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Tesla Unveils the Model X

An anonymous reader writes with news that Tesla has officially unveiled its Model X SUV. It's their third vehicle, after the Roadster and Model S. Its 90kWh battery provides 250 miles of range, and the vehicle can go from zero to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds. According to Reuters, the high-end versions of the Model X will cost between $132,000 and $144,000, while the base model's pricing is not yet known. The vehicle's doors open upward, and it can have seating for either six or seven passengers, depending on layout. The back row of seats can fold down when not in use. The Model X has automatic emergency braking, a 5,000 pound towing capacity, and a so-called "bioweapon defense mode" for its air circulation system that keeps positive pressure within the cabin.

323 comments

  1. Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by future+assassin · · Score: 4, Funny

    on their Civics.

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    1. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Telsa

      Telsa, eh?

    2. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by future+assassin · · Score: 1

      Yup when your bones feel broken and you got a fever its all make sense.

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      by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
    3. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yup when your bones feel broken and you got a fever its all make sense.

      its all, eh?

    4. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by CaptainLard · · Score: 3, Interesting

      That would be great! Think of all the work that would go into it: precise measurements, cutting metal, welding, wiring, pneumatics, embroidery, etc.

      Of course they'd almost certainly fail miserably but they'd get a taste of so many hands on skills along the way. So much better than slapping on a fake grill sticker.

    5. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dengue, eh?

    6. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by funwithBSD · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Hate to break it to you, but it already exists:

      http://scissor-doors.com/cart/...

      you can even get them for your vintage '85 Civic or CRX.

      Bitchin'

      --
      Never answer an anonymous letter. - Yogi Berra
    7. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 1

      More Cowbell!

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    8. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not even close to the same thing at all. The hinge on the Model X rear doors is at the top, not on the front of the door like these Lambo doors.

      They have a picture of one car with gullwing doors, and that one is a Volvo prototype, the Volvo YCC. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_YCC

      And a movie of a DeLorean, which we all know came with them from the factory. So they have zero pictures of their actual product for that type of door.

    9. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You missed the joke.
      For a while it was all the rage with the honda idiots to put Ferrari scissor doors on their cars, ruining most of it in the process.

    10. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude, they have them for my Mazda 5 minivan! I am so getting these and some blue flame decals.

    11. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In my day they were called "Lambo" doors.

    12. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tesla doors? These aren't from Tesla. Not by a long shot. These doors have been around since before Musk was born.
       
      Oh, that's right, It's Tesla... it must have been invented by Musk!!!!1111!!!!
       
      You fanboys fucking floor me with your bullshit.

    13. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My brain hurts.

      Also it makes me wish I hadn't sold my '06 RSX.

    14. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by netsavior · · Score: 2

      This already exists and I am not talking about "lambo" scissors style doors, I am talking about gulwing style doors, which is what this is typically called.

    15. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by bob_super · · Score: 1

      Gullwing are one-piece doors which swing outwards, hitting nearby cars, poles, bikes and pedestrians. Parking requires planning.
      The Tesla version has two hinges, so it swings up more than out, reducing the risk of hitting anything.

      Obviously, they were designed by someone who has unlimited garage headroom, and doesn't regularly find a foot of snow on top of his car...

    16. Re: Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sadly, idiots like you have had your head bashed in from sucking too much cock. Falcon wing doors have 2 sets of hinges, while gull wing use 1. Falcon wing are totally different. Unlike gull wings, these work right.

    17. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by hackertourist · · Score: 1

      You'd need to remove that 'foot of snow' anyway before setting off, why not do it before you open the door?

    18. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by Aqualung812 · · Score: 1

      Obviously, they were designed by someone who has unlimited garage headroom

      They don't look to be over 7' to the top when open, based of seeing a man standing next to them when open.
      Most garage doors are at least 7 foot tall, and 8 foot & taller are becoming far more common.

      and doesn't regularly find a foot of snow on top of his car...

      Put the snow broom in the trunk, like most people. Open the trunk, clear off the snow so you're not an asshole to everyone behind you on the road, then get in.

      --
      Grammer Nazis - I mod you "troll" unless you actually add something on-topic. Yes, I know I have mispellings in my sig.
    19. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by bob_super · · Score: 1

      Because kids, because bitter cold, because it's never fully clean and WILL drop some on the seats...
      Thinking about it, it's even a problem on rainstorm days.

    20. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by hackertourist · · Score: 1

      Rain/snow falling in through an open door is not unique to gullwing doors. I have the same problem in my ordinary hatchback.

    21. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by BasilBrush · · Score: 1

      Remove it before setting off? Where's the fun in that? Much more fun to clear the snow with the application of Newton's first law of motion.

    22. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by rpstrong · · Score: 1

      Obviously, they were designed by someone who has unlimited garage headroom, and doesn't regularly find a foot of snow on top of his car...

      The doors (which are motorized, of course) have sensors to gauge the distance both above and to the sides of the doors, adjusting the opening appropriately. And while the headroom may be higher, the minimum side room is only twelve inches.

    23. Re:Wait til the kids start putting Telsa doors by bob_super · · Score: 1

      > Most garage doors are at least 7 foot tall, and 8 foot & taller are becoming far more common.

      A good example of US-centric thinking on your part.
      While most people who can afford a Tesla probably have a decent garage (not even all, in historic centers), I've been in many Asian and European public parkings where headroom was severely limited.

  2. So when are they making something we can AFFORD? by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Selling cars that cost as much as a small house is all well and good if your target market is 1%ers and boomers, but if you want to sell to the mass market you need something that's priced for a generation that will probably never be able to afford to own a home.

    --
    A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
  3. Door Sensors by lazarus · · Score: 5, Interesting

    One of the things I found very interesting about the video release is the idea that they put sensors in the falcon wing doors that would alter the rate and angle the two pivot points used to open the doors. I had wondered how they were going to prevent what would have probably ended up being expensive damage if the available opening space around the car was either too low or too close. You have to hand it to Tesla, they really do think about how things should work before they rush in and execute. If they put the same kind of design effort into the Model C, they are going to knock it out of the park.

    --
    I am not interested in articles about life extension advancements.
    1. Re:Door Sensors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      If they put the same kind of design effort into the Model C, they are going to knock it out of the park.

      The only thing that will be out of the park is the cost.

      If Tesla had to sell cars instead of emissions credits, they'd be out of business already.

    2. Re:Door Sensors by tompaulco · · Score: 0

      One of the things I found very interesting about the video release is the idea that they put sensors in the falcon wing doors that would alter the rate and angle the two pivot points used to open the doors. I had wondered how they were going to prevent what would have probably ended up being expensive damage if the available opening space around the car was either too low or too close. You have to hand it to Tesla, they really do think about how things should work before they rush in and execute. If they put the same kind of design effort into the Model C, they are going to knock it out of the park.

      Maybe they should learn from over 100 years of automotive design and make the doors open out instead of up. There are a few cars that copied Mercedes and Lamborghini doors, but the supercars learned their lesson and went back to normal doors.

      --
      If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
    3. Re: Door Sensors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Easy way for other automakers to put Tesla out of business - build enough ZEV's to destroy the market for credits...

      Oddly enough, the other automakers aren't willing/able to do that. Inertia is a bitch.

    4. Re:Door Sensors by future+assassin · · Score: 1

      LOL that took my flu symptoms away for a few seconds. Mod up!!!

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      by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
    5. Re:Door Sensors by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Maybe someone can explain why the doors don't just open in a way that takes up minimal horizontal space all the time? Parking garages with low ceilings?

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    6. Re:Door Sensors by sinij · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Such over-design tends to spectacularly and expensively fail as cars get older or get into accidents. With multiple hinges, sensors, control units that all could potentially fail, you will end up with a used car without functioning doors. Who wants that? On other hand, simple hinge just keep working.

      So you think, "I will lease for 4 years, and will never see these problems". Well, resale value is affected by reliability, and as a result costs of these failures will be baked into your lease costs. So you will have higher monthly payments because some marketing type at Tesla decided to stick pointless lambo doors on this car, making it less reliable in the process.

    7. Re:Door Sensors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Most cars need to be durable, weather-proof, reliable, crash-safe, (relatively) fuel-efficient, convenient to use/maintain/repair, and cheap. Simple one-side hinged, one-side-latched doors with rubber seals are great at all of those things, except convenience is impaired when parking basically in any parking lot ever.

    8. Re:Door Sensors by ThatsNotPudding · · Score: 1

      They better have rain sensors and automatic floor drains too; rational cars have horizontal roofs and vertical doors for a reason (that reason being the weather).

    9. Re:Door Sensors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Progress and innovation doesn't come from 'learning' from current technology. If you apply that logic then smartphones wouldn't have been introduced as 'they should have learned from PDA's and Palms that people don't like to take a whole computer with them'.

      The reason other vertical door concepts failed is because they were made from a single door unit that moved along one axis. Tesla's doors first open vertically and then swing outwards, so two parts with two separate movements and sensors for each.

    10. Re:Door Sensors by meta-monkey · · Score: 2

      Pretty sure if you're going to drop $140k or whatever on a car, "practicality" is not prominently featured in your decision matrix.

      --
      We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
    11. Re:Door Sensors by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Such over-design tends to spectacularly and expensively fail as cars get older or get into accidents.

      Get older, yes. That is an issue. Get into accidents, not really. Practically any accident "totals" a car (for insurance purposes) these days. If it does more than minor bumper or fender damage, it's pretty much new car time unless the car is outrageously expensive.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    12. Re:Door Sensors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > ...some marketing type at Tesla decided to stick pointless lambo doors...

      Doors that open *up* let you park closer to your neighbors, and -more importantly- don't swing into traffic or bike lanes .

      These doors are:
      1) Cool as shit.
      2) Significantly space saving.
      3) Safer for bystanders.

    13. Re:Door Sensors by bledri · · Score: 1

      Maybe someone can explain why the doors don't just open in a way that takes up minimal horizontal space all the time? Parking garages with low ceilings?

      Exactly. Maybe there is a solution that minimizes both height and width, but they went for an active system that adjusts to the environment. If I had to guess, it's probably also trying to minimize power requirements. But that is just a guess.

      --
      Some privacy policy Slashdot.
    14. Re:Door Sensors by lgw · · Score: 1

      The weather is apparently a real problem with these. As is leaving an open drink in the door pocket (which the door will dump all over you, rather than maybe spill.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    15. Re:Door Sensors by jandrese · · Score: 1

      Historically Gull Wing doors have been a maintenance headache, and this is Tesla's first attempt at making them. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if they release a different version of the X in a couple of years with more traditional doors after these prove to be problematic. They do look super cool though.

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    16. Re:Door Sensors by toddestan · · Score: 1

      Or you don't plan on keeping the car more than 3-5 years. Those will be someone else's problems.

  4. Rather Buy A House & Hyundai by zenlessyank · · Score: 1

    I digress.

    1. Re:Rather Buy A House & Hyundai by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The places this is going to sell well, Model X money is a generous DOWN PAYMENT on a house. Generous down payment, certainly, but nowhere near 'a house'.

    2. Re:Rather Buy A House & Hyundai by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

      And I have my doubts about the generous qualifier.

  5. "Bioweapon defense" by Daetrin · · Score: 2

    "Tesla says that the car features 'a medical grade HEPA filter strips outside air of pollen, bacteria, viruses and pollution before circulating it into the cabin.'"

    I'm guessing they don't just use that filter all the time because they don't want to wear out a (presumably) much more expensive filter?

