Tesla to build new electric sedan in Bay Area

[Michael_S]

Originally Posted by emh

Well, the roadster is based on a Lotus Elise. I don't think there was any implications that there wouldn't be heavy modifications involved, but what could Tesla improve on in the supension, steering etc. (other than perhaps using lighter materials)?

The Fusion was updated in January 2007, and any Fusion since then has fantastic crash test ratings.

I'm sure that's reason enough for Tesla to use it as a foundation.

[MonaroSS]

Originally Posted by zete

So, they don't even have the roadster out and available and they're already fantasizing about a sedan. This whole escapade has epic fail written all over it.

And folks in other threads complained that the Volt would be $40k. At least at $40k you get a useful vehicle that can be serviced nationwide and can actually travel nationwide. With the Tesla sedan you have something that's useful in and around town, but if you want to head out further you either have to stop every 200 miles or so and then charge for some unknown length of time or have a second gas-powered vehicle.

All I can say is: "Bah!"

What if Tesla offers them a small trailer with a gasoline Honda generator set in it that extends their range to 800miles?

[Saturn69]

Originally Posted by zete

So, they don't even have the roadster out and available and they're already fantasizing about a sedan. This whole escapade has epic fail written all over it.

And folks in other threads complained that the Volt would be $40k. At least at $40k you get a useful vehicle that can be serviced nationwide and can actually travel nationwide. With the Tesla sedan you have something that's useful in and around town, but if you want to head out further you either have to stop every 200 miles or so and then charge for some unknown length of time or have a second gas-powered vehicle.

All I can say is: "Bah!"

They've started delivery of the customer roadsters, didn't you hear that? They've sold out the first year and are taking orders for 2009 models. Why couldn't you travel nationwide with a Tesla? Someone did it once in an EV1, and it took longer to charge than a Tesla does. So you have to charge every 200 miles. If this all sounds like too much for you, then you aren't the customer they're after. And besides, no one ever said this thing was anything more than a toy.

[johnstarnes]

I am looking forward to seeing the design of the White Star.

[Michael_S]

Originally Posted by Saturn69

They've started delivery of the customer roadsters, didn't you hear that? They've sold out the first year and are taking orders for 2009 models. Why couldn't you travel nationwide with a Tesla? Someone did it once in an EV1, and it took longer to charge than a Tesla does. So you have to charge every 200 miles. If this all sounds like too much for you, then you aren't the customer they're after. And besides, no one ever said this thing was anything more than a toy.

I agree. A 200 mile range is more than enough for commuting. If you can afford a $100,000 electric roadster, you can afford to rent another car when you need to take round trips that are more than 200 miles.

[minnfang]

HELLO!?!? Did everyone miss my post (#13)? The upcoming sedan is supposedly going to be a Volt copycat with a range extending ICE on board. Enough with the short range issue.

[rsbaker]

Originally Posted by DoomsDave

All your points are valid and even though Tesla is a competitor of GM, as a brand new US-based car manufacturer, I wish them nothing but good luck.

I too wish them well. If they are even slightly successful, I suspect that they'll end up being owned by one of the majors, if for no other reason but to get their hand on the battery technology.

[kodos78]

Is this the same company so full of innovation it had to get a Federal Air Bag Exemption? LOL!

http://jalopnik.com/350064/tesla-roa...n-drive-slowly

Personally, I don't think Tesla is ready for prime time. And I also think all cars should have advanced air bags (heck, regular ones too!) as optional equipment if you want to keep the cost out of your vehicle. But it's quite amusing to see the Tesla cheerleaders. They can't get the logic/sensors in an "Advanced Air Bag" to function correctly? These are supposed to be eggheads right?

Tesla thus far has displayed all of the innovation of the dot-com Silicon Valley era. They couldn't get their transmission working either if I recall correctly. And I believe they are still facing lots of lawsuits.

But I do hope they get their act together. As people have mentioned -- they are a US based company, and have the potential to show the rest of the world that we are still the leaders in innovation. I hope they just don't end up with egg on their face.

