I have driven the future and it is Tesla

[herbivor]

Tesla named Motor Trend Car of the year. Keep em coming.

[rhE-30]

this car is pretty awesome.

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/2012-tesla-model-s/1422074/

[raleigh29]

no E30.. no care

[JasonC]

Looks like a nice car. But definitely something i don't see myself driving.

[rwh11385]

Not down your way yet Herb but Supercharger network is expanding. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/...nto-east-coast

Following its October launch between the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, the network now includes a station along the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, D.C.

...

Jim Motavalli, writing for The New York Times, described his visit last Friday to the pair of newly activated Tesla Supercharger charging stations in Milford, Connecticut.

Another location opened in Wilmington, Delaware, as well. Each can provide up to 150 miles of range to a properly equipped Model S in about 30 minutes.

That makes it possible to drive the 443 miles from Boston to the nation's capital in a fully electric car, with only an added hour of downtime for charging (and checking mobile devices, and using rest rooms, and getting a soda or snack, and returning phone calls, and ....).

And 2012 was a good year for Plug-Ins. The sector tripled last year's sales with more only a few more models added, with more on the way.

Tesla has some supplier issues but that's growing pains in the industry. They'll be in a good position for the future thought, especially if their network and Elon Musk at the helm. The roadster was a proof of concept with the S half the price and him aiming for even lower in the future.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1081419_plug-in-electric-car-sales-triple-in-2013-as-buyers-models-increase

U.S. car buyers took home about 17,500 plug-in electric cars in 2011.

Last year, the numbers got better.

A lot better.

In 2012, about 53,000 electric cars were likely sold--essentially triple the prior year's number.

Not bad, huh?

We know that at least 50,000 sales of plug-in cars will have been reported by Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota.

We don't have final sales figures from Tesla, and won't until Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] releases its fourth-quarter financial results, most likely in early February.

We also don't have data on electric-car sales from Fisker, Coda, or Wheego.

Chevrolet Volt

Hands down, the Volt has become the most popular plug-in electric car in the U.S.

In December, Chevy sold 2,633 Volts, bringing its year's total to 23,461. That's three times the 7,671 sold in 2011, and it locks the Volt into the leading position among all plug-in cars on sale in the U.S.

But higher in the chart are surging sales of the Ford C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid, which hit the market in October.

It logged November sales of 1,259, meaning its 2012 total could be 2,500 or more--after just three months on the market.

Ford will also have the Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid sedan coming onto the market next year, so its 2013 plug-in hybrid sales should be substantial.

As mentioned - I'm looking forward to Ford's Fusion Energi helping to legitimize the PHEV segment and also provide more cost and value comparisons.

PHEV's are the bridge to get Americans comfortable with EVs and will help more adopt BEVs eventually.

[Waiting for Tesla's quarterly numbers for the Model S...] we're estimating that about 3,000 of the all-electric luxury sport sedan found buyers.

That's lower than Tesla's original goal of 5,000, but enough to put the Model S into fourth place in the plug-in sales chart.

Leaf have been steady but are 3rd place. Mitsubishi's i-MiEV told 588... ALL YEAR.

Cheers.

[decay]

Funny this topic was being discussed at this time. I just (today) spoke with a VP of Oracle that recently purchased the Tesla S (in white). We spoke about it briefly while he showed me the interior and the 2 trunks. One in the front and one in the rear.
Then I asked him about charging times and so forth. He informed me that he was going to have to have a 220 Volt outlet installed in his garage to charge the car as he plug it into a standard 110 Volt outlet and let it charge OVERNIGHT. It charged ten percent of its capacity. When he asked the dealership if a 220 Volt outlet would allow a full charge they said yes it will.

All night long for 10 percent ? WOW! As charging stations are developed for pubilc use I am sure they will be 220 Volt or better powered , but for the average consumer they will need a 220 V outlet to make this feasable.

so you don't need to understand basic math or electricity to be a VP at Oracle.

i wonder if they're hiring.

[herbivor]

I've seen a few driving around town. They look great. Tesla is ambitiously hoping to produce 20,000 this year. Hope they can.

[rwh11385]

I've seen a few driving around town. They look great. Tesla is ambitiously hoping to produce 20,000 this year. Hope they can.

I have a friend in NC and mentioned he had seen them around too.

The biggest issue limiting that is they don't have the experience in dealing with suppliers and supply chain management like the big boys have been through. Hopefully they work it out, but it's a struggle sometimes and with such quick development and design ability, they perhaps wrongly assumed their suppliers would be as professional or able to deliver.

[nando]

suppliers can be a pain in the ass.

for how much money we pay some of these places, 75% of them act like they don't even want our money. I don't get it.

I haven't seen a model S here yet but I'm sure there are a few around. there's been a solar/wind fast charging station by my work for a couple years now.

[87e30]

Electric cars are definitely the way of the future. I'm not sure what all the debate is about...

They aren't exactly my cup of tea but they make a lot of sense as the technology improves. I see Tesla's all around the nicer suburbs of Seattle and they look like a good looking car. As the technology trickles down to a "common" persons car I think it will take off. The Tesla us can be too much even for people that can afford them (friend's parents returned theirs not because of charging issues).