    And silly name aside, i could actually see using this feature to defend against the relatively benign bio attacks of skunks and that portion of I-5 in central California right next to all the cattle lots.

    --
    This Space Intentionally Left Blank
    1. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by kheldan · · Score: 1

      Never mind a 'bioweapon defense' mode from outside sources, we're talking an SUV here, with fairly large seating capacity, which implies carpooling: Where's the 'bioweapon defense mode' for the interior of the vehicle, to defend against Phil from the accounting department who ate three bowls of his (in)famous 3-alarm chili last night for dinner? Or in a family situation, little Tommy who keeps saying " 'scuse me!" every 10 seconds for the whole two-hour trip to grandma's?

      All kidding aside, is this just Musk adding a 'feature' to get media attention, or does he know something we don't? I guess only him and his hairdresser will know.

      --
      Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    2. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      HEPA filter cartidges don't cost that much and are sold to consumers for use in dwelling-sized filtering systems. The labor to change the filter probably dominates compared to the filter part itself, and you should be replacing regular filters anyway to avoid mold/stink.

      The funny question is whether Tesla users will have better health outcomes from that clean air and/or end up giving their kids asthma by raising them in a bubble environment.

    3. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by fermion · · Score: 4, Funny

      To defend against the SUV or Volkswagen diesel car driving in front of you.

      --
      "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
    4. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Most modern cars have a HEPA filter for the cabin. When you are sitting in traffic belching out particulates you don't want to be pumping them into the cabin. I'm not sure if the Tesla one is actually significantly better than other manufacturer's filters, or if it's just one of those bits of trivia that sounds cool when you hear it but actually is the normal way things work.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    5. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      HEPA filters are specified as filters which remove a high percentage of particles which are 0.3 micrometers (300nm) in diameter or larger. That is huge compared to the tiny molecules that make up the skunk scent, other common odors or well known chemicals which have been used as weapons. This should not come as a surprise, because HEPA filter means high-efficiency particulate arrestance filter.

    6. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by avandesande · · Score: 2

      Sorry to say but hepa filters only work on particles. Skunk and cow stench will go right through :-(

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    7. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All kidding aside, is this just Musk adding a 'feature' to get media attention, or does he know something we don't?

      Or - and bear with me here, because this one's really crazy - it's a comfort feature for an expensive luxury car, and they gave it a cute name for fun.

    8. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by kheldan · · Score: 1

      it's a comfort feature for an expensive luxury car

      I don't see how it can be a 'comfort' feature, care to elaborate?

      --
      Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    9. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Drive behind a diesel, or next to a feedlot...

    10. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The defense is from the *outside* air, not within the vehicle. It's made to assure you can fully prevent outside chemicals from getting in the air, for example when you pass by polluting factories or manure fields.

    11. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by meta-monkey · · Score: 1

      Ever drive by a dead skunk?

      Ever drive by a dead skunk in a vehicle with positive cabin pressure?

      --
      We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
    12. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      It might actually be a combination HEPA/carbon, which would at least help. My A8 can have either simple mesh or carbon filters, they sell both.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    13. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by myrdos2 · · Score: 1

      I have a HEPA filter at home, one of their advantages is that they can be vacuumed clean. You still have to replace the coarse filter that surrounds it, but that stuff is *ahem* dirt cheap.

    14. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by Daetrin · · Score: 1

      Too bad i've (obviously) already posted, or i would mod you +1 Informative for crushing my dreams =/

      --
      This Space Intentionally Left Blank
    15. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry to say but hepa filters only work on particles. Skunk and cow stench will go right through :-(

      Technically smell is particulate based, just very very small particulates.

    16. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      HEPA is a standard, so I doubt Tesla's filter is anything beyond any other HEPA filter.

      And to the GP, they aren't that big a deal. There will be a pre-filter to take care of the worst particulates that gets replaced yearly, and the HEPA filter will only need changing every 3 to 5 years.

    17. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by Guspaz · · Score: 1

      Most modern cars have a HEPA filter for the cabin.

      Citation needed. I can't find a single car that comes with a manufacturer-installed HEPA filter.

      Many cars have cabin filters. None of them are HEPA filters.

    18. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by Dripdry · · Score: 1

      My 2009 Hyundai has no problem keeping out that smell... it also filters it out if I forget to put it on recirculate.
      Surprised me, too.

      --
      -
    19. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      My Leaf has one, and I know Mitsubishi fit them as well. Check a genuine parts reseller, they are easily available. You can buy the genuine Mitsubishi ones on Amazon in the UK.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    20. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      I'm more interested in this being used to filter out fine dust you get in outback Australia. We call it bulldust and it gets into everything regardless of how hard you try to keep it out. Positive pressurisation is really the only option.

      Now when are they planning to install a super charging station in the back of Quilpie!

    21. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by Guspaz · · Score: 1

      There is an after market HEPA upgrade for the Leaf, it does not come with it, nor does it appear to be available from Nissan. Lots of cars have air filters. None have HEPA filters. Not standard/OEM.

    22. Re:"Bioweapon defense" by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      HPEA filters are standard on many Mitsubishi models. It's an official Mitsubishi part. They are not the only ones. My Leaf has a factor fitted HPEA filter, I checked.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  6. bioweapon defense mode? by wardrich86 · · Score: 4, Funny

    [...]a so-called "bioweapon defense mode" for its air circulation system that keeps positive pressure within the cabin.

    What if the bioweapon is released from within the vehicle... from say, a butt? Is there a defense mode for that that any other vehicle wouldn't already have?

    1. Re:bioweapon defense mode? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It depends on where the volume of air the positive pressure is collected from. I would assume it would be heavily filtered internal recirculation, perhaps with a slight increase in temperature compared to the outside to maintain that positive pressure.

      I'd imagine it would be more useful for driving next to a smoggy diesel or through flavor country (cattle yards) than it would be in surviving Dad's bean/broccoli/cabbage/hard-boiled egg cocktail.

    2. Re:bioweapon defense mode? by willworkforbeer · · Score: 2

      [...]a so-called "bioweapon defense mode" for its air circulation system that keeps positive pressure within the cabin.

      What if the bioweapon is released from within the vehicle... from say, a butt?

      Quick -- Somebody tweet Elon about the potential Weapons Grade Chipotle threat vector.

      --
      Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
    3. Re:bioweapon defense mode? by nitehawk214 · · Score: 1

      Ejection seat and roll down the windows.

      --
      I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
    4. Re:bioweapon defense mode? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      [...]a so-called "bioweapon defense mode" for its air circulation system that keeps positive pressure within the cabin.

      What if the bioweapon is released from within the vehicle... from say, a butt? Is there a defense mode for that that any other vehicle wouldn't already have?

      You could take the electronic seat heaters one step further and a have a pilot light to burn off any gas.

  7. Wild Speculation by O('_')O_Bush · · Score: 1

    But given their car pricing, the base model X would be price competitive with the Mercedes G class, and the Tesla would out class the Mercedes in just about every way (including looks).

    --
    while(1) attack(People.Sandy);
    1. Re:Wild Speculation by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      To me, the X looks a lot like something you can buy for $27K from Honda.

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  8. Submarine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Positive cabin pressure. So you can drive it under water right?

    1. Re:Submarine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Do they still have water on the west coast?

    2. Re:Submarine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      The overpressure would have to be greater that the water pressure at the depth you were driving at. I doubt it would be high enough to even marginally submerge the whole car, to be honest, with the roof just below the surface, the pressure at floor-pan level would probably be enough to overcome the cabin overpressure. Actually the overpressure would have to be greater that the water pressure at any potential point of ingress, which could be significantly higher that the static water pressure due to the motion of the car through the water.

      Wait...you were actually just joking weren't you?

    3. Re:Submarine by willworkforbeer · · Score: 4, Informative

      Positive cabin pressure. So you can drive it under water right?

      Well, one time. Sure.

      --
      Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
    4. Re:Submarine by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      It only takes a little bit of air pressure to make someone's easy very uncomfortable. Diving down in a 2m pool is enough to do that. Imagine that feeling every time you turn on the AC in the car.

    5. Re:Submarine by willworkforbeer · · Score: 1

      Off my game, I was going for funny, thinking of the line from Risky Business about the Tom Cruise driving his Porsche 928 underwater: "Who's the U-Boat commander?"

      --
      Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
  9. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by future+assassin · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Well I see at least 10+ new Range Rovers on the street every day not including tons of Cayennes and Escalade's. The way I see it is you sell to the rich first and those who need their peer status upgraded. Then it trickles down to produce cheaper models.

    --
    by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
  10. I TOLD YOU SO! by Thud457 · · Score: 1

    bioweapon defense mode

    Monocle and white cat time.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  11. That's nice. by NMBob · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'd rather have a car that goes from 0 to 60 in 6.4 seconds and goes 500 miles. 250 miles just doesn't cut in some parts of the US (out West).

    1. Re:That's nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      That's why Tesla has built and is building more supercharger stations.
      http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger

    2. Re:That's nice. by ksheff · · Score: 1

      Which is fine and dandy if you just want to follow the interstates from one tourist trap to another. It must suck for the couple of Tesla owners in Memphis. The closest free supercharger station for them is in Nashville. It looks as if Tesla is avoiding Arkansas like the plague.

      --
      the good ground has been paved over by suicidal maniacs
    3. Re:That's nice. by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      That's why Tesla has built and is building more supercharger stations.
      http://www.teslamotors.com/sup...

      He said Out West. They don't even have gas stations in some places. I'd love to see a supercharger station in the middle of butt fuck Wyoming but that's a bit in the future.

      OTOH, you could conceivably make one with solar panels and huge capacitor and battery banks that didn't need to be hooked to the grid. It would be the size of a large truck stop and costs tens of millions of dollars but it wouldn't require fuel deliveries. Interesting concept.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    4. Re:That's nice. by Bartles · · Score: 1

      It does go from 0 to 60 in 6.4 seconds. Or 12.8 seconds, or whatever you ask it to do. The great thing about electric motors is they don't consume anything at idle, or take any more than you give them.

    5. Re:That's nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you LIVE in Memphis, you wouldn't be needing a supercharging station but could use your own house overnight (it gets 250 miles/charge). And yes, people that live in apartments probably can't afford the Tesla to begin with.

    6. Re:That's nice. by j2.718ff · · Score: 1

      I'd rather have a car that goes from 0 to 60 in 6.4 seconds and goes 500 miles. 250 miles just doesn't cut in some parts of the US (out West).

      You should probably tell that to someone at Tesla. I'm sure they have no idea that people are interested in electric cars with increased range. Maybe if enough people complain, they'll start figuring out how to improve battery technology.

    7. Re:That's nice. by Ravaldy · · Score: 1

      Only 8 years ago EVs had a max range of about 80 miles. Charging is going to be a problem for a long time. The alternative to charging is swapping. There have been other suggestions such as discount car rentals for those who want to take a long trip. More than 95% of people have a daily commute of less than 100 miles per day. Considering that's less than a 2 hour charging time at home it's not bad at all.

    8. Re:That's nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd rather have a car that goes from 0 to 60 in 6.4 seconds and goes 500 miles. 250 miles just doesn't cut in some parts of the US (out West).

      I'd rather have one that goes from 0 to 60 in 20 seconds and costs $20k. $144k doesn't cut it in most parts of the US (everywhere).

