Checkout what I drove today: A Tesla Roadster.

[2muchmark2]

Check out what I drove today...





This car is a Tesla Roadster. Based on a Lotus frame, this is an ALL ELECTRIC CAR. And let me tell you, it is the coolest, nicest, most amazing car I have ever driven (and I've driven quite a few..!)

Here's some of the cool points. First, it's SILENT. It makes no noise. There's a start key, but all it does is chime once you turn it. It has no shifter, no gears. You press the R button to revese, and the D button to drive.

It's FAST AS HELL. This week is F1 Weekend, and the streets are full of hot sports cars, but not were as hot (or cool) as this. Acceleration is insane, and it corners like its on rails (to quote whats-his-name from Pretty Woman).

The car fits my 6'3" frame, but only just. If I was any taller I definately would not fit into this car. The steering wheel is smaller than expected which is actually cool. It has no power steering - which cool too because it makes this car feel like a gocart (remember how much fun they were?)

The only thing hard to get used to was how the gas peddal worked. When letting go, I expected the car to coast just like any other car does. What actually happens though is that the "Regenerative Braking" kicks in right away. This slows the car down as if you're stepping on the brakes. It made me nurvous because I was being tail-gated by this jerk-off in a Porsche. When I let go of the gas peddal I was sure he was going to crash into me from behind. As it turns out though, letting go of the gas peddal activates the rear brake lights. Super-safe!

Of course, the C O O L E S T thing about this car was that it was all electric. No gas, no smell, no oil, no noise, no pollution. The only sound it makes was a very gentle "whirrrr" when stepping on the "gas", and even that sound is cool.

Finally, the future I dreamed of as a kid, is here.

Fuck you, BP!

[RawAlex]

yeah, just remember that you can't ever go more than about 30 or 40 miles from home before you have to turn around, because otherwise you will need the biggest boost in automotive history. electric cars are just not yet ready for prime time.

[GJ_Servers]

That's cool. I'd like to take one for a spin too.

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

yeah, just remember that you can't ever go more than about 30 or 40 miles from home before you have to turn around, because otherwise you will need the biggest boost in automotive history. electric cars are just not yet ready for prime time.

Says you.
And the tesla has a longer range than that.

Not only that, but 40 miles in a tesla will make you forget about most things.

[RawAlex]

Originally Posted by EmporerEJ

Says you.
And the tesla has a longer range than that.

Not only that, but 40 miles in a tesla will make you forget about most things.

Failed basic math?

40 miles going there, 40 miles coming back = 80 miles. there are all sorts of claims about 250 mile range, 300 mile range, etc. But the reality is that it would damage the batteries to completely charge them every time, and you should never push it much lower than about 20% charge (bad for the batteries), and the range only happens when you drive like the EPA highway test. For real humans, the effective range is at best about 100-120 miles (based on numerous road tests I read). One car magazine gave it a nice thrashing on a German autobahn, only to discover that vigorous play lead to a range that would be lucky to get the 80 miles, more like 60 - 70.

Remember, for the good it is, the batteries store about the same amount of energy as a gallon or two of gas. Can you imagine setting out in the morning with your gas light on, and driving all day hoping like hell you don't run out? Running out puts you in an 8 -12 hour penalty box (don't interrupt the charging, as it can damage the batteries!).

Paying 6 figures for a car that can't make it from Vegas to a legal whorehouse and back seems pretty silly.

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

Failed basic math?

40 miles going there, 40 miles coming back = 80 miles. .

I wasn't aware you traveled in strainght lines out, and straight lines back. Where are these roads at?

Maybe we should call you "Ray-Man?"

(Did you get the funny little double entendre there with the math/savant reference?)

I love you chicken and egg guys.....glass is always half empty.

The average american travels less than 20 miles from home on a daily basis. and....wait for it...are you just gonna drive all day? Gonna drive to the whore house, and turn around and come back? How about you stay a while...plug in, and recharge?

(See, I made another little double entedre reference there?)

Man, you don't get this much funny when you PAY for it in Vegas.....

