Can't wait for Tesla model S to come out

[bloods vs crips]

http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/07/technology/tesla_profitability/

There was a worry for a year or so that they weren't going to make it as a company. It appears now that they have enough cash on hand to develop the Sedan model later this year.

I will be buying one of these when they are available.

Any thoughts or other news?

[mpodlesny]

so you will be basically transferring the use of gasoline to coal powered electrical plants

[Jabbamagnus]

Looks nice, but I don't spend $50k on any car.

[WhiteHatBobby]

Tesla took federal government cash (part of the same cash that Ford and Nissan took) for development of "green jobs" by making electric cars. They also received a boost by Mercedes, which agreed to use the electric system for the Smart Fortwo.

[AZslim]

so you will be basically transferring the use of gasoline to coal powered electrical plants

Or hydroelectric, or solar, or geothermal, or fusion. The nice thing about switching cars to electricity is that they will still work when fossil fuels are not being used to generate it.

[Gengar]

Sorry... I'll keep my Nissan without cats... :D

[7426k]

Outstanding. I hope they can get that Sedan to market.

[7426k]

Or hydroelectric, or solar, or geothermal, or fusion. The nice thing about switching cars to electricity is that they will still work when fossil fuels are not being used to generate it.
and even if the generating plant is burning fossil fuels, it's delivering power far more efficiently than an auto engine and therefore using far less fossil fuels.

[bloods vs crips]

so you will be basically transferring the use of gasoline to coal powered electrical plants

Which is a LOT cheaper, and electric generation can be easily supplimented, gasoline cannot.

A viable electric commuter vehicle will really encourage people to think about their electric usage, and potentially adding to their own electric grid. I have a friend who has a stationary bike running a few appliances. He does several miles on the bike everyday, getting both good exercise and cheaper electric bills. Obviously this is a little "hippy," but it shows the possibilities of supplimenting electricity.

[bloods vs crips]

Tesla took federal government cash (part of the same cash that Ford and Nissan took) for development of "green jobs" by making electric cars. They also received a boost by Mercedes, which agreed to use the electric system for the Smart Fortwo.

Yes, they sold a 10% stake to Daimler for support in an electric Smart car.

The DoE money is a seperate issue intended to spark development of the Sedan model.

[Marijuana_MyAntiDrug]

http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/07/technology/tesla_profitability/

There was a worry for a year or so that they weren't going to make it as a company. It appears now that they have enough cash on hand to develop the Sedan model later this year.

I will be buying one of these when they are available.

Any thoughts or other news?

The ceo of Tesla (Elon Musk) comes to where i work 2 to 3 times a week and I take care of his car for him. I've been lucky enough to drive all the Tesla models, CRAZY QUICK cars. The dealership is 4 miles from my house.

[mpodlesny]

Which is a LOT cheaper, and electric generation can be easily supplimented, gasoline cannot.

A viable electric commuter vehicle will really encourage people to think about their electric usage, and potentially adding to their own electric grid. I have a friend who has a stationary bike running a few appliances. He does several miles on the bike everyday, getting both good exercise and cheaper electric bills. Obviously this is a little "hippy," but it shows the possibilities of supplimenting electricity.
who said anything about cost?

[bloods vs crips]

and even if the generating plant is burning fossil fuels, it's delivering power far more efficiently than an auto engine and therefore using far less fossil fuels.

this seems so obvious to me

[bloods vs crips]

who said anything about cost?

It's obviously relevant when discussing electric generation, alternative vehicles and the like.

[VCaddy05]

Which is a LOT cheaper, and electric generation can be easily supplimented, gasoline cannot.

A viable electric commuter vehicle will really encourage people to think about their electric usage, and potentially adding to their own electric grid. I have a friend who has a stationary bike running a few appliances. He does several miles on the bike everyday, getting both good exercise and cheaper electric bills. Obviously this is a little "hippy," but it shows the possibilities of supplimenting electricity.


LOL!!! are you serious! thats classic!! I love it, hell id acutally like to learn how to set that up.

[mpodlesny]

LOL!!! are you serious! thats classic!! I love it, hell id acutally like to learn how to set that up.
Its actually easy....its done with magnets wrapped by copper wire...its basic electric creation through transfer of energy.