    9. Re:That's nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      http://cleantechnica.com/2015/03/28/1-megawatt-solar-hybrid-plant-installed-just-7-days-time-lapse-video/

      that would support 10 charges a day of the 90kwh models,

    10. Re:That's nice. by AaronW · · Score: 1

      I just drove my Tesla model S over 500 miles yesterday from central Oregon to the Bay Area, stopping at a few superchargers along the way so that isn't a big problem. It added about 3 hours to a 9 hour trip. Note that my model S is an early one. The newer ones charge faster than mine does. While there are still a number of places that are difficult to go, the number of places I can go is rapidly increasing as Tesla continues to build out their supercharger network. They started by building out the most traveled routes and are now building out the less traveled routes.

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    11. Re:That's nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A solar powered Super Charger won't cost millions. Matter of fact, Tesla already has a few that have "solar supplement", meaning they're on the grid but they have solar panels on the awning. But to your first comment, about a supercharging station in the middle of nowhere, that's possible now. The electric grid pretty much covers wherever the highways go. That means a third party (non-Tesla) DC Fast Charger with CHAdeMO and CCS connectors could be dropped there by whoever thinks it's profitable/necessary. 50kw DCFCs cost about $50k installed, not cheap, but certainly affordable by a town of, say, 10,000 people where the local businesses are looking for a reason for people to stop in their town for a bit. Much easier and cheaper than putting a gas station in.

    12. Re:That's nice. by TomGreenhaw · · Score: 1

      Was the charging free?

      --
      Greed is the root of all evil.
    13. Re:That's nice. by AaronW · · Score: 1

      Yep. My only cost driving up to Seattle turned out to be the food I bought along the way, since I stayed with a friend half way.

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    14. Re:That's nice. by Guspaz · · Score: 1

      I think swapping has proven to be something that sounds good in theory, but that nobody actually wants in practice. The reason Tesla cited for not going forward with their battery swapping was that there turned out to be no interest in it among their customers. This would suggest that the inconvenience of supercharging for actual customers is lower than non-customers expect it to be.

    15. Re:That's nice. by ksheff · · Score: 1

      Yes, but if you wanted to go anywhere else, you would have to stay within 150 or so miles from home so you could make it back to recharge. It would have sufficient range to get to the Nashville supercharger and from there to Knoxville or Chatanooga. Once at those locations, a person could go north or south to eventually get to a east-west route with superchargers. One might be able to make it to the supercharger west of St. Louis, but why take the chance of waiting to get towed while you're sitting in a $100K along the side of a STL road? I don't know if there are other charging stations along the way, but 30 minutes at a supercharger seems like a waste of time to me, so a slower one would be even worse.

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  12. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Selling cars that cost as much as a small house is all well and good if your target market is 1%ers and boomers, but if you want to sell to the mass market you need something that's priced for a generation that will probably never be able to afford to own a home.

    If you cannot afford to own your own home, then chances are you are STILL not going to be able to afford even their $35K base model when it releases in a year or two.

    Sure, $35K might seem "average" these days for new car pricing, but only to those who somehow enjoy a $500/month car payment, or enjoy being (fl)leased by other creative loans.

  13. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by EnsilZah · · Score: 4, Informative

    They're planning on selling a $35K model in around 2-3 years, after their battery factory opens.

    Meanwhile, there's no shortage of demand for the existing models.

  14. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by David_Hart · · Score: 2

    Selling cars that cost as much as a small house is all well and good if your target market is 1%ers and boomers, but if you want to sell to the mass market you need something that's priced for a generation that will probably never be able to afford to own a home.

    Tesla will eventually design and price vehicles for everyday people but this follows their strategy of appealing to the 1%ers first to get the products off the ground and to pay for R&D. It's why the first car they produced was a sports car.

    Plus, range, especially for an SUV, is really important for most families. Yes, some are used as daily drivers but most families also use them for long trips (Range is 250 miles, ~4 hours highway travel). I would also argue that range would be decrease if you are towing (i.e. boat, camper, etc.). Because of this, it makes sense for them to focus on the luxury market until range is a bit better.

  15. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Those retards crack me up. They spend all their money on a stupid car that hogs gas and costs a shit ton in maintenance, not to mention even stupider wheels and tires. I, who makes probably 4 times what they make, drives a completely stock Prius and saves every dollar from the gas I don't buy and wheels and tires I don't buy. Then they bitch about how they're kept down by the man. "No, you're kept down by being an idiot."

  16. Not for offroad I think by sjbe · · Score: 1

    But given their car pricing, the base model X would be price competitive with the Mercedes G class, and the Tesla would out class the Mercedes in just about every way (including looks).

    We'll have to disagree about the looks. I think the G class is sharp and crossover style SUVs look kind of silly. They're simply too much of a compromise and I don't really understand the point of them. If you want a truck, get a truck. The crossovers don't have the space of a real truck but don't have the handling of a comparable sedan. Plus I have yet to see a crossover SUV that is worth a crap if you leave the pavement. The Model X is about as good looking a crossover as I've seen but that's kind of damning with faint praise.

    Plus the G class has legitimate off road chops. I'm pretty dubious the Model X would be worth a crap off road. It's clearly designed to be a high performance on-road vehicle. The G class is a go anywhere vehicle and it looks as good around town as it does off road.

    1. Re:Not for offroad I think by tompaulco · · Score: 1

      I've always held that the more expensive the manufacturer is, the uglier their SUV is. Especially with the "luxury line" manufcatures which rebadge their consumer grade vehicles, like Lexus, Infinity and Acura. Lexus takes a standard Toyota Land Cruiser and glues on extra plastic to make it wider (on the outside, not the inside), and gaudier.

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    2. Re:Not for offroad I think by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Worrying about the off road capabilities on a $130,000 car is kind of silly. Trust me, that's not what people are using them for.

    3. Re:Not for offroad I think by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Worrying about the off road capabilities on a $130,000 car is kind of silly. Trust me, that's not what people are using them for.

      Guess you never saw a customized Rally Fighter?

    4. Re:Not for offroad I think by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      I think the G class is sharp and crossover style SUVs look kind of silly.

      Agreed. I like a car that I looks just as good picking up the kids at school as it does invading Poland.

  17. SUV? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It looks more like a hatchback. Somehow it also reminds me a lot of current PSA designs.

    1. Re:SUV? by tompaulco · · Score: 1

      Would have to agree. That thing maybe comes up to my ribs. A normal person would have to duck to get in and unlike an SUV, you are sitting with your legs out in front like a sports car and not on the floor like a chair. It looks like it has less than half the storage space of an SUV. Still, it has good performance and might make a good secondary vehicle. I'd pay $15k for one.

      --
      If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
    2. Re:SUV? by ksheff · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't consider it a SUV either. They put a hatchback body on a Model S platform. I guess they had to call it a SUV since most people view hatchbacks as being "cheap vehicles" and this certainly isn't cheap by any stretch. I also wonder how much rain/snow those rear doors will let in during the 6-7 seconds that Wired mentioned it will take for them to open.

      --
      the good ground has been paved over by suicidal maniacs
    3. Re:SUV? by Guspaz · · Score: 1

      There were photos of 6'1" tall journalists standing under the open doors with a few inches of clearance above that. Most normal people are not a few inches taller than 6'1". The Model X is around 20% larger than a Toyota Rav 4, and gains additional storage space from the lack of a gasoline engine or drive shaft.

      You also won't find a budget SUV for $15k, so I'm not sure why you'd expect to find a luxury SUV for that price.

  18. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by cdrudge · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I remember seeing my first flat screen TV in a high end electronics showroom back in 1997. I don't remember the exact size or price, but it was at least 50" and over $20k. I thought it was ridiculous that someone would pay that much for a TV and that I'd never be able to afford one. Walmart has a 50" LED TV that's probably has better technical specs in every way for $300 on their website.

    New technology is always expensive for the early adopters. But after that new technology is a generation or two old, newer revised generations is often drastically cheaper.

  19. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by enjar · · Score: 3, Informative

    Tesla has never made a secret that their approach was to sell the high margin luxury vehicles first, where the margins are. The next model they introduce is going to be priced at $35K, which is solidly in the 4-door family sedan price range (Accord, Camry) and the low end of small upscale sedan territory (3-series).

  20. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by tompaulco · · Score: 1

    Selling cars that cost as much as a small house is all well and good if your target market is 1%ers and boomers, but if you want to sell to the mass market you need something that's priced for a generation that will probably never be able to afford to own a home.

    Where I live, in the midwest, that is the price of a brand new good sized home.
    However, I live in a part of town that is kind of run down and it is not uncommon to see people with vehicles that cost twice as much as their home and twice their annual household income as well.

    --
    If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
  21. It's a really fast minivan, not a SUV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There's no ground clearance on this vehicle. My Subaru Outback wagon probably has higher ground clearance. So you couldn't take this offroad. At least some basic offroad capability is what makes a SUV a SUV.

    So the SUV moniker shouldn't apply on this.

    Cool vehicle, but it's basically a high-tech, high-performance AWD people/stuff hauler.

    1. Re:It's a really fast minivan, not a SUV by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      I think it looks more like a crossover, Toyota Venza / Honda Accord Crosstour - like.

    2. Re:It's a really fast minivan, not a SUV by AaronW · · Score: 1

      The car has active suspension so it can raise and lower itself. My model S does that. It automatically lowers at highway speeds and if I tell it to raise up, it remembers the location so it will do that again the next time you hit that location.

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  22. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by TWX · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The term generally is halo car. In the past this has meant a car that was expensive when the company had inexpensive vehicles too, as the expensive one attracted attention and people would buy the cars they could actually afford.

    I think they're trying to drive demand and pay for the development costs first, then once they've gotten manufacturing capacity and the technology developed, then they can afford to produce less expensive cars. Perhaps they're right, all other upstart electric car companies have failed when trying the bottom-up approach, maybe the top-down method will work better.

    The other aspect to consider is the projected lifespan of these vehicles. I admit I don't know what it actually is, but if they're following a model like the Toyota Landcruiser, which for the bulk of its models was intended to have a 25 year lifespan even when used for its intended rough purpose. If the Teslas are intended to have similar lifespans but as road-going vehicles will see many more miles driven than an off-road Landcruiser, then the price for the vehicles might be as ridiculous as it seems at first.

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  23. Living life by sjbe · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I, who makes probably 4 times what they make, drives a completely stock Prius and saves every dollar from the gas I don't buy and wheels and tires I don't buy

    Maybe but they probably actually enjoy driving their car. If you drive a Prius it's clear you don't care about enjoying the ride.

    1. Re:Living life by Tuidjy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Exactly.

      I went to a lot of trouble to replace my 1990 Supra which was rear ended by cop (after I had enjoyed it for 18 years) I found one, rebuilt the engine, redesigned and milled, myself, replacements for almost every rotating part in the gear box, and am enjoying my daily commute a lot more than when I was doing it in a 460hp car that costs five times as much as what I've put in my 'new' old Supra.

      Money spent on something that you enjoy is money well spent. Some people spent their cash on boats, others wears $10,000 watches, and even have walls covered by bookshelves holding comic books.

      If all you care is about saving every dollar you make, you have a sad life. If you do have a hobby, I am sure that you can find people who think as little of it as you think of those of us who enjoy driving.

      This said, I've driven a friend's Tesla for a few days, and although it can leave every car of mine in the dust, I did not particularly enjoy it. He had my Supra for these few days, and I think he enjoyed the experience more. Different strokes for different folks, though. His wife thinks that using a 30 years old I6 is a crime against Nature.

