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At least it was Tesla/SpaceX making the offer, and not Fisker.

Wow, you know it's messed up when they have a term just for fatal accidents "Last seconds alive" or whatever..... http://jalopnik.com/5969514/the-craziest-russian-dash-cam-videos-of-2012/gallery/1?tag=russian-dash-cams

Every Russian has a dash cam because the insurance company and courts there have a history of not paying out a dime unless you have proof. Where Americans seem to think in a "reasonable doubt" methodology from our courts, in Russia it's apparently "any doubt at all" and you lose. So if someone hits you while you're parked and they show up and say you ran into them you'd better have video or witnesses or something or no money for you!

Other countries seem to have systems that skew that way, and thus more dash cams (China, Taiwan, Korea), but not the quantity of videos. I think that's due to the bad Russian driving, there's simply more wild videos coming out of Russia than anywhere else!

Over at Jalopnik there is an entire section devoted to Russian dash cams. If you waste the next few hours watching them all it's not my fault!

Every Russian has a dash cam because the insurance company and courts there have a history of not paying out a dime unless you have proof. Where Americans seem to think in a "reasonable doubt" methodology from our courts, in Russia it's apparently "any doubt at all" and you lose. So if someone hits you while you're parked and they show up and say you ran into them you'd better have video or witnesses or something or no money for you!

Other countries seem to have systems that skew that way, and thus more dash cams (China, Taiwan, Korea), but not the quantity of videos. I think that's due to the bad Russian driving, there's simply more wild videos coming out of Russia than anywhere else!

Over at Jalopnik there is an entire section devoted to Russian dash cams. If you waste the next few hours watching them all it's not my fault!

a desirable vehicle that is prone to theft as a result of its desirability or popularity.

Offtopic, but Lexus doesn't even figure in the top ten. I think the Honda Accord and Civic have topped that list for years -- earlier-model ones, for that matter.

This is presumably due to their popularity which makes them easier to be scrapped and trafficked. In Mexico, it's the VW that is more prone to theft. Thieves will even steal parts off a parked VW for a few pesos.

Perhaps it's also true for the iDevices: it's not the cost but their popularity.

a desirable vehicle that is prone to theft as a result of its desirability or popularity.

Offtopic, but Lexus doesn't even figure in the top ten. I think the Honda Accord and Civic have topped that list for years -- earlier-model ones, for that matter.

Here's an article: http://jalopnik.com/5355617/man-avoids-37-speed-camera-tickets-by-wearing-monkey-mask

They're trying to get Ashley Judd (D) in against Mitch McConnell.

http://jalopnik.com/5959075/will-hot-racing-wife-and-actress-ashley-judd-attempt-a-senate-run

Oh, and there is that all important question of how they hold up in a hurricane. Fisker's Karmas seem to have issues with getting wet.

Like I mentioned in the Karma-fire discussion, you need this car to meet that requirement.

In the MIdwest, I'm more interested in how well they'd survive being thrown into a tree by a tornado.

Fisker's Karmas seem to have issues with getting wet.

If your definition of "getting wet" is getting fully immersed in salt water, then yes, most non-amphibian cars would have major "issues" with that.

Granted, the cars caught fire after the Hurricane ocean tide retracted, and after they had a chance to dry a little, and that was not good design, but you have to take into consideration that this line was a limited run of prototypes (and that this bad experience has most likely informed the entire industry).

The Model S's range, rated by the EPA at 265 miles with the largest battery, finally fits the American conception of driving.

But at $78,500 before a $7,500 tax rebate that doesn't fit the American concept of pricing.

Make no mistake, I'd really love one of these. But $78,500 is pricy.

Oh, and there is that all important question of how they hold up in a hurricane. Fisker's Karmas seem to have issues with getting wet.

Excuse me, but you're talking about yuppie Americans here. All this talk about sticker shock and total cost would imply that Americans give a shit about any number past the $399 energy-clean-bill-subsidized lease payment.

They don't.

And chances are that's exactly how it'll get pushed to the masses. Toss in a few more choice words like "tax refund" and they'll turn into a best seller.

The Model S's range, rated by the EPA at 265 miles with the largest battery, finally fits the American conception of driving.

But at $78,500 before a $7,500 tax rebate that doesn't fit the American concept of pricing.

Make no mistake, I'd really love one of these. But $78,500 is pricy.

Oh, and there is that all important question of how they hold up in a hurricane. Fisker's Karmas seem to have issues with getting wet.