Hey, know what? Doesn't matter...can't get one anyhow. They can't make 'em fast enough to keep up with demand. So you won't have to worry about making a bad decision.

[RawAlex]

Originally Posted by EmporerEJ

I wasn't aware you traveled in strainght lines out, and straight lines back. Where are these roads at?

Gee, I dunno, usually when I go somewhere, I tend to want to come back. Nothing about a straight line, but the distance TO some place is typically similar to the distance coming FROM the place. Unless of course you are just buying an electric car to drive around in circles and show off how "green" you are.

Most places won't let you plug in to recharge, and just as importantly, battery life is compromised with partial charging. So you don't want to plug in for an hour, and shave 6 months off the life of the battery overall.

But you knew that, right?

[EmporerEJ]

I think there's nothing that can be said to move you towards a Tesla...so this is an exercise in futility.

You just want to be a negative nanny.....

next you'll be saying "Well, it's a red car, and statistically, they have more accidents, so that's a bad idea...."


Alex ===>>> :.................. <====EJ's Tesla

[RawAlex]

Originally Posted by EmporerEJ

I think there's nothing that can be said to move you towards a Tesla...so this is an exercise in futility.

You just want to be a negative nanny.....

next you'll be saying "Well, it's a red car, and statistically, they have more accidents, so that's a bad idea...."


Alex ===>>> :.................. <====EJ's Tesla

It's what is so enjoyable having a debate with you. Rather than discussing facts and reality, you would rather name call and run away. Please, address reality. Do you not go somewhere and then come back? Do you not know that you should not partial recharge batteries? DO you not know that battery efficiency is hurt if you over charge or over deplete?

Did you consider that most people that can afford 6 figures for a car are going to live more than 20 miles from their place of business? Perhaps they might want to run some errands at lunch, after work, maybe meet some friends in the next town over for dinner, perhaps go golfing in the countryside? average commute isn't a very good indicator of usefulness for the target market.

So rather than tossing up icons and insults, how about actually discussing the topic at hand?

[softball]

I drive a Porsche Carrera....a total gas hog. It doesn't have the acceleration of a Tesla...probably not the sophistication either. But I can drive it as far as I want. Having said that, I do believe that the days of the internal combustion gasoline engine are numbered. The Tesla is the first shot across the bow of the uber fast electric car. In ten years, fast and capable alternative fuel cars (by then probably just called "cars") will be common.
I also drive a diesel Jetta and just did a 1000 km trip on a tank of fuel....cost 50 bucks...probably 35 USD. (I just calculated that it would cost about 200 to 250 bucks to drive from LA to NYC.) BTW, that is the distance from Vancouver to Yreka California.
I like both cars equally.

[2muchmark2]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

yeah, just remember that you can't ever go more than about 30 or 40 miles from home before you have to turn around, because otherwise you will need the biggest boost in automotive history. electric cars are just not yet ready for prime time.

No so, Alex. The Tesla Roadster gets about 288 miles to a 3 hour charge. Here in Montreal, that's enough to get me from home, to work and back again more than 25 times.

[2muchmark2]

Originally Posted by GJ_Servers

That's cool. I'd like to take one for a spin too.

You should! Go to http://www.teslamotors.com and contact a sales rep. They will tell you where you can take a test drive in your city. Ask for Dale - she's fantastic, knows everything, and not "pushy". I've been emailing her questions on and off for over a year now, and she's the one who contacted me about the car coming to Montreal.

[2muchmark2]

Originally Posted by EmporerEJ

... 40 miles in a tesla will make you forget about most things.

VERY TRUE!

Remember seeing a Sci-fi movies like Logans Run and Bladerunner as a kid and saying "Wow.. the future!!!" ? That weird tingly feeling is what I got driving this car. Fast, Sexy, Reliable, Safe are easy... but Electric? Quiet? Wow... I can't say enough about this car. Even if you don't like the style, who cares? ELECTRIC is cool.

[softball]

Originally Posted by 2muchmark2

VERY TRUE!