[VCaddy05]

Its actually easy....its done with magnets wrapped by copper wire...its basic electric creation through transfer of energy.

right, iknow how a small scale electric motor works, but id like to figure out how to run my house from it.

[bloods vs crips]

LOL!!! are you serious! thats classic!! I love it, hell id acutally like to learn how to set that up.

You should see what some people have come up with to help their electric needs. Homemade windmills, roof mounted plastic pipes to heat water, pipes drilled deep into the ground with little fans to bring up cool air.

Hell, there are entire towns in Northern Canada completely off the grid. You can buy the blueprint from a company and they'll help you set up the whole thing.

[Getty Girl]

http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/07/technology/tesla_profitability/

There was a worry for a year or so that they weren't going to make it as a company. It appears now that they have enough cash on hand to develop the Sedan model later this year.

I will be buying one of these when they are available.

Any thoughts or other news?


yes, please don't buy a blue one.

[VCaddy05]

You should see what some people have come up with to help their electric needs. Homemade windmills, roof mounted plastic pipes to heat water, pipes drilled deep into the ground with little fans to bring up cool air.

Hell, there are entire towns in Northern Canada completely off the grid. You can buy the blueprint from a company and they'll help you set up the whole thing.

Oh yea, im sure! ive seen some people with some pretty cool ****, i like the bike idea though cracked me up

[bloods vs crips]

right, iknow how a small scale electric motor works, but id like to figure out how to run my house from it.

that would take a lot of energy. Maybe a family of 5 could all do some work or something lol.

Every little bit helps obviously.

[snagswolf]

I'm not getting into anything made by Tesla. It might create an identical clone of me, and I don't think any of you want two of me around.

[VCaddy05]

that would take a lot of energy. Maybe a family of 5 could all do some work or something lol.

Every little bit helps obviously.

LOL yea i meant for just a bit of time, not the whole day haha... like charging your car up or just a bit to reduce your electric bill.

[TheModerateOne]

50 grand is a lot of money. I support them in principle but one day the price needs to be reasonable.

[Athomedad]

Or hydroelectric, or solar, or geothermal, or fusion. The nice thing about switching cars to electricity is that they will still work when fossil fuels are not being used to generate it.
How many new hydroelectric, solar, geothermal, or fusion plants would you need to power lets say 100 million cars?

[bloods vs crips]

50 grand is a lot of money. I support them in principle but one day the price needs to be reasonable.

$50k for a luxury, high tech commuter sedan that goes as far as one tank of gas for a fraction of the cost isn't reasonable?

Obviously $50k is a very expensive car, but for those in the market for BMW, Mercedes etc, it's quite reasonable, especially for the specs.

And these types of products always need pioneer consumers to drive the cost down and increase economies of scale for the company.

[sironin]

LOL!!! are you serious! thats classic!! I love it, hell id acutally like to learn how to set that up.

The easiest way to get started is to have your electrician install a cut out transformer that will let you safely connect various electric generators to your house and the grid (in complete outages, the cutout cuts your generators from the grid so that technicians can safely make repairs on what they assume to be a dead line).

From there you can piecemeal add any sort of generator you want. Everything from bicycle generators to miniature hydroelectric ponds. If you understand the basics of a DC electric motor, you know all you need to know about extracting electricity from rotational movement. Beyond that, there are some decent tutorials on the internets on how to build your own solar panel too.

Don't have high expectations to start though. You'll never power the average home with a bicycle generator (or even a single major appliance). But you might be able to slow the rate your meter spins a little while getting some decent exercise. A diverse combination of homemade power generators could eventually have a significant impact on your energy bill and could be a lot of fun to build.

[Dragon1963]

One of the nicest things about the Teslas is the fact that they use lithium ion technology instead of lead/acid. This gives the Teslas more power, a lighter battery array, and shorter recharge times.
I'm going to be in the market for a new car in 2012 so if Tesla is still in business and I can afford a model S I will get one.

[pattyk]

Which is a LOT cheaper, and electric generation can be easily supplimented, gasoline cannot.

