JohnH wrote:
On Sun, 23 Jul 2006 07:46:29 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:


"JohnH" wrote in message
. ..

could small boats be next? This thing is cute, goes a long ways, and has a
nice web site. According to today's NYTimes, it'll cost in the $80-100K
range. Who'll be the first?

http://www.teslamotors.com/


Interesting site and claims, considering they haven't built one yet.
Far be it from me to be cynical, but how, using the best of current battery
technology, can these guys get 250 miles between charges when the best
anybody else can get is 60-100 miles in a much more stripped down and basic
E car? Something does not add up.

Eisboch



Well, the initial info I got came from the NYTimes, so it must be true.

Editorial
Go Speed Racer!

Published: July 23, 2006

Virtue alone will not break the grip that petroleum holds on the automobile
market. That’s why the introduction of a sleek, high-performance roadster
that happens to be electric rather than gasoline-fueled is worth noting.

Tesla Motors, a Silicon Valley start-up, has developed a two-seater that
goes from zero to 60 miles an hour in four seconds, leaving the days of
electric cars as glorified golf carts in the dust. The company seems to
understands what it means to love cars as well as the environment. (On its
Web site, Tesla revels in the power of the car’s acceleration pinning
passengers to their seats.)

With a range of about 250 miles, the Tesla Roadster can go much farther on
a single charge than earlier electric cars. And 150 of those miles cost
about the same as one gallon of gas. But the car itself will not be cheap,
running from $85,000 to $100,000. Rather than a stumbling block in this
case, it’s actually a selling point.

Martin Eberhard, the company’s chief executive, recognizes that new
technologies usually start out as high-end products. He and his team are
making their car the newest hot gadget, a status symbol. If rappers and
football stars buy them, maybe the company can make a dent in the market.

Tesla already has plans for a mainstream vehicle down the road if it can
expand its business. Perhaps this is one area where trickle-down theories
could really work.
--
******************************************
***** Have a Spectacular Day! *****
******************************************

John
Bet there will be more pedestrian/auto accidents with them. No one
will hear the cars coming.. especially in noisy cities.

"Don White" wrote in message
...


Bet there will be more pedestrian/auto accidents with them. No one will
hear the cars coming.. especially in noisy cities.


I never thought of that. I can see it now, given our government. There
will be federal requirements for a bright, strobe light on the roof and a
"ding-ding-ding" announciater whenever it's moving.

Eisboch

On Sun, 23 Jul 2006 13:59:58 GMT, Don White wrote:

JohnH wrote:
On Sun, 23 Jul 2006 07:46:29 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:


"JohnH" wrote in message
...

could small boats be next? This thing is cute, goes a long ways, and has a
nice web site. According to today's NYTimes, it'll cost in the $80-100K
range. Who'll be the first?

http://www.teslamotors.com/


Interesting site and claims, considering they haven't built one yet.
Far be it from me to be cynical, but how, using the best of current battery
technology, can these guys get 250 miles between charges when the best
anybody else can get is 60-100 miles in a much more stripped down and basic
E car? Something does not add up.

Eisboch



Well, the initial info I got came from the NYTimes, so it must be true.

Editorial
Go Speed Racer!

Published: July 23, 2006

Virtue alone will not break the grip that petroleum holds on the automobile
market. That’s why the introduction of a sleek, high-performance roadster
that happens to be electric rather than gasoline-fueled is worth noting.

Tesla Motors, a Silicon Valley start-up, has developed a two-seater that
goes from zero to 60 miles an hour in four seconds, leaving the days of
electric cars as glorified golf carts in the dust. The company seems to
understands what it means to love cars as well as the environment. (On its
Web site, Tesla revels in the power of the car’s acceleration pinning
passengers to their seats.)

With a range of about 250 miles, the Tesla Roadster can go much farther on
a single charge than earlier electric cars. And 150 of those miles cost
about the same as one gallon of gas. But the car itself will not be cheap,
running from $85,000 to $100,000. Rather than a stumbling block in this
case, it’s actually a selling point.

Martin Eberhard, the company’s chief executive, recognizes that new
technologies usually start out as high-end products. He and his team are
making their car the newest hot gadget, a status symbol. If rappers and
football stars buy them, maybe the company can make a dent in the market.

Tesla already has plans for a mainstream vehicle down the road if it can
expand its business. Perhaps this is one area where trickle-down theories
could really work.
--
******************************************
***** Have a Spectacular Day! *****
******************************************

John
Bet there will be more pedestrian/auto accidents with them. No one
will hear the cars coming.. especially in noisy cities.

I think most car noise is behind, not in front, of the car. Harley riders
have been trying for years to convince the public that noisy pipes are a
safety feature, so cars can hear them coming. What horsepucky.
--
******************************************
***** Have a Spectacular Day! *****
******************************************

John

"JohnH" wrote in message
news
On Sun, 23 Jul 2006 13:59:58 GMT, Don White
wrote:

I think most car noise is behind, not in front, of the car. Harley riders
have been trying for years to convince the public that noisy pipes are a
safety feature, so cars can hear them coming. What horsepucky.

It works. I've proved it, both to myself and Mrs.E. I am about to change
the pipes on the Ultra - going back to the next level softer - but only
because I no longer ride it in Florida, the land of a million white Lincoln
Town cars with all the windows up and driven by the hearing impaired ...
never mind. They work.