Remember seeing a Sci-fi movies like Logans Run and Bladerunner as a kid and saying "Wow.. the future!!!" ? That weird tingly feeling is what I got driving this car. Fast, Sexy, Reliable, Safe are easy... but Electric? Quiet? Wow... I can't say enough about this car. Even if you don't like the style, who cares? ELECTRIC is cool.

What I wanna know is did you buy it?

[2muchmark2]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

Failed basic math?

40 miles going there, 40 miles coming back = 80 miles. there are all sorts of claims about 250 mile range, 300 mile range, etc. But the reality is that it would damage the batteries to completely charge them every time, and you should never push it much lower than about 20% charge (bad for the batteries), and the range only happens when you drive like the EPA highway test. For real humans, the effective range is at best about 100-120 miles (based on numerous road tests I read). One car magazine gave it a nice thrashing on a German autobahn, only to discover that vigorous play lead to a range that would be lucky to get the 80 miles, more like 60 - 70.

Remember, for the good it is, the batteries store about the same amount of energy as a gallon or two of gas. Can you imagine setting out in the morning with your gas light on, and driving all day hoping like hell you don't run out? Running out puts you in an 8 -12 hour penalty box (don't interrupt the charging, as it can damage the batteries!).

Paying 6 figures for a car that can't make it from Vegas to a legal whorehouse and back seems pretty silly.

Hi Alex,

Are you sure you're reading reports about the Tesla? I can only find good things about this car, except for what that silly BBC show said.

6 Figures for this car is more than I would like to pay, but they are coming out with a $50k sedan in a couple of years.

And besides, you're missing the point. Even if the batteries only store the same amount of energy as 2 gallons of gas (where did you get that?), more than 90% of the energy from gas is lost in a typical car anyway to heat, combustion, torque conversion, and the shear weight of the extras required for the car itself (Starter, oil system, coolant system, brake system, and on and on).

[2muchmark2]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

Most places won't let you plug in to recharge, and just as importantly, battery life is compromised with partial charging. So you don't want to plug in for an hour, and shave 6 months off the life of the battery overall.

This is not correct. Old batteries such as the Delco batteries in the GM EV-1 had this problem, but this has been solved. The battery and charging system have no "memory" problem like you are describing.

The Tesla Roadster doesn't just have 1 batter - it has thousands of small "notebook" batteries. It is normal for some of them to fail but they are guaranteed for 3 years to lose no more than 20% of their ability to retain a full charge. When it comes time for service, a diagnostic program tells the "mechanic" which batteries are dead or dying, and are replaced.

I asked the sales rep who let me drive the car (Hans) about this though. He says that he charges his car every day by plugging it in at home. For long trips though, he has to plan his route so that he can stop at places to plug-in and charge his car.

As for places not letting you plug-in, thats possible, but its too bad for them. The total cost to charge the car is a whopping $4.00 of electricity. It won't be long before some enterprising companies setup Electric charging stations in various locations around the country. It currently takes 3 hours to fully charge a Tesla. This is a fantastic opportunity for "truck stops" to become full service stops that would include Hotels, long-dinner restaurants, movie theatres, parks, etc.

I'm excited for the future. Can you tell?

[2muchmark2]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

It's what is so enjoyable having a debate with you. Rather than discussing facts and reality, you would rather name call and run away. Please, address reality. Do you not go somewhere and then come back? Do you not know that you should not partial recharge batteries? DO you not know that battery efficiency is hurt if you over charge or over deplete?

Did you consider that most people that can afford 6 figures for a car are going to live more than 20 miles from their place of business? Perhaps they might want to run some errands at lunch, after work, maybe meet some friends in the next town over for dinner, perhaps go golfing in the countryside? average commute isn't a very good indicator of usefulness for the target market.

So rather than tossing up icons and insults, how about actually discussing the topic at hand?

Alex, I think that everything that EJ has said so far is right. It's your facts that seem a little off.

