the coolest effin' ride EVER!

[MindPilot]

http://www.teslamotors.com/

How fast is it?
Zero to 60 mph in about 4 seconds with a top speed of over 130 mph*. But this is not the whole story. Because it has no clutch and a very wide, flat torque curve, the acceleration of the Tesla Roadster is much more available to enjoy: just step on the accelerator and go - no matter what speed you are driving, no matter what gear you are in, the acceleration is instantaneous.

* We are currently in the midst of the important and time-consuming safety and durability testing for the Tesla Roadster. While we are confident of our numbers, this testing may require design changes that affect the final specifications.

How do you recharge it?
Unlike EVs of the past, the Tesla Roadster has a built-in battery charging system that can basically plug into any outlet. The car ships with a particularly easy to use connection system that is installed in your garage by a qualified electrician. There is also an optional mobile charging kit that allows you to charge from any available electrical outlet (110V or 220V) wherever you happen to be.

How long does it take to recharge?
That depends on how far the battery has been discharged and what source is being used to charge the batteries. A full charge using the home system can be achieved in as little as 3.5 hours.

However, an electric car is a bit like a cell phone: it does not matter how long it takes to charge as long as a charge lasts all day. You plug it in when you get home, and unplug it when you leave in the morning. This is why the 250-mile range of the Tesla Roadster revolutionizes EVs: you just don't need to think about charging up at Costco, Fry's, or at work.

[longship]

1. You too can flip this vehicle over in the diamond lane.

This is typical. Totally impractical, high performance, testosterone enhancing design.

All marketing. No practicality.

Why don't they build a vehicle that us normal people can use?

I don't need to go fucking 0-60 in four seconds or 135 miles per hour.

Just get me to work and back, hopefully with fellow ride-poolers.

Plus, the damned thing will probably cost upwards of $100k. So how practical is it really? The answer is, NOT AT ALL.

Rich boy's toy.

[DisgustedTX]

2. Yes, I would prefer a box that would make me feel "liberal"

:sarcasm:

Let's pee on the technological achievement and throw in a few gratiutous FUCKS to make a point.

[longship]

5. Yes, let's do that.

:No-sarcasm:

It's a totally useless vehicle. It's a toy for the wealthy, not a solution. It will do perfectly nothing to mediate the problems that an alternative energy vehicle should accomplish.

Why in the fuck didn't they put that effort into designing a vehicle that average people could afford, and that people could use. Instead, they're building a status symbol for the wealthy few who will be able to afford one.

They might as well have electified a Hummer.

[DisgustedTX]

7. Certainly - a zero-emission vehicle - must be useless

Careful - someone may ask you to look past today.

[longship]

9. A Zero-Emission vehicle that nobody can afford *IS* useless.

This car does zero to solve any of the problems that global warming and peak oil will bring us. Is it practical for commuters? No. Is it practical for people to buy and use to get to the store? No. Is it affordable for the general public? No. Will it do a single thing to mediate greenhouse gas generation? No.

Look at what the Japanese are doing. Hybrid Prius -- practical, efficient, exceptionally clean. Seats four comfortably. Designed to work best as a commuting vehicle. Hybrid Hondas follow the same basic designs with the emphasis on affordability and practicality. The next generation of Japanese vehicles will be even more advanced and will solve the problems even better. They will be priced so that people can afford them.

So what purpose does this expensive toy solve other than to make a vehicle that is totally out-of-reach of virtually everybody who needs such a thing and will solve virtually none of the issues for which such a technology is needed.

There's virtually no forward thinking in this thing. It's a blatant attempt to manufacture yet another expensive toy for the very people who are otherwise destroying everything we Democrats are fighting for. So while they vote for the people who are tearing everything down, they can drive in the diamond lane, looking cool in their expensive, exclusive Lotus EV, blowing the doors off Hummers.

How does that solve the approaching environmental problems?