      --
      No good deed goes unpunished...
    2. Re:Living life by galabar · · Score: 1

      Seems fine to me, as long as the they don't go after the frugal Prius driver to fund their retirement or health care.

    3. Re:Living life by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe but they probably actually enjoy driving their car. If you drive a Prius it's clear you don't care about enjoying the ride.

      And Range Rovers are different? They're status symbols, nothing more. I mean, when was the last time you saw a muddy one? There's a reason they're known as Chelsea Tractors; anyone who actually needs a real off-road car is far more likely to drive a Defender.

  24. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 1

    Except this isn't new technology, we've had hybrids and electrics for a while now.

    --
    A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
  25. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by SuperKendall · · Score: 0

    If they sold something affordable then the myth that all cars can be realistically electric/battery (as opposed to electric/hydrogen which is where we'll end up) would be revealed way too soon.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  26. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by tripleevenfall · · Score: 5, Informative

    Back when "The Millionaire Next Door" was written, the author included data from a survey that said the most common car driven by millionaires at that time was a Jeep Grand Cherokee. I think the next most common was a Ford F-150.

    But there are a lot of misconceptions about millionaires (people with a net worth of > $1 million). Most are self-made, most are entrepreneurs, most are worth in the single digit millions, etc.

    But the overall theme was, these aren't the people you see out there flaunting wealth. Those people are usually not worth anything. People who are really building wealth are not the conspicuous consumers.

  27. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by sunderland56 · · Score: 2

    Selling cars that cost as much as a small house

    They're a California company. Try finding a house for $132K just about *anywhere* in California, let alone greater LA or SF. Heck, finding a house in many parts of Silicon Valley for $1.32 million is tough.

    Why is this a story on slashdot anyway? Jalopnik, sure.... but this isn't news for nerds, and not really even news that matters. It's just a new model press release.

  28. Most "SUV" vehicles are 2 wheel drive by tekrat · · Score: 1

    The vast majority of "SUV" vehicles on the road do not even have 4-wheel drive capability. Sure, that's available as an option, but most people get the base-model to save a few bucks. As a result, you're more likely to see a 2-wheel drive "SUV" than a true off-roader. And yes, your subaru is probably better in a whole range of ways.

    --
    If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
    1. Re:Most "SUV" vehicles are 2 wheel drive by ksheff · · Score: 1

      But even the 2WD SUVs still have higher ground clearance and seating positions that are higher than typical cars. This is basically the hatchback version of the Model S sedan.

      --
      the good ground has been paved over by suicidal maniacs
    2. Re:Most "SUV" vehicles are 2 wheel drive by Guspaz · · Score: 2

      The Rav 4 has ~6" of ground clearance. The Outback and Forrester have ~9" of ground clearance. The Model X has adjustable ground clearance that goes up to 9".

    3. Re:Most "SUV" vehicles are 2 wheel drive by ksheff · · Score: 1

      So, it has "macho station wagon" level of ground clearance compared to a Mercedes G class or Land Rover at 12".

      --
      the good ground has been paved over by suicidal maniacs
  29. How much for just the battery? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Screw the car I just want a 90kWh battery.

    1. Re: How much for just the battery? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      $25k for a 100kWh Tesls Power Pack...

    2. Re:How much for just the battery? by willworkforbeer · · Score: 2

      Lucky you, they sell that solution. Wire up as many PowerWalls as you need for 90kWh of adult toy enjoyment.

      http://www.teslamotors.com/pow...

      --
      Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
    3. Re: How much for just the battery? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's like 500 full tanks of gas in a compact car or 7 to 10 years of gas. Is Tesla charging the same price per kWh as laptop manufacturers? If so, that's grossly overpriced.

  30. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    The Model 3 is due in 2017 most likely. Next year Nissan is expected to release a new version of the Leaf with 200 mile range (with some leaked photos recently), and a few other manufacturers are saying they will have affordable long range EVs.

    My two year deal on a Leaf is up at the end of 2016 and I was promised a nice new 200 mile range one to trade in for by the dealer. Dealers never lie, right?

    Seriously though, most manufacturers seem to think 2017 will be the year of cheap, 250 mile range EVs.

    --
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    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  31. Re:Only for rich douchebags... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You are wrong and incorrect.

    This was always a Model S platform car. You probably don't even know what that means.

    Gen3 was always several years after Model X.

    Got it?? Gen 3. Now you won't type like an idiot.

  32. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by future+assassin · · Score: 2

    Seriously no one cares. How come you're not bitching about farmers driving 100K F450's ?

    --
    by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
  33. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by tripleevenfall · · Score: 1

    If you don't have a house, it might not make sense to buy an electric car anyway. Charging stations aren't exactly abundant at this point.

  34. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    Stop sucking Elon's pasty cock. It's not new technology. Electric cars were available in the early 1900s. Conventional vehicles can be fully refueled in a matter of minutes. Electric cars? Still a long, long, long, long wait, and that hasn't changed since the early 1900s.

  35. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by future+assassin · · Score: 1

    Where I live that will build you a 20x20 workshop.

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  36. Re:Only for rich douchebags... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What did you expect, really? Tesla has shown that they aren't an everymans company with the cars. First was the prototype, of course it's expensive, but so far it's their most affordable vehicle. Instead of making the next one the affordable car (after POC with the prototype) they made the ultra-high end sports car. Then they made the ultra high-end crossover. There's a pattern here of their cars getting more expensive, not less. Tesla is what BMW used to be, a badge of accomplishment and sophistry.

    Musk has taken a page from Apple and is selling to the new rich of Silicon Valley where he's heralded as the coming savior of the environment. Everyone and their brother is climbing over themselves to be close to him for the status, why would he want to produce for the average income when he can simply steal from those who have no idea what to do with their newfound tech riches after they've overpaid for their McMansion?

    Sure they put the powerwall out there at a pretty decent price point, but even that is heavily geared towards those with enough disposable income to go solar (unless they lease, but even then you have to own, not rent). I expect it will take them a long time to bring down the price point.

  37. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Jeremi · · Score: 1

    Why ask questions you already know the answer to? The Model 3 is scheduled to begin sales in 2018, which (if I my Tesla-to-Earth-time calculations are correct) means it ought to be available to the public by 2020 or so.

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    I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
  38. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by enjar · · Score: 1

    There are comparably priced SUVs and sedans that use internal combustion engines that Telsa competes with from Mercedes, Lexus, BMW and Audi. Are you railing against the manufacturers selling those vehicles, too? Someone likes what they are selling because they buy them at those prices.

  39. Re: So when are they making something we can AFFOR by raind2 · · Score: 1

    That would be a Ford... !

  40. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by funwithBSD · · Score: 1

    If I was an IT guy in the SF Bay Area or LA who had a high salary but not enough to buy a $1 million "starter home" this might be where I sink the disposable income.

    What better vehicle to pick up MILFs and Soccer Moms than an electric SUV?

    --
    Never answer an anonymous letter. - Yogi Berra
  41. Re:Only for rich douchebags... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ^^ Correcting myself, Model S is the most affordable, but $75k is not really entry leve, though it does just happen to be the average household income of the Bay Area in general, coincidence?

  42. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by willworkforbeer · · Score: 1

    Selling cars that cost as much as a small house

    They're a California company. Try finding a house for $132K just about *anywhere* in California, let alone greater LA or SF. Heck, finding a house in many parts of Silicon Valley for $1.32 million is tough.

    Done: http://www.folkartplayhouses.c...

    OK, so they're in Sherman Oaks, but that is in California.

    --
    Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
  43. Re:Only for rich douchebags... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They are less than half an order of magnitude off. I think that justifies calling it in the $50 000 range (which goes from about 16 000 - 160 000)

  44. Door question by sacrilicious · · Score: 1

    officially unveiled its Model X SUV

    A much more fortunate choice than "Model V SUX" would have been.

    But seriously: I hope it's viable to open those rear doors when parked a typical distance from an adjacent car in a parking lot.

    --
    - First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then ???, then profit.
    1. Re:Door question by jonnythan · · Score: 2

      The doors use less lateral room than a traditional door. In other words, there can be situations where you can exit via the rear door but not the front door due to being parked so close to the adjacent car.

  45. That's terrorism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And you are now on the no-carpooling list.

    1. Re:That's terrorism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Allahu Akbrrrrrrrrrrt

  46. What "utility"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What's "utility" about it? I can fit a FULL SIZE refrigerator in my BMW X5, but this thing looks like you'd be lucky to fit a microwave.

    1. Re:What "utility"? by Guspaz · · Score: 2

      The Model X is larger in volume than your BMW X5. It's ~5" longer, ~6" wider, and ~5" shorter.

    2. Re:What "utility"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you can't park it anywhere, or drive through many towns. The BMW X5 is already impractically large.

    3. Re:What "utility"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >

      It's just 6'' wider then, is not it? ?

    4. Re:What "utility"? by Guspaz · · Score: 1

      In terms of volume, yes. The point is that it's not smaller than the X5.

  47. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by alva_edison · · Score: 3, Informative

    $35,000 Tesla Model III coming in 2017
    Since they've seemed to slip all of their shcedules by 1-2 years, I'm guessing 2019.
    This blog post discusses Tesla's top-down strategy where they use luxury cars to fund development of mass-market cars.

    --
    He effected a bored affect.
  48. $130K offroad vehicles by sjbe · · Score: 1

    Worrying about the off road capabilities on a $130,000 car is kind of silly.

    That depends on why you bought it. A Bowler EXR costs more than that but is awesome offroad. A Mercedes G class is pretty legit offroad too and is in that price bracket and people do drive them offroad.

    Trust me, that's not what people are using them for.

    Mostly you are correct. But the claim was that the Model X was superior to the Mercedes G class in every way which is easily and demonstrably not true.

  49. Handing out the keys by dotancohen · · Score: 1

    At the end of the video Elon hands out a bunch of keys for the first few VINs. I'm really hoping to see a repeat of that when the Dragon V2 is introduced!

    --
    It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
  50. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The problem is, what most people who buy electric cars (statistically) want is an electric SUV. That $35,000 car will be a tiny little toy. If they were introducing an electric SUV for $35k in three years, we wouldn't be complaining nearly as much.

    Unfortunately for Tesla, most of Slashdot is Tesla's target audience. Their products are neat toys, and we have significantly more disposable income than average. Most of us were expecting the low end to start out in the neighborhood of $60k, with a high end around $80-90k. By placing the high end at $140k, Tesla just made it pretty clear that none of us will be able to afford even the low end, which means they've priced themselves solidly out of the market for those of us who were planning to buy one (including me; I skipped the electric Rav4 because the range was just barely enough to maybe be usable; now that Tesla finally announced the price of the Model X, I'm seriously regretting that decision).

    Also, the reality of those $140k luxury SUVs is that almost nobody buys them at that price. People lease them for three years, pay a fraction of that amount of money, and then other people buy them used for $30k because their value has plummeted. With Tesla, that purchasing model doesn't work, because their value doesn't drop in half within the first six months. The market for a car that costs as much as a 2500-square-foot house just doesn't exist outside of the fantasies of a few wealthy CEOs.

  51. Doors by Toshito · · Score: 1, Troll

    Those falcon wing doors looks cool, but what about winter? Will the motors be powerful enough to overcome ice? Where will the snow on roof go when you open them?

    What a about a ski rack? Where do you put your canoe or your kayak? Your bikes?

