Over our generation, we have had huge technological advancements in our automotive industry. We have seen computer driven cars, we have seen speed records being beaten one after the other, and we have seen huge advancements in the hybrid/green motoring industry. Ever since GM bought the rights to the EV-1, the worlds first electric car, and destroyed it, we haven't really seen any Zero emission, Zero combustion vehicles being put out onto the market. Until recently. Tesla, a Californian company, has produced what people think could be a start to a revolution. Or so SOME people think.

I'm doing a small project for my research class at UofT. What I hope to find out is if in fact Tesla Motors has a supportive base of interested and enthusiastic consumers. I wanted to see what the enthusiast communities had to say about this electric car.

So my question to you is. Would you buy it? Why? And if you were seriously considering the Tesla, what would be your concerns revolve around?

I chose the Toronto market because Tesla is expanding operations to Toronto. Also because it makes life easier for me. So, PLEASE PLEASE take 4 minutes out of your busy day to help me out. I greatly appreciate your response.

All information will be anonymous, and since this is a public forum filled with opinion I don't think it will be difficult for anyone either!



For those who do not know the company I am talking about, here is a Top Gear Video and a link to the official website.

http://www.teslamotors.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f_6FIU8Q68&feature=related



Thank you all in advance for your time!

 

While electric cars do reduce emissions, the power has to come from somewhere (the power grid), which will drive electricity prices up, and also more than likely increase greenhouse gas emissions from the increased load on the system. I'm not an engineer so obviously I can't back up my statements, but I'm just using a little common sense.

Hydrogen fuel cells = win (except when they rupture)

 

That is a very valid point Sir, thank you. But would you consider an electric car as a viable mode of transportation for your next car? I mean, given the features available on a petrol car are as even as on the Tesla, would you still take the petrol powered car over the electric?


A few more concerns I've been researching stem from the current infrastructure. Will gas stations be able to implement quick-charge stations beside their pumps?

Let's hear everyone input.

 

As a mechanical engineer, I can tell you that buzz around electric cars such as the Tesla Roadster is comprised more of hype than fact. The Tesla roadster uses 6008 batteries, which require rare earth metals for construction. The mining of rare earth metals has a greater impact on the environment than drilling for oil. The rapid charge times for the battery pack are only achieved through 220V and unfortunately, in any house the washer and dryer occupy those. The actual range on a single full charge is substantially less than the printed range. Electric cars by their emission less operation will not add to greenhouse gas production, however their construction will increase the amount of greenhouse gases.

 

well another thing that I doubt Tesla has accounted for is our disturbingly cold snaps. So if battery 2458 freezes how will that affect the overall vehicle?
Example: I work at a trucking company, we recently purchased 8 new Peterbilts - made in Texas - the deep cycle gel batteries that came with the trucks as soon as it hit -15/-20 in Barrie the batteries froze solid. Since the Tesla isn't a car that the majority of us would drive in the winter, as it sits in storage, there is a higher risk the batteries could freeze. I had heard of batteries freezing before but I thought that was only something that happened with old batteries that required maintenance - putting distilled water in them. So that's something to think about as well.

 

You cannot just view an electric car as a singular entity; you have to look at the entire energy production system. Having an energy efficient vehicle in this case an electric car that derives its power from a high polluting energy generation system i.e. coal, does increases the efficiency of the entire system. The end user will have an energy efficient vehicle, but the energy production will remain unchanged. The United States has not built a new nuclear power plant since 1976 and with the zoning laws as well as the pervasive N.I.M.B.Y Not in My Backyard mentality; the construction time is 10 years. French company Areva NP can build small nuclear power plants in 4 years, but the U.S. will not outsource their energy production to a foreign company as it is deemed to be a part of their national security. Therefore, the obvious problem is if the mass proliferation of pure electric cars as well as plug-in hybrids occurs, their drain on an inefficient and antiquated power grid will lead to a decreased supply and even further brown-outs and blackouts. California due to deregulation has not built a power generating station in over 15 years thus not keeping up with the increased population density, 2009 was the first year in California’s history that more people left the state than migrated to it. Obviously, the depressed economy as well as the rapid devaluation of housing value were catalysts, but the seeds for failure in California were planted over 30 years ago i.e. property taxes were frozen from 1974 thus drastically reducing a revenue stream from the state.
Concerning the infrastructure build out, Canada is better placed than the U.S. to deal with an increase of pure electric and plug-in hybrids due to the number of nuclear reactors. As to whether petrol stations or energy supply stations as they would be known if they started to supply electricity would be able to handle quick charging is undecided. There would have to a standard for energy cells created before petrol stations started offering quick charging for electric cars and plug-in hybrids. As for my consideration of an electric car as my next vehicle, I can the answer is a well throughout no. My next vehicle will be a Nissan R35 GT-R Series II.