[MindPilot]

13. Bullshit. You reject it simply because you can't afford it.

If NOBODY can afford it, they wouldn't build it. I see from your profile that you live in Socal. I know you see a lot of high-end cars on the road. People can afford them. For crissake there is a brand-new Aston Martin sitting in the parking lot at my work. I don't know who yet, but one of my co-workers can throw down for a quarter-million dollar car. And because there are people with enough disposable income to buy stuff like this, you and I will be able to have one in a few years.

[lonestarnot]

17. You forget the bushit class war that bushitler has dropped on the middle

class or what?

[MindPilot]

22. So because the middle class is being destroyed

we should ignore the very technologies that may actually help save it?

[lonestarnot]

24. I didn't say that.

[Greyhound]

69. There are over 8 million millionaires in the US now,

it's a lucrative and growing market. :smoke:

[longship]

20. An Aston-Martin does nothing to help the environment either.

Both this Lotus EV and the Aston-Martin serve the same purpose, to stroke the ego of spoiled-brat wealthy narcissists.

It does NOTHING to help the environment.

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[longship]

28. Funny. I haven't seen an Aston-Martin in years.

I saw a Ferrari a couple of weeks ago. But I haven't seen a Lotus in years either. I guess I don't hang out in the Brentwood/Beverly Hills area much these days where those kind of vehicles are as common as Toyotas are here. Of course, those people don't vote that way we here at DU vote. They vote only for the benefit of their wallets, which means that they've voted for Bush twice.

So why should I be happy about a car manufacturer building a putatively environmentally responsible vehicle built exclusively for the very people who not only don't need it, but were it not for its exclusivity, would not buy it. Parking it next to their stable of Hummers and other high buck vehicles, they're certainly not going to purchase it for its environmental friendliness.

The whole concept is like out of Bizarro-world.

[SoCalDem]

14. There are people like us who are still driving a 1991 Honda

unless these new ones are cheap, we will just keep what we have.. We have no extra money and despise car payments..

a "car for the masses" is what's needed.. Lots of "leaders" have understood this in the past and it's how electric cars must end up, to have a real impact..

a few thousand rich people with these parked next to their Hummers and Beemers will not solve the problem

[longship]

21. Thank you.

Apparently, some other people here at DU understand the issue.

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SoCalDem]

38. unaffordability is hardly "snobbish rejection"

"This kind of snobbish rejection of anything that is not perfectly in line with your particularly narrow worldview that feeds the stereotyping of the environmental movement."
....................................................................

There REALLY are a lot of us who cannot afford to ditch a perfectly good vehicle, just because it's older,in favor of several years worth of car payments.. there are MORE of us , and we need cars to get to jobs. I doubt that most ordinary people are as interested in looks and "coolness" as they are in efficiency, safety and economically sound vehicles.

and if the industry and our government were truly "interested", they COULD make efficient AND affordable cars ..immediately..

nothing either of us said was even remotely "snobbish"...."narrow"... or "stereotypical"..

:P

[longship]

43. Says the person defending a product which screams "Snobbish"

...in the name of a noble goal, global warming.

This vehicle will never do a single thing for global warming. The wealthy will just add it to their stable of Hummers, and other expensive toys. It will gather dust during those days that their owners opt to impress their friends with their gas-guzzling Ferrari, their gas-guzzling Aston-Martin, their gas-guzzling Hummer, etc.

I see nothing positive about this. At a time when the common man needs to find a way to get to work to make a living without sending the planet into an environmental tailspin, a car manufacturer is somehow proud that they're going to build an electric vehicle solely for those who need the least, and will utilize it for environmental purposes the least.

I'll stand by my comments here. The whole idea is wretched.

[SoCalDem]

44. oops

I replies to the wrong post :blush:

[Quantess]

45. Don't laugh. It's paid for.

So true. There are a lot of nice cars on the road that aren't fully paid for. My vehicle is paid for, dependable, gets good gas mileage, and I can spend money on other things instead.