[SUPERBADD75]

Originally Posted by mgescuro

Be thankful it's an American company innovating and getting product out there. You'd all be pitchin a hissy fit if it was a Japanese or Chinese company.

agreed. we need American companies to be at the front of this. if electric cars are the future, at least for city dwellers, then it would be nothing but good for America if the leaders in the industry were American companies. so whether it be GM or Tesla, or whomever, so what? at least it's not Toyota.

[minnfang]

Sorry Tesla fans, I don't think it's extremely hard to wire a bajillion battery cells together and make an all electric car (especially when you start with someone else's platform). In other words, the Tesla is nothing magical. GM could be producing one right now if they wanted to. Given today's technology, I'm not sure it's a good idea (nor does GM). Having about 6800 individual battery cells on board gives me the willies with respect to reliability.

To me the hard part is the manufacturing engineering, and manufacturing itself (very capital intensive). Tesla has relatively deep pockets for a startup. That is what has separated Tesla from dozens of other groups with good ideas.

Tesla has shown me nothing outstanding on the technical front. Their engineering abilities will really get pushed to the limit if they try producing a sedan with an on-board ICE based range extender. ICE / generator / battery / electric motor integration and ICE certification will really "separate the men from the boys".

That said, I'm glad the "conventional" automakers are being pushed from all sides to provide more efficient vehicles.

[Saturn69]

Wow is it hate in here or is it just me? Somebody open a window or turn on the fan.

[DemonKnightDK]

I still think it would have been easier to make the Volt on the Epsilon platform..

I like how its okay for tesla to have their sedan at 60K while its sacrilige for GM to have theirs at 38-40K.. who would you trust more, honestly, Chevy or some company you have never heard of, which has no proven reliabilty records?

if Ford is letting Tesla use the fusion platform, I would demand it be sold through ford dealers as a Fusion Model T (for Tesla) that would a neat marketing campaign.

[ChevroletRevived]

This is really cool! It'll be awesome to have the manufacturing plant for Tesla here in California. I wish them all the best, I really do want them to succeed. The White Star Model S should be very interesting.

[zete]

Originally Posted by Saturn69

They've started delivery of the customer roadsters, didn't you hear that? They've sold out the first year and are taking orders for 2009 models. Why couldn't you travel nationwide with a Tesla? Someone did it once in an EV1, and it took longer to charge than a Tesla does. So you have to charge every 200 miles. If this all sounds like too much for you, then you aren't the customer they're after. And besides, no one ever said this thing was anything more than a toy.

I've not heard. I heard of one delivery to the CEO of Tesla and then nothing since. If they are delivering, good on them. I did a quick Google search and found nothing on additional deliveries, but I simply may have searched poorly. Wikipedia lists a total of 2 production cars, one to Musk and one other. That's hardly stellar.

I personally don't care if they sold out. I want them to deliver all the ones they sold before I'll believe much of anything. Right now I don't see much happening in that regard.

[zete]

Originally Posted by emh

Well, the roadster is based on a Lotus Elise. I don't think there was any implications that there wouldn't be heavy modifications involved, but what could Tesla improve on in the supension, steering etc. (other than perhaps using lighter materials)?


Aww... c'mon... where's your sense of adventure?? Besides, would you rather they did it how Seattle "builds" software?

Seriously though, there are plenty of Silicon Valley companies that have very rigorous standards for their products, especially in hardware, but many in software as well.

As I age I prefer my adventures to be a bit more relaxed.

I think my standards are just higher than most when it comes to software (and hardware). Being a security researcher I have to deal with poor -- and poorly thought out -- software all the time. Sure it makes Pen Testing, etc. easy but it also makes securing things a nightmare because software -- the world over -- is just poorly built and tested. Most of the testing still seems to happen at the hands of the end-user.

But let's not go there. I could write hundreds of pages on what I've dealt with my past 30 years in the business. And things are WORSE now than ever before.