It there a "Tesla is Motor Trend Car of the Year" thread?

[kalm]

It was charter schools...and no.

You should read up on Charter schools, their origin, the money that is backing them, and the whole Common Core money pit/opportunity. It would make you proud to be a capitalist.

A link would be nice...

[Chizzang]

The Tesla has more range than my Ford F150...
And besides plugging it in at home there are plenty of West Coast re-charge stations... Louisiana isn't really the demographic for Tesla so I don't think they're too worried about not being able to sell a car to John

The Seattle Tesla dealership has a waiting list to buy one...

[AZGrizFan]

The Tesla has more range than my Ford F150...
And besides plugging it in at home there are plenty of West Coast re-charge stations... Louisiana isn't really the demographic for Tesla so I don't think they're too worried about not being able to sell a car to John

The Seattle Tesla dealership has a waiting list to buy one...

I was thinking the same thing. My '09 Toyota Tundra had a range of about 305 miles....less if it was city driving and even LESS if I used E85 in it.

[HI54UNI]

The Tesla has more range than my Ford F150...
And besides plugging it in at home there are plenty of West Coast re-charge stations... Louisiana isn't really the demographic for Tesla so I don't think they're too worried about not being able to sell a car to John

The Seattle Tesla dealership has a waiting list to buy one...

Bullshit.

[AZGrizFan]

The Tesla has more range than my Ford F150...
And besides plugging it in at home there are plenty of West Coast re-charge stations... Louisiana isn't really the demographic for Tesla so I don't think they're too worried about not being able to sell a car to John

The Seattle Tesla dealership has a waiting list to buy one...

Bullshit.

Well, it's damned close. My buddy has the 6.2L F150 and gets 11 miles per gallon....with a 30 gallon tank.

[HI54UNI]

Bullshit.

Well, it's damned close. My buddy has the 6.2L F150 and gets 11 miles per gallon....with a 30 gallon tank.

I have an F150 and I know I can get a long way on one tank. Chizzy has a regular old F150 IIRC. Smallest tank available is 26 gallons. At 15 mpg, which is probably low, that is 390 miles. Tesla at 60 mph with largest battery option is 283 miles. Even your buddy's F150 at 11 mpg has a better range.

Note to Chizzy - I get your point. Tesla is a more practical car in an urban environment.

[AZGrizFan]

Well, it's damned close. My buddy has the 6.2L F150 and gets 11 miles per gallon....with a 30 gallon tank.

I have an F150 and I know I can get a long way on one tank. Chizzy has a regular old F150 IIRC. Smallest tank available is 26 gallons. At 15 mpg, which is probably low, that is 390 miles. Tesla at 60 mph with largest battery option is 283 miles. Even your buddy's F150 at 11 mpg has a better range.

Note to Chizzy - I get your point. Tesla is a more practical car in an urban environment.

Well, I wasn't kidding about the Tundra I had. Many, many tankfuls that I didn't get 300 miles out of.

[JohnStOnge]

The Tesla has more range than my Ford F150...
And besides plugging it in at home there are plenty of West Coast re-charge stations... Louisiana isn't really the demographic for Tesla so I don't think they're too worried about not being able to sell a car to John

The Seattle Tesla dealership has a waiting list to buy one...

If you want to be successful I'd think you'd want to be able to sell cars to people anywhere.

Otherwise, I doubt that a Tesla has more range than your F150 unless your F150 has problems; especially when ambient air temperature isn't ideal. Also, when you stop at one of those re-charge stations it's going to take you about 30 minutes to recharge to a point of getting 150 to 160 miles of additional range (see http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/car ... a_model_s/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) vs. less than five minutes it would take you to fill a gas tank and be back at your full range.

If you never take long trips it'd be fine. If you are a two car family and you want to have the Tesla for everyday stuff and an internal combustion engine vehicle for long trips it'd be fine. But if you're just going to have one vehicle and you may take long trips at times it's got some limitations.

[AZGrizFan]

The Tesla has more range than my Ford F150...
And besides plugging it in at home there are plenty of West Coast re-charge stations... Louisiana isn't really the demographic for Tesla so I don't think they're too worried about not being able to sell a car to John

The Seattle Tesla dealership has a waiting list to buy one...

