bagwell

http://insideevs.com/tesla-model-s-g...r-testimonial/

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Structually it is one of the best. The head man that developed the Ford GT also did this Tesla S and it's structure

spwolf

road debris is very uncommon... luckily it punctured battery under the engine, not in the middle of the car where there would be no firewall to protect the passengers.

JGard18

All I can add is that I drove one, instantly fell in love with it, told the wife how much it'd cost per month to buy, and instantly got rejected. haha

So I've ended up with my Lexus, which I'm very happy with so far, but man that Model S is a thing of wonder. The acceleration and overall driving dynamics are otherworldly. It was like driving a full-sized RC car/cell phone. The car guy in me loved the performance and styling. The techie in me loved the multiple screens and gadgets included in the car.

They will be introducing an "affordable" model in 3-4 years time, expected cost of $35k. Hopefully it looks and performs better than the Leaf does, that's all I can say about that.

Otherwise, I'm going to hope for my TSLA stock to keep going up and fund a hefty down payment on a Model S in maybe 4-5 years from now. Maybe... Wife will probably still say no it's too expensive. haha

65lucille

I was going to order a Lexus Hybrid or all Electric (if they ever have one) but I just drove a Tesla Model S and Man what a ride. I heard the guy in seattle was doing over 100 when he hit that large piece of metal and car was still smart enough to tell him to pull over etc. The only think I did not like was getting in an out was a little harder than my Lex. I may wait for the model X for the wings. If Tesla can ramp up that 65KW model goes over 200 miles and if the X anything like the Model S the RX Hydrid may have some issue.

The entire engineering approach and (Design is very classic) look/feel was taken from a IT and user point of view. Someone really thought this one out.

65lucille

I was in seattle and was told the guy was doing over 100 when he hit the piece of metal. I believe it. Given I know Seattle very well and that stretch of road. Tesla has I think three stores in Seattle and the service center. I don't my lex would have come out a good if I had hit that same piece of metal at over a 100.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Elon Musk buys James Bond's Lotus submarine, wants to install Tesla powerplant

Remember when we reported the long-lost-but-found-again Lotus Esprit submarine used in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me had sold at auction in London for $966,560 (well, $863,000 plus a 12-percent buyer's premium)? At the time, the buyer's identity remained a mystery, but Jalopnik has reported and confirmed that the man with money to burn is none other than billionaire Elon Musk, CEO of both Tesla Motors and SpaceX. What's even more shocking (maybe not for Musk) is that he wants to install a Tesla electric powertrain in it and make it transform into a road-going car.

The story of the submersible Lotus' journey from movie star to prized possession of the eccentric Musk is remarkable. After filming ended in the '70s, the car was shipped to Long Island, NY and placed in a storage container that was paid in advance by the studio for 10 years. After the money ran out, the contents of the container were sold off Storage Wars-style in 1989 and won by an area couple. It was shown in public on occasion throughout the years, but its value remained a mystery until the gavel fell in London last month. While far from the most valuable Bond car to be auctioned off (that honor goes to the Aston Martin DB5 used in Goldfinger and Thunderball, which sold for $4.6 million at auction in 2010), the Lotus submarine is definitely the most unique.

Also worth noting is that the Lotus sub is more than just a prop. Without the aid of CGI, the film's producers needed an actual submarine that looked like a Lotus Esprit, and so they hired a company called Perry Oceanographic in Florida to build it and hired former US Navy Seal Don Griffin to pilot the sub during the film.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/10/18/e...to-install-te/

NewSpace

4GS F Sport has lost the battle. I was set on getting one, but got bit by the Tesla bug. I'm going to get a Tesla Model S instead. The folks on www.teslamotorsclub.com are as passionate and helpful as the CL members. I had decided on the P85, but the friendly Tesla-ites are pushing me to consider the P85+. I'm about to cave in. Any opinions here on the "+"? Have any of you guys driven the + version?

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I'm always for more performance. + all the way!

