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gza

gza

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#31722 28-Mar-2009 14:13
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"Just moments ago, Tesla took the wraps off the Model S, an all electric family sedan that carries  seven people and travels 300 miles per charge. They also launched a web site and began taking orders for this historic vehicle, which will likely be world's first mass-produced, highway-capable EV.

The Model S, which carries its charger onboard, can be recharged from any 120V, 240V or 480V outlet, with the latter taking only 45 minutes. By recharging their car while they stop for a meal, drivers can go from LA to New York in approximately the same time as a gasoline car.  Moreover, the floor-mounted battery pack is designed to be changed out in less time than it takes to fill a gas tank, allowing for the possibility of battery-pack swap stations.

The floor-mounted powertrain also results in unparalleled cargo room and versatility, as the volume under the front hood becomes a second trunk. Combining that with a four-bar linkage hatchback rear trunk and flat folding rear seats, the Model S can accommodate a 50-inch television, mountain bike *and* surfboard simultaneously.  This packaging efficiency gives the Model S more trunk space than any other sedan on the market and more than most SUVs."

I think it looks pretty sweet, like a cross between a Maserati and a Mazda rx8. Will probably be a while till its available in NZ though unfortunately...

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tonyhughes
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#203875 28-Mar-2009 14:53
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Thats a really nice automobile!!









Johnk
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  #203890 28-Mar-2009 16:56
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now i am probably completly wrong here, but the big going green having an electric car, doesnt that just mean instead of using petrol at a gas station we just put more strain on the power stations to produce more electricity to charge them?


it is still a real nice ride, i wouldnt mind one.

i4n

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#203895 28-Mar-2009 17:31
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Real nice ride, and for once has enough distance built in to make sense.

They still need to US govt to give enough seed money to start building it thou, and not sure that we would see it in NZ.  But I have lusted after the roadster for years!


On the power issue, we produce electric power here in NZ, mostly from hydro, as opposed to importing all the oil from overseas.



RAE1
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#203990 29-Mar-2009 15:34
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Silly me ... I thought they were charged by solar power  Embarassed

Byrned
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  #204117 30-Mar-2009 09:24
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Johnk: now i am probably completly wrong here, but the big going green having an electric car, doesnt that just mean instead of using petrol at a gas station we just put more strain on the power stations to produce more electricity to charge them?

.


I can't find links to the sources but if I remember correctly the benefit to an electric powered car from the grid is that you have less CO2 generated per mile travelled than you would from a petrol powered car even if that power is produced from oil/coal fired stations.

paradoxsm
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  #204145 30-Mar-2009 11:36
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Your "tracking redirect" links don't work for me, probably as I have much of this stuff blocked.

I know the car though, it's a stunner, gone are the boxy protypes now. :-)

Tesla Model-S Tesla Homepage

Ragnor
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  #204182 30-Mar-2009 14:20
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Johnk: now i am probably completly wrong here, but the big going green having an electric car, doesnt that just mean instead of using petrol at a gas station we just put more strain on the power stations to produce more electricity to charge them?

it is still a real nice ride, i wouldnt mind one.


Yes but there are heaps more ways to produce electricity (wind, solar, natural gas, hydro, coal, thermal, nuclear, etc) than gas (drill and process and biofuel stuff).

 
 
 

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  #204255 30-Mar-2009 17:33
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yeah i know what you all mean by other forms of free electricity, i am in the electrical industry, every power plant puts some form on pollution into the atmosphere unless wind obvisouly,  the problem being we live in the time when electricity is already on its way up in cost, as we are on the limit of capacity, so all these electric cars need to get juice from some where, so we need to build more power plants, and the cost of your power bill goes up again, and then we need to ( we all ready need to ) upgrade the transmission lines and everything that go with it.  


i cant wait untill we have a big fat glowing nuclear power plant right in the middle of the country haha, all the problems solved.

gza

gza

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  #204403 31-Mar-2009 12:32
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Johnk: now i am probably completly wrong here, but the big going green having an electric car, doesnt that just mean instead of using petrol at a gas station we just put more strain on the power stations to produce more electricity to charge them?


Yes, so the next logical step would be to create more renewable energy sources, such as wind/water turbines and even thermo. Atleast this is a step in the right direction and decreases co2 immisions.

Another problem is what happens to the batteries once they run out of juice, they must be somehow recyled because if they are just dumped into the earth they can release toxins.

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