[Cobalt-60]

66. Meet my mount!

My ride is a 1995 Buick Century sedan.
This card was purchased from my grandfather, who inherited it from a late aunt.
It was an old lady's car in more way that one. The biggest single group that bought these were
single ladies over 60. My late aunt certainly fit.
I got it in good condition and I baby it.
My goal is to keep this old heap rolling a quarter million miles. I'm about a third of the way there.
I keep it alive with cannibalism. There are many like her in the junkyards, and I do my own work.
I once drove an Impala SS, but then Chimpy and company arrived in Washington.
This ride has to carry me to better times.
I might just replace it with a similar vehicle should it be destroyed.
Without a return to the gainful employment I had during the Last President's term, a new car is not an option.

[Clark2008]

31. I can't afford a Prius.

$30,000? Are you kidding? For a BUBBLE?

I know that to each his own, but this "each" thinks the Prius is U-G-L-Y. This Tesla isn't.

[longship]

46. Many more can afford a Prius than will be able to afford this toy.

I see Prius' on the road every day, driven by people who care about what happens to their children and their children's children.

Of course, I cannot afford a Prius either. They are pricey. But, if I were buying a car today I would be looking at precisely the kind of car that the Prius is. I might even buy a used Prius, if one could find such a thing.

Part of the reason why the Prius is expensive is that dealers are increasing the price of the vehicle by loading it with expensive options. The base price of it is not too bad ~22,000. This is especially given that the Prius seems to have a extremely low operating cost, is roomy enough for four people, is completely practical, and pollutes far, far less than almost every single other car on the road.

If more manufacturers built cars like the Prius, and the Honda Hybrid, the exclusivity factor would disappear and prices would go down. Then, more people could afford them.

The only solution to environmental problems like peak oil and global warming is to search for solutions that can be leveraged by widespread adoption. This narcissistic toy does not begin to do that.

[greguganus]

32. It will revolutionize indoor NASCAR racing!

No gasoline! No carbon-monoxide fumes! No fiery crashes! No rain-outs!

Yeeeee Hawww!

[Joanie Baloney]

34. Finally, the North will be able enjoy NASCAR too!!!

great post & welcome to DU :D By three posts! This is hugh1!!1 I'm Series!!!!111!

[Clark2008]

39. NASCAR is already tremendously popular in the North.

There are raceways in Milwaukee, Michigan and Indianapolis. There are also tracks in Calfornia and Pheonix, too.

It's not just in the South.

I don't like NASCAR, but my car-loving little boy adores NASCAR because of the cars and not the wrecks. LOL My son comes by it honestly, though. My Dad and grandfather and great-grandfather were all engineers, who got into their trades, initially, by working with automobiles.

[longship]

49. Welcome to DU!!!

:bounce: :woohoo: :bounce:
Good post.
:rofl:

How about a combination small, indoor track NASKAR/Roller Derby with the EV's towing the guys on roller skates behind them. That's something that Faux Sports will pick up in a second. I feel the need for speed!!

[Freedom_Aflaim]

53. They are NOT building it solve global warming

They are building it because there is a market for it and it will return $$$ to their investors.

The fact that their buyers are rich and have an environmental concious makes building it viable.

[Cobalt-60]

62. not useless

They're just raking off the suckers.
While the electric car is certainly not a new product, a cool electric car is!
The price is always higher at first. By Zeus I paid $1200.00 for the parts to build my first 486! Let the Wealthy GOPS be bled for the cash to reward its developers.
We all know we need an electric two seater with enough range to get to work and back without recharging and a price tag in the $5000.00 range.
For that to happen, the fat boys are going to have to soak up the cost of research and development.
And, given the way new technologies seem to turn up fast as Asian knock-offs, how long will it be until everyone knows the Tesla's secrets.
I just hope they haven't attached my favorite real life mad scientists name to a cr*ppy car!

[MindPilot]

18. an electric Hummer would be bad, exactly how?

Isn't its fuel economy--or lack thereof--that we hate about the Hummer? Yeah it's big and ugly, but some people need big, and not everyone agrees with the ugly assessment.

[longship]

25. Because it does NOTHING to solve the underlying issue.

Global warming is real. Continuing to burn fossil fuels will be our downfall.