Anyway, you're missing the point. Even if the numbers aren't dead-on, so what? Imagine if this were a $50,000 car instead of a $100k car. What do you get for $50k?

- 288 Mile Range
- High Tech
- Light Weight
- No gas to buy, ever.
- No pollution
- No Oil to change.
- Much fewer parts to break down (2 electric motors, a computer, batteries)
- Super-silent drive (no silly freakin' noise pollution)
- High tech, high tech, high tech
- Sick speed
- Slick looks

Trust me, I hear your arguments against it. I've owned 11 cars including my current 2010 426 Horsepower Camaro, which I loved up until I drove the Tesla. Now to me, all Gas cars seem so ... old! I'll be selling my Camaro near the end of the summer and hope to buy an electric next spring. Seriously... !

[softball]

No pollution

Not quite true. Battery waste. Electric generation. The list is not short. Ten years ago, I drove an MX5 Mazda that was hydrogen powered. The exhaust was water. I like that technology a lot as well.

[RawAlex]

Originally Posted by 2muchmark2

Alex, I think that everything that EJ has said so far is right. It's your facts that seem a little off.

Anyway, you're missing the point. Even if the numbers aren't dead-on, so what? Imagine if this were a $50,000 car instead of a $100k car. What do you get for $50k?

- 288 Mile Range
- High Tech
- Light Weight
- No gas to buy, ever.
- No pollution
- No Oil to change.
- Much fewer parts to break down (2 electric motors, a computer, batteries)
- Super-silent drive (no silly freakin' noise pollution)
- High tech, high tech, high tech
- Sick speed
- Slick looks

Trust me, I hear your arguments against it. I've owned 11 cars including my current 2010 426 Horsepower Camaro, which I loved up until I drove the Tesla. Now to me, all Gas cars seem so ... old! I'll be selling my Camaro near the end of the summer and hope to buy an electric next spring. Seriously... !

Mark,

let's start at the top. The batteries are always an issue. Even companies like Toyota who have spent billions of dollars to get their hybrids right admit that the batteries are an issue. You should not charge them full, you should not drain them completely. Neither condition is good for them. Partial charging is also NOT recommended. Memory effect specifically an issue for lithium batteries, but partial charging (especially bump charging in the middle of a discharge cycle) still isn't the best way to do things.

EPA range on the Tesla Roadstar is 221 miles, using a very, very light duty cycle run. As noted in this road test: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...ster-road_test - they got more than 160 miles, but if they ran the car on the highway at speed, it wasn't going to last very long. One European Autobahn test had the car pretty much running out of energy quickly if driving like a sports car on the open road.

The batteries also tend to overheat if you run the car hard, more than a couple of quarter mile runs (12 seconds or so full throttle) is enough to get the engine controller to shut down the fun.

Recharge time on 120V is a consumer friendly 37 hours. If you happen to be able to wing up a 220V connector, it will recharge overnight, pulling 30-70A during the cycle. The vast majority of city dwellers will not be able to use this type of car because they will lack a proper place to plug it in (think condos, or houses with only outdoor parking, or worse, street parking).

"no gas to by". Mark, we are lucky to live in a province where the vast majority of our power is created by hydro electric dams. However, if even a small percentage of cars in Quebec were converted to electric power, it is likely that we would have add things like natural gas or even coal fired plants to be able to generate enough extra power to support all of this. In the US, where hydro power is rare, they are often burning oil, natural gas, or coal to generate the electricity. In the end, it is the same difference, you can burn it in your car, or burn it at the power plant and suffer the line losses in getting it to your house.

So the car isn't a no pollution option, just a pollution shifter. The range isn't very exciting (I live at home and knock off 30,000 plus kms a year, or almost 45 miles a day). If I actually had to travel downtown from the burbs every day, run some errands, etc, I would be very leery of a car with a limited range and no simple way to recharge.

[softball]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

Mark,

let's start at the top. The batteries are always an issue. Even companies like Toyota who have spent billions of dollars to get their hybrids right admit that the batteries are an issue. You should not charge them full, you should not drain them completely. Neither condition is good for them. Partial charging is also NOT recommended. Memory effect specifically an issue for lithium batteries, but partial charging (especially bump charging in the middle of a discharge cycle) still isn't the best way to do things.

