Tesla's WhiteStar will be called the Model S - more info soon
Ok, ok, we previewed most of what we knew/know about Tesla's announcement regarding the future plans of the WhiteStar sedan this morning. Our friend Damon is at the ceremony and will be providing us with as many details as he can in very short order. For now, thanks to Engadget, we see that the WhiteStar concept will be called the Model S when it goes into production. Yes, it'll be built in CA and the numbers are awesome at this point: $60,000 for zero tailpipe emissions and 225 miles on a full charge. More soon.
[Source: Engadget]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Trev 4:40PM (6/30/2008)
oh SHIT i'm so freaking excited now!!! kfgjgkjgk hahaha
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virgil 10:21AM (7/01/2008)
$60k! According the endgadget and Digg, this is "affordable", or "still quite steep" for most people.
A more fitting description would be "1/4 to 1/2 the value of your house!" Seriously, who the hell has $60k to drop on unproven technology? This is no better than their roadster, albeit a bit more practical since it can seat more than 2.
When are the big auto makers going to get it? We (the public) want electric cars, which go 250 miles on a charge, seat 4 adults, cruise on the highway at 80mph, and cost under $20k. Even the volt is ridiculously overpriced at $40k. Whoever gets under that magic $20k barrier first is gonna make a LOT of cash. Until then, these are just toys for rich kids.
The fastest and cheapest route to this is to simply take a proven design (chevy cavalier, ford escort/taurus/mondeo, dodge neon, stratus, toyota corolla, honda civic) and shove an electric motor in it. No crash testing needed, no expensive retooling of the plant, just take out the ICE and put in an electric instead. Throw in some batteries and you're on the road in under a year. Why the auto-makers are so reticent to do this, is beyond me?
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Dan 7:16AM (8/03/2008)
Something to do with the unsold liquid underground worth trillions, I do not beleive the oil companies will win though.
MemphisNET 12:34PM (7/01/2008)
@Virgil
I'd love an Electric/EV Assisted Neon. Although I'm getting US40mpg on the hwy (105kph), the city is quite disgusting at only 22mpg.
Unfortunately it's not quite that simple. From a do-it-yourselfer it is, but a large scale manufacturer has SO many things to consider when building this stuff.
This massive spike in oil will settle itself within a year, and although the prices may only go down 20-30cents a gallon, the rest of the economy will work itself out. It will be like 1981 all over again.
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