I love my M35 what about the Tesla Model S

[keithhr1]

Just curious if any fellow Infiniti enthusiasts have been curious about the Tesla Model S coming out
this Fall. I must admit that I find it a tantalizing, all that quiet power, and it is beautiful to look
out as well. The Gullwing model x looks even better.

[wingFeather]

I'm a BIG fan, but no way I would spend $50k on the base model which can only travel 160 miles. About $90k the way I'd want it... but again that is way too expensive for a regular Joe like myself.

Now a Nissan Leaf would be nice! They are ugly, but electric cars are where we should be right now. Big oil is what keeps them from ever taking hold (watch the film "Who Killed The Electric Car").

[merlinq2]

Just curious if any fellow Infiniti enthusiasts have been curious about the Tesla Model S coming out
this Fall. I must admit that I find it a tantalizing, all that quiet power, and it is beautiful to look
out as well. The Gullwing model x looks even better.

The beauty and the sheer eye candy that is delivered by Tesla can not compensate for the lack or real world driving range and the fact that there is no real support infrastructure for electric cars. We are sill teaching techs how to service and repair combustion engines. Tesal needs real cost effective distribution and manufacturing scale to improve the value proposition of the car. They are maybe 10 years to early or we need to wait until crude is at 200 per barrel before we start scrapping our fossil fuel burning cages.

Like dating a super model, expensive to date one and even more expensive to maintain the life style.

Beautiful cars though.

[myother45isalesbaer]

Tesla is designing some fine looking and perfoming vechicles. Electic motors have more snap to torque than most internal combustion engines. But for all you pro-elecric cars guys look at the ads they all have. They all say 0 emissions out the tailpipe. While that simple fact is probably true its misleading. Where does the electricity come from to recharge these cars? Most likely from oil, coal or nuke power plants that pollute just as bad as any single internal combustion engine. The only power plant that is clean is hydro-electric.

So if you want to feel good buy an electric. They have been around for decades. Bottom line is your car may have 0 emissions, but the power generating plants have enormous toxic emissions to support your electric car. And what do you do with all those worn out batteries? Dump more toxic waste into the environment?

Electric is NOT the way to go in my OP. More research and money should be spent on hydrogen burning cars. That makes the most sense to me today. Just my OP.

[wingFeather]

What infrastructure is needed exactly? Electric cars are solid... for example, the GM EV1's needed zero repairs. People LOVED them - a few even went to jail for trying to stop GM from crushing the cars. Batteries get recycled. There is actually a huge market for used Prius batteries that people rebuild!

Hydrogen has been struggling to make any progress. It's wildly inefficient, dangerous and expensive.

[myother45isalesbaer]

What infrastructure is needed exactly? Electric cars are solid... for example, the GM EV1's needed zero repairs. People LOVED them - a few even went to jail for trying to stop GM from crushing the cars. Batteries get recycled. There is actually a huge market for used Prius batteries that people rebuild!

Hydrogen has been struggling to make any progress. It's wildly inefficient, dangerous and expensive.

I have to totally disagree with you. What do repairs have to do with anything? Batteries cannot be completely recycled. The very nature of the battery is that chemical componets are used up. What do you do with those componets? Sure, you can rebuild a battery, but you can't replace certain elements. Where do the used depleted elements go? Another land fill dump? The fact remains that battery technology really has not advanced much beyond the old lead acid battery. Newer stuff is out today, but the same problem exists. A battery depletes and uses up elements that can not be recharged. Of course there is a big market for rebuilt Prius batteries. What's the bottom line difference between a Prius battery and a rechargable home battery. Not much if you look at the internal physical componets.

As I said, and I will repeat myself. Electric cars are NOT THE WAY TO GO. The generating stations still work on oil, coal and nukes and each has its issues. Hydrogen is not wildly inefficent. It seemed to have taken our space craft into orbit and the moon using fuel cells. The only pollutant from burning Hydrogen is water. We need to stop wasting our time and money on temporary fixes to satisfy the EPA and our Government and start looking at the long term fix.

[wingFeather]

Here is a good read for those concerned about batteries: http://www.hybridcars.com/battery-toxicity.html

We actually have more of a problem with batteries from gas burning cars, than from hybrids.

[keithhr1]

I just started this topic because Elon Musk is emerging as a hero in this country, started a company to produce the
ability to launch satellites and then Tesla Motors with almost all of their parts being fabricated in good old Fremont
california in the old Nummi plant, this is one smart guy

[mexillis]

I like the model S granted I dont know all the in's and out but its cool. Nikola Tesla was a genius, too bad some of his ideas arent being used today.

[wingFeather]

this is one smart guy

Anyone who can start up a successful manufacting company in California, and in this economy, is indeed a genius This is not the most business & factory friendly state.