Tesla Motors New Model X.

[FishinHatteras]

I trust many of you watched the un-veiling of the Tesla X tonight?
Sure was nice to see that vehicle come onto the stage pulling a brandy-new 19' AS Bambi.
We cannot continue to rely on fossil fuel. I am sure the big three are watching this very carefully, as are the major oil companies. This vehicle can go from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, has gull wing rear doors, and can travel 250 miles on a single charge. If you saw the un-veiling, you witnessed history.

I welcome & encourage your thoughts on this vehicle.
That was cool as heck to see the surfboard attached to the side of the Bambi!
Sea ya down the road, and this should make for some interesting posts.
Gavin

[idroba]

Originally Posted by FishinHatteras

I trust many of you watched the un-veiling of the Tesla X tonight?
Sure was nice to see that vehicle come onto the stage pulling a brandy-new 19' AS Bambi.
We cannot continue to rely on fossil fuel. I am sure the big three are watching this very carefully, as are the major oil companies. This vehicle can go from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, has gull wing rear doors, and can travel 250 miles on a single charge. If you saw the un-veiling, you witnessed history.

I welcome & encourage your thoughts on this vehicle.
That was cool as heck to see the surfboard attached to the side of the Bambi!
Sea ya down the road, and this should make for some interesting posts.
Gavin

And where does electricity come from? About 85% from fossil fuel.

And I love electric cars, and have driven a Hybrid Toyota Camry since August 2006. Now a Hybrid is not a pure electric, but the energy has to come from someplace. In my case still gasoline. Wind, solar, nuclear and hydro are the only non fossil fuels we have to generate electricity. But most of it comes from coal, natural gas and some from oil.

[overlander63]

There does seem to be a misconception that electricity come from something other than fossil fuels. Just because you don't see it being produced, does not mean that oil/gas/coal/etc is not used to produce it.
Also, the plastic used in building cars is made using oil.
Even most synthetic motor oils use a petroleum-based carrier.

[ALANSD]

Oil is plentiful and accessible more now than ever. It will be around for more than our lifetimes...
Not that I don't appreciate new technology. I think Elon Musk is a freakin genius.

[Gsmblue]

It is a huge step forward. Tesla are changing the game.

The model X looks like a great SUV and will make many people happy.

Does not meet my needs though.

As for the source of energy. That is another debate altogether.

[ROBERT CROSS]

"And where does electricity come from? About 85% from fossil fuel."

And where does the fossil fuel come from?

Bob

[ALANSD]

Dead Dinos

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by ALANSD

Dead Dinos

No Dinos in fossil fuel....we can't 'burn' a dino fossil, it's a fossil after all.

Bob

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by ALANSD

Dead Dinos

Common misconception. Scientists have found petroleum-like hydrocarbons on Titan, one of Saturn's moons, and many carbonaceous asteroids have a composition very similar to coal. There is growing scientific evidence that so-called "fossil fuels" are not and never were the remains of dead animals or plants, but rather naturally occurring geological products.

Which actually makes running out someday even more likely.

[moosetags]

I like the idea of a tow vehicle that is powered by an electric motor. An electric motor operates at full torque at any rpm, making ideal for towing purposes. This is why railroad locomotives use electric motors with batteries charged by Diesel engines.

It's the battery thing that throws the monkey wrench into the works. Battery production and disposal leaves a very large carbon footprint.

Battery technology is the key to the future of electric vehicles.

Brian

[KJRitchie]

Tax payer subsidized Tesla and they loose money on every car they sell. They can't make it on their own. Only the wealthy can afford to purchase just to add another car to their collection of Ferraris and Lamborghinis and only if they are lucky enough to get their name on a list.

The bigger news would be if Tesla came up with a commuter car that could compete in price with average cars and wasn't tax payer funded.

Kelvin

[Chuck]

yeah, but even though the ultimate source may be fossil fuels, its using way less of them to do the work, due to the efficiencies of the electric motors, and the transmission of the energy from its source.
There are people who power their electric cars using the solar panels on their roofs, and there will be more. It can't happen all at once.

[NWGetaways]

Tesla is pushing the envelope for electric vehicles. Their market is wealthy early adopters, whom we all should thank for taking the hit on leading edge products so later advancements can push out to the masses. Thanks!

I think it's awesome that they pulled an Airstream out onto the stage. Is this a practical solution in 2015? No. Could it be in 5-10 years? Absolutely.

Electric vehicles have a number of advantages. They are more efficient than internal combustion vehicles, they concentrate the energy production pollution in one or more places rather than millions of individual vehicles, their current range (outside of the super range of Teslas) actually meet the daily needs of the vast majority of drivers, and can help accelerate the move to cleaner energy sources.