We need car companies to build more cars like the Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid, not an electified Hummer or a 135 mph sports car that virtually nobody can afford and will do virtually nothing to solve the problem.

Toyota and Honda are doing it NOW. They have products for the average Joe, NOW. The only reason why the Toyota Prius and Honda Hybrids are not more plentiful is that Toyota and Honda can not make them fast enough. If you want one, you have to wait months.

So, tell me. How is this expensive rich man's toy going to solve these issues?

[MindPilot]

27. Do you even know the difference between a hybrid and an EV?

To answer you question; it's already been explained to you in other posts in this thread. I'm not going to go over it again.

[longship]

37. Yes! But I'll make two wagers.

How many Prius' and Honda Hybrids are on the road right now? I'll bet that the Toyota Prius does more good for global warming in one year than this expensive toy does in its lifetime.

I'll bet that Toyota and/or Honda come up with an affordable pure EV sooner than these dingbats will.

I'd even lay odds that this rich man's toy never sees production.

[Cobalt-60]

65. Energy

Any electric car will consume energy proportional to that it would consume on other propulsion.
The energy, whether it come from chemical detonation or electrochemical reactions, goes to accelerate the vehicle, move it against gravity and drag, and operate auxiliary systems.
That energy will be converted to electricity and broadcast across the power grid.
At the generator there will be pollution in proportion to the vehicle's size, drag, and auxiliary load.
So a bigger car still pollutes more than a smaller one.
It doesnt make the hummer bad. It's still a cool ride.
It's just that using it where not needed is wasteful.

[eppur_se_muova]

54. Thin end of the wedge--let the rich playboys pay through the nose for all

the R&D that went into this. That same R&D can then be applied to improved electric vehicles of all categories. The same thing happened when cars were originally introduced. Likewise airplanes. A few 'sportsmen' with too much money on their hands helped push development forward much faster than mass market consumerism could have done.

The other driving force for accelerated development in vehicle technology, of course, has been war. I'd prefer to leave it to the rich playboys.

[readmoreoften]

71. Bingo.

When this car is found to be unsafe or has mechanical difficulties, let the playboys take the risks and lose the bet. The R&D will be paid for and they will be able to come out with a reasonable model for mass consumption.

It's absurd to berate the company for this. Over the next 20 years the car has the possibility to revolutionize driving for everyone. Rich people are also buying trips on space stations. We shouldn't stop space research because moms from Nebraska can't go too.

[MindPilot]

8. Yep...

:eyes:

[valerief]

33. That's my take on the deathtrap, too. n/t

[Ravenseye]

74. Agreed. Might as well show a 20 million dollar nuclear powered car

Now with your own Fission plant under the trunk! Drive your car for 60 years without a fillup of anything but water from your garden hose once a week! Only 20 million dollars for a zero emission safe nuclear powered vehicle that seats 2!

Totaly pointless.

Here's what would break the market wide open and save our planet.

A hybrid/electric minivan. Seats 7 in three rows, removable seats like in the fanciest newest minivans. Gets 100 mpg. Costs about the same as a comparable standard gas minivan.

Show me that and I'll fucking buy one today.

Show me a souped up electric Ferrari for 100 grand or whatever and I shrug my shoulders. Pointless.

[RufusEarl]

3. Got to admit it's a snappy looking ride,

but i haven't seen the cost yet! But it's a start and i'm all for that, anything i can do to help screw big oil, you can count me in!

[liberal N proud]

4. And what does it cost?

I saw a segment this morning saying only the rich could afford this car. Just the people who need relief, with the price of gas cutting into their tax cuts.

[DisgustedTX]

6. Do ANY technical achievements come cheaply at the outset?

Television; computers; air conditioning - just a few common, everyday examples that only the "rich" could afford upon introduction.

[liberal N proud]

11. You are correct - New technology is always expensive at first

I would hope that the price of this technology comes down as quickly in price as other electronics have recently.
The only hope is that this is a Silicon Valley adventure and not an automotive or oil company driving this project.

