It’ll probably be like how Automatic Transmissions were adopted. You’ll have the first group of people who can’t wait for the technology, a big group in the middle that’s undecided for whatever reason (safety, cost, tradition, etc), then another small group that’s absolutely against it. Over time, you’ll win over the…

That was my first thought, too. How does one get so little power out of so much forced induction? I’d be more interested in looking at a torque plot to see if he at least got a really flat torque curve for all his trouble.

ZEV credits, yes, but GM putting a credible EV into the market lowers the demand for these credits, thereby lowering their price on the market. Also, Tesla’s surplus of EPA credits goes to waste since those can’t be transferred between manufacturers. Still a net loss for Tesla.

Ah, yes. The mysterious art of stuffing laptop batteries into a skateboard.

VW is really only doing it because they are court mandated to do so. The major OEMs would be crazy to try and adopt a mass-market EV strategy, since EV’s are money-losers across the board for all automakers, Tesla included.

I think most automakers are adopting a “fast follower” strategy. What advantage does BMW gain being first to market with an unprofitable product? Unlike Tesla, BMW doesn’t need to be first to market because it already has a well-established brand. Once a proven business model/pricing structure emerges, BMW has the…

The D4 looks like a highly optimized and styled FSAE car.

#2edgy4me

Thinking about it from a politician’s standpoint:

You can’t just “make it cheaper” anymore. The days of great, cheap sports cars are over thanks to the stricter and stricter emissions and safety regs.

Considering the parking pawl is just a little metal stud thinner than the diameter of your pinky finger, I wouldn’t trust it to be the only thing holding your entire 2000+ lb. vehicle

In a perfect world, yes. The problem is that there are very few politicians who would push such a sweeping, regressive tax on the nation. The ones who support such things have a hard time getting reelected.

I’m not particularly fond of Tesla as a company, but I will give credit where credit is due. They are really the first company to be able to prove that it is possible to make an electric car that the general public actually wants to buy. Previous attempts by various manufacturers all failed in one way or another.

Yeah, many people don’t realize just how redundant the EPA, NHTSA, and CAFE are. The EPA cares about CO2 emissions, NHTSA cares about fuel consumption, and CAFE is just in a pissing contest with the EPA. The three are basically attacking the same problem, independently, from three sides.

It’s also $100k+ and questionable whether Tesla actually makes money on it.

Yeah, reading his statement really bugged me. I care about improving safety for consumers as much as the next guy, but there is a point at which people need to acknowledge that operating an automobile is an inherently risky behavior and that no amount of safety innovation can completely relieve a vehicle operator of…

Late to this discussion, but 5th Gear:

FYI, Ford Performance vehicles like the Focus RS and GT350 generally don’t qualify for AXZ Plan pricing. The best you can do with AXZ Plan is FoST or FiST.

But then who would photograph the drivers photographing drivers?

In mass? Are we selling these things in church now? It’s en masse.