 

Amazing car.


Very thorough answer, thank you, and I fully agree with you. I find that the introduction of electric cars is nothing but a hype. Their face value is great, people who don't critically look at the production over-see the environmental and economic repercussions of having electrical vehicles as the new mode of transportation.

So far the general consensus is a negative one, and with very legitimate points as well. However, the CEO (who is also co-founder of Pay-Pal) of Tesla has taken initiative to build a market here in Toronto. They have been accepting applications for dealer managers. They feel the 'hype' has enough leverage to create a profit. So my next question is, do you think this hype of eco-friendly cars will last? Or will the educated masses see the downfalls in the production?

Great discussion people, keep it coming.

 

From a strictly marketing perspective.
I believe there is a market for a sexy, high performance car that is "perceived" as green.
There are maaaaany products that employ a 'perceived as green' marketing strategy.

Many people believe that this type of product, while not "green" in the empirical sense,
is a required evolutionary engineering step that will ultimately lead to "greener" solutions.

If some of the climatic considerations are resolved,
I believe there is a market for this type of vehicle.
I don't think it would be a stand alone dealership though.
It would have to be an add on product for someone like Gentry Lane that sells other high end, narrow market vehicles.

 

I agree with InTgr8r, it's not necessarily about being truly green or even immediate profitability, it's more about market penetration and awareness while they continue the engineering.

OP, you'll get a few opinions and anecdotes here, but IMO in order to get a true and reliable picture of whether the GTA can sustain a Tesla market, you'd have to do some hardcore statistical work, i.e. surveying a sufficient sample of 'qualified' potential buyers to give your work a probability of being correct.

 

What would be so difficult to produce an electric car that can be efficiently powered by it's own common production battery cells and recharged on the fly with a highly efficient small-displacement fuel powered motor? The gas motor would be no part of the drivetrain. Basically the exact opposite of current car configurations using gas engines for locomotion with a battery to provide spark and electrical power to the interior; this would be an electrically locomotive car with a gas engine to recharge the batteries. I think the Chevy Volt is a beginning, but not exactly following the guidelines I listed.

 

Also and interesting stand point. We have seen a development with the "hybrid" car market such as the Prius get a lot of hype through celebrities and such. Although I think Tesla may not have the strongest opportunity in Toronto because of factors mentioned above, they have an opportunity none the less.

And yes, I have been working with hard statistical data worked out by the government indicating Hybrid car-sales in the GTA. I have also arranged an interview with Tesla's CEO and working on getting one with Toronto Star Automotive columnist. I included the 'enthusiast' communities such as Driver since I myself love the feeling of driving a petrol powered car, I wanted an insight as-to how the more educated set of drivers precieve a car like the Tesla.

 

Nice work. For my part (though i don't live in the CoTU) I would love to have a Tesla sedan. My concerns would be, though: Initial cost, cost to repair, availability of charging and short range. It would probably do for my commute (40km one way) but not for the occasional family trips we do in the 80-200km range, again one way.

 

I saw the Tesla at the Autoshow yesterday and I'm pretty impressed. 395km range apparently and can be charged as fast as 3.5 hours. I really never looked into it before I saw it yesterday but it's definitely interesting. I can't say I'd buy one for $125,000 though, especially with only 2 seats. The sedan they're coming out with looks like it could be a great DD, assuming the price isn't crazy.

I don't think I'd ever buy one without having a weekend car. What happens if you need to drive further than 400km? It's a great example of how much potential there could be for electric cars.