it lives..........

[Homeslice]

Have they even sold any of those $100K impractical cars yet? The only people who would buy them are rich sports car buffs who already have 2-3 other cars. I would rather see this money going directly to battery companies, not auto companies.

[goof2]

One side issue, what dipshit decides to build a battery factory in the SF bay area? With their stringent environmental regulations, high labor costs, high property costs, and (I'm guessing) high tax rates that would be the last place I would want any factory, much less a battery factory. I would be concerned about any company that makes this kind of business decision.

[unknownroad]

Originally Posted by goof2

One side issue, what dipshit decides to build a battery factory in the SF bay area? With their stringent environmental regulations, high labor costs, high property costs, and (I'm guessing) high tax rates that would be the last place I would want any factory, much less a battery factory. I would be concerned about any company that makes this kind of business decision.

That was my first thought as well. They could probably buy an operational facility in Detroit for less than the cost of the land they'd need to build their factory's parking lot in the Bay area.

A 250-mile range isn't a deal-killer for the ragtop, IMO. If you're dropping $90k on one, you've probably got other cars for long trips. 250 miles is more than enough to get you out to a fancy restaurant, pose downtown for a while, hit the clubs, and get back home to recharge. If you're a big-city hipster rather than a suburbanite, it'll probably get the job done for the whole weekend.

[goof2]

Originally Posted by unknownroad

That was my first thought as well. They could probably buy an operational facility in Detroit for less than the cost of the land they'd need to build their factory's parking lot in the Bay area.

A 250-mile range isn't a deal-killer for the ragtop, IMO. If you're dropping $90k on one, you've probably got other cars for long trips. 250 miles is more than enough to get you out to a fancy restaurant, pose downtown for a while, hit the clubs, and get back home to recharge. If you're a big-city hipster rather than a suburbanite, it'll probably get the job done for the whole weekend.

And that shows the limited usefulness of the vehicle. How many people do you think have the money to spend $90k (actually just over $100k) for a second or third vehicle, even if it didn't have significant range restrictions?

I also consider the 250 mile range optimistic. Again, Top Gear tested one on their track and only managed to get the car 45 miles before it needed recharging. While they were using it at 10/10ths the whole time I wouldn't feel very confident the car would get anywhere near 250 miles when driven at 7/10ths.

This car would be ideal for a "big-city hipster" except most big city hipsters don't have a private garage. How are they going to charge the thing when they have to park on the street or in a large parking garage?

Most of the young "big-city hipsters" I have seen are also $40k per year millionaires living off credit and couldn't afford one $90k car, much less one as a second car.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Homeslice

Have they even sold any of those $100K impractical cars yet? The only people who would buy them are rich sports car buffs who already have 2-3 other cars. I would rather see this money going directly to battery companies, not auto companies.

im sure ed begley jr got one

[RACER X]

Originally Posted by Homeslice

Have they even sold any of those $100K impractical cars yet? The only people who would buy them are rich sports car buffs who already have 2-3 other cars. I would rather see this money going directly to battery companies, not auto companies.

azooom had 1 show up to a trackday in austin.

[goof2]

Originally Posted by RACER X

azooom had 1 show up to a trackday in austin.

How long did the battery last?

[azoomm]

Originally Posted by goof2

How long did the battery last?

It requires an outlet to recharge. So, when the battery was low - just plugged it in and good to go in about 15 minutes.

The real bummer was - about a week after it was at the track, it was destroyed on IH35 by having a semi destroy it in a major traffic incident. The driver OK - car destroyed.

[nhgunnut]

Originally Posted by azoomm

It requires an outlet to recharge. So, when the battery was low - just plugged it in and good to go in about 15 minutes.

The real bummer was - about a week after it was at the track, it was destroyed on IH35 by having a semi destroy it in a major traffic incident. The driver OK - car destroyed.

I would love to see a battery completely drained that you could recharge to full capacity in 15 minutes. If that were the case we would all be driving plug ins. On a different note this looks like one more times some campaign contributor bought influence (oh and apparently your tax dollars too)

[azoomm]

Originally Posted by nhgunnut

On a different note this looks like one more times some campaign contributor bought influence (oh and apparently your tax dollars too)

pppssshhhhhaaaaa... that wouldn't EVER happen....