TESLA Motors releases patents, wants to start an open source movement

[luke1333]

God, I know. I drove a Tesla once, and I had to put up with all that torque at any RPM, instantly. Just awful!



It depends on how you drive, just like any car, but between 200 and 300 miles, generally.


Seriously, drive one. It's a completely different experience from what you're used to, in a good way.

I've drove Chevy volts. the instant torque is nice i will give you that but for the additional money you have to spend and low range I'll pass. 200/300 miles might seem decent but then you can't just pull into your local petrol station and fill up and continue on

 

[TorchMach]

I don't know anything about their product other than they are electric. I'm sure there are still some maintenance costs. How long would it take to recoup the cost of a 70k vehicle over a 30k vehicle that gets 35 mpg?

I know you said you don't know anything, and from your statement I can tell. You are comparing the price of a luxury car (that happens to be electric) to the price of a Honda Accord. Maintenance is very low when compared to other luxury cars (e.x. BMW, Mercedes, Audi).

 

[TorchMach]

I've drove Chevy volts. the instant torque is nice i will give you that but for the additional money you have to spend and low range I'll pass. 200/300 miles might seem decent but then you can't just pull into your local petrol station and fill up and continue on

A Chevy Volt compared to a Tesla is like comparing a Mustang V6 to a Shelby GT500. Not just in performance but in luxury. This car is more for daily driving duties. The type of individual that owns a vehicle like this usually has another car for road trips.

 

[luke1333]

A Chevy Volt compared to a Tesla is like comparing a Mustang V6 to a Shelby GT500. Not just in performance but in luxury. This car is more for daily driving duties. The type of individual that owns a vehicle like this usually has another car for road trips.

so what is the benefit if nobody uses it except for daily use? won't save that much energy/gas if somebody drives it 20 miles a day then you really never make up that high $65+ price tag

 

[TorchMach]

so what is the benefit if nobody uses it except for daily use? won't save that much energy/gas if somebody drives it 20 miles a day then you really never make up that high $65+ price tag

The lowest model get's a range of 200+ miles on a single charge which is much more then the average person needs for daily use. If I was in the market for a $65k luxury car, this would be my pick.

The biggest draw back is the charging which takes 30min for a full charge. Which if you charge while you sleep shouldn't be a problem.

 

[luke1333]

The lowest model get's a range of 200+ miles on a single charge which is much more then the average person needs for daily use. If I was in the market for a $65k luxury car, this would be my pick.

The biggest draw back is the charging which takes 30min for a full charge. Which if you charge while you sleep shouldn't be a problem.

but you still have to pay for electricity it isn't free either. $65k for a luxury car i wouldn't even test drive one. s4 for me all day long.

Oh and I'd still have money left over and it's faster

 

[Serpent]

but you still have to pay for electricity it isn't free either. $65k for a luxury car i wouldn't even test drive one. s4 for me all day long.

Oh and I'd still have money left over and it's faster

Sounds like you already made up your mind. I dont know how it is in Ohio, but here in Cali there are charge stations at most work places, (places with 500+ employees). At my work we have a charge station in almost every building.

 

[starnsey]

Also, keep in mind, Tesla plans to have a sub $40k model within the next couple of years.

 

[luke1333]

Sounds like you already made up your mind. I dont know how it is in Ohio, but here in Cali there are charge stations at most work places, (places with 500+ employees). At my work we have a charge station in almost every building.

That photo supports my argument. the tesla would take just over 9 years and 136,xxx miles to start making you money back if my calculations are correct. that is a base tesla too.

and not here in ohio. ive seen maybe 3 charging stations in my life and a couple were at hotels/resorts down south.

 

[FromGTtoSVT]

tesla provides components and batteries for most of the other manufacturer's who make hybrids

Tesla is also about to release a new model that has a much higher range. This means new / more batteries in the car. This is the reason why they are releasing all the information....because it's outdated technology to them....so why not give it away and look like hero's in the process.