If you want to be successful I'd think you'd want to be able to sell cars to people anywhere.

Otherwise, I doubt that a Tesla has more range than your F150 unless your F150 has problems; especially when ambient air temperature isn't ideal. Also, when you stop at one of those re-charge stations it's going to take you about 30 minutes to recharge to a point of getting 150 to 160 miles of additional range (see http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/car ... a_model_s/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) vs. less than five minutes it would take you to fill a gas tank and be back at your full range.

If you never take long trips it'd be fine. If you are a two car family and you want to have the Tesla for everyday stuff and an internal combustion engine vehicle for long trips it'd be fine. But if you're just going to have one vehicle and you may take long trips at times it's got some limitations.

In 5 years they've gone from 40KW to 60 to 85 on their batteries....not to mentioin the network of supercharging stations...this car will be mainstream in 2 years...and maybe there are a lot of "one car" families in Louisiana, but I don't know a single one car family and haven't for my entire adult life.

[Chizzang]

The Tesla has more range than my Ford F150...
And besides plugging it in at home there are plenty of West Coast re-charge stations... Louisiana isn't really the demographic for Tesla so I don't think they're too worried about not being able to sell a car to John

The Seattle Tesla dealership has a waiting list to buy one...

If you want to be successful I'd think you'd want to be able to sell cars to people anywhere.

Otherwise, I doubt that a Tesla has more range than your F150 unless your F150 has problems; especially when ambient air temperature isn't ideal. Also, when you stop at one of those re-charge stations it's going to take you about 30 minutes to recharge to a point of getting 150 to 160 miles of additional range (see http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/car ... a_model_s/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) vs. less than five minutes it would take you to fill a gas tank and be back at your full range.

If you never take long trips it'd be fine. If you are a two car family and you want to have the Tesla for everyday stuff and an internal combustion engine vehicle for long trips it'd be fine. But if you're just going to have one vehicle and you may take long trips at times it's got some limitations.

This just in John (while you were asleep in the Swamp)
Tesla is ALREADY successful without selling even one car in your state



Face it John... your "logic" is again easily dismissible is bias and nonsense

[SeattleGriz]

65 mpg on the scooter. Just saying.

[VictorG]

65 mpg on the scooter. Just saying.

Bit how are you going to get your fellow CS'ers home from jail when they come to visit?

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

As they should......they ride bitch

[houndawg]

I have an F150 and I know I can get a long way on one tank. Chizzy has a regular old F150 IIRC. Smallest tank available is 26 gallons. At 15 mpg, which is probably low, that is 390 miles. Tesla at 60 mph with largest battery option is 283 miles. Even your buddy's F150 at 11 mpg has a better range.

Note to Chizzy - I get your point. Tesla is a more practical car in an urban environment.

Well, I wasn't kidding about the Tundra I had. Many, many tankfuls that I didn't get 300 miles out of.

Thats what consigned my 440 Power Wagon to the barn. 190 miles to a tank.

[JohnStOnge]

This just in John (while you were asleep in the Swamp)
Tesla is ALREADY successful without selling even one car in your state



Face it John... your "logic" is again easily dismissible is bias and nonsense

Do you honestly think that Tesla does not want to be able to sell cars in every State?

How many cars did Tesla sell during 2013? What was its percent share of the US motor vehicle market? How many would it have sold without a Federal tax incentive?

Look, I started this thread with the opinion that what Tesla has done makes the future of electric cars look plausible. But it's not a viable alternative for most people right now. Not only most people in Louisiana. Most people in the United States.

It's a vehicle that has about a 300 mile range if it's completely fully charged. Then if you get out on the highway and there are plenty of those power stations you can charge it up to get about 180 miles under ideal temperature conditions in about 30 minutes. I mean, think about being the typical person in the United States.

Also, those rapid charge stations aren't out there right now.

Seriously. It's not a viable alternative is you're going to have one vehicle and have occasion to take long trips in your vehicle from time to time. There are signs that they are moving towards getting there. But they are not there now.

[AZGrizFan]

70% of households own 2 or more cars. And that number is up from 20% in 1960. You're living in the past, John.

[JohnStOnge]

70% of households own 2 or more cars. And that number is up from 20% in 1960. You're living in the past, John.