For some cars, like Tesla, if your main battery dies (i.e. drains itself), you will have to buy a new $40,000 battery that is not covered by warranty.

And does the new Tesla Model S use the same battery? I find it unlikely due to the price.

For some cars, like Tesla, if your main battery dies (i.e. drains itself), you will have to buy a new $40,000 battery that is not covered by warranty.

He was not the first to parachute faster than the speed of sound. He was the first to do so voluntarily. Of the first two people to do this, one of them died in the air. Not an easy feat.

3d printed cars haven't happened yet???
http://jalopnik.com/5938012/first-3d+printed-racecar-is-real-and-real-fast
If you then add home CNC laser cutters and you have a pretty interesting, and much less expensive fabrication industry showing up.

But one example, that i can give you right now, with today's home technology is:
Automotive Replacement Parts.
the little door under my stereo has broken: do i pay 35 bucks for another from a toyota parts department? Or do i model it in blender, convert to STL, and print one out for 2 bucks in materials.

If i have a bigger printer i can print corvette body panels for perhaps 20-50 in materials, sell them with a 200 dollar markup. Still probably cost less than half of what gm would charge.

Here's a video of a counterfeit airbag in action. The first one just didn't work. The second one grenaded in the dummy's face. Both defective and dangerous.

The main difference is cultural expectations about car size.

No, the main difference is legislation: http://jalopnik.com/cafe/ Cultural expectations are a result, not a cause. Purchase of the government by lobbyists built the laws, society simply conforms.

Incorrect. Although CAFE regulations created the SUV, American cars have been much larger than European cars since well, almost forever. Look at the Ford lineup (to continue my previous example) available in the early '60s (before CAFE) in the USA vs. the UK. The 1962 Ford Zodiac, the largest Ford in the UK in 1962, was 4.6m long and had a 2.5L I6. A '62 Galaxie in the USA was 5.3m long with engines from 3.7L to 7.0L.

The main difference is cultural expectations about car size.

No, the main difference is legislation: http://jalopnik.com/cafe/

Cultural expectations are a result, not a cause. Purchase of the government by lobbyists built the laws, society simply conforms.

cars suitable for average daily use by more than half the people with that kind of fuel efficiency have been available for decades.

They were, but now they're not. Here's a good explanation of why cars have grown so large in recent years and why I'll never get the compact diesel pickup that I really want. Hint: It's has nothing to do with my self important attitude or my caloric intake. The government has weighed the MPG game against smaller cars so much that they can't be made anymore.

Not a large market, but a consistent market. The B&Z Electric Car Company started making the Elektra King in 1961, and maintained production until 1980. The Corbin Sparrow (now Meyers NmG) will even hit 70 mph. Electric cars are nothing new, but neither are they going to take 10% of the auto market. That's what Toyota is saying.

All of the states near me have laws which state that the left lane is for passing only (with certain special case exceptions).

I firmly believe you're mistaken. Looking at the MAP, I don't see more than two adjacent green states anywhere:

http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/images/12/2012/01/ea322ffba38e281e28da19cf0114502b.jpg

Also:

http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html

With reports of Google's self-driving car crashing left and right how could anyone want to be in one of these vehicles? They just aren't safe. When something happens when you're driving then it's at least your fault and you could do something about it, but not in self-driving cars.

In both of the cases you cited, a human was driving. The only accident the google cars have been in are ones where a human driven car smashed into the google car while it was performing legally and properly.

Of course, both stories tried to cast question on whether the car was human piloted or auto piloted, because who would want to read a story about a car driven by an idiot crashing into a driverless car?

With reports of Google's self-driving car crashing left and right how could anyone want to be in one of these vehicles? They just aren't safe. When something happens when you're driving then it's at least your fault and you could do something about it, but not in self-driving cars.

Was this meant to be sarcastic? Both of those posts referred to the same accident. These cars have logged hundreds of thousands of miles, with ONE accident(which may well have been human error). That's far, far safer than the average human driver. If you're in the drivers seat of the self driving car, you CAN take control of it should you feel the need, too.

However, realistically that's not going to be useful. The car will be better at accident avoidance than you are - it's not that big a programming challenge to achieve that. People don't like to admit it - it bruises their delicate little egos - but the car knows *exactly* how fast every car around them is moving, their acceleration, and can put itself exactly where it wants to be every time. No delayed reactions due to inattention, no slight overreaction due to panic.