 

[Serpent]

That photo supports my argument. the tesla would take just over 9 years and 136,xxx miles to start making you money back if my calculations are correct. that is a base tesla too.

and not here in ohio. ive seen maybe 3 charging stations in my life and a couple were at hotels/resorts down south.

Your first comment was they couldnt sell cars. Just because YOU dont see them in OHIO, doesnt mean they are being sold else where.
Perhaps not everyone in Ohio can spend 70k on a premium electric sedan?

 

[luke1333]

Your first comment was they couldnt sell cars. Just because YOU dont see them in OHIO, doesnt mean they are being sold else where.
Perhaps not everyone in Ohio can spend 70k on a premium electric sedan?

Read the context of my first comment. It was made to them not selling enough cars to make money. The are NOT profitable right now. They lose millions and millions every single quarter. they are apparently not doing something right. and we have a few in my area and I laugh at them. LOL

guess you missed the point I made on your photo. 9 years and 136k miles then you break even WOW


also somebody made the point about a tesla for $40k and I will tell you right now it wont matter if its $40k look at the volt etc etc they cant give those things away.

tesla provides components and batteries for most of the other manufacturer's who make hybrids

Tesla is also about to release a new model that has a much higher range. This means new / more batteries in the car. This is the reason why they are releasing all the information....because it's outdated technology to them....so why not give it away and look like hero's in the process.

and this is true. probably will watch what some private enterprise develops off it and make it better and call it their own

 

[TorchMach]

tesla provides components and batteries for most of the other manufacturer's who make hybrids

Tesla is also about to release a new model that has a much higher range. This means new / more batteries in the car. This is the reason why they are releasing all the information....because it's outdated technology to them....so why not give it away and look like hero's in the process.

If they can have a $40k car with better range and looks good I can see that thing selling like hot cakes.

 

[thomas91169]

If they can have a $40k car with better range and looks good I can see that thing selling like hot cakes.

Id buy the **** out of that car, especially if its anything close to the quality and design aesthetics of the S.

Thats a $550 payment with $0 monthly cost of gas (no down, $40k buy price with 4.49% APR), with a slight increase in energy bill, over the same car in an equal or lesser price range (say $30k) with an extra $250-300/mo in gas.

I dunno where people get to live 5min from work, but ****, even in my fusion I spend $250/mo on gas easy, I drive 100mi/day. So my total monthly cost of my vehicle ends up being closer to $500-550/mo for a fuel efficient vehicle I bought for $14k. You saying I could spend the same monthly amount for a car worth $40k? Who the **** wouldnt?

The only problem for me is range. If I drive to norcal to see family, thats 375mi. Though the TeslaS gets 200 miles per charge. Luckily for me, if I had to, theres Tesla charging stations on the bottom of the Grapevine, smack dab in the middle of my trip. Simply plan accordingly, have dinner/snacks/starbucks at that spot for 20-30min while it recharges. Problem solved.

 

[TorchMach]

That photo supports my argument. the tesla would take just over 9 years and 136,xxx miles to start making you money back if my calculations are correct. that is a base tesla too.

and not here in ohio. ive seen maybe 3 charging stations in my life and a couple were at hotels/resorts down south.

That price difference is $20k so of course your calculations are wrong. The charging stations Tesla provides are free.

Tesla is a relatively new company, to compare it to a well established company (chevy, ford, toyota) wouldn't be fair. Even with Tesla's superior product it still needs to get it's manufacturing down to support demand. To say it isn't profitable isn't correct either.

You'll probably argue that with out tax breaks they wouldn't be profitable, which isn't correct either. Half of the other car manufactures wouldn't be in business either if it wasn't because of the U.S. government directly or indirectly helping.

This is a new company that is barely entering the market. If they already have a better product then the competition, you bet your ass I'm excited to see what else they can come up with along the road. Apple started out with crappy computers and look at them now. Tesla is starting out with a great car, imagine what the future holds.