EPA range on the Tesla Roadstar is 221 miles, using a very, very light duty cycle run. As noted in this road test: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...ster-road_test - they got more than 160 miles, but if they ran the car on the highway at speed, it wasn't going to last very long. One European Autobahn test had the car pretty much running out of energy quickly if driving like a sports car on the open road.

The batteries also tend to overheat if you run the car hard, more than a couple of quarter mile runs (12 seconds or so full throttle) is enough to get the engine controller to shut down the fun.

Recharge time on 120V is a consumer friendly 37 hours. If you happen to be able to wing up a 220V connector, it will recharge overnight, pulling 30-70A during the cycle. The vast majority of city dwellers will not be able to use this type of car because they will lack a proper place to plug it in (think condos, or houses with only outdoor parking, or worse, street parking).

"no gas to by". Mark, we are lucky to live in a province where the vast majority of our power is created by hydro electric dams. However, if even a small percentage of cars in Quebec were converted to electric power, it is likely that we would have add things like natural gas or even coal fired plants to be able to generate enough extra power to support all of this. In the US, where hydro power is rare, they are often burning oil, natural gas, or coal to generate the electricity. In the end, it is the same difference, you can burn it in your car, or burn it at the power plant and suffer the line losses in getting it to your house.

So the car isn't a no pollution option, just a pollution shifter. The range isn't very exciting (I live at home and knock off 30,000 plus kms a year, or almost 45 miles a day). If I actually had to travel downtown from the burbs every day, run some errands, etc, I would be very leery of a car with a limited range and no simple way to recharge.

Dude, don't you live in like Winnipeg? You could only drive that car a couple of months a year. Ten months of winter you need a Saskatchewan Cadillac....a Bronco. So those batteries are not an issue. This is a high performance car. Not a commuter grocery getter. Step into the future or should I say back to the future. Cutting and pasting choice clips is making you look like an ass. Its like arguing gas mileage on a Lambo.

[Cleo]

Seems like its range is at least 200 miles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-FDM...os=5BorZeD1wp4

I would love to own this car. It seems like it would be perfect for where I live with just one possible caveat, how is the A/C in it?

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

It's what is so enjoyable having a debate with you. Rather than discussing facts and reality, you would rather name call and run away. Please, address reality. Do you not go somewhere and then come back? Do you not know that you should not partial recharge batteries? DO you not know that battery efficiency is hurt if you over charge or over deplete?

Did you consider that most people that can afford 6 figures for a car are going to live more than 20 miles from their place of business? Perhaps they might want to run some errands at lunch, after work, maybe meet some friends in the next town over for dinner, perhaps go golfing in the countryside? average commute isn't a very good indicator of usefulness for the target market.

So rather than tossing up icons and insults, how about actually discussing the topic at hand?

I thought it was an excellent use of the icons.
I don't often get to use that Horsie one, and I like it.
We're just gonna have to disagree on this.
I feel the need to like and want a tesla, without slicing and dicing it to pieces.
Unless you have a common frame of reference to compare to other battery cars, (oops, pretty small supply side there,) there really isn't a point discussing it.
As a guy that leads in "new products," you can ALWAYS "make it better."
But at some point you gotta cut bait and fish. The bottom line is, there is a waiting line for teslas. That's the end of the discussion. When they are fighting for market share, then you can say "well, as an armchair economist and marketing expert, this is why they aren't selling any more."

You remember there was PCdos 1.0, right?

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by 2muchmark2

VERY TRUE!

Remember seeing a Sci-fi movies like Logans Run and Bladerunner as a kid and saying "Wow.. the future!!!" ? That weird tingly feeling is what I got driving this car. Fast, Sexy, Reliable, Safe are easy... but Electric? Quiet? Wow... I can't say enough about this car. Even if you don't like the style, who cares? ELECTRIC is cool.