JessePS

Courtesy of Stuff

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk: Fuel cells are 'so bull*****'

Elon Musk is unafraid to speak his mind. Whether he's talking about other players in the electric vehicle space or sub-par reporting from The New York Times, this is a man with few filters. To further illustrate this point we need look no further than yesterday's address to an enthusiast crowd at a Tesla service center in Germany.

Speaking about the need for speed in getting out the word about the viability of electric cars and the importance of sustainable transport, Musk said people need to see that EVs are the next step, instead of just thinking we can burn hydrocarbons until they're all gone. And don't get him started on people who convince themselves that fuel cells are a solution. "Oh god, a fuel cell is so bull*****", Musk said, before going on a short tangent illustrating his reasons.

After commenting that the only reason some automakers are pursuing hydrogen technology is for marketing purposes, that lithium batteries are superior mass and volume-wise for a given range, and that fuel cells are too expensive, Musk capped it all off with the safety issue. "Hydrogen is quite a dangerous gas. you know, it's suitable for the upper stage of rockets, but not for cars," he said.

Of course, the Tesla CEO wasn't in the Bundesrepublik Deutschland just to rag on hydrogen fuel cells. In fact, in light of recent low sales figures in that country, this visit was important to show the company's commitment to that market and in this respect Musk did not disappoint, letting loose a number of cats from the idiomatic bag.

With sales ambitions stretching to 200-300 cars per week by the end of 2014, Musk announced that he was sending over his top engineering team to develop an Autobahn-tuning package that would then be freely offered to existing and future Model S owners. He did not mention exactly what this would entail, but did say it would offer improved high-speed handling. We hope it might also allow for repeated high-speed accelerations without artificial power limiting, as can happen now.

With higher speeds comes reduced range, so Musk assured the audience that the German Supercharger network, now breaking ground on the first six installations, would be fully installed by the end of 2014. Consisting of between 40 and 50 stations, these stations will allow the entire German population to be within reach of a quick-charge and not have to drive more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) to get to the next. The power from the electron pumps would also be increased to 135 kW – up from today's 120 kW – with further increases in output expected in the future. Other infrastructure improvements include a large investment in Tesla service center locations. The stated goal, by the end of next year, is to have 80 percent of the population within 100 km (62 miles) of a service facility. More details should be released Thursday.


http://green.autoblog.com/2013/10/22...e-so-bull****/

spwolf

I love Tesla, but Musk is often full of crap.... that is, whenever there is something bad about Tesla or EVs, he attacks it without regard of anything. Be that crashes, failing batteries or competition.

That is not a way to last long in the industry.

yowps3

Tesla Model S reminds of the first Lexus LS400 and Japaneae cars in general of that era. Every aspect was perfected and both have coolness to them.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Sort of how I see it. It's the LS400 of Electric vehicles

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

How to buy a Tesla in Texas, a 'grey-market guide'

The Lone Star state has got both Tesla Motors and buyers of its Model S electric vehicles feeling like a bunch of outlaws. Texas has what's regarded as the most stringent laws prohibiting automakers from owning dealerships and is putting both Model S buyers and Tesla store and service-center operators through the proverbial wringer. There are ways around the law, though, as you can read on Green Car Reports.

In Texas, Tesla retail stores aren't allowed to disclose prices, conduct test drives or even talk about purchasing or leasing options to prospective customers. In fact, Texas messes with Tesla service centers so much that they can't advertise themselves as, well, Tesla service centers and can't display Tesla logos, nor can they make service appointments (those must be done through Tesla's California headquarters). Meanwhile, Texas Model S buyers get their cars shipped to them with no license plates, with temporary registration, with no new-owner orientation and often with a layer of dirt on the sedans.

Tesla has delayed enforcement of similar laws in states like Massachusetts, New York and North Carolina, and CEO Elon Musk is ready to lobby Congress to get such laws changed on a federal level. Still, while Tesla has gone to Texas to try to sway legislators, the company has spent less than half of what dealership entities have spent in the state on lobbying efforts, leaving the status quo in place. Texas will revisit the dealership law in 2015.

http://green.autoblog.com/2013/10/23...-market-guide/