Yes, self driving cars will be involved in accidents, and will be at fault, from time to time. This does not make them less safe - it's inevitable, particularly when human drivers are involved as well. Human drivers, on the other hand, are extremely unsafe. Everyone wants to think that they are special, and unlike everyone else they're awesome drivers, but the reality remains that human drivers are in accidents extremely regularly.

Don't get me wrong. I'd hate to be in a robotically driven car. Logically, I know I'd be much safer than with a human driver, but I'd be enormously squirrelly about the whole process. And, of course, I love driving - I'd never be comfortable giving that up to a machine. I consider myself a good driver, too (like everyone else), and I've never been in an accident for which I'm at fault, but I can acknowledge that there have definitely been times I've driven with far less than ideal circumstances. Distraction, emotional distress, tiredness, ill health, the list goes on an on. In all those cases, I'm less than 100%.

With reports of Google's self-driving car crashing left and right how could anyone want to be in one of these vehicles? They just aren't safe. When something happens when you're driving then it's at least your fault and you could do something about it, but not in self-driving cars.

I've found that the single-spoke steering wheel on my CX (looks like this, from this article) make a perfect laptop stand. Since the steering wheel is practically locked solid above 70mph it doesn't even slide about when you're driving on the motorway.

(The New York Times did note in a 2010 article that a self-driving car was rear-ended while stopped at a traffic light, so Google must not be counting the incidents that were the fault of flawed humans.)

Not sure which accident they're talking about, but in this accident the Google vehicle rear-ended a human-driven vehicle, causing a chain reaction that involved three more vehicles. Google claimed it was in human-driven mode, but with tens of millions of dollars on the line, there's no way they would say any different.

If this is true, why haven't they arrested Jeremy Clarkson for his comments about Mitt Romney?

Wait, people take Clarkson seriously?

If this is true, why haven't they arrested Jeremy Clarkson for his comments about Mitt Romney?

Go in style

It is actually a legal requirement that you must not travel in the passing lane if you are not actively passing someone. Going the speed limit is irrelevant.

Depending on your jurisdiction, this is incorrect. In most states, you must move over if you're driving slower than normal traffic, even if that's faster than the posted speed limit. Only some states follow the rule you state.

http://jalopnik.com/5501615/left+lane-passing-laws-a-state+by+state-map

Apple's not close to Lamborghini in quality?

Aventador guy disagrees.

I guess I've had good luck with Apple kit. I still use an 8 yr old PowerBook, and my iPad has yet to spontaneously combust.

from the chevy web site: Volt is unique among electric vehicles because you have two sources of energy. You have an electric source–a battery–that allows you to drive gas–free for an EPA–estimated 35 miles. And there's also an onboard gas generator that produces electricity so you can go up to a total of 375 miles on a full tank of gas

It's 20+ miles each way to work, and I can go 360 miles on a tank in my 7 year old hyundai.

35 miles on battery, with gasoline to get you the rest of the way with a Volt, vs 50 miles on battery in Nissan Leaf before you're stranded.

With your 40 mile round-trip to work, you'd use 5 miles worth of gas in a Volt daily, and with a 375 mile gas tank that means you'd fill up every 75 days, or about 5 times a year.

Think I'd just fill up 5 times a year myself.

Look -- they are pieces of equipment they are not people or even animals for that matter. This is taking anthropomorphism way too far.

Yes, the shuttles hate that.

Did they at least put the eyes in the right place?

http://jalopnik.com/5870976/how-pixar-screwed-up-cartoon-cars-for-a-generation-of-kids

Think about the crime stats around the world.
Everybody wants low numbers, great success in finding bad guys and the need for ever expanding budgets... how can all that be pulled out of real world crime stats every year that the press get to see?
The US shows the way via : http://www.villagevoice.com/2012-03-07/news/the-nypd-tapes-confirmed/
"Officers were told to arrest people who were doing little more than standing on the street, but they were also encouraged to disregard actual victims of serious crimes who wanted to file reports."
If your really really good with your yearly stats you get http://jalopnik.com/5889692/the-texas-state-police-now-has-a-crazy-gunboat-fleet @$580,000 per 34-foot speed boat :)

http://jalopnik.com/5559767/i-sold-everything-to-buy-a-lamborghini-and-drive-across-the-country

Interesting story I read quite awhile ago.. 91000 miles on a lambo :P

One of the people whose cars was bricked was apparently a Tesla early adopter and apparently didn't get told about this (not to mention the bit where they tried to smear him as money-grabbing after his car did fail). I'm guessing that making buyers sign to agree that their car will become unusuable if they park it for an unspecified but annoyingly short length of time is Tesla's way of covering their ass after several cars did get wrecked this way.