I remember Jenifer 5, and the new you. Logan's Run was one of my "formative" movies, and the "dial your sex partner" was a partial influence on my development of the VSM.

[RawAlex]

Originally Posted by EmporerEJ

But at some point you gotta cut bait and fish. The bottom line is, there is a waiting line for teslas. That's the end of the discussion.

There is also always a lineup for things, the last one was the CanAm roadster (which, based on personal experience, isn't all that fun to ride). There are always a laundry list of celebutards and others suckered into the "next big thing". They can park the Tesla in their garage next to the box with the Apple Liza and their NeXT PC.

Originally Posted by EmporerEJ

You remember there was PCdos 1.0, right?

More importantly, I remember what came before it. Do you?

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

There is also always a lineup for things, the last one was the CanAm roadster (which, based on personal experience, isn't all that fun to ride). There are always a laundry list of celebutards and others suckered into the "next big thing". They can park the Tesla in their garage next to the box with the Apple Liza and their NeXT PC.



More importantly, I remember what came before it. Do you?

You bet.
I go back to the warm fuzzy days.
:-)
I was always an early adopter.
I got one of those apple Lisa's at a government sale. At the time, they were selling new for 10K. I think I paid $10 for it, just to have it, and take it apart.

[softball]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

There is also always a lineup for things, the last one was the CanAm roadster (which, based on personal experience, isn't all that fun to ride). There are always a laundry list of celebutards and others suckered into the "next big thing". They can park the Tesla in their garage next to the box with the Apple Liza and their NeXT PC.



More importantly, I remember what came before it. Do you?

If god had meant for man to fly, he would have given him wings. Can you spell dinosaur. Some guys hit a plateau and the world sails by them.

[2muchmark2]

Originally Posted by rhetorical

Not quite true. Battery waste. Electric generation. The list is not short. Ten years ago, I drove an MX5 Mazda that was hydrogen powered. The exhaust was water. I like that technology a lot as well.

Of course there is always waste. Batteries have less waste than Gas. Alot less..!

I love the idea of Hydrogen power, and water as exhaust is cool. Unfortunately though the energy required to make hydrogen is high, and can be easily dominated by BP and Exxon I think. There's also the infrastructure (gas stations would have to be converted, transportation of Hydrogen, etc). None of that is needed with electricity. Hydrogen is also highly explosive.

[2muchmark2]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

Mark,

let's start at the top. The batteries are always an issue. Even companies like Toyota who have spent billions of dollars to get their hybrids right admit that the batteries are an issue. You should not charge them full, you should not drain them completely. Neither condition is good for them. Partial charging is also NOT recommended. Memory effect specifically an issue for lithium batteries, but partial charging (especially bump charging in the middle of a discharge cycle) still isn't the best way to do things.

EPA range on the Tesla Roadstar is 221 miles, using a very, very light duty cycle run. As noted in this road test: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...ster-road_test - they got more than 160 miles, but if they ran the car on the highway at speed, it wasn't going to last very long. One European Autobahn test had the car pretty much running out of energy quickly if driving like a sports car on the open road.

The batteries also tend to overheat if you run the car hard, more than a couple of quarter mile runs (12 seconds or so full throttle) is enough to get the engine controller to shut down the fun.

Recharge time on 120V is a consumer friendly 37 hours. If you happen to be able to wing up a 220V connector, it will recharge overnight, pulling 30-70A during the cycle. The vast majority of city dwellers will not be able to use this type of car because they will lack a proper place to plug it in (think condos, or houses with only outdoor parking, or worse, street parking).

"no gas to by". Mark, we are lucky to live in a province where the vast majority of our power is created by hydro electric dams. However, if even a small percentage of cars in Quebec were converted to electric power, it is likely that we would have add things like natural gas or even coal fired plants to be able to generate enough extra power to support all of this. In the US, where hydro power is rare, they are often burning oil, natural gas, or coal to generate the electricity. In the end, it is the same difference, you can burn it in your car, or burn it at the power plant and suffer the line losses in getting it to your house.