    Or a luggage rack? Because it's cool to have a 7 passenger SUV, but where do you put the luggage?

    When we go camping as a family, we're 6. The only space left for luggage is the tiny space left in the trunk and the big luggage box on the roof.

    --
    Try it! Library of Babel
    1. Re:Doors by cmdr_klarg · · Score: 1

      Those falcon wing doors looks cool, but what about winter? Will the motors be powerful enough to overcome ice? Where will the snow on roof go when you open them?

      What a about a ski rack? Where do you put your canoe or your kayak? Your bikes?

      Or a luggage rack? Because it's cool to have a 7 passenger SUV, but where do you put the luggage?

      When we go camping as a family, we're 6. The only space left for luggage is the tiny space left in the trunk and the big luggage box on the roof.

      Generally you would remove said snow from the top before trying to open them. I can't say how the X would deal with ice. I know if I were to own one (fat chance of that) I would have it parked in a heated garage (if I could afford the Model X I could afford the garage).

      If you go to the first link they have a video of the launch event, where they show off the cargo capability. No top rack obviously, but you have a good amount of storage in the front, back, and underseats. They also show the X towing an Airstream camper (5000 lb tow capacity).

      --
      THE SOFTWARE, IT NO WORKY!!!
    2. Re:Doors by radarskiy · · Score: 2

      " where do you put the luggage?"

      Under the hood in the front, because there is no engine there,

    3. Re:Doors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have a family of three and it's more space than I need. That's two people in a row it's not the right car for! Clearly it's a terrible car, right?

    4. Re:Doors by Whorhay · · Score: 1

      In many jurisdictions you are actually required by law to remove snow and ice from the roof of your car before driving it. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone getting a citation for it though except in cases where it caused some other incident like an accident.

    5. Re:Doors by PRMan · · Score: 1

      Exactly. You have 2 trunks in a Tesla.

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
    6. Re:Doors by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 3, Informative

      Don't be a douche and leave the snow on the roof. When you drive it just blows onto the car behind you. It's polite to sweep it off before you leave.

  52. you mean the "driving past the feed-lot" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    bioweapon defense mode?

    That's where you close the windows and turn the AC on recirculate when driving past a CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operation) or petrochemical plant.

  53. Re:Only for rich douchebags... by willworkforbeer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They just can't win with you guys. Here is a US carmaker, hiring US manufacturing workers, and hiring US factory builders, and US factory worker insurance agents, and US building maintenance workers and US building construction workers... And US robot installers, and US salespeople and US car insurance people and US SuperCharger construction workers and US auto engineers and US marketing workers and on and on.

    All these non-rich, non-douche workers are taking piles of money away from the "douche"-class. Exactly what will it take to make you happy? You should wish the cars were selling out at 10X the price, to take 10X as much of the cash away from the evil "douche"-class buyers.

    --
    Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
  54. More for the rich. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So, another electric car(SUV) that no one except rich people can afford. Way to distance yourselves even further from the population Tesla.

  55. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Bartles · · Score: 1

    Sure, that all makes sense. Why do those people need tax credits?

  56. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Lennie · · Score: 1

    How about a 4-person electric car with solar panels on the roof that produces more energy than it uses by average per day use* ?
    http://www.gizmag.com/stella-l...

    A company in Australia is trying to make a car you can buy, even if it's still very expensive:
    http://www.gizmag.com/immortus...

    * in the Netherlands, which is in't the US. The average car owner in the US drivers more miles.

    --
    New things are always on the horizon
  57. It is news for nerds and it does matter by sjbe · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why is this a story on slashdot anyway? Jalopnik, sure.... but this isn't news for nerds, and not really even news that matters. It's just a new model press release.

    Speaking as a nerd I find it fascinating. Please remember that nerds aren't just computer programmers. Some of us are interested in technology that doesn't have a keyboard and mouse. Furthermore it DOES matter. Tesla is having some fascinating effects on the car industry and they are proving that all electric vehicles are a viable commercial technology. In case you hadn't noticed a lot of people here on slashdot are very interested in what Tesla is doing.

    1. Re:It is news for nerds and it does matter by sunderland56 · · Score: 1

      a lot of people here on slashdot are very interested in what Tesla is doing.

      A lot of people here on slashdot are interested in sex, too. That doesn't mean this is the place to discuss it.

    2. Re:It is news for nerds and it does matter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      a lot of people here on slashdot are very interested in what Tesla is doing.

      A lot of people here on slashdot are interested in sex, too. That doesn't mean this is the place to discuss it.

      Don't discuss sex? Fuck you.

      Oh wait that isn't what you meant.

    3. Re:It is news for nerds and it does matter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sex in their parent's basement.

  58. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by tompaulco · · Score: 2

    Where do you live where construction materials and labor add up to $350 per square foot for a shop? Nice homes in California can be built for $150 per square foot or less. I may be willing to drive a truck of materials there and build it for less.

    --
    If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
  59. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Those retards crack me up. They spend all their money on a stupid car.... I, who makes probably 4 times what they make, drives a completely stock Prius

    Meanwhile, they are screwing a hot chick, while you are masturbating in the shower.

  60. Different market with different customers by sjbe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Such over-design tends to spectacularly and expensively fail as cars get older or get into accidents.

    Not really a relevant concern when you are talking about a $100K+ vehicle. A bit of exuberant design is expected to justify the price tag. I'm guessing you aren't really into the luxury car market much.

    With multiple hinges, sensors, control units that all could potentially fail, you will end up with a used car without functioning doors. Who wants that? On other hand, simple hinge just keep working.

    Yes but simple isn't necessarily interesting. Nobody buys a supercar because they want simple basic transportation. They want a bit of panache, otherwise there is no point.

    So you think, "I will lease for 4 years, and will never see these problems". Well, resale value is affected by reliability, and as a result costs of these failures will be baked into your lease costs.

    Buying a car like this is not a decision driven by expected resale value. You buy a car like this because you have the disposable income and you want to own one.

    1. Re:Different market with different customers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Also, the risk of resale value in the future being lower than predicted at the time you get the car is not applicable to a lease; in a lease, the terms are fixed up front. The customer either thinks the terms are worth it or not. I guess it's possible the lease could say you have to pay a variable amount over part or all of contract duration based on the as-later-estimated resale value of the car, but I haven't heard of those.

    2. Re:Different market with different customers by sinij · · Score: 1

      Yes, lease terms are fixed, but the value they are fixed at is market-driven. For example, say you lease for 2 years, and $130K car will be worth $95K. If it turns out that Tesla was wrong, and they can't hope to sell 2-year old one for more than $80K, they just gave you $15K discount and sold at a loss.

      No market is completely price-insensitive. There will be more Tesla Model X sold at $120K than at $130K. As such, the expense of putting lambo doors on one will price someone out of buying it.

  61. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by rahvin112 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Telsa has been occupying the high end market segment, not the mainstream, think of them as a competitor to Porsche and Mercedes, not Ford. This can be seen in the reactionary vehicles being developed at these companies as they've lost market share to Tesla. What Tesla is going to do with the Model 3 is attempt to move from the high end to main stream. This would be like Porsche attempting to make a mainstream $30k vehicle that anyone could buy.

    Time will tell if they succeed, personally I wouldn't bet against them.

  62. Won't be either/or soon by sjbe · · Score: 1

    I'd rather have a car that goes from 0 to 60 in 6.4 seconds and goes 500 miles. 250 miles just doesn't cut in some parts of the US (out West).

    It won't be long before it's not an either/or decision. Right now the state of the art is at 250 miles. I expect to see electric vehicles with a 500+ mile range in the next few years. The folks at Tesla have already been talking about vehicles with 700+ mile range. In the mean time there are hybrid cars with good 0-60 times on the market today which can go much further than 250 miles without refueling.

  63. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'll believe it when I see it. Best case its 35k after government subsidies. No thanks Elon :(

  64. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They have to sell them at this price because those 90KWh battery packs cost as much on their own as an entire car for the masses (say a Toyota Camry). The cost of 7104 (for the 85KWh battery) individual 18650 battery cells isn't cheap! About $35K street price, just for the cells alone, assuming $5/cell. I'm sure Tesla's getting them for closer to $2/cell considering the quantity.

  65. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I wish I lived somewhere that a small house cost $144,000. Where I live, a small house goes for >$1 million.

  66. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    They've been planning on selling a cheaper model in 2-3 years for 2-3 years.

  67. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Deadstick · · Score: 1

    Those retards crack me up. They spend all their money on a stupid car that hogs gas and costs a shit ton in maintenance

    And then they have lawn fertilizer delivered so their big-buck utility vehicles don't get messed up.

  68. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Ravaldy · · Score: 1

    Let their current target market pay for the R&D and then we can all enjoy the technology at an affordable price.

    Tesla has not seen a profit yet so it's more than acceptable for them to let the rich pay for the R&D.

    Best cost model for this. This same cost model was applied to the original Model T.

  69. But what I really want to know is... by pubwvj · · Score: 1

    But what I really want to know is...how many hogs can I carry in the back of this vehicle?

  70. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

    It's not new technology. Electric cars were available in the early 1900s.

    Those early electrics used different technology.

    Conventional vehicles can be fully refueled in a matter of minutes. Electric cars?

    So? If your use case involves frequent long road trips then don't buy an electric. If your long trips are infrequent, just rent a gas car, or drive your family's other car. Or take a 30 minute break every 4 hours at a supercharger.

    My wife has a Tesla, and for normal day-to-day use, it is more convenient than a gas car. It charges overnight in our garage, so the range almost never dips below 200 miles. We have taken a few road trips, and we plan ahead to locate superchargers near nice restaurants or a park where we can go for a 30 minute hike.

  71. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why would they want to sell to the mass market? There's no money there, because the market is already saturated with existing makes.

    No. Tesla wants to be like a Ferrari, Maserati or Porsche. Maybe Mercedes or BMW at most.

  72. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by aaron4801 · · Score: 1

    What's their incentive? Altruism? Not even the darling of the automotive world does things out of the goodness of their aluminum heart.
    They can't even keep up with demand for the high-priced vehicles. Start offering a car at $35k right now and what happens? The waiting list would be out 3+ years, the resale value would be triple the retail cost, and nobody would be better off but the scummy middle-men who contribute nothing to the supply chain.
    Toyota sells over 400k Camrys per year in the US. Tesla just recently sold its 75k'th Model S worldwide. Over 7 years. The capacity just isn't there to offer something that will generate that much demand.

  73. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Dragonslicer · · Score: 2

    If you cannot afford to own your own home, then chances are you are STILL not going to be able to afford even their $35K base model when it releases in a year or two.

    Sure, $35K might seem "average" these days for new car pricing, but only to those who somehow enjoy a $500/month car payment, or enjoy being (fl)leased by other creative loans.

    Depends on where you live. There are a few cities in the US where you could have $35K available to pay cash for the car, but $35K isn't enough for a down payment on a house.

  74. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    California is 163,000 square miles. Some parts are cheap, and some aren't. Previous poster may have been referring to San Francisco and may have been including land cost.

  75. Bio Defense Mode - already have it by ripvlan · · Score: 1

    My 8 year old VW GTI has a similar feature - albeit it doesn't have a flashy name. There are cabin filters which can keep out most everything - and if the car detects Automatically!!! air quality issues it turns on the air recirculation feature. Driving down a road through smoke the system will turn on - as well as dusty dirt roads. Even keeps out the smell of dead skunks (although system doesn't auto detect this air quality situation - requires Manual override). Problems those of us in the country deal with. To think I used to drive with the Windows Open!

