base price "popular options" will add $15,000 to the typical sale. I will ask my pals who "bought" them yesterday about the fine print in their contracts concerning cancellation, options pricing, flipping to another buyer, etc.

All things considered this has to be a huge success for Tesla. It should also be encouraging for GM because they plan to release a new full electric car a year before the Tesla 3 and all these deposits prove there are quite a few people who want a full electric automobile. If the GM is a good car some Tesla waiters may decide to jump ship rather than waiting another year. Heck, there may be plenty of demand for both companies.

[velomonkey]

In 90 minutes they had 115,000 pro orders. 115,000 times $1,000 equals a healthy $115 million—not a shabby haul for an hour and a half - money that is going to be held by Tesla for a year and half.

And yea, electric aint great - by all accounts it's better than fossil fuel in almost every category.

[Steve in SLO]

I am one year into a three year lease with a Fiat 500e, and put a deposit down on a Model 3 last night.
It seems good next step, and the deposit is refundable.
The real game changer will be when somebody – are you listening, Tesla? – comes up with a standardized replaceable battery pack that can be swapped in a minute at a battery service station, like on electric power tools.
Pull out discharged and and push in charged.

[p nut]

So, what does GM's (or other e-car manufacturers) charging station infrastructure look like? Tesla says they're going to double the number of Supercharger stations across the nation. I am assuming with GM's capital backing, they could roll out with something bigger (?).

I am clueless about e-car charging. Is there a standard for charging ports? Or is it manufacturer specific? Can you charge a Leaf at the Tesla stations? Or is that like trying to charge an iphone with a android charger?

[dustyrider]

The thing with electric cars for me and my preferred locale is they would have to be a second car. Maybe when they can get me from Grand Junction to Denver and back with a solid 7 hour turn around time like my 40mpg car does I could say they're an alternative. For now it's just another thing. Things add up. I figure I'm being more green by not getting one...

[EDS]

I think this is interesting, though I agree with others that perhaps not for a one car family.

On pricing, isn't this more intended to compete with BMW 3-series/Audi A4 than with a Honda Accord? In which case, the pricing and option up-charge would be right in line with its competitors.

The real game-changer in electric cars will be when someone comes up with the next generation of battery technology.

[verticaldoug]

Originally Posted by dustyrider

The thing with electric cars for me and my preferred locale is they would have to be a second car. Maybe when they can get me from Grand Junction to Denver and back with a solid 7 hour turn around time like my 40mpg car does I could say they're an alternative. For now it's just another thing. Things add up. I figure I'm being more green by not getting one...

as a second car, it is probably less green than a regular internal combustion engine. The question is what is the carbon footprint for producing the car. I haven't seen accurate information, but because of the battery, the mining cost is significant. I've seen papers claiming the S footprint is equivalent to 80,000 miles. Considering most people will not keep their car that long, as a second car you don't drive that much and life cycle of the batteries is still a question mark, I doubt savings is really that great.

[Fatty]

Originally Posted by livingminimal

Poo-pooing of Tesla is comical. Is it perfect? Nope. But someone has to come first, and Fortune favors the bold. In 20 years we will be able to look back and say, yeah, the first electric car was killed off, but this time period will be seen as an absolute turning point in getting us off of ����ing fossil fuels.

Tesla is not exactly the first electric car.

http://www.electricauto.org/?page=evhistory

[Fatty]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

i'm likely ages away from buying a new car, so it's really not important to me, but - i think i like it!

I like the styling. Very sleek.
Is that a one piece glass roof ?
What do you do when a rock takes out the windshield ?

[Fatty]

Originally Posted by EDS

The real game-changer in electric cars will be when someone comes up with the next generation of battery technology.

I agree with that.
Lithium batteries are not exactly " green " .

http://www.kitco.com/ind/Albrecht/20...s-Lithium.html

[livingminimal]

Originally Posted by Fatty

Tesla is not exactly the first electric car.

http://www.electricauto.org/?page=evhistory

....that's why I said the first Electric Car was killed off...it was kind of an obvious allusion to this: http://www.whokilledtheelectriccar.com/

[RowanB]

Originally Posted by verticaldoug

as a second car, it is probably less green than a regular internal combustion engine. The question is what is the carbon footprint for producing the car. I haven't seen accurate information, but because of the battery, the mining cost is significant. I've seen papers claiming the S footprint is equivalent to 80,000 miles. Considering most people will not keep their car that long, as a second car you don't drive that much and life cycle of the batteries is still a question mark, I doubt savings is really that great.

Shouldn't the figure of interest here be the total miles before the car (or battery pack?) is scrapped, not the distance driven by the first owner?