So the car isn't a no pollution option, just a pollution shifter. The range isn't very exciting (I live at home and knock off 30,000 plus kms a year, or almost 45 miles a day). If I actually had to travel downtown from the burbs every day, run some errands, etc, I would be very leery of a car with a limited range and no simple way to recharge.

Hi Alex,

Well ok there are still some issues to be worked out, but to me anyway, the concept and technology is more than promising.

Since I live in a Province where electricity is "clean", I already have 220v, and my usual trips are less than a 200 miles, electric makes complete sense for people like me.

[2muchmark2]

Originally Posted by EmporerEJ

I remember Jenifer 5, and the new you. Logan's Run was one of my "formative" movies, and the "dial your sex partner" was a partial influence on my development of the VSM.

Wasn't it Logan 5? Jessica 6? Francis 7? Anyways, yes. I saw that movie in the threatres. I think the moment I actually hit puberty was when Logan turned on the dial-a-babe / Transporter gadget, and Jessica appeared in that super-short skirt. Wow.

[2muchmark2]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

There is also always a lineup for things, the last one was the CanAm roadster (which, based on personal experience, isn't all that fun to ride). There are always a laundry list of celebutards and others suckered into the "next big thing". They can park the Tesla in their garage next to the box with the Apple Liza and their NeXT PC.

CanAm Roadster:
Looks like fun, never drove one though.

"next big thing"
Why are early adopters suckers? Come on... If you see a gadget, and it is something you want to have and enjoy, and you have the money, you buy it. It either catches on or it doesn't. Why does that make anyone a sucker?

As for celebutards, whats wrong with having passion for a cause? These are people with money and a following, and they believe in something and want to make their ideas known. If you don't agree, just ignore them. Whats the prob?

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by 2muchmark2

Wasn't it Logan 5? Jessica 6? Francis 7? Anyways, yes. I saw that movie in the threatres. I think the moment I actually hit puberty was when Logan turned on the dial-a-babe / Transporter gadget, and Jessica appeared in that super-short skirt. Wow.

Damn, I think you're right.
I did have that wrong.
5, 6, 7.

She was most definitely Hot. Gotta love a society that has clothes designed to come off easy.

I owned it on VHS, and DVD. And I read the book. (Which was slightly different, but still good)

[RawAlex]

Originally Posted by 2muchmark2

CanAm Roadster:
Looks like fun, never drove one though.

"next big thing"
Why are early adopters suckers? Come on... If you see a gadget, and it is something you want to have and enjoy, and you have the money, you buy it. It either catches on or it doesn't. Why does that make anyone a sucker?

As for celebutards, whats wrong with having passion for a cause? These are people with money and a following, and they believe in something and want to make their ideas known. If you don't agree, just ignore them. Whats the prob?

Too many of the celebs 'have a cause' because someone told them it was good to appear in a positive light. It works well when they are trying to get the public to forget their latest DUI charge or whatever.

They also tend to have more money than brains, and end up getting lead into buying the latest thing to look good. The Tesla might be a good product 5 - 10 years from now, but for the moment, it is still no entirely ready for prime time (and absolutely nobody is addressing the issues of what will happen with all the toxic waste from the batteries, which will likely need to be replaced entirely every few years).

As for the your clean power, the clean power in Quebec is not unlimited. In fact, if even a very small number of people shifted over to electric cars, the power grid would fry, and the draw down on water in the north would be unsupportable. Any large scale move to electric cars would likely lead to that gas fired power plant project coming back, and many more like it.

CanAm Roadster has a real problem of dynamics, basically it lifts the inside wheel when turning (opposite to motorcycle, which effectively leans into the turn). The weight gets transfered to the outside wheel. Go a little too far, and in theory it is tippy. The machine has a very aggressive stability control that I was able to engage in a parking lot without much effort.

It looks cool, it rides reasonably well, as long as you aren't going to push the issue in the slightest. It pretty much is the worst of a motorcycle and the worst of a car all in one place.