How to take a Tesla on a road trip

Every time I see a Tesla on the road, more often than not I think of the band and that song they sang.....

Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs
F*&$n' up the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign....

Now I would like to see the next car manufacturer name themselves "Warrant" or maybe even "QueensRyche".... now I would buy that car !

 

FAIL.

http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/tesla-motors-pays-its-government-loann

 

Hard to call it a fail if they paid it off with money the government gave them from carbon tax credits and buyer subsidies (increase in sales). Also, would they have been able to pay the loan off early or as early if they had an interest rate that most companies pay?

 

Omigod, are u dating Elon? Yeah, they paid the loan. Why don't you give me a free loan, then if the business takes off I'll pay you back early by raising capital, after I know that the company is gonna make money so I can get you off my back!

http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevesc...-pony-up-100m-as-part-of-tesla-capital-raise/

 

That is the only way you can take an enjoyable road trip of any distance in a Tesla

I have a few friends that have them, Trying to keep up with the Vanderbilt' s

They are NOT happy with their new electricty bill at the house #-o

Most of them wish they picked up a real sports car with all that cash.

IMO a Tesla would be cool if it was like 27K

 

The Teslas are reeeeally neat cars. Electric cars in general are an interesting idea, and for locations with lots of sunshine for solar power generation they can make sense. You could have municipal solar generation and plug your car in where ever you park.

However, I don't think electric/battery-operated cars are the overall way to go. Hydrogen beats it IMO (fuel cell or otherwise)...

zero emissions from hydrogen combustion
longer range possible compared to electric
you'll win over more of the populace more quickly*
hydrogen can be generated using solar power, and shipped/transported to supplement in areas that get less sunlight

*We're creatures of habit - we are used to going to a gas station to fill 'er up. Simply (ha!) convert from gasoline to hydrogen stations, and we continue with our routine. Also, I believe this will be cheaper for the consumer than electric, and it beats anything else on emissions.

Oh well, what do I know? Hydrogen economy??? Fppfpttt!

 

Would, Ford, Chevy, or Chrysler still exist as we know them if not for the government bailout and huge amounts of other government subsidies? I think not.

 

Hydrogen is probably the better way to go but unfortunately many people associate hydrogen with the Hindenberg. Also there's an infrastructure problem but that could be solved over time if the demand is there.

For those complaining about the government assistance, keep in mind the fossil fuel industry is also subsidized.

 

Personally I don't see anything wrong with providing a little government assistance to get a new industry going until it reaches the critical mass and can breath on it's own. Without the Manhattan project, there would not be a nuclear power industry. Foreign companies like Samsung, Hyndai, and Airbus are all heavily subsidized by their home governments. If a US based company like Tesla that makes a good product needs a little assistance, I say let's help them get it off the ground. GM on the other hand, I say let it die.

Would I invest in Tesla? Only if carbon batteries are no longer science fiction.

 

Many opinions both ways which is great. I may be wrong, and missed out investing in the new Ford of the new century. Oh, well. My loss.

 

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-22/tesla-pays-off-its-465-million-loser-loan

Now tell me about GM and Fisker. Don't act like this company is a leech.

 

Of course the answer is no (at least for GM & Chrysler), but the better questions are

A) would they be better companies for having gone through a proper bankruptcy reorganization (I think so), and
B) would the rest of the country be better off if the rules applied to everyone, not just the well-connected (absolutely).

Musk took advantage of the available technology and the political landscape that he was given, and made something of it. Figuring out that electric cars are luxury cars shouldn't have been hard for the big guys to figure out, but it was.

 

One can't have an opinion these days without getting someone elses panty in a bunch. Fisker would have been as successful as Tesla, if their cars didnt burn down. Now all those loans to Fisker are in default, and no single individual shareholder is in the hole for it. A pretty sweet deal.

How sweet was the Tesla deal. Elon Musk and Co. put in $ 2M dollars to incorporate Tesla. http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000119312510017054/dex31.htm

Soon after, they got a $ 456m dollar government guaranteed loan to do business.

Sounds pretty sweet to me. The fact that they paid it off says many things. One of which is that the loan made Musk and Co. $ 500,000,000 from only $ 2 million risked. Correct my math if I'm wrong, that a 25,000% return on investment. Which was then backed by subsidies to buyers to buy their products. I'd take them odds too. Wouldnt you?

Elon Musk can smell money when he sees it. And these days, that money is with the government. I'd take the easy money too if I could get it. Sadly, I don't have those sort of connections. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles...73210.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection

 

I eat dinner and watch TV with my Tesla!

My wife's name is thesla. So every road trip with her has a thesla along!

 

Bing, you're awesome, but that's a strange statement! You might be able to replicate the fundamentals of the powerplant, but none of us could replicate the whole - which is infinitely greater than the sum of its parts.

The Tesla Model S has taken off here in SoCal because it's a beautiful car that is nicely refined inside to attract those Mercedes/BMW afficianados with enough performance to impress on a test drive. The genius is - You can feel just as smug as driving a Prius, and just as "look at me" wealthy as a BMW or Merc driver, but with the initial exclusivity of a Maybach (The Tesla is already more common, so that "exclusivity" is fading a little). It is the perfect combination for wealthy SoCal housewives (and their boy-toys) who are supremely concerned with image. "Look at me! I'm relatively wealthy AND concerned about the environment AND I have discerning tastes..." Top it off with being able to buy one at Fashion Island after valet parking your Range Rover and you have hit the goldmine combination for pretentious wealth!!!!!

 

No "Thanks" for you buddy. That body slam hurt....... a little bit

 

Ooops sorry. Softened it a bit for ya. I still think you're a mechanical genius and all around great guy, if that matters. :wave:

 

Nailed it...same car at Laguna Seca today.

Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk

 

http://youtu.be/YJT4OtufDss

After just a third of the 14-mile lap, the Model S went into a reduced-power mode to help preserve the battery. Even up to that point, things weren't exactly going swimmingly--Holland described the car to Jalopnik as too heavy (it weighs in around the 4,700 lb mark), too short of mechanical grip and devoid of steering feel. But he wasn't without praise for the electric sedan. Holland suggests the car is capable of a 9-minute lap if it doesn't overheat, and that as a brand new car from a company that didn't exist a decade ago--one not at all designed for track use--it's still an impressive vehicle.

read more... https://autos.yahoo.com/news/n-rburgring-proves-too-much-tesla-model-video-160010563.html

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE_u731EmYA

Exploding batteries! The car split in frickin two!