A viable electric commuter vehicle will really encourage people to think about their electric usage, and potentially adding to their own electric grid. I have a friend who has a stationary bike running a few appliances. He does several miles on the bike everyday, getting both good exercise and cheaper electric bills. Obviously this is a little "hippy," but it shows the possibilities of supplimenting electricity.

after cap and trade, electricity will be very very expensive.

I call BS on your friend and the bike. sorry, not to be rude.

[Samm]

Or hydroelectric, or solar, or geothermal, or fusion. The nice thing about switching cars to electricity is that they will still work when fossil fuels are not being used to generate it.

When fossil fuels are not being used to generate it there will be half as much electricity to go around. You will probably pay as much to "fuel" your electric car as you do to fuel your gas guzzler.

[Samm]

after cap and trade, electricity will be very very expensive.

I call BS on your friend and the bike. sorry, not to be rude.

Me too patty... a human cannot produce enough power over time to do much more than energize a small TV... while they are pedaling. Nobody is going to save anything significant on their electric bill with a exercise machine generator unless they have a non-stop line of people coming in to run it continuously.

[sironin]

after cap and trade, electricity will be very very expensive.

I call BS on your friend and the bike. sorry, not to be rude.

It is possible for minor appliances like a toaster, a blender, any electric razor, cell phone chargers, etc. You'd need about two to three people for the average low power consumption netbook/laptop. And about 5-10 people to manage a small microwave. Ultimately human powered electric generation is more of a good excuse to get a good work out and a way to get the toe in the water of personal power generation.

[7426k]

It is possible for minor appliances like a toaster, a blender, any electric razor, cell phone chargers, etc. You'd need about two to three people for the average low power consumption netbook/laptop. And about 5-10 people to manage a small microwave. Ultimately human powered electric generation is more of a good excuse to get a good work out and a way to get the toe in the water of personal power generation.

I don't know much if anything about the power consumption involved with most appliances, nor do I remember a single solitary thing from science classes that taught me the relation between watts, volts, amps etc...etc....

But I do happen to know a bit about power output by cyclists. A good recreational rider can put out 200-250W for a period of an hour. A top level cyclist can put out 300-400. Isn't that a more than sufficient amount to run your average appliance? Or am I using the wrong figures / wrong scale etc....?

[sironin]

I don't know much if anything about the power consumption involved with most appliances, nor do I remember a single solitary thing from science classes that taught me the relation between watts, volts, amps etc...etc....

But I do happen to know a bit about power output by cyclists. A good recreational rider can put out 200-250W for a period of an hour. A top level cyclist can put out 300-400. Isn't that a more than sufficient amount to run your average appliance? Or am I using the wrong figures / wrong scale etc....?

Sound about right. The average laptop can take anywhere from 100watt to 300watt, and small appliances a lot less. However, for a frame of reference, a 75watt incandescent bulb takes 75watt. A microwave or air conditioner can take anywhere from 800 watt to 1200 watt.

[7426k]

Sound about right. The average laptop can take anywhere from 100watt to 300watt, and small appliances a lot less. However, for a frame of reference, a 75watt incandescent bulb takes 75watt. A microwave or air conditioner can take anywhere from 800 watt to 1200 watt.

Oh....wow. That's a lot of power. It's amazing to me that it can take three times the amount of energy produced on a bike to run a simple air conditioner. Gives some good perspective - and makes my rides seem rather feeble!

[sironin]

Oh....wow. That's a lot of power. It's amazing to me that it can take three times the amount of energy produced on a bike to run a simple air conditioner. Gives some good perspective - and makes my rides seem rather feeble!

Well if you're an average cyclist and you manage to get 200w for an hour you've just generated 200watthours. That's enough to run a 1200watt microwave for 10 minutes, which isn't bad. And 6 guys doing 200w for an hour simultaneously will have enough juice to power the air conditioner for their entire exercise. Of course if those guys want lights and a radio too, they'll probably need a couple more guys.