I don't care if you do or don't like them. I just know this is a step in the right direction.

 

[TorchMach]

Id buy the **** out of that car, especially if its anything close to the quality and design aesthetics of the S.

Thats a $550 payment with $0 monthly cost of gas (no down, $40k buy price with 4.49% APR), with a slight increase in energy bill, over the same car in an equal or lesser price range (say $30k) with an extra $250-300/mo in gas.

I dunno where people get to live 5min from work, but ****, even in my fusion I spend $250/mo on gas easy, I drive 100mi/day. So my total monthly cost of my vehicle ends up being closer to $500-550/mo for a fuel efficient vehicle I bought for $14k. You saying I could spend the same monthly amount for a car worth $40k? Who the **** wouldnt?

The only problem for me is range. If I drive to norcal to see family, thats 375mi. Though the TeslaS gets 200 miles per charge. Luckily for me, if I had to, theres Tesla charging stations on the bottom of the Grapevine, smack dab in the middle of my trip. Simply plan accordingly, have dinner/snacks/starbucks at that spot for 20-30min while it recharges. Problem solved.

Exactly! I would sign off on one of those right away! My commute is about the same as yours but in a Raptor so a $40k Tesla would probably keep me spending the same as I am now. So I would have two cars for the price of one, which I wouldn't mind.

The charging station's would charge your car in 30min and is conveniently located next to restaurants and stuff to keep you entertained.

 

[luke1333]

That price difference is $20k so of course your calculations are wrong. The charging stations Tesla provides are free.

Tesla is a relatively new company, to compare it to a well established company (chevy, ford, toyota) wouldn't be fair. Even with Tesla's superior product it still needs to get it's manufacturing down to support demand. To say it isn't profitable isn't correct either.

You'll probably argue that with out tax breaks they wouldn't be profitable, which isn't correct either. Half of the other car manufactures wouldn't be in business either if it wasn't because of the U.S. government directly or indirectly helping.

This is a new company that is barely entering the market. If they already have a better product then the competition, you bet your ass I'm excited to see what else they can come up with along the road. Apple started out with crappy computers and look at them now. Tesla is starting out with a great car, imagine what the future holds.

I don't care if you do or don't like them. I just know this is a step in the right direction.

how are my calculations wrong?

 

[svtaddict]

i dont think anyone has brought this up but what are the warrantys like on these? i remember the toyota prius's batteries would go bad and they cost like 7 grand to replace. im sure a tesla would be more. so even if it last you say until the warranty runs out what then its only a matter of time to replace all them batteries. big risk over the long run.

 

[luke1333]

i dont think anyone has brought this up but what are the warrantys like on these? i remember the toyota prius's batteries would go bad and they cost like 7 grand to replace. im sure a tesla would be more. so even if it last you say until the warranty runs out what then its only a matter of time to replace all them batteries. big risk over the long run.

you hit it on the head. insane money for warranty and maintenance. and people thought bmw and Audi etc etc were high

http://www.teslamotors.com/service#/roadster-services-and-accessories

 

[Serpent]

once again what's my beater have to do with this??? pretty lame that is the only thing you can come up smh

$70k base price car for a 4.5 mile round trip is just stupid. Remember it takes 9 years and 136k miles to break even over a $50k Audi. Sounds like you would be losing money on telsa

Your cavalier has everything to do with the fact that you drive that to be economical, these tesla owners buy their cars to be economical. They have the money to be "economical" in their sense.

Who cares if it takes 9 years to make up what was spent on the audi. These guys with teslas don't only own one car.
You sound like one of those guys that talks about modding a cheap car to all hell and then be proud you;re faster than a stock $100k car.

Also go back and read where I mentioned anywhere that I would buy this.

We get it, this car isnt for you and you laugh at the drivers because you have out smarted them in your cavalier. :uh oh: