Tesla Model S

always been curious why Tesla is valued so highly, they don't actually 'do' anything special, especially in the early days, they got an old lotus, stuck in a load of laptop batteries and an electric motor and that was it, even there gearbox didn't work. nothing they do is anything anyone else couldn't do given a shed load of cash.

I guess the point is that they could have, but didn't.

Anyone could have cut a shark in half and put it in a tank of formaldehyde, but Damien Hirst did do it and reaped the benefits.

a car company is a good way to turn a large fortune into a small one (just ask delorean)

art seems to be a good way to turn no money into large amounts

From what I understand, the car tech isn't that revolutionary and Tesla have actually released all blueprints to what they have made to all other auto-makers.

The only thing they keep patented is the battery, which they hope to sell on to other manufacturers to put in their cars. They are now building a factory to churn them out in Nevada at a rate of 500k a year.

I seem to recall in the early days it was all about there revolutionary gearbox tech, wasn't it toyota or gm bought into them to get there hands on it? but it didn't work and they had to ship the cars without it and a promise to retro fit it if and when they got it working, that's when I lost interest in them. all credit to them that they managed to carry on going

It's being treated more like a tech startup company and it's riding the bubble/wave. They lose money like crazy and they have a miniscule market footprint.

BMW took beatings in its stock just because the market was thinking they were spending too much money in the i-series and Tesla is burning money away and the market is drinking the kool-aid.

The car is great, but then what 100k car isn't? Get in a new S class and tell me it doesn't have the tech or it isn't as quiet (if not more).

The tech is obviously premature and I think a buyer has to make lots of justifications to end up buying one. Too many things are forgiven because it's a new approach. Try imagining what the reaction would be if BMW was selling a 7 series and told you that after 200km or 8 years you would need to replace the engine, the gearbox, or the even the entirety of the fuel system.

There are some great aspects to the car, and given a good network the free recharges in the superchargers is really tempting but how would you feel for the internal combustion engine if there were only 5-6 gas stations in the whole of Switzerland and the other alternative would be to trickle-fill the car overnight at your garage?

Oil is not going anywhere for many years to come, every WEO report says so the past few years. Hybrid is the way to go until we get to critical mass of certain infrastructure. Until then everyone that buys in is an early adopter and will have to live with the pros and cons of it.

Be aware that if you buy an electric car, you need a garage -- unless you fancy running a 50 metre extension cable out of your bedroom window to your car parked for the night on the street or apartment building forecourt.

Because hybrid is a scam.

Batteries only work when used like the La Ferrari. To provide extra power. Cars like the Prius and similar others are just using the "save the world" lie to sell.

Transfer of power allways involves a loss of power.

Therefore the best option is all petrol/diesel or all battery for shorter trips. The Tesla is really just a short distance sports car.

For me it is a no brainer. Buy the Lotus instead and stop lying to yourself.

And you dont damage the environment by manufacturing and disposing of huge amounts of batteries.

For me buying a hybrid/100% battery car is an exercise in conflicting bias.

however if Graphene batteries end up doing what it says on the tin then we will have a game changer.

Nope, it's not. Don't buy a hybrid. More expensive, more complex drive train, greater environmental footprint.

The definition of a lose lose.

Whats the word? Oxymoron or something...

Here is a real world example of 'it' working perfectly.

Nissan sunny: Radio DJ Mark Goodier is first Briton to power electric car using solar panels on his house

The Nissan Leaf takes eight hours to charge, has a range of 100 miles and a top speed of 90 miles per hour

Having an electric car is one way of cutting back on fuel costs, but when that electricity is solar-generated then you have a real eco-friendly money saver.

This dream has become a reality for Radio DJ Mark Goodier, who has become the first Briton to run a car powered entirely by the sun.

The 49-year-old installed 12 solar panels on the roof of his house so he can generate enough power to fully charge his electric Nissan Leaf.

Free to run: Smooth Radio host Mark Goodier installed 12 solar panels on the roof of his house so he can generate enough power to fully charge his electric Nissan Leaf

It means the Smooth Radio host can complete his 20-mile daily commute without ever having to visit a garage, where petrol costs around 136p per litre.

The Leaf takes about eight hours to charge, has a range of 100 miles and a top speed of 90 miles per hour. It is now effectively free to run.

The panels on Mr Goodier's house in Hampstead, north London, generate so much electricity he is able to power his car - and still has some left to sell to the National Grid.

He said: 'The days of sitting in queues at petrol stations and wincing as I pay the extortionate cost of fuel are over.

'I'm now able to power my car entirely from the free rays of the sun.

'Every time I plug-in on my driveway, I know it's not costing me or the environment anything, which is a great feeling.

'The car has great acceleration and a more-than-adequate top speed and range for my daily commute.

'We will all be doing this in the future and it is great to be setting the trend.'

The solar panels cost £12,500 to install but the government will pay Mr Goodier £1,200 per year for 25 years for adopting solar power.

Dean Keeling, from British Gas, who installed the solar panels, said: 'Britons can now drive an electric car powered by the sun.

Efficient: Mr Goodier's Nissan Leaf takes eight hours to charge, has a range of 100 miles and a top speed of 90 miles per hour

'By using energy from solar panels on their own home, our customers can cut their petrol costs and their carbon footprint.

'The home of the future and car of the future is now here.'

Source

So he charges his car overnight by solar power, ready for the morning commute.

Is it me, or is there some kind of logical flaw here?

I guess it charges at the weekend, when he takes the "real" car out for a spin It has a range of 100 miles, so *in theory* he could get through the week without recharging.

I guess he sells the excess power he generates during the day to the National Grid and charges the car up overnight when electricity is cheaper, so effectively gets paid to drive his car!

Or he has some battery/capacitance device that is charged via solar and then used to power his home / carport when the sun isn't shining.

You're all wrong - he is so smug that the sun now shines out of his arse. All he does is "moon" his solar panels for 30 minutes and he is ready to go.

(The i-Generation equivilent of lighting your farts)

Petrol engines are getting pretty efficient, even for big cars.

The new Ford Mondeo with 1.0 litre 3 cylinder engine gives quite a big car up to 70mpg.

well, he could be paid around 13p/kwH for electricity generated during the day and maybe he charges overnight at a lower tariff rate. could be an efficient way to do it.

He's probably smug because: Zero road tax Zero London congestion charge Zero fuel costs Free or subsidised parking for EVs in many parts of London Huge Benefit in Kind tax savings since he's self employed

In one interview he stated that the car pays for itself, and it doesn't get better than that

Perhaps it does. I have a friend who has a collection of cars which have appreciated in value. He has 2 period Le-Mans cars which both appreciate every time he races them - as it extends their continous racing history.

The cars are his (perhaps slightly risky**) pension fund.

**Although they aren't building any new 911 2.7RS

Sorry, but it’s not. Electric batteries and solar panels cause much more pollution when they’re being made so they’re actually less “eco friendly” than if you stuck with a petrol/diesel vehicle. Do wish people would do their homework and not believe all the hype.