[Samm]

Well if you're an average cyclist and you manage to get 200w for an hour you've just generated 200watthours. That's enough to run a 1200watt microwave for 10 minutes, which isn't bad. And 6 guys doing 200w for an hour simultaneously will have enough juice to power the air conditioner for their entire exercise. Of course if those guys want lights and a radio too, they'll probably need a couple more guys.

Yeah, but you have to deduct the power used to heat enough water for 6 sweaty guys to shower after they have exercised for an hour. ;)

[sironin]

Yeah, but you have to deduct the power used to heat enough water for 6 sweaty guys to shower after they have exercised for an hour. ;)

A hand pump and an open, black bottomed water trough on a sunny day could fix that problem ;)

[Athomedad]

Sure did take a lot of science and innovation to get us to Gilligan's Island.

[camarozz]

and even if the generating plant is burning fossil fuels, it's delivering power far more efficiently than an auto engine and therefore using far less fossil fuels.

You may need to do some more research on that...

Although you do have part of that right, automobile engines are highly inefficient.

[camarozz]

I don't know much if anything about the power consumption involved with most appliances, nor do I remember a single solitary thing from science classes that taught me the relation between watts, volts, amps etc...etc....

But I do happen to know a bit about power output by cyclists. A good recreational rider can put out 200-250W for a period of an hour. A top level cyclist can put out 300-400. Isn't that a more than sufficient amount to run your average appliance? Or am I using the wrong figures / wrong scale etc....?

first you need to define your "average appliance". A hair dryer uses a minimum of 1500 watts, a toaster about 1000 watts, although a efficient lcd tv could be run on a bicycle generator; maybe even a small laptop. Your refrigerator uses about 500 watts, and so on.

Your numbers may be right for power production, but try to make it usable is another story.

[camarozz]

Well if you're an average cyclist and you manage to get 200w for an hour you've just generated 200watthours. That's enough to run a 1200watt microwave for 10 minutes, which isn't bad. And 6 guys doing 200w for an hour simultaneously will have enough juice to power the air conditioner for their entire exercise. Of course if those guys want lights and a radio too, they'll probably need a couple more guys.

that is only applicable it you could store the energy for the microwave, and the airconditioner for those 6 guys would cough and sputter the entire time if it were to be big enough to cool them in the first place, not to mention they would really have to be in great shape to generate the full power. As you load a generator, it takes more "power" to spin it, so it would be better to have 12 guys trying to produce the 1200 watts continuous.

Wow, that sounds efficent...

[camarozz]

Sound about right. The average laptop can take anywhere from 100watt to 300watt, and small appliances a lot less. However, for a frame of reference, a 75watt incandescent bulb takes 75watt. A microwave or air conditioner can take anywhere from 800 watt to 1200 watt.

And remember, that is continuous, so the load on your generator has to spin the same or more to produce that. If it goes slower, you loose the power and things stop working right.

Power = Current * Voltage

[7426k]

Well if you're an average cyclist and you manage to get 200w for an hour you've just generated 200watthours. That's enough to run a 1200watt microwave for 10 minutes, which isn't bad. And 6 guys doing 200w for an hour simultaneously will have enough juice to power the air conditioner for their entire exercise. Of course if those guys want lights and a radio too, they'll probably need a couple more guys.

So you're saying that I need to pay six smelly guys to sit in my basement and pedal all day long? Maybe that nuclear plant isn't such a bad idea afterall.;)

[camarozz]

So you're saying that I need to pay six smelly guys to sit in my basement and pedal all day long? Maybe that nuclear plant isn't such a bad idea afterall.;)

With our current technologies, nuclear can produce more power on one acre of land than any other souce of electricity.

Our dams produce 1.2 GIGA watts of continuous power, but it is a mile across the river, not to mention all the other political bull that goes with damming a river.

To give you a scale, the average household here uses between 3000-5000 watts a day, or about 8000 KILOwatts a year.

[sironin]

So you're saying that I need to pay six smelly guys to sit in my basement and pedal all day long? Maybe that nuclear plant isn't such a bad idea afterall.;)

Well if you set it up as a proper gym, those guys could be paying you.

[Samm]

Well, it looks like bloods vs crips' claim of his friend lowering his electric bills with his stationary bike has been thoroughly debunked... ;)

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