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Virgin Could Take On Tesla With Electric Car
According to a story at Ars Technica, Virgin empire founder Richard Branson says 'teams of people' are working on electric cars. Says the article:
Virgin is working on electric cars and could one day take on Tesla, according to company founder Richard Branson. Speaking at a racing event in Miami, Branson said Virgin had "teams of people" working on electric cars but refused to be drawn on specific details. The company's Virgin Racing team already competes in the all-electric Formula E championship, a high-speed, battery-powered spinoff of Formula 1. Branson has now hinted that Virgin's involvement could lead to the company selling its own electric cars. ... Branson's business has continued to expand in recent years. As well as trains and planes, Virgin now has a fledgling space operation and is soon to launch its own cruise ships.
Stay away from the tapioca!
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
The title for the real Tony Stark begins.
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It said "Virgin could take on Tesla", so I thought it was about a fellow Slashdotter forming his own company.
Slashdotter, ID #101. UIDs are in binary, right?
"Branson said Virgin had "teams of people" working on electric cars but refused to be drawn on specific details." - Who needs specifics? I'll buy 20.
I was going to pay cash, but I refuse to be drawn on specifics..
Keep it cool, keep it cool...
I don't think said virgin has his priorities set straight
Yeah, because if you're looking for modest and agreeable, Richard Branson is your man...
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
you may find Virgin competing with the Tesla in the car business as we do in the space business.
Sure, except that Virgin isn't competing in the space business. Virgin's business is suborbital fun rides.
I ain't driving a "virgin" car.
Get enough BS when flying on a virgin craft, can't imagine the type of stupidity people will come up when driving a virgin car.
"Hey, baby, wanna help my car lose its label?"
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Get the stick out of your ass. They're trying to change one of the most powerful manufacturing industries ever, from the outside.
Arrogant? Obnoxious? How exactly? You not being able to afford one of the current cars is not relevant.
Funny that so many companies who built millions of cars, even millions yearly, aren't able to be "real competitors" to a Silicon Valley upstart.
So which one is Tony Stark and which one is Obadiah Stane?
This is the marriage of two mature technologies -- electric motors and automobile chassis -- plus modern batteries. So all you need to create an electric car is the will and enough money to hire the engineers.
The trick will be to create a car that is practical and successful in the marketplace.
It's easy for an engineer to create an amazing car on paper. What's hard is for a company to actually produce an amazing car (electric or otherwise) that people actually want to buy and to make money at it. That requires so many things to go right at so many levels, and that's what's impressive about the success of Tesla.
I look forward to seeing what Virgin comes up with. I wish them success. But I don't particularly expect it.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Sorry, sloppy 2nd post for you
Musk is confident and realizes he has little time to waste. I wish I were like him instead of the neurotic, depressed introverted mess I am at the same age.
Mostly random stuff.
This is DiceDot, also: Niggers
why is it that the collective think that Tesla are the only ones making electric cars like some lone pioneer, every car company has at least one model, and some sell fairly well being just on either side of Tesla's extremely thin market of 20 something's
Although even Tesla has made huge gains, they don't compare to Mercedes in terms of the total car. And probably never will. Mercedes have been at this for over a century. They know a few things.
The skills to get everything from road-feel, the heft of a switch, or the ergonomics on par is a tall order. And it's not needed. Concentrate on the areas where you excel.
Somebody like Wrightspeed probably will have more long term effect. They only build hybrid drivetrains to retrofit on trucks. For now. Changing trucking to hybrid electric will be more significant than another electric car company.
Richard Branson seems to be pursuing this more as an ego boost than making significant changes to transportation. Fine. There are other electric startups as well.
I've been incredibly impressed with what Tesla has done in getting an American public who flat out did not want to give up its gas guzzlers interested in the concept of an electric car. I'll be even more impressed when the Tesla competitors come around, and the question shifts from "Do I want an electric car?" to "Which electric car should I buy?"
You insensitive clod.
Do please...pull the other leg.
Seriously, he came to O and begged for America to focus on the IFR, back when dems controlled it.
Yet, if he would spend just $.5B, he could have transatomic up and running before 2020.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Until Virgin actually does something I can't see why they deserve publicity.