My next car
 

I'm sure many of you have seen this, but for those who haven't, I present the Tesla Model S (aka my next car) Model S | Tesla Motors

For a second car, because no way an electric vehicle could ever be my only car, its absolutely perfect. For starters, it looks amazing! Second, it has an advertised 0-60 time of 5.6 seconds. Third, it uses no gas! And while I usually don't care much about the fuel I burn (we wont get into how much gas my boats burn) it would be nice to not have to fill up a little commuter car. And with the current government rebate of $7,500 its UNDER $50k.

Its perfect for a family of two (girlfriend + me) as it can get us around town while looking good, I would imagine its also fun to drive, and cut down on the fuel bill. Either I would drive it to the train station daily (less than 2miles each way) or my girlfriend would take it to the hospital for work (about 10miles each way). We would also use it to drive locally (going out to dinner, trip to the boat, visit parents/friends, grocery store, etc) and of course keep the X5 for anything longer like road trips etc.

Thoughts??

One cool car.

Guys, I have seen it in person, it is one cool car. But first model year no way.

That I agree with. Not only does first model year scare me, but more so Tesla Motors factory direct sales scares me. I mean, who would service an electric car?

They have dealerships...for the roadster they came to your house, that might be the case for a while in the model s, i got to ride in the roadster sport @tesla HQ, 0-60 in 3.6s...

The only bad thing I've heard about them, well, any full electric car, is that your power bill skyrockets to the point of almost equaling fuel costs... but I have no actual data to confirm this, maybe you'll be able to give real world results.

I think the evening (non peak) hours for charging would be the best bet. Plugging it in during the day in the summer during peak would be much more expensive for sure. They have a dealership near me in Washington D.C., I was sitting at a traffic light last night right in front of it. It was really cool - I think I'm going to go for a visit and check it out sometime soon.

I'm a big fan of electric (not hybrid) vehicles and would consider one in the future.

According to what I have read, its costs about $3 to charge the battery from 0% to 100%.

The Chevy Volt claims about the same. " A. Electricity is an extremely affordable transportation fuel. With a fully charged battery, most people can commute gas- and tailpipe emissions-free for about $1.50 per day(1). That's about the same annual cost as running a common household appliance. To save even more, some utility companies offer lower electricity rates for vehicles charging during off-peak periods, such as night.

(1) EPA estimated 35 miles initial range based on 93 MPGe (electric); actual range varies with conditions."

Does that mean it has a max range of 35 miles on a full charge ??

It is a gorgeous looking car though. Reminds me alot of the Audi RS8.

Patrick- According to the website, the base model (smallest battery) gets max of 160 miles per charge. I assume if you drive it faster, use the AC/electronics more, it gets far less mileage.

Again, this is according to the manufactures website. BMW claims the 4.4i and 4.8is X5's get 24 mpg on the highway...

Once I make the move to the new house I'm going from living <5 miles from work to >50 miles from work... I would love to get one of these, and just plug it in at work everyday! (now that's how to beat the system!)

HA - good idea. I can just picture a bitg fat extension cord going out to the parking lot hidden under a bunch of cardboard and mats :thumbup:

Looks like an Aston Martin.

There you go. Invest in some conduit and just piggy back off an outlet from the building. Just make sure it is GFCI! :thumbup:

Hell, at the shop it would be easy as hell to do... I park within 15 feet of the main breaker panel!

Once they bring out efficient solar panels to the market, this will be an even better car. Even with current solar panels, some customers can run a surplus that they would normally store or send back to the grid. With an electric car, that surplus would easily be, essentially, free fuel (well, aside from the cost of panels and their installation).

In the meantime, Fisker Karma is coming out, albeit it is considerably more money than the Model S. But it promises to have a gasoline engine, which makes it more usable for longer trips.

Have you considered a Volt?

Ill move to Canada and ride a bicycle before I buy a Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius (or any other ECO-tree huger car)

For me, personally, I like the Model S because of how it looks and the performance.

The Volt has about as much sex appeal as an orthopedic shoe...

What is the amperage output for the charger to the Model S? Isn't the normal quick charger for a 440v 3 stage supply? Might be a loong while before solar panels can push that output...

Honestly, I do not know the answer off the top of my head. I'm sure current panels aren't completely up to the task just yet. But there will be new panels coming out soon - that much is a safe bet IMHO.


And whoever asked that question about Volt should just get rid of his Bimmer, move to Canada and ride a bike! Seriously, have you SEEN Volt?! :stickpoke

What about those of us with BMWs, who live in Canada and ride bikes as well? I don't see the connection, myself. When we buy electric cars (Volt, Leaf, or the upcoming BMWi) we can plug them into our cheap non-GHG hydroelectric grid and charge them for pennies. Does that make us eco-treehuggers?

Eh, get a haircut and get a real job! :rofl:

Short hair here, and I think real jobs are over-rated. :rofl:

But carrying on with the hippy theme, how about the VW concept shown at Geneva? The Bulli (Transporter) is a retro-inspired van. Small, but seats six. Electric powered for the concept, but could be gasoline, diesel, or other. Reported to have a high chance of making it into production. I wonder if my bikes would fit in it?

More info here. I used this particular link just for those posters who think 'treehugger' is a putdown. :nanana:

Cars & Transportation Archives : TreeHugger

That's one hell of a thought process on your response... someone suggests an altenative hybrid and based solely on your perception of its design I should sell my property, move to another country and ride a bicycle as an alternative form of transportation? off your meds or something today? :)

I like the look of this Dub.

Also according to the site, one model gets 300! miles to a charge? and seating for 7. Where?

If anyone moves to Canada just based on what I posted in this thread... :rolleyes: c'mon guys, I take you for a more intelligent bunch that than ;)

More importantly, I think that VW Bulli bus looks GREAT! :D