    Even putting the car in reverse engages this mode - because what - you're backing up through your exhaust (feature probably coded by the Clean Diesel group because they knew otherwise).

    So Tesla is just good at the Reality Distortion Field and making you want something because it is shiny. And they built it. And Mr Musk is wearing a black t-shirt while saying "one more thing."

    I can't wait for somebody to make an electric car I want - and can afford (or at least willing to afford). Quiet, Clean. Except for the burning ozone from the motors. :-P

  76. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'd buy a 200-mile-range Nissan Leaf if it didn't look like a weird bug.

  77. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by catchblue22 · · Score: 2

    Selling cars that cost as much as a small house is all well and good if your target market is 1%ers and boomers, but if you want to sell to the mass market you need something that's priced for a generation that will probably never be able to afford to own a home.

    The base model will be less. And they are working on a $35000 model that will compete with BMW 3 series cars. This car is meant to compete in the market that buys Porsche Cayenne's and the like. The top turbo model of the Cayenne goes for over $130000. The base model of the Model X will likely go for $60000 or so.

    --
    This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when first he appears as a protector - Plato (423 to 327 BC)
  78. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by meta-monkey · · Score: 1

    F-150's not a good comparison. There are a wide range of configurations. You can get a new F-150 for sub $25k or you can spec them out up into the $60k+ range.

    --
    We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
  79. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by meta-monkey · · Score: 2

    Well, it's definitely the best choice if you're into fatties. Dat torque.

    --
    We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
  80. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by meta-monkey · · Score: 2

    They also have agreements to supply electric powertrain components to other manufacturers. Don't know if that's actually been realized anywhere yet, but Tesla technology could very well wind up in cheaper vehicles not manufactured by Tesla.

    --
    We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
  81. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Ralph+Wiggam · · Score: 2

    A 90 kWh battery that's small and light enough to put in a car is the new technology. Sorry if they're not reinventing the wheel enough to impress you.

  82. 250M Range? by ArcadeNut · · Score: 2

    Is that with one person in the car driving normally?

    What about when you have 6 people in it towing a boat/quads/whatever and fully loaded with luggage? I'm betting it's a little less then 250 miles...

    --
    Visit the Arcade Restoration Workshop @ http://www.arcaderestoration.com
    1. Re:250M Range? by sootman · · Score: 1

      I think you're correct. As far as I know, all known laws of physics apply to this car. That's why they named the company "Tesla" and not "Einstein" or "Roddenberry".

      Anyway, how much power gets used is related to weight and drag. Say it's 50-50. Adding 900 pounds (5 people at 180 each) to a 5,000-lb car = 18% weight increase, so we might expect a 9% reduction in range. Call it 10% and that means 225 miles instead of 250. Not too horrible. Back-of-the-envelope stuff here, but it's probably in the neighborhood.

      In any case, I'm sure they have some smart maths people working there, and maybe they've even taken measurements from some of the thousands of cars they've sold so far. But maybe they don't and maybe they haven't. You should call them.

      --
      Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
  83. Living in the city by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    What I'd like is an electric alternative to a $10k car, with simple looks, 100 mi / 150 km range and no fancy shit like extreme acceleration and hazmat suits or hood-mounted laser-guided rockets, which tesla is looking forward to :|

    1. Re:Living in the city by shilly · · Score: 1

      Could you not be a little bit patient? EVs have only started to come onstream properly in the past 5 years, and you can already buy a Renault Zoe in the UK for about $18k. It has the simple looks, 100mi range and no fancy shit spec that you want.

      https://www.renault.co.uk/vehi...

      Give it a couple of years and, assuming volumes build up, the price will be closer to your sweet spot.

    2. Re:Living in the city by cplusplus · · Score: 1

      A used Nissan Leaf that's about three years old with under 30K miles can be found for under $10k if you shop around. The Ford Focus Electric is starting to show up in the same price range (used), but are harder to find. The nice part is that they still have at least five years of warranty on the battery and drive unit. They get about 60 miles per charge in city driving.

      --
      "False hope is why we'll never run out of natural resources!" - Lewis Black
    3. Re:Living in the city by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      renault zoe

      3200 lb kerb weight

      AHAHHAHHAAAHAHAHA no.

    4. Re:Living in the city by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      also, €80/mo for the battery? fuck that shit, it's significantly cheaper to buy and own a 2.0l sportscar.

    5. Re:Living in the city by shilly · · Score: 1

      Why on earth do you care about the kerb weight? It drives like a bog-standard supermini. Not awful, not amazing. The kerb weight is a complete irrelevance.

    6. Re:Living in the city by shilly · · Score: 1

      You need to figure in TCO. The comparison with a 2.0l sportscar is pointless, it's not apples to apples. It's definitely still cheaper to buy a petrol supermini, but that's hardly a surprise when you take account of the economies of scale, and the all-in difference is not that significant. The Renault Clio, for example, is about 80% of the price of a Zoe. You don't have to pay for the battery, but you have to pay petrol instead. It'll cost you about €65 to fill up.

    7. Re:Living in the city by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "You need to figure in TCO."

      i already have.

      "You don't have to pay for the battery, but you have to pay petrol instead. It'll cost you about €65 to fill up."

      example car my father owns:

      renault clio 1.2, 5.5l/100km avg (i can get it to 5.0l/100 and 3.5l/100km on open roads, but let's be 'generous' and use 6l/100km), €1.5/l common price of petrol around here.

      that's €0.09 / 1 km

      3.2+3.2 km commute, 20 workdays per month, let's say 10 km each day, 200 km/mo, which totals €18/mo for petrol

      sure, that's less than one charge for the zoe... but you still gotta pay €80/mo

      "The comparison with a 2.0l sportscar is pointless, it's not apples to apples."

      of course it's not apples to apples. the high displacement car was an exaggeration to show that a high performance car which is considered expensive to own actually ends up costing less than the supposedly economic electric car. I could own an m3 for a TCO comparable to that of the zoe('s?).

      It should be clear now that my initial point still stands. I hope/wish tesla would introduce a really cheap small car for commuters.

    8. Re:Living in the city by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you must be american

  84. I thought they said SUV by camperdave · · Score: 1

    I thought they said SUV, but when I clicked on the link it lead to a frelling car. How are you supposed to load a canoe or kayak on top with those gull wings?

    --
    When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  85. Re: So when are they making something we can AFFOR by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For one rewarding reduced externalities helps keep incentives aligned. Second supporting research and development which will pay dividends fiscally and environmentally.

  86. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by bledri · · Score: 2

    Selling cars that cost as much as a small house is all well and good if your target market is 1%ers and boomers, but if you want to sell to the mass market you need something that's priced for a generation that will probably never be able to afford to own a home.

    Tesla's business model is explicitly to use the experience and funds generated by high end models to create less expensive models. Elon musk has repeated this over and over. Here is a blog post from 2006. Why is this so hard for people to understand? Where else is Tesla suppose to get the money and experience to create the car? Tesla is using the money of 1%ers (as you say) to fund development of cars for the 50%ers and people bitch about it like it's a bad thing.

    So what's the gripe? They aren't proceeding fast enough? They are proceeding as fast as they can. They want to sell a shit ton of cars, do you think they are sandbagging? I get so sick of the "cut off your nose to spite your face" envy and jealousy.

    If you think it's easy to make an inexpensive but compelling electric car from scratch, then start a freaking car company and do it. Or join GM, Ford, or some other company and help them to it.

    --
    Some privacy policy Slashdot.
  87. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And we had 50" TVs before LCD TVs as well. Given, they weren't dirt cheap, but were about $2000 when LCD TVs were $20,000 for the same size. Sure, the CRT projection left a lot to be desired, as did the size, but while we're comparing apples (pure electric long range cars) and oranges (primarily gasoline cars that happen to have some archaic electric short range capabilities) I figured I'd mention it!

  88. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by tnk1 · · Score: 1

    You can't even get a small house where I live for only $133,000 and I'm no 1%'er.

    One of the things that I realized when I moved here is that all real estate is priced ridiculously high in relation to the rest of the country.

    However, as a professional, you're paid proportionally to that higher real estate cost, which means you have more absolute cash after home expenses than you would if you lived in a cheaper area.

    And note: cars cost the same to operate no matter where you live (barring extreme environmental situations). There might be a markup at the dealership if you're dumb enough to buy one locally, but that's easily dealt with in this age of online car purchasing.

    Teslas are still out of my comfort zone for buying, but they're a lot closer than they would be if I was doing the same job in East Buttfuck, Pennsylvania.

    Point being... there are places where these cars are actually a lot more affordable than they might otherwise seem to be at first glance.

  89. Yup, you are correct... by Zeorge · · Score: 1

    Just like with a gas/diesel car, the range decreases with load.

  90. Just slightly new technology by sjbe · · Score: 1

    Except this isn't new technology, we've had hybrids and electrics for a while now.

    That doesn't mean it isn't new technology. Granted it is an incremental improvement on existing technology but it is still new and represents what currently is state of the art in electric vehicles.

  91. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by tnk1 · · Score: 1

    The first car. Ugly as fuck.

    The second car... not too shabby, but you had better not own it anywhere where hail falls... ever.

  92. Re:Only for rich douchebags... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Jesus, if your mind is so simple you can only think in terms of all non-rich = non-douche and rich is douche, you're a sad, pathetic douche.

  93. Another toy... by prisoner-of-enigma · · Score: 0

    Another toy for the liberal elite to spend money on to somehow absolve themselves of all the guilt they feel for having money to spend on such toys, whilst simultaneously allowing them to look down their nose at the rest of us 'proles who have to drive these nasty, earth-killing, bunny-murdering cars that run on fossil fuels.

    Get back to me when I can drive something that will carry me, my wife, and five kids 300 miles without have to stop for a 12-hour "refill" and costs under $40K.

    --
    In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  94. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by PRMan · · Score: 1

    Mercedes just did that with the CLA. And I bought one.

    --
    Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
  95. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by vadim_t · · Score: 1

    What's the point of that? It's large, ugly as sin, and the concept only works assuming low use anyway. It's also not going to work as intended if you park it in a garage, inside parking spot, or in the shade.

    I wonder if it's even practical in ideal conditions, because a car parked in the sun gets hot as hell, and batteries don't like that much.

    It's much better to put those panels on your roof instead. That way you can go with cheaper and less efficient panels because there's less need to squeeze all the possible power in the small amount of room available, they'll be unobstructed as much as possible, collecting power at all times when there's any to collect, and it can be used for things besides the car.

  96. That is NOT and SUV or even a CUV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Funny calling that an SUV. Even calling it a CUV is a reach. No third row, no mention of towing and with those doors, you can't even have a roof rack.

    It is pretty much just a full size car. Other than the Dolorean doors, it looks pretty much like a 2015 Ford Taurus for 3 or 4x more money with lower driving range.

    As I told an electric car fan boy over the summer, when they come out with something that can seat 8 people, hold all their luggage while towing 6000+ pounds then we can talk. Otherwise I'm sticking with my Ford Expedition.

  97. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Yep, the Model X pushed that back. You are right though though if you think the Model 3 will come out on time you don't know history. It will be 1-3 years late. Good news though if they get the factory build they can make the Powerwall till the car is ready. Honestly I think that is why they made the Powerwall to begin with.

  98. Re:Only for rich douchebags... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    First, this isn't even the car that's supposed to bring good electric vehicles to the masses. That's their next model, not out yet.