Just how it is going to have to happen to ween America off the oil fix.

[MindPilot]

10. Probably over a 100K right now

But look people, it's new technology that is by it's nature very expensive. The company is putting that technology in a package that will attract buyers and as production expands, it will filter down to those of us who can afford it.

Engineers are generally capable of performing the impossible immediately; miracles take a bit longer.

[liberal N proud]

12. The segment I saw did mention that they plan on a less expensive

family sedan later in the year. And yes, the price they quoted on the news this morning was over $100. I was half asleep at 5:00 AM. The story was on Newsweek - Weekend or something.

[MindPilot]

16. If you look at the specs, the motor is incredibly small for it's power

a bit bigger that a roll of paper towels. Now think about what could been done with a motor that's a bit bigger...an ESUV?

[Warpy]

15. WOW!

That range is wonderful, although it would be impractical here in the west. It would have been perfect for New England, though.

My own electric moped has a range of 25 miles, perfect for city use. I have never drained the battery down, 12 miles is about it for me round trip.

EVs are neat. Now if they can only do something about recycling the batteries.

[MindPilot]

19. Recycling the batteries...from the website

"Recycling
Keeping an Eye on Tomorrow, Today
It probably comes as no surprise that a forward-thinking company like Tesla Motors thinks a lot about the future. We do.

That‘s why the tires and the battery of every Tesla Motors vehicle are recyclable. Reuse is such a key part of our philosophy that we‘ve already arranged to have our car batteries safely recycled — even before we‘ve sold our first car. The cost of recycling is built into the purchase price of the car, so there‘s never a reason “why not” to recycle."


http://www.teslamotors.com/learn_more/recycling.php

[Warpy]

36. Thanks!

I suppose I could have bothered to read it myself, but my eyes are still too bad to cope with a lot of text.

[wakeme2008]

29. I really like it.

Enterprise Car Rental for the heavy dates.. :)

[Clark2008]

30. Cool!

I've been waiting on the first electric sports car.

Now, I've just bought a car - a new Mustang - and I can't afford this one, but, if this one sells, that means that the next time I make a new car purchase, I may be able to get an electric Mustang! :)

[Joanie Baloney]

42. Doubly cool!

I have a Mustang too (named Sally, of course) that I absolutely adore. By the time I have to put her out to pasture, I hope to join you on the road to Vegas in our new Electric Ponies!

:woohoo:

[Rosco T.]

35. Get your heads outtta the nether regions nay-sayers!

If nothing else IT'S A TEST BED. If they can make a performance vehicle that gets the high speed, accerlation and then perfect the batter technology THEN THEY CAN MAKE A 'general consumer' vehicle.

Or would YOU rather be the guninea pig on something that would break a lot till they got the bugs out!

Sheesh... bet you would complain that the Wright Brothers 1st plane could only carry one PASSENGER also!!!!

[pepperbear]

40. thanks rosco! technology always starts out unaffordable toa degree!

remember that calculators, vcrs, digital watches, microwaves, dvd players, cd players, etc...were all expensive until consumer demand drove the market to level itself. you think the demand for an emission free gasless vehicle won't be huge when petrol is $6 a gallon?

[Rosco T.]

41. Hell's bells, I bought my 1st DVD Burner for $800 and blanks were $8/ea...

.. desperately needed for a project. Now they're down to $40 and $0.40/blank for high quality blanks.

[Greyhound]

70. Remember the first digital watches? LED displays and cost $300. n/t

[longship]

47. Test bed? I doubt it.

Chrysler did a test bed turbine car in the 60's. They were inexpensive and were put out to the public. Unfortunately, the turbines didn't work out, but that didn't stop Chrysler from trying a very revolutionary design.


Another test bed was the GM EV-1 which was available for lease.

Of course, we know what happened to them.

I'd argue that the original Prius was a test bed as was the Honda Impulse. These cars are still on the road, serving their owners with cleaner and much more efficient transportation. What's wrong with the US manufacturers that they can't get off the hump and do something for people?

