Tesla doesn't have dealerships, it owns all its stores. And Ray Wert can't think straight when it comes to Tesla. And a publicly traded company isn't a Ponzi scheme under any normal definition of the term. And although the deposits and reservations on future cars are a nice boost to Tesla's cash flow (and disprove the…

Hopefully the states' attorneys general will get a better deal as a result of her suit. Though I hope all the people who make mean hostile comments about the consumer who convinced a small-claims judge get nothing.

While Ray Wert nurses his unreasoning butt-hurt anomie against Elon Musk, other journalists report back from the Tesla factory. [blog.caranddriver.com]

I think only CHAdeMO DC fast charging stations are actually out there. It's "only" high-voltage high-current electricity and some signaling; three different connectors on one station seems possible. I dunno which plug will be most popular in which region.

You're still using Excel? How twentieth century. Upload your spreadsheet to Google Docs, then click Share and it'll give you a link you can hand out.

What are you on about? From Porsche's USA web site: Porsche 911 Carrera: 0-60 mph: 4.6 s

It's moronic to take your expensive technology and put it in a fast car with greater range than other electric cars in the body shape that, right or wrong, a huge number of buyers buy?

Amen!

The final numbers have been tallied. A Nissan Leaf travels 100 miles on 34 kW·h. That's the amount of energy in a gallon of gasoline. Electric is undeniably phenomenally efficient. Besides, an electric car's purpose is to not burn gasoline, there are a lot of reasons buyers value that beyond the cheap running costs…

I think you're confusing Tesla with Wrightspeed, Venturi, Tango and all the other would-be electric car makers who showed a prototype and at best sold a handful. Tesla produced and sold over 2,000 Roadsters. Numerous journalists have toured the former NUMMI plant and seen the presses and paint shop for the Model S - We…

The Roadster is/was built on an Elise chassis and much of its assembly is at Lotus. Lotus is discontinuing the Elise and Exige (already happened in the USA "until the redesigned models are released in 2015") so there's not much Tesla can do.

As with any car, drive sedately in order to get the claimed range. A beefier motor may not hurt efficiency; it doesn't weigh much more and it can handle more free regenerative energy when you brake.

Where were you while Tesla MADE and SOLD 2,000 Roadsters? Now production has ended since Lotus isn't providing them any more Elise gliders. And don't claim it not being practical on an auto enthusiast site. You get in a fully charged sports car every morning and have 245 miles of range, sounds like a blast.

For the Roadster, Tesla made its own battery pack, battery management system (thermal, electrical, safety), motor, and motor controller. They've sold these to Daimler and will put them in the Toyota RAV4. That's a lot of R&D, whether it's "new technology" is a slippery question.

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What is practical depends entirely on the driver's needs. Today's $30k 100-mile electric cars are extremely practical for most drivers' regular commute, especially if they live in a household with multiple cars LIKE MOST AMERICANS. Meanwhile Tesla Roadsters have 243 mile range and the Model S has up to 300 miles.

10) Several hybrids do boost performance over the base engine: the old Honda Accord Hybrid, the Infiniti M35H, the 2013 Lexus GS, etc. But getting the optional V6 or V8 boosts performance more and is cheaper, and so far it's been a tough sell to market "Green but not a beige-mobile, more performance than you think,…

Elon Musk invested a ton of money of his own money in Tesla, Toyota invested a bit, they got money from Daimler for battery packs, they raised a lot of money going public, and they raised more money in a second public offering that in part was to fund development of this car. And the government loaned them money as…

Back when the DoE had the loan covenant for its $465 bn loan to Tesla on its web site (complete with signatures, just like your mortgage), I skimmed it. It required Tesla maintain financial credit worthiness and had measured milestones before funds got disbursed, and had a repayment schedule just like your mortgage.

How is Tesla fleecing or suckering anyone? Interest in the Model S is so high people have put down deposits for them, but no one's forcing them. Unless you think the Model S will never appear.