    Second, why the hell would you complain about taking money from the rich? Heck, I hope they would make a model which costs $200k and charge those fuckers up the wazoo.

    But honestly, I think you're just sour grapes.

  99. Re:Only for rich douchebags... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes, we are ALL paying for it too. Through our taxes with all the massive subsidies. The only one making out in this deal is Elon Musk who just keeps getting richer.

  100. Vehicles that aren't lab projects by sjbe · · Score: 1

    How about a 4-person electric car with solar panels on the roof that produces more energy than it uses by average per day use* ?

    Wake me up when it is a vehicle that is actually useful for anything practical. There isn't enough energy per square foot to power anything but an extremely light vehicle with no frills at all. Certainly nothing remotely comparable to the cars you and I drive and nothing you'd dare drive in inclement weather. It's a nice little project but nothing more.

    1. Re:Vehicles that aren't lab projects by Lennie · · Score: 1

      "with no frills at all."

      First of all, the predecessor from 2013 was already road legal. Which means it has all the things you need to get on the road.

      And it's actually pretty comfortable and it has a lot more features then you might expect:
      http://www.solarteameindhoven....

      While it does have a heater for clearing the windows which it needs to make it road legal.

      The biggest problem is obvious: missing air-conditioning because it would use so much energy.

      Obviously, it's not even near getting to a production car.

      --
      New things are always on the horizon
  101. Different strokes for different folks by sjbe · · Score: 2

    A lot of people here on slashdot are interested in sex, too. That doesn't mean this is the place to discuss it.

    It's been discussed plenty here on slashdot. Your userid is low enough you ought to know that. And just because you don't care about a particular topic doesn't mean others aren't interested. I could not care less about vintage video games or bitcoin but it clearly fascinates some folks here. Tesla automobiles are clearly a technology that is of interest to nerds and its pretty easy to argue that it matters.

  102. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Kjella · · Score: 2

    Whenever you see absurd prices, you must remember some have absurd amounts of money. There are people today who could light a $100 bill on fire and every ten seconds use it to light the next one, all day, all year (about $300 million) and still have more money in the bank next year. And there's people living on less money in a year than I spent on the graphic cards in my gaming rig. The world's wealth is extremely unevenly distributed.

    --
    Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
  103. TVs existed before 1997, too. What's your point? by Brannon · · Score: 2

    The definition of "new technology" is "combination of existing technologies to create a new product". Why is this so hard for slashdotters to understand?

    Electric cars existed before Tesla. A mass-market electric car that is faster than most gas cars and which travels 200+ miles/charge did NOT exist before Tesla--therefore it is new technology.

  104. SUV? I think not. But.. by Blaskowicz · · Score: 1

    Did you even open the web site? It has three rows of seating and it is advertised for 5000 lb towing. The slashdot blurb even says as much.

    What's weird is the picture looks like what we call a 5-door sedan. Looks like a Prius too. But you can put stuff under the seats so maybe that's why it's a SUV.

    1. Re:SUV? I think not. But.. by Guspaz · · Score: 1

      The car is 20% larger than a Toyota Rav 4. It's a crossover SUV, and not a particularly small one.

  105. cite required by Brannon · · Score: 1

    > A lot of people here on slashdot are interested in sex, too.

    citation required

    1. Re:cite required by fyngyrz · · Score: 1

      citation required

      What? Hardly. I've done it in the back of a VW Rabbit. You don't need a Honda.

      --
      I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
  106. Re:Only for rich douchebags... by willworkforbeer · · Score: 1

    Yes, we are ALL paying for it too. Through our taxes with all the massive subsidies. The only one making out in this deal is Elon Musk who just keeps getting richer.

    Would you, Mr. Coward, change your opinion if you found out that the amount of the Federal subsidy is quickly offset by the taxes on just one new US factory worker job created by Tesla?

    --
    Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
  107. just what you need in a bio-attack, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    an EV.

  108. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What R&D? There is nothing new about electric cars. It's just a combination of old tech (batteries, cars and electro motors) with new tech (computers). The R&D costs are minimal for an expensive device like a luxury car. Tesla can't compete in luxury and handling in its price range (they are not better than the rest in that regard). They can only compete in coolness, and pure power.

    Don't misunderstand me, the Tesla is a wonderful car, but I do not believe it is just an expensive 'first' car to pay back R&D so they can invest the profits in more efficient production lines to build cheaper cars.

    We no longer live in the age of manufacturing, where huge progress is made by streamlining the manufacturing process. Ford is 100 years ago. The improved Japanese version of Ford is 50 years ago. When we develop a new device today, streamlining the manufacturing process is already taken care of.

    I don't see how building a very large battery factory will reduce the price of batteries. The only thing I see is a simplistic thought: build lots of batteries and the volume will reduce the price. This worked 100 years ago with Ford and his car that didn't replace anything and didn't have to compete with anyone but the expensive handcrafted cars. On top of that, the cars where built with a non rare and relatively cheap resource (iron). Are the 'ingredients' of the battery also as cheap as iron? Are the resources used for anything else than batteries (100 years ago iron/steel was all over the place, car manufacturers used it because it was available without having to do R&D, cheaper and easier to work with than wood)?
     
    I'm afraid that the limited market for the resources and the batteries will not make it feasible to ever mass produce cheap batteries. Elon Musk already tries to expand the battery market by selling them as a way to store solar energy. But it's still too little. When car sales go down for whatever reason, those Powerwall will not give enough buffer to keep production up, and the battery factory will be in economic trouble the first time the electric car sales slow down (because for example an economic crisis). Steel/Iron manufacturers had enough markets to sell their products to. The car market was only a small percentage of their market. For Elon Musk, the car market is probably 80%+ of his battery market.

    Tesla will produce large amounts of batteries which will reduce the price, but enough to win the competition against cheap conventional cars? I'm hoping he will succeed, but I'm not that optimistic.
     
    Our only hope for the electric car to succeed is the VW gate and the apparent cheating of the entire car industry. Will the governments world wide demand real 'green' solutions like electric cars? I hardly think they will. We have been subsidizing electric cars for about 10 years now. The 'green' cars were given a head start with subsidies, tax free driving, cheaper insurance, free charging, driving on the buss/taxi lanes, free parking, ... How did the price evolve? The price went up as the subsidies went down. Apparently building and selling higher volumes didn't help reducing the manufacturing costs. The non rich people have been paying taxes to subsidize the rich mans toys for 10 years now. 'But within 5 years an electric car will be as cheap as a conventional car and withing 10 years more than half of the cars sold will be electric'. Yeah that's what they said 10 years ago...

  109. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by bughunter · · Score: 3, Interesting

    And thus he is saving even more money, probably more than he saves driving the Prius.

    --
    I can see the fnords!
  110. Ski are long. Not for trunks. by DrYak · · Score: 2

    I hate to break the bad news: but skis are rather *long* pieces of sport equipment.
    You can't store skis in any trunk.

    You either need a ski rack on the roof (as most other cars have options for, including the Model S telsa, and including all the cars I've ever driven).
    Or you need a rack on the back of the car (as some people do with bikes, and as the few illustration I've seen of Model X tend to show).

    But if you want to put skis *inside* any car, you need to lay flat some seats, at which point you lose the possibility of bringing more people together.
    (You'll be only 3 persons: 1 driver and 2 passengers, and the rest of the space occupied by the skiing equipment.
    Have been doing that personally for years).

    Would be easier if all the passengers are only interested in bringing snowboard (shorter) and/or snowshoes/ice skates/snow blades/big foots/etc. (definitely shorter). But I'm a ski person.

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
    1. Re:Ski are long. Not for trunks. by radarskiy · · Score: 2

      You slide the skis under the seats.

  111. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You hit the key word there -- "margins". I bought a car that was around $16k, when tax and all was included. Dealers make so little profit on a car like that (a couple hundred), there was no negotiation -- "here's the price, take it or leave it."

  112. Show me truck please by BlueCoder · · Score: 1

    Or better yet a vehicle that can swap out the back end. You can have truck, a van, or an SUV, or a truck with multiple back beds that can be dropped off like a dump truck.

  113. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Remember: the money the government spends on tax credits really go to the company, not the buyer. Here's how you can tell:

    A 2014 Leaf S, new, costs about $26,500 today. If you have a 2014 Leaf S that's used, with 20,000 miles on it, you can only sell it for about $11,000. Did it really depreciate by $15,500? No. It's that the new buyer gets a $7500 credit and a used-car buyer doesn't -- so the new car buyer will eat that difference in cost when he tries to sell it. Essentially, the moment he buys that $26,500, it's only worth $19,000 -- but that's okay, because he only paid $19,000 for it!

    So the net transaction is that the buyer gives $19,000 to Nissan, Nissan gives a $19,000 car to the buyer, and the government gives Nissan $7500.

  114. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by halltk1983 · · Score: 1

    The primary ingredient, Lithium, is only about 4x as expensive as pure iron. It's not actually all that expensive. You're totally right, though, I'm sure that Tesla will die as soon as we have an economic downturn, like the one we've been in since the company launched.

    I'm afraid that the limited market for the resources and the batteries will not make it feasible to ever mass produce cheap batteries.

    So are most automotive executives, and most investors, which is why it hasn't happened. It takes someone with the vision *and* the capital to make a revolution happen.

    --
    Watch for Penguins, they eat Apples and throw rocks at Windows.
  115. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by DirkDaring · · Score: 1

    You and me both. Its the worst looking car I've ever seen, the front and back are just hideous.

  116. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by halltk1983 · · Score: 1

    Yep, nothing new in the electric market since the mid 1800's: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... They came first, which means it's old news and no one should iteratively improve it, only look for new things.

    --
    Watch for Penguins, they eat Apples and throw rocks at Windows.
  117. Towing & Electricity by DrYak · · Score: 2

    What about when you have 6 people in it towing a boat/quads/whatever and fully loaded with luggage?

    Now there's a funny thing with electrical vehicle and towing:

    - electric motors are relatively simple and not the most expensive part in a vehicle (I mean when compared to a fossil fuel engine). There's nothing preventing you in putting more into anything. That's why recent Model S, and the Model X (and countless of small half-DIY things-on-wheel on youtube) are dual-drive.
    Gives you twice the power, with not much extra cost.

    - batteries are expensive, and a bit heavy, but once you already have the technology nothing forbids you to install more of it (beside the cost).

    Put these two together and you find something very interesting : it's not completely impossible to add power to the tow.
    - put an extra motor on the tow's wheel axis (dead simple, not that expensive)
    - add a small battery (that's going to be expensive... unless the battery is modular and is your house's powerwall the rest of the time).
    Now you're able to tow more without losing that much mileage.

    The same would be an engineering nightmare with thermal drives, but electric drive brings it into the realm of possibilities.

    In fact, that's exactly what European high speed trains are doing (random example: latest German ICE trains, Swiss ICN, etc.)
    They don't have a locomotive/motor coaches.
    Instead electric motors are incorporated into all the carriages. (adding extra electric motors is cheap).
    The results is enormously powerful trains that can go very fast or climb steep.

    Maybe, over the next decade, as prices for battery (and electric drive technology in general) get progressively lower, we'll be able to see mobile home that don't lower the mileage of the SUV they're attached too, because they have their own drive and electricity storage.
    (At a very expensive price first, but the electric SUVs like Model X aren't really targeting the average person's budget anyway).