I lived in the city of Detroit for nearly the first forty years of my life. (In fact, those Chrysler Turbines were built a few blocks from my home.) From a close vantage point I watched the meltdown of the auto industry first hand and cried as a beautiful, wonderful city descended into chaos, losing over a million citizens in less than two decades. There was a saying in Detroit in the 1980's, "Will the last person leaving Detroit please turn off the lights when they depart." All this because of the Big Three's inability to look further ahead than next week's profits.

When I look at this rich man's toy, I see the same damned thing happening. While the Japanese are doing the right thing at the right time, The Big Three builds only bigger, gas-guzzling iron and expensive toys for the wealthy. I wonder what wonderful municipalities will suffer the brunt of the collapse when the Big Three again implode.

Stupidity is doing the same thing expecting a different result.

[Rosco T.]

51. The Turbines were not INEXPENSIVE...

they were leased/loaned.. each one cost over $100,000 to make

[longship]

55. They were inexpensive to the people who leased them.

Chrysler basically *gave* them away. There were 50 of them manufactured at a little plant at the corner of Greenfield and Glendale in Northwest Detroit, a few blocks from my house. I rode my bicycle past the place every morning on my way to school and would see them come off the line. There were always a couple in the parking lot ready to be delivered. Yes, they cost $100,000 to build each. But in a true spirit of innovation and foreward thought, they let people drive them for what was then, the going price.

[Rosco T.]

64. and then they had to give them back...

so it's a moot point...

[Octafish]

48. An electric Lotus!

WOW!


I'm gonna get me one.

Here's my trade-in:

DIMBULB
CHUCKLENUTZ

[GaYellowDawg]

50. Everyone SHOULD get excited about this...

Look, I realize that this is a luxury item. As such, I know I can't afford it, unless I happen to win the lottery (which, I guess, I'd have to actually play to win). Most people won't be able to afford it. Who ever heard of a high-performance electric car, though? If it's shown to be possible, then surely a mid-performance sedan isn't that unfeasible. I think THAT is the importance of this car.

If this gets to be trendy and gets a lot of publicity, then I think you could see a number of possibilities:

1. Lots of money flowing into this car company from rich customers... and more importantly, investors. This could fund lower-cost, mainstream cars by the same manufacturer.

2. One of the Big 3 might want to get in on this type of engine and car design. Or better yet, Toyota. Shoot, if I was the Toyota CEO, I'd buy these people out, hire the R&D team, and tell them to come up with an electric Camry with engine performance comparable to the V6, and sell the HELL out of them. Imagine the market in not only the US, but China!!

3. Some smart engineer somewhere could apply a different kind of battery to this, and help drive performance up and prices down. Or a different kind of charger. And so forth.

There's no reason for anyone to be angry or frustrated over this. Any step, and I mean ANY step towards lowering carbon emissions is a good one. My biggest concern is that the oil companies kill this car.

[longship]

58. How many? A few dozen?

Meanwhile, the truly forward looking automobile manufacturers will realize that this toy does little to advance the state of the art. Of course, they will already be working on these technologies. One or more of them will preempt this phoney, up-scale, rich man's toy company. We'll have EV's on the road, sure enough, but it won't be from this outfit.

Hell, the owners will probably finance the damned thing with cocaine sales.
:sarcasm:

[GaYellowDawg]

59. What is the matter with you?

Someone makes an appealing electric car, and you can't wait to bust their chops for it. The first thing that comes to mind when people think of electric cars are overgrown golf carts that have no power, no acceleration, can't go above about 50 mph, and can't go more than about 100 miles without a recharge. This car can change that image. As for "the truly forward looking automobile manufacturers," just who the fuck are they?!? The ones that aren't making hybrids at all? The ones who are making hybrids that still foster our dependence on oil? The same ones who got the zero emissions mandate killed?