No I'm not. I can't believe you guys don't think what's described for Tesla right now is not an impediment to them selling cars.

280 mile range under ideal conditions fully charged. Even if the rapid charge stations were all over the place now it would take 30 minutes to charge them at one enough to get another 150 to 180 miles. Again, under ideal temperature conditions. And, again, those rapid charge stations are not generally available right now to begin with.

Most people are not going to want that. And I think you guys really know that.

[houndawg]

70% of households own 2 or more cars. And that number is up from 20% in 1960. You're living in the past, John.

No I'm not. I can't believe you guys don't think what's described for Tesla right now is not an impediment to them selling cars.

280 mile range under ideal conditions fully charged. Even if the rapid charge stations were all over the place now it would take 30 minutes to charge them at one enough to get another 150 to 180 miles. Again, under ideal temperature conditions. And, again, those rapid charge stations are not generally available right now to begin with.

Most people are not going to want that. And I think you guys really know that.

Yeah. And the automobile was never going to replace the horse and buggy, either.

[AZGrizFan]

70% of households own 2 or more cars. And that number is up from 20% in 1960. You're living in the past, John.

No I'm not. I can't believe you guys don't think what's described for Tesla right now is not an impediment to them selling cars.

280 mile range under ideal conditions fully charged. Even if the rapid charge stations were all over the place now it would take 30 minutes to charge them at one enough to get another 150 to 180 miles. Again, under ideal temperature conditions. And, again, those rapid charge stations are not generally available right now to begin with.

Most people are not going to want that. And I think you guys really know that.

90% of miles put on vehicles are done commuting to and from work. Thus, if I had a Tesla, I could drive it 90% of the time. I do one, MAYBE two road trips a year where a Tesla wouldn't get me there and back without inconvenience. Fuck, it'd be much cheaper for me to own a Tesla, and RENT a fucking car on the rare occasion where it wouldn't suffice.

[SeattleGriz]

As they should......they ride bitch

Exactly, that mofo seats two!

[JohnStOnge]

90% of miles put on vehicles are done commuting to and from work. Thus, if I had a Tesla, I could drive it 90% of the time. I do one, MAYBE two road trips a year where a Tesla wouldn't get me there and back without inconvenience. ****, it'd be much cheaper for me to own a Tesla, and RENT a **** car on the rare occasion where it wouldn't suffice.

Obviously you would buy a Tesla. And I personally do rent cars on most occasions where I go on long business trips so as not to put mileage on my personal vehicle. Also because my personal vehicle is a Nissan Titan and if the trip is long enough I can actually break even or even save money by renting something like a Nissan Altima that gets like 35 mpg vs. the 17 or so on the highway my Titan gets.

I'm not saying there wouldn't be anybody who would find it practical to get one. In fact I posted earlier in this thread about a guy I went out in the field with and to whom I suggested he at least look into it because he said he's spending $600 per week for gas commuting to and from work.

I also started this thread with a post about how it looks to be becoming plausible. And by that I mean plausible that most people would consider it practical to own an electric car like that. I just don't think it's at that point yet.

[JohnStOnge]

Just as a point of reference, while I think they're happy with where they are and the progress they're making, Tesla lost money last year:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/20/autom ... .html?_r=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For the year, Tesla reported losses of $74 million on total revenue of $2 billion, compared with a $396.2 million loss on $413.3 million in sales in 2012, when Tesla began delivering its vehicles to customers.

Obviously they did a lot better than 2012 and appear to be heading in the right direction. But I don't think they're turning up their noses at potential sales anywhere.

[AZGrizFan]

Just as a point of reference, while I think they're happy with where they are and the progress they're making, Tesla lost money last year:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/20/autom ... .html?_r=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For the year, Tesla reported losses of $74 million on total revenue of $2 billion, compared with a $396.2 million loss on $413.3 million in sales in 2012, when Tesla began delivering its vehicles to customers.

Obviously they did a lot better than 2012 and appear to be heading in the right direction. But I don't think they're turning up their noses at potential sales anywhere.

"Book" losses don't mean shit. Seriously. One time expenses, R&D costs in a start-up company, accelerated depreciation, one-time legal expenses related to the "good-ol'-boy" network attempting to freeze them out of the car market, etc., etc.....there's LOTS of ways to make it look like you "lost" money as a company.