Where I live 100% of our electrical energy comes from clean sources.

[AWCHIEF]

When someone comes out with a fully electric vehicle that is reasonably priced, can carry extra camp equipment in the back, safely tow 6000 pounds, get an honest 500 miles between charges and can be quickly recharged at a campground power post I will consider it as a possible option. Until then they are nothing but expensive feel good toys.

[ericpeltier]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

When someone comes out with a fully electric vehicle that is reasonably priced, can carry extra camp equipment in the back, safely tow 6000 pounds, get an honest 500 miles between charges and can be quickly recharged at a campground power post I will consider it as a possible option. Until then they are nothing but expensive feel good toys.

You've never, ever compromised your lofty standards to do the right thing? Glad I don't live in your world.

With the Tesla P90D, people who want a supercar don't have to compromise. Tesla is headed that direction. But towing requires OODLES of watts, and the batteries just aren't there. Why bash Tesla for that?

[HowieE]

It is very short sighted that we evaluate individual products by their point of use carbon footprint, ie: mph. It would take a Doctoral level thesis or higher to give a truly accurate evaluation. That would have to consider, the energy used in the preparation of all the materials in the manufacture. the energy used to produce it, the annotation of those costs over the useful life of the product, the disposal energy, and lastly the energy actually used in the operation of the product. Ignoring the first 4 of them that I have suggested paints a misleading picture. As misleading as thinking the mph of an electric car is zero.

[Echelon73]

I like the idea of electric vehicles, but feel they are just not practical yet. I agree with moosetags (Brian) when he says the future of electric vehicles depends on the batteries. They need to be lighter, smaller, hold more charge, put off less heat, last through more charging cycles, charge faster, etc. The technology is progressing, but it is just not there yet. A 250 mile range would probably be more like 75 miles towing an airstream in the hills.
We were at the outlet stores in St. Augustine, Florida a few weeks ago. They have a Tesla charging station there. These are supposed to be the super fast chargers. We saw a few cars charging when we walked by. A while later after going to a few stores we walked back by and both cars were still there. That just will not work if the majority of people drove electric cars. I think electric cars has a bright future, but I think it still has a ways to go before we see wide adoption of it for anything other than a city car.

[Gsmblue]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

When someone comes out with a fully electric vehicle that is reasonably priced, can carry extra camp equipment in the back, safely tow 6000 pounds, get an honest 500 miles between charges and can be quickly recharged at a campground power post I will consider it as a possible option. Until then they are nothing but expensive feel good toys.

Rome was not built in a day. Development takes iteration. Iteration takes time. To bring anything like this to the market is amazing. Tesla are creating a high end market today so the rest of us can benefit tomorrow.

The perfect vehicle will not just appear out of the blue, It's like saying in the 1980's "Until someone builds a computer with 1TB of storage I am not interested".

[m.hony]

Originally Posted by ericpeltier

You've never, ever compromised your lofty standards to do the right thing? Glad I don't live in your world.

With the Tesla P90D, people who want a supercar don't have to compromise. Tesla is headed that direction. But towing requires OODLES of watts, and the batteries just aren't there. Why bash Tesla for that?

I'm with Chief on this one.
I love the Prius. It is a great car, but...
Financially it is better to buy a Corolla for less money and use a little more fuel. You would have to own a Prius 10 years or more to justify the cost in "fuel savings" or mpg. The gas/diesel comparison is similar. A gas pickup costs less, uses less expensive fuel (in Mississippi anyway), has less expensive oil changes and no DEF. Buying any new car saying "it gets better gas mileage" is not financially wise. How much gas can I put in a 1973 Oldsmobile V8 before it reaches the price of a new car? Keeping our old cars is environmentally friendly- less in the landfills and junkyards and less natural resources taken from the planet to build new ones. You can stand on wither side of that fence and get the same results.
I love the idea of "going green", but I am not willing to (can't afford to) pay more to do it.
It is great for people who have the financial means to buy a Prius (or Tesla) to make a statement about being friendly too the planet. I don't have the funds to be a tree hugger.
Don't get me wrong. I do what I can in the way of recycling and what have you.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Echelon73

We were at the outlet stores in St. Augustine, Florida a few weeks ago. They have a Tesla charging station there. These are supposed to be the super fast chargers. We saw a few cars charging when we walked by. A while later after going to a few stores we walked back by and both cars were still there. That just will not work if the majority of people drove electric cars.

They probably ARE super-fast chargers. But that doesn't mean the drivers are considerate enough to leave the store to go back outside and unplug and move the car when the charging is complete. Just as easy for them to leave the car plugged in until they're done shopping regardless of how little time it takes to charge the cars.