Believe me, big oil is perfectly happy with the Prius. Undersized, underpowered, made in small numbers, and still keeps people shackled to the fucking gas pump. This car is their worst nightmare, and I applaud its makers. I seriously doubt, by the way, that one of the major car manufacturers will preempt this car. They don't have any interest in changing the status quo except by incremental degrees. They want to suck every single cent out of internal combustion, and the hell with emissions and global warming.

This company sees electric cars as the future, and is doing the smart thing: entering the market with a hell of a bang. They have stated their intent to make affordable mainstream cars. If they get a rep for performance first, people will come running. It's too bad there are folks like you who are too shortsighted to see this. I hope they succeed like mad and that Tesla Motors is mentioned long after GM, etc. have bitten the dust.

[Name removed]

60. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MindPilot]

73. Careful, you'll get you post deleted. n/t

[Freedom_Aflaim]

52. Now they just need to meet in the middle

Now we've got ultra expensive, super sexy, impractical zero electric cars.

And we've got relatively cheap, god awlful ugly, impractical tin-can electric cars.

Give me something in the middle. Comfortable, good styling, plenty of room, priced right electric car.

[longship]

56. Something like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrids.

A total EV based on one of those platforms would be great. Better yet, a pluggable hybrid which would run basically on electric, but which could tap into its small gasoline engine for long stretches.

The worse thing about total electric is that when the batteries are dead, the car is dead and you're stuck. A pluggable hybrid would allow a person who gets stuck on a four hour traffic jam on the 91 (SoCal) in 100+ degree heat to get home without succumbing to heat exhaustion and without having to abandon the vehicle.

This technology is available NOW. There are companies which will convert your Prius to a pluggable hybrid. Yes, it's very expensive, but that's only because they are not manufactured that way. In volume, the prices would be not much more than the basic Prius, ~22k.

BTW, Toyota is working on pluggable hybrids, as undoubtedly is Honda.

What's Detroit doing? Building hybrid SUV's!!!! Bah!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

57. Pretty Cool Car. I Still Ain't Pluggin Nothin In Though. When They Make

one that I don't have to plug in, then I'll be excited. :)

[akushuki]

61. I find it really awesome that such a progessive company honored Tesla by

using his name. :)

[obxhead]

63. lots of hate in this thread....

Thanks for the post MindPilot... I think the car is hot. If only I could afford one.

The real key to the value of your post (to me anyway) is the technology. In 1985 Honda did not have a single fuel injected car. Acura did. As the years passed by Honda got the "hand me downs" from Acura and now you can not find a Honda without some kind of *-Tech engine and fuel injection.

If you build it, so will someone else.... And they will do it cheaper for the masses. When the car was invented it was a luxury item that no one could afford. Now it is a possession we can not live without.

Thanks again for the post. I'm sure in about 10 years I'll be driving my affordable hatchback, electric (fast as shit) Civic and lovin it. New technology always starts with the high end toys and gets handed down to the rest of us later on.

[Warren DeMontague]

67. Yeah, well, there's just no pleasing some people.

Wear your own damn burlap fucking hairshirts, you self-flagellators. If being environmentally conscious can be made sporty, sexy and fast to appeal to certain people, hey- all the better. We're never going to save the planet by bitching at people that they need to move into caves and eat cold bean paste all day.

[MindPilot]

72. You're welcome.

As someone pointed out up-thread these self-centered zeros would whine that the Wright Flier only carried one person.

[symbolman]

68. I love this car, and I want one..

Unfortunately it runs on coal..

think about it.

Take a look at Mountain Top Removal going on in the Appalachians, they are blowing up the whole chain of mountains, selling all the coal to make electricity that those in the Appalachians (many, not all) NEVER HAD..

It's a pet subject I've been working on lately, making a film about it actually - we are killing people in this country for coal, and I live in Hawaii -- looked at my electricity bill last month, 16% of my energy use is created by coal burning, now I KNOW they don't have coal here so it's shipped in from somewhere, and that somewhere is killing people, flooding towns, boulders from explosions in the mountains are smashing cars and people, and the environment is getting ruined by the coal burning most of all..

Make me a car that runs on Bullshit and tap it right into Washington DC, eh? :)