[dean]

Tesla Motors is releasing a 100% electric car that begins its torque curve at around 180 ft lbs, with about 240 claimed horsepower. I had no idea the technology had progressed this far. Granted, all the eco-heads fail to mention the problem of battery disposal (those batteries are easily as toxic as all the pollutants our gas guzzlers produce), but this seems pretty significant, as it's a sports car rather than an Ed Begley, Jr. golf cart powered by a couple of energizers.

www.teslamotors.com

 

[walkerwhippet]

The catch 22 with Electric cars is that they still have to get charged somewhere. That Energy has to come from somewhere and unless it's Wind or Hydro-Electric (Which America is soooo far behind on), it's going to come from some sort of pollutant, namely Coal. Electric cars won't solve anything. Same goes for hydrogen, because electrolysis (the process of separating hydrogen and oxygen from the water molecule) takes a ton of energy to do as well. We're screwed >

 

[dean]

Their response (can't verify accuracy, due to ignorance):

"Coal, hydro, nuclear, solar, and natural gas are typical sources for generating electricity. Power generation plants, even coal burning ones, are inherently more efficient and less polluting than vehicles due to economies of scale and the ability to more efficiently remove pollutants from a smaller number of much larger fixed locations.

Also, an electric car is far more efficient than a gasoline car, so the amount of pollution generated by producing the electricity to drive an EV a given distance is much less than the pollution from the gasoline to drive an internal combustion car the same distance."

 

[walkerwhippet]

I'm sure the economy of scale has some effect on lowering pollutants, but this country still gets more than 50% of it's power from coal and less than 10% from either Wind, Solar, or Hydroelectric.

 

[Fast Freddie]

Tesla Motors is releasing a 100% electric car that begins its torque curve at around 180 ft lbs, with about 240 claimed horsepower. I had no idea the technology had progressed this far. Granted, all the eco-heads fail to mention the problem of battery disposal (those batteries are easily as toxic as all the pollutants our gas guzzlers produce), but this seems pretty significant, as it's a sports car rather than an Ed Begley, Jr. golf cart powered by a couple of energizers.

www.teslamotors.com

I rode in an electric car that did 140 in the quarter mile. Some of these electric hotrods can reach speeds in excess of 200mph on the quarter I'm told.

 

[Thalo]

That Tesla car sounds almost too good to be true. How much does it cost, $50,000?

 

[GTI MKV]

that is pretty insane. i want one haha.

 

[zulu]

Carbon fiber body panels are not cheap,

250 mile range looks like I'll still need my GTI.

I still want one though. 0-60 in 4 sec with a top speed of 130 = >

 

[10bv01]

Something to ponder....



I think it's awesome that there's technology like this in 2007. Think about this, a 2007 Bugatti Veyron can go from 0-60 in just 2.5 seconds and onto a top speed of over 250mph (achieving something like this is almost literally mind-blowing). This car, 100% electric, can go 130 mph. Now think about this, less than 20 years ago, people didn't know what the word "e-mail" meant, now, life wouldn't be possible without it. For some of us, we will live to see a 2050 Mercedes, 2072 Ferrari, 2081 Porsche. With technology moving at the pace it is, what will we be in store for? What's next? The seemingly best car in the world will be obsolete in 10 years... What could these car companies do to make cars better than they are already? It may seem like we've come pretty far in 100 years, from a horse and buggy to automobiles that defy logic, however, I think we've only scratched the surface of what's to come....

 

[dean]

If we turn the middle east into a sandbox, we may accelerate the pace of innovation a bit.

 

[10bv01]

umm, it kinda already is....

 

[DrJones]

Tesla Motors...

That's cool and all, but I heard the radio just plays "Love Song" over and over again.

 

[DrJones]

umm, it kinda already is....

Indeed.

Sometimes it's a snowy sandbox, and sometimes it's hot, stinky sandbox. Either way, I've personally done my part to blow shit up out there.

Snowy

Hot

 

[dean]

Man, fuck that noise. Kudos to you for handling up out there. I know I couldn't do it. Handing me an M16 and letting me go insane from the glare, heat, and dust wouldn't help the cause a bit.

 

[zulu]

If it's so hot over there then why are you wearing the same stuff as when your playing in the snow???

I think they are straight out of photoshop

 

[DrJones]

If it's so hot over there then why are you wearing the same stuff as when your playing in the snow???

I think they are straight out of photoshop

Well, here on Earth there are these things called seasons that make different parts of the Earth different temperatures at different times of year. But the uniform is the same in that part of the world regardless of whichof these "seasons" it is out there.

 

[GranTurismoInjection]

Did ya kill anybody with your bare hands?

 

[GranTurismoInjection]

Oh, and there's an article on this car in Wired magazine this month.