Thanks for this, AC.

I have to say, I don't think I've ever seen Slashdot fail so spectacularly.

Authors of the most highly-modded posts upthread don't seem to realize that when a Tesla Roadster’s battery completely discharges the vehicle cannot be put into tow mode and the battery cannot be recharged, hence the the term "bricked". The second sentence of the article you link spells this out.

Unfortunately, that article is just a rehashed cut-and-paste of the original blog, which cites no specific sources and presents anecdotes as facts. I don't know if this is a real issue or not, but nothing in the link above helps make up my mind.

http://jalopnik.com/5887499/who-is-trying-to-smear-the-tesla-battery-problem-whistleblower

Thanks for this, AC.

I have to say, I don't think I've ever seen Slashdot fail so spectacularly.

Authors of the most highly-modded posts upthread don't seem to realize that when a Tesla Roadster’s battery completely discharges the vehicle cannot be put into tow mode and the battery cannot be recharged, hence the the term "bricked". The second sentence of the article you link spells this out.

Or he's NOT and you are just assuming he is because you either dislike the blog/blogger or are utterly ignorant of the facts. The communication emails are public knowledge, and the 40 grand cost is NOT "made up from whole cloth" and has been confirmed by Tesla.

Geez, people, RTFA for crying out loud.

Jalopnik article on the issue:

http://jalopnik.com/5887265/tesla-motors-devastating-design-problem

Jalopnik article about the attempt to smear the whistleblower:

http://jalopnik.com/5887499/who-is-trying-to-smear-the-tesla-battery-problem-whistleblower

Gallery of screenshots of emails:

http://jalopnik.com/5887504/tesla-emails-gallery/gallery/1

Read read read. Then rethink and reassess.

Or he's NOT and you are just assuming he is because you either dislike the blog/blogger or are utterly ignorant of the facts. The communication emails are public knowledge, and the 40 grand cost is NOT "made up from whole cloth" and has been confirmed by Tesla.

Geez, people, RTFA for crying out loud.

Jalopnik article on the issue:

http://jalopnik.com/5887265/tesla-motors-devastating-design-problem

Jalopnik article about the attempt to smear the whistleblower:

http://jalopnik.com/5887499/who-is-trying-to-smear-the-tesla-battery-problem-whistleblower

Gallery of screenshots of emails:

http://jalopnik.com/5887504/tesla-emails-gallery/gallery/1

Read read read. Then rethink and reassess.

Or he's NOT and you are just assuming he is because you either dislike the blog/blogger or are utterly ignorant of the facts. The communication emails are public knowledge, and the 40 grand cost is NOT "made up from whole cloth" and has been confirmed by Tesla.

Geez, people, RTFA for crying out loud.

Jalopnik article on the issue:

http://jalopnik.com/5887265/tesla-motors-devastating-design-problem

Jalopnik article about the attempt to smear the whistleblower:

http://jalopnik.com/5887499/who-is-trying-to-smear-the-tesla-battery-problem-whistleblower

Gallery of screenshots of emails:

http://jalopnik.com/5887504/tesla-emails-gallery/gallery/1

Read read read. Then rethink and reassess.

Yes, the claim seems to be actually true: http://jalopnik.com/5887265/tesla-motors-devastating-design-problem

When not plugged in or when plugged in with an unsuitable extension cord, the battery can run completely dry within a few days (one claim say that the battery can go from full to 50% within a week, another claim on that website says that according to Tesla, one car went from 4% to dead in a week).

I guess most people who buy an electric car will say "well duh, I know that when I have my car not plugged in, eventually the battery will be empty. I'll just have to recharge then". But I guess also most people will not know that the battery will be DEAD, as in "you have to get a new one, this one's DESTROYED" when it goes to zero charge.

Having a battery which can be destroyed in a matter of days if the car is not plugged in is a pretty big issue. An issue people really need to be made more aware of. Go on holiday and leave your Tesla at home? You better ask a friend to check every couple days if the car is still charging. Or what if you park your Tesla at an airport, plan to leave it plugged in there for a week, but on the first day you're gone, some kid unplugs the car "for the lulz"?