A total of 2,650 Model S cars were sold in the North American market during 2012, mostly in the United States. Sales in Europe and North America totaled 22,477 units in 2013, surpassing Tesla's annual sales target of 21,500 units. Global sales reached over 25,000 units through December 2013, with the United States as the leading market with about 20,600 units, followed by Norway with 1,986 units, the Netherlands with 1,195 units sold through December 2013, and Canada with 733 units sold through December 2013. Tesla expects global sales of 35,000 units in 2014, a 55% increase over 2013, with combined sales in Europe and Asia expected to be almost twice that of North America by the end of 2014.

A gross profit margin is the difference between sales and the cost of goods sold divided by revenue. This represents the percentage of each dollar of a company's revenue available after accounting for cost of goods sold.

One of these is the historical gross profit margin by quarter of GM, and one of these is the gross profit margin by quarter for Tesla. I'll let you determine which is which.

Dec. 31, 2013 25.45%
Sept. 30, 2013 23.85%
June 30, 2013 24.80%
March 31, 2013 17.15%
Dec. 31, 2012 7.79%
Sept. 30, 2012 -17.49%
June 30, 2012 17.87%
March 31, 2012 33.84%
Dec. 31, 2011 19.90%
Sept. 30, 2011 29.87%
June 30, 2011 31.82%
March 31, 2011 36.77%
Dec. 31, 2010 31.20%
Sept. 30, 2010 29.76%
June 30, 2010 22.04%
March 31, 2010 18.51%
Dec. 31, 2009 9.58%
Sept. 30, 2009 16.91%
June 30, 2009 7.80%

Dec. 31, 2013 10.56%
Sept. 30, 2013 13.32%
June 30, 2013 11.97%
March 31, 2013 10.60%
Dec. 31, 2012 -7.60%
Sept. 30, 2012 12.06%
June 30, 2012 12.41%
March 31, 2012 12.19%
Dec. 31, 2011 12.09%
Sept. 30, 2011 13.00%
June 30, 2011 13.70%
March 31, 2011 12.00%
Dec. 31, 2010 10.06%
Sept. 30, 2010 13.13%
June 30, 2010 13.76%
March 31, 2010 12.46%
Dec. 31, 2009 -1.55%
Sept. 30, 2009 5.27%
June 30, 2009 -18.73%

Does Tesla have issues? Certainly. Any startup company (especially one in the highly competetive automotive industry) would and does. The range of their vehicles (which is constantly improving, BTW) is probably the least of their concerns...

[Ibanez]

Just as a point of reference, while I think they're happy with where they are and the progress they're making, Tesla lost money last year:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/20/autom ... .html?_r=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For the year, Tesla reported losses of $74 million on total revenue of $2 billion, compared with a $396.2 million loss on $413.3 million in sales in 2012, when Tesla began delivering its vehicles to customers.

Obviously they did a lot better than 2012 and appear to be heading in the right direction. But I don't think they're turning up their noses at potential sales anywhere.

I just read AZs post and yeah, no shit. Tesla is doing some heavy R&D to bring about new models, better mileage and overall improvements. This isn't a shock nor is it alarming.

“We expect to deliver over 35,000 Model S vehicles in 2014, representing a 55 percent increase over 2013,” Elon Musk, Tesla’s chairman and chief executive, and Deepak Ahuja, the chief financial officer, wrote in a letter to shareholders.

Last year was the first year of FRP. Expect increases in sales.

[89Hen]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/car ... y/7320361/

What is it about Tesla and its ability to make major media outlets look like fools?

The latest example came a week ago today when CBS' 60 Minutes aired a report on Tesla and its amazing electric car. It was basically the kind of coverage that any automaker would kill to have (and must have left flummoxed General Motors executives wondering why they never got it for the plug-in Chevrolet Volt).

Just one problem: As the Associated Press reported, a CBS editor made what is being called an "audio error" in dubbing the sound of a loud traditional car engine over footage of the much quieter Tesla electric car. The Model is whisper quiet, no matter how hard you push it.

Auto website Jalopnik broke the story of the fake sound and CBS was in retreat all week.