[rwh11385]

suppliers can be a pain in the ass.

for how much money we pay some of these places, 75% of them act like they don't even want our money. I don't get it.

I haven't seen a model S here yet but I'm sure there are a few around. there's been a solar/wind fast charging station by my work for a couple years now.

I dunno, I think some definitely want business - just not too keen on doing the effort to actually accomplish it though. Some old school places are used to taking buyers to the Windsor Ballet but coming short on quality. However, there's some who do good work, responsive and honest, and organized. Too bad they sometimes aren't the cheapest and that's who people target first a lot of the time.

Still, that ability to manage them will come in time. As will influence - not sure Lear, Magna, TRW, or the other potential suppliers feel as much pressure from a small volume customer versus the Big Boys. And I'm not sure on how much DFMEA Tesla did for supplied parts, but people can usually work on improving them to be more idiot-proof and easier for suppliers to deliver.

As the technology trickles down to a "common" persons car I think it will take off.

Indeed - not every car will be a full BEV or even a full hybrid but the technology will help trickle down and improve the fleet, like safety items did. The tech of the early hybrids like Start/Stop have found their way into mainstream cars. Low weight and low cost booster hybridization like e-Assist or Peugeot's Air system will help.

Musk is looking for his third generation EV to be cheaper and more accessible, the Roadster was a Proof of Concept and the Model S while brilliant is just another step in the evolution towards Elon's target, which should be good indicator of the potential of his end goal.

http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/1208_q_and_a_elon_musk_ceo_tesla/viewall.html

If we are successful enough to get to our third-generation vehicle, our $30,000 vehicle, then we'll be able to use the whole [Fremont] plant. It'd be three to four years [from now]. It would be quite similar to the Model S but scaled down. Probably about the size of a BMW 3-series or an Audi A4.
I'd like to try to think of some innovative things we can do on that third-generation vehicle, but the focus will be primarily on having a great car at $30,000, which will require a lot ingenuity. So, we'll be on third-generation powertrain technology, we'll scale up production by an order of magnitude, roughly, and then the car itself will probably be twenty to thirty percent lighter.

Electric cars are definitely the way of the future. I'm not sure what all the debate is about...

They aren't exactly my cup of tea but they make a lot of sense as the technology improves.

I'm not really sure why some people are so critical of technology either. With so much cool stuff we have in the world now and huge potential in the future, why be negative instead of optimistic?

[GillesBigCowboy]

I followed one on hwy 400 on my way home yesterday... Car looked awesome.
It is way out of my price range, but if I was a millionaire, I would def consider it.

I'd really like to see an E30 electric swap kit to have an town errand car.

[Stephen]

I'm not really sure why some people are so critical of technology either. With so much cool stuff we have in the world now and huge potential in the future, why be negative instead of optimistic?

I agree. I work at amazon, in the south lake union business district of Seattle. There a quite a few people whirring around in the Tesla S there, because between the tesla dealer, and the electric car charging stations Amazon is putting in the employee parking garages, electricity is plentiful. You can charge it at home, top it off at work, and use very little energy stuck in gridlock.

For them, its entirely viable. Its a small sample size now, but its a matter of time before price/ network makes its way out to more people.

[rwh11385]

I'd really like to see an E30 electric swap kit to have an town errand car.

I actually laid out an electric E30 for fun and got some inspiration online. There's a dozen here: http://www.evalbum.com/type/BMW Most seem to be built similarly - although cost is up there...

However, this one is a bit different:

http://www.evalbum.com/3499

http://www.gizmag.com/old-bmw-worlds-quickest-ev/24594/

The e-M3 puts out 600 horsepower and 664 lb-ft (900 Nm) of torque in its current tune. It launches to 62 mph (100 k/mh) in 3.3 seconds – faster than a Ferrari 458 Italia – and tops out around 174 mph (280 km/h).

1/4 mile in 11.808 seconds

Of course, that's not the best part:

Before he ever began work on the thrilling Rimac Concept_One electric supercar, Rimac Automobili founder Mate Rimac converted an old BMW E30 to an electric speed demon.

http://www.rimac-automobili.com/concept_one/introduction-20

http://www.gizmag.com/1100-hp-rimac-electric-supercar-order/22334/

all-electric, 1,088 hp, Croatian supercar

After our first encounter with the Rimac Concept One last year, you could be forgiven maintaining some healthy skepticism on the performance specs quoted. Every claim about the car was difficult to digest: 2,800 lb-ft (3,500 Nm) of torque, 1,088-hp, 0-to-62 mph (100 km/h) in 2.8 seconds, 372 miles (600 km) of range, all from a fully electric car. That just doesn't happen in today's world.

But it looks like Rimac is determined to prove all naysayers wrong.

It'll be awesome if all of those claims come into reality. Definitely exciting times - and great to see Tesla inspiring others.

[nando]

the designer of that car is only 25 years old!

meanwhile, the 20-something year old haters in this thread are taking a bong rip in their mom's basement. Why go outside? their E30s don't run anyway. :p