It seems Jaffe only speculated the five bricked cars only needed servicing. Jalopnik did the research and also got an admission from Tesla. http://jalopnik.com/5887265/tesla-motors-devastating-design-problem

It appears to be opt-in for an added discount.

I assumed as much. I just saw a tv commercial for Progressive pimping their new opt-in datalogger. Same deal, the idea is to profile your driving habits to see if you qualify for a discount on your insurance. Theirs goes on the OBD port I guess. Just found this... http://jalopnik.com/138557/more-on-progressives-elective-black-boxes-for-usage+based-insurance

Is this enough to satisfy your need to feed off of the misfortune of others?

If not, you can read about : Massive Japanese crash claims eight Ferraris, three Benzes, and a Lamborghini.
And if that's not enough for ya, you can read about the pretty young woman who's not so pretty any more after walking into a active airplane propeller.

This is what every company does

No, other car companies make money. Besides GM I mean.

I highly doubt this car will be made out of stainless steel. The article mentions SS models but it doesn't explicitly say this one will be. It will therefore be a cheap knock-off that nobody will want.

the DMCEV will be stainless steel. jumping to any other conclusion is highly illogical. *(go to end of my post for update with proof.) for starters, no-one has ever made a non-stainless steel delorean, and the reincorporated delorean motor company has never entertained the idea, nor has any other entity. it would cost them more to implement a new manufacturing process using conventional steel or aluminium. but let's say they weren't purists about the stainless steel concept and figured that would have saved them money in the long run, they would have done it by now on the re-manufactured DMC-12 models they sell today. they acquired stockpiles of the remaining parts from the old DMC-12 factory in ireland AND already implemented new manufacturing processes (using stainless steel) for the parts they still need and for when they run out of new-old-stock parts.
the author of this brief article didn't mention these electric models using stainless steel because he/she assumes the reader knows any delorean is and will be stainless steel. all they are doing is replacing the engine and the dashboard in a DMC-12, because that's the easiest and most economical way to accomplish what they want to do here. to boot, delorean motor company is passionate about the original delorean vision and design theory, and they're certainly not going to cut corners on a $90-100k sticker price vehicle. they're going to make something THEY want to drive. this isn't some low end design division of GM that's trying to churn out sub $20k hatchbacks with plastic wheel covers.

*update* just before i post this. i just found the jalopnik review here: http://jalopnik.com/5850448/electric-delorean-first-drive the DMCEV is definitely stainless steel, as the reviewer says "I'm still buzzing from the sensation of closing the stainless steel gullwing door just moments earlier." and the up close picture of the hood also shows the brushed grain of the stainless steel: http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/images/12/2011/10/xlarge_delorean_night_02.jpg

I highly doubt this car will be made out of stainless steel. The article mentions SS models but it doesn't explicitly say this one will be. It will therefore be a cheap knock-off that nobody will want.

the DMCEV will be stainless steel. jumping to any other conclusion is highly illogical. *(go to end of my post for update with proof.) for starters, no-one has ever made a non-stainless steel delorean, and the reincorporated delorean motor company has never entertained the idea, nor has any other entity. it would cost them more to implement a new manufacturing process using conventional steel or aluminium. but let's say they weren't purists about the stainless steel concept and figured that would have saved them money in the long run, they would have done it by now on the re-manufactured DMC-12 models they sell today. they acquired stockpiles of the remaining parts from the old DMC-12 factory in ireland AND already implemented new manufacturing processes (using stainless steel) for the parts they still need and for when they run out of new-old-stock parts.
the author of this brief article didn't mention these electric models using stainless steel because he/she assumes the reader knows any delorean is and will be stainless steel. all they are doing is replacing the engine and the dashboard in a DMC-12, because that's the easiest and most economical way to accomplish what they want to do here. to boot, delorean motor company is passionate about the original delorean vision and design theory, and they're certainly not going to cut corners on a $90-100k sticker price vehicle. they're going to make something THEY want to drive. this isn't some low end design division of GM that's trying to churn out sub $20k hatchbacks with plastic wheel covers.

*update* just before i post this. i just found the jalopnik review here: http://jalopnik.com/5850448/electric-delorean-first-drive the DMCEV is definitely stainless steel, as the reviewer says "I'm still buzzing from the sensation of closing the stainless steel gullwing door just moments earlier." and the up close picture of the hood also shows the brushed grain of the stainless steel: http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/images/12/2011/10/xlarge_delorean_night_02.jpg