I can cite another example that occurred last weekend here in MA. Mrs.E was
on the back seat and I was putt-putting (potato, potato) down the road and
my eye caught a car approaching from an intersecting road on the right. The
driver was a young girl, one hand on the steering wheel, the other holding a
cell phone to her ear, and she was booking it up to the intersection,
chatting away and looking down the road, away from us. I could tell there
was no way she saw us nor was she intending on stopping before turning onto
the road that we were on. Pulled on the clutch, gave the throttle a quick
"Blap" and she jammed on the brakes, her head jerking around to our
direction with a surprised and shocked look on her face. I can do that a
heck of a lot faster than trying to brake and find the horn button, and it's
a heck of a lot more effective.

But, too loud is excessive, I agree. Fortunately, there are fewer hearing
impaired drivers up north.

BTW ... Harley riders are also the safest, most courteous and slowest
riders. Ever notice that?

Eisboch

Eisboch wrote:
"JohnH" wrote in message
news
On Sun, 23 Jul 2006 13:59:58 GMT, Don White
wrote:

I think most car noise is behind, not in front, of the car. Harley riders
have been trying for years to convince the public that noisy pipes are a
safety feature, so cars can hear them coming. What horsepucky.


It works. I've proved it, both to myself and Mrs.E. I am about to change
the pipes on the Ultra - going back to the next level softer - but only
because I no longer ride it in Florida, the land of a million white Lincoln
Town cars with all the windows up and driven by the hearing impaired ...
never mind. They work.

I can cite another example that occurred last weekend here in MA. Mrs.E was
on the back seat and I was putt-putting (potato, potato) down the road and
my eye caught a car approaching from an intersecting road on the right. The
driver was a young girl, one hand on the steering wheel, the other holding a
cell phone to her ear, and she was booking it up to the intersection,
chatting away and looking down the road, away from us. I could tell there
was no way she saw us nor was she intending on stopping before turning onto
the road that we were on. Pulled on the clutch, gave the throttle a quick
"Blap" and she jammed on the brakes, her head jerking around to our
direction with a surprised and shocked look on her face. I can do that a
heck of a lot faster than trying to brake and find the horn button, and it's
a heck of a lot more effective.

But, too loud is excessive, I agree. Fortunately, there are fewer hearing
impaired drivers up north.

BTW ... Harley riders are also the safest, most courteous and slowest
riders. Ever notice that?

Eisboch



I always hear motorcycles and loud cars long before they arrive. Must
be an *age* thing. ...you know..like what's the 2nd thing you lose??

On Sun, 23 Jul 2006 20:39:07 +0000, Don White wrote:


I always hear motorcycles and loud cars long before they arrive. Must be
an *age* thing. ...you know..like what's the 2nd thing you lose??

Yeah, but that's you. If you are depending on noise to alert other
drivers, think about all those boom boxes on wheels. You think they can
hear anything but their boom boxes?

On Sun, 23 Jul 2006 16:05:51 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:


"JohnH" wrote in message
news
On Sun, 23 Jul 2006 13:59:58 GMT, Don White
wrote:

I think most car noise is behind, not in front, of the car. Harley riders
have been trying for years to convince the public that noisy pipes are a
safety feature, so cars can hear them coming. What horsepucky.

It works. I've proved it, both to myself and Mrs.E. I am about to change
the pipes on the Ultra - going back to the next level softer - but only
because I no longer ride it in Florida, the land of a million white Lincoln
Town cars with all the windows up and driven by the hearing impaired ...
never mind. They work.

I can cite another example that occurred last weekend here in MA. Mrs.E was
on the back seat and I was putt-putting (potato, potato) down the road and
my eye caught a car approaching from an intersecting road on the right. The
driver was a young girl, one hand on the steering wheel, the other holding a
cell phone to her ear, and she was booking it up to the intersection,
chatting away and looking down the road, away from us. I could tell there
was no way she saw us nor was she intending on stopping before turning onto
the road that we were on. Pulled on the clutch, gave the throttle a quick
"Blap" and she jammed on the brakes, her head jerking around to our
direction with a surprised and shocked look on her face. I can do that a
heck of a lot faster than trying to brake and find the horn button, and it's
a heck of a lot more effective.

But, too loud is excessive, I agree. Fortunately, there are fewer hearing
impaired drivers up north.

BTW ... Harley riders are also the safest, most courteous and slowest
riders. Ever notice that?

Eisboch



Except for the noise, I've no complaint with Harley riders. When they're
alone or in small groups, two or three, I've always found them courteous,
and on the slow side. Sometimes, when they're in bigger groups, they think
they own the road.

OTOH, when they're riding in a large group, with a police escort, there's
nothing cooler, except a pack of Guzzis doing the same thing!

I put Fiamm horns on my Guzzi. It took a little wiring and the addition of
a relay, but the damn things are LOUD. The horn button is right by my
thumb, and takes no more time to push then blipping my throttle would. The
advantage is that the horns send the sound to the front of the bike, not
the rear.
--
******************************************
***** Have a Spectacular Day! *****
******************************************

John

On Sun, 23 Jul 2006 13:59:58 +0000, Don White wrote:

John
Bet there will be more pedestrian/auto accidents with them. No one
will hear the cars coming.. especially in noisy cities.

You can get some electic motorbikes with "Harley" MP3 sound built-in!
'struth!

Lloyd Sumpter
http://www.bcboatnet.org