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This discussion relates to Technology Review's article Driving the Volt.

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  kearns
  

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  06/12/2009 07:57 AM

  Errata concerning Tesla

  The author cites Tesla motors as having only one tiny sports car costing over $100,000 and that the Volt will sell for $40,000.  This is incorrect. Tesla has introduced the S class which is a sedan selling for $48,000.  Please visit their website at http://www.teslamotors.com for more information.

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    gabrielg01
    

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    06/12/2009 08:39 AM

    Re: Errata concerning Tesla

    the Tesla website says that "Model S Signature" will only be available in 2011, and limited to 100 cars.
    The regular Model S will only be available in 2012.
    
    So, I would not call this a market ready car.

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    jwer
    

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    06/12/2009 09:08 AM

    Re: Errata concerning Tesla

    Also, that "$48,000" price is only after the $7500 tax credit for buying an electric car, which would bring the Volt to around $32,500.
    
    Apples and oranges; Tesla is a very impressive toy car company kept afloat by a man with lots of money and an insistent vision. GM is a huge multinational car company with a hundred years' building cars. Yes, GM has been forced into bankruptcy, but Tesla has been desperate for funding after only a couple years. Strangely, the press is a lot kinder to Tesla than to GM.

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      Null Hypothesis
      

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      06/12/2009 02:09 PM

      Re: Errata concerning Tesla

      The press is nicer to Tesla because they are actually doing something productive with their limited funds, something GM was unwilling to do with its billions and mass production factories. As such, they embody the American Dream of starting from scratch and finding better ways of doing better things for less money and therefore progressing society forward, at the same time putting giant dinosaurs like GM out of business, were it not for billions of taxpayers' bailout dollars.

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        jwer
        

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        06/15/2009 10:52 AM

        Re: Errata concerning Tesla

        Tesla's "limited funds" do not need to be offset against 100 years of pension obligations or poor model receptions.
        
        I am not suggesting that GM is blameless, far from it, I just think it's silly to compare a 100-year-old car company to a startup with 500 built examples of one model, esp. when all they really did was secure venture capital to bolt a bunch of laptop batteries into a Lotus Elise.
        
        GM tried to make an electric car, and tried to make a hydrogen car, but the reasons that they failed had as much to do with the EV-1's 12-mile range with the AC on as they did with GM's internal squabbles. The technology was not ready. It's not really ready yet, but it's close enough to start trying.
        
        Yes, the Tesla is amazing, but it's not THAT amazing. It still costs more than many people's houses. The EV-1 was far more groundbreaking when it came out, it just came out too soon and was not pursued, which is something that current GM management has publicly regretted.

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  nucinc
  

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  06/12/2009 09:10 AM

  Volt vs Prius

  The author should have noted that Toyota sells each Prius at a loss.  The Volt will be a GM design & engineering success, but it won't be competitve with the weight of the UAW in tow.

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  bildan
  

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  06/12/2009 09:38 AM

  Performance after 100 Mi

  Performance test done with a charged battery aren't all that interesting.  I want to read a performance test done after 50 open road miles - after the battery is depleted.

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    jwer
    

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    06/15/2009 10:53 AM

    Re: Performance after 100 Mi

    Agreed.

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  gary7
  

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  06/12/2009 11:04 AM

  Electric vehicles

  Also note the continuing evolution of battery tech. I expect, as Li/Sulphur batteries or Na/Sulphur battery tech becomes market ready, we will see an explosion in electric vehicle offerings.
  
  Imagine a Volt able to go 200 to 300 miles on the same mass of batteries. That would be a real winner,,,
  
  Gary 7

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• 
  geddy160
  

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  06/12/2009 12:51 PM

  Volt

  What fraction of the total production cost of the volt is attributable to the battery pack?

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