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
  118. Yeah. No. by JustNiz · · Score: 1

    This isn't a smart buy on any level.

    Firstly its not a real SUV its a soccer moms van. There's no way this thing is of any use off road at all as the ground clearance is about the same as a family car, and anyone that takes a road car that cost $145k off of the tarmac is insane.

    I can't imagine there are many families that can afford 132-144k on what amounts to a soccer mom's van. with the money it takes to buy an X you can get a practical people mover as good as this car, also buy a 2 seat sports car that would be more fun to drive, and still put maybe $75k in the bank.

    There is also no way the math works out on the savings from no-need-to-ever-buy-gas. Even assuming all the electricity you use to charge your X is free, the extra cost of this car over an equivalent gasoline vehicle would get you 52631 gallons of gas, (i.e. enough free gas for the entire life of about 10 cars).

    Those doors look cool but its just more expensive shit to go wrong. Having previous experience of owning a vehicle with vertical doors and looking at the videos of how the X opens its doors I can honestly imagine more problems than normal doors especially in small or low spaces such as commonly found in parking garages.

  119. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Guspaz · · Score: 1

    We've had electronic digital computers for 74 years, but it'd be silly to try to claim that a modern laptop is not "new technology" as compared to Konrad Zuse's 1941 Z3.

  120. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Guspaz · · Score: 1

    Their $35k car will be, according to Tesla, around 20% smaller than a Model S. Considering that the Model S is an enormous car, I don't see how you could call the Model 3 a "tiny little toy".

    The statistics of the people who currently buy electric cars is not relevant, because you're comparing the statistics of early adopters to the mass market.

  121. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

    Mercedes has several mainstream models (A class, B class)

    --
    "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
  122. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by godrik · · Score: 1

    That car is designed as a luxury car, it does 0-60miles in 3.2 sec. Gas powered cars with that kind of acceleration are all high end cars.

    Now, I know pretty much nothing about engines (electric or not). That kind of acceleration might just be standard for electric engines.

  123. Re:Only for rich douchebags... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Exactly what will it take to make you happy?
     
    I think this point has been made pretty clear; we want consumer affordable EVs. Can you get that concept through your thick fucking skull or are you going to tell us how much you like sucking on Musk's asshole?

  124. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by r_jensen11 · · Score: 2

    F-150's not a good comparison. There are a wide range of configurations. You can get a new F-150 for sub $25k or you can spec them out up into the $60k+ range.

    For many of them, the F150 is just as likely to be a tool as it is a means of personal transportation. It's not unheard of for a family farmer to have $1MM worth of land, property, and equipment....

  125. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by charlesj68 · · Score: 1

    They're trying to line up with the wide-spread availability of nuclear fusion to take advantage of the lower electricity costs.

  126. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by FlyHelicopters · · Score: 1

    My wife looked at the CLA, it is a nice car if you're in the market for a Mercedes.

    It is still expensive compared to other options on the market.

    Look at a nice Nissan Maxima by comparison, about the same price when nicely equipped, yet more power, more features, and more space.

    What it is missing is that emblem on the front that says, "I'm special". :)

  127. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by mattack2 · · Score: 1

    Do you mean fuel cell? If so, why do you claim that's more feasible than pure electric?

  128. Re:Only for rich douchebags... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Non-rich and non-douchebag guy here. I busted my ass in a state college, as did my wife, and we now both make a bay-area salary in a non-bay-area zipcode. Sure, we're not the not "average Joe", but we're not the 1%... maybe somewhere in the 5% to 10%. There are a lot of people that can afford to lease or buy a Tesla Model X if they want one without stretching for it all that much. In a few years when it comes time to replace my current car, the Model X will be a viable alternative (especially the 3 year lease returns that have taken their 40+% depreciation).

  129. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 2

    Lots of homes at that price point in San Bernardino, Barstow, Palmdale, and other places East of LA... Same in Eastern Ventura County in Santa Paula. Or central Ventura County in places like Ojai and Oxnard and even Ventura (the city). All within about an hour drive of Los Angeles.

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  130. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Guspaz · · Score: 1

    Tesla's production capacity has been slowly ramping up. You're comparing figures over 7 years, and yet they went from building 20 cars per week in August 2012 to 1000 cars per week in 2015. They're going to continue ramping up production, and probably won't hit full production on the Model 3 until 2020 (they say 2018, but history shows they'll probably be a few years behind schedule).

    It's likely that Tesla will be capacity constrained for a few years after the Model 3 is released, but I'm not sure how that's a problem. Eventually their production capacity will catch up.

  131. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Guspaz · · Score: 1

    The base model of the Model X will likely go for $60000 or so.

    They've said that the Model X will sell for around $5,000 more than the equivalent Model S. The base Model S (70D) sells for $75,000. As such, we can expect the base Model X to sell for $80,000.

  132. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Coren22 · · Score: 1

    Because farmers need vehicles like that, and they make the money to be able to afford them. No one needs an Escalade.

    --
    APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  133. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Coren22 · · Score: 1

    I can understand that. There is quite a bit of difference between an SUV's trunk and a truck's bed. I can hose out the back of my truck, I'd like to see someone try that with an SUV.

    --
    APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  134. SUV? by Chewbacon · · Score: 1

    That's a damn hatchback. Crossover at best.

    --
    Chewbacon
    The Bible is like Wikipedia: written by a bunch of people and verifiable by questionable sources.
  135. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    Because you can fit all gas stations with hydrogen fueling elements and you simply cannot put enough charging stations everywhere people live, work and travel.

    You can't use the gas station model with battery electric for large numbers of people without putting a station on every street corner... they could not handle peak volume recharging.

    If you think hard you can fond quite a lot of ways that every car being entirely battery powered just can't work. So if you want all cars to be electric only (and I do) you have to choose something else, and since hydrogen in one form or another has the greatest backing it's obviously the future.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  136. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    his would be like Porsche attempting to make a mainstream $30k vehicle that anyone could buy.

    You mean a Volkswagon?

  137. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I wouldn't be surprised if F150/silverado/etc. was #1 now. It doesn't take much farmland to reach $1M now, so I know a lot of farmers who are technically millionaires and all but one drives drives a pickup truck (the other drives a ford excursion but he has a family of 7 so he has an excuse

  138. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Good try but sorry. The F450s don't get much over $65k either...now maybe if you include the matching horse trailer/camper you'd get close

  139. That's NOT an SUV, it's right out of a SciFi book by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...called "The Marching Morons".

    In the story, the population has been dumbed-down and the few elite have, among other things, designed slower and slower cars to keep the stupid from doing too much damage. The cars go slower than ever before but they LOOK really hi-tech and fast but the public are so stupid and propagandized that they believe the dishonest speedometers and road signs that lie about distances etc and they THINK they have the best and fastest cars ever...

    The Model X is NOT an SUV.... it's a compact car like some early 1980's Honda manned-rollerskate car.

    Let's see that "SUV" going off-road with a 1990's Jeep (not one of the newer Marching Moron fake Jeeps of the post-2008 auto industry sell-off era)

  140. Re:Only for rich douchebags... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So get a LEAF, dipshit. How fucking dumb are you? "Oh noes, Porsches are so expensive, how will I ever afford a car? Woe, woe!"

  141. Falcon Wing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How is that different than "Gull Wing"?

    They thought falcons were cooler than gulls, maybe?

    And of course, depending on whether the falcon is taking off, soaring or diving at prey their wings are going to be in very different configurations.

  142. Moms. by denzacar · · Score: 1

    I'm guessing they don't just use that filter all the time because they don't want to wear out a (presumably) much more expensive filter?

    Moms with kids diagnosed (or more likely presumed to be) asthmatic or allergic.
    Followed by various adults diagnosed (or presumed to be) asthmatic or allergic, buying the car for themselves.

    In both those cases that filter will be a major deciding factor for purchase and a much used feature.
    Screw the doors. That "most ridiculous feature" will sell thousands of cars all on its own.
    Hypochondria is a real thing. Particularly among the OCD-hand-washing crowd.

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  143. "Bio-weapon Defense Mode"? by hyades1 · · Score: 1

    How is this going to help when the bio-weapon I fear most is the result of my girlfriend's lactose intolerance, and its delivery system is ensconced in the passenger seat beside me?

    --
    I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
  144. You wanna know what I have? by FryingLizard · · Score: 1

    Doors that open like THIS
    https://youtu.be/0oV4IVy8tvE?t=1m10s

    --
    [FrLz]
  145. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by mjwx · · Score: 1

    This would be like Porsche attempting to make a mainstream $30k vehicle that anyone could buy.

    They do, they're called "Volkswagen".

    And no, I'd never buy one.

    --
    Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  146. Coren22 CRUSHED & dominated (by facts) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Aryeh Goretsky NOD32/ESET agrees hosts = good security -> http://it.slashdot.org/comment...

    Oliver Day (Symantec) does too -> http://www.securityfocus.com/c...

    MalwareBytes' hpHosts BOTH hosts & recommends my APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-2 32/64-bit -> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl...

    ---

    * HOW MANY REAL SECURITY PROS (not menial wannabe rookie like you) DO I NEED TO KNOCK THE CHOCOLATE OUT OF YOU SOME MORE?

    ---

    Those security pros?

    They INCLUDE ME too you noobie rookie obvious dimwit as I work with those guys from malwarebytes' hpHosts on a fairly regular basis!

    I've worked professionally for decades as a combined domain-wide network admin & software engineer professionally since 1994 (with ME showing you HOW to migrate a hosts file across an enterprise -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p... )

    (I've also been securing computers + WRITING GUIDES (which you told me you learned from guides) + WARES TO DO IT 1,000's to MILLIONS USED, probably LONGER THAN YOU HAVE BEEN ALIVE possibly BEING PAID FOR IT -> http://pcpitstop.com/news/winn... )

    ---

    You're all TALK & can't back it -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

    APK

    P.S.=> YOU say "hosts=bad" (yet they add security, speed, & reliability) & bitch about using admin privelege (first) to UPDATE them vs. threats online:

    "So, have you figured out why privilege escalation is a bad thing yet?" - by Coren22 on Tuesday September 22, 2015 @05:15PM (#50577809)

    Hypocrite - You admit using admin priv yourself & how else could I programmatically update hosts minus it inside Windows?

    ---

    "Of course it requires elevation to write to the hosts file" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday September 23, 2015 @05:35PM (#50585879)

    Since you're MENIAL ASS limited in skills self doesn't code (& didn't even KNOW that) & CLUE/FACT:

    Even MalwareBytes AntiMalware (best there is) DEMANDS you use admin privelege (you saying it's "bad" too?) it can't do its job fully otherwise, like many security tools... apk

    1. Re:Coren22 CRUSHED & dominated (by facts) by dave420 · · Score: 1

      You do realise every post you make provides an example of the inability of your software to block spam. You are hurting your product with every post you make. You are also tainting the image of your software, as now most people think "APK" means "That idiot fool on Slashdot who posts massive rants, stalks people, and pretends to be other people who come to his defense". Seriously, please stop, for you.

    2. Re:Coren22 CRUSHED & dominated (by facts) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ironically HOSTS was used as part of the malware hack VW's engineers used to defeat the emissions test. What normally happens is that a copy of APK's HOSTS file is installed, which is used to ensure code trying to reach the various environmental sensors isn't normally reached. However, when test conditions are detected, it renames HOSTS to HOSTS.BAK.

      Thus it's hard to even see the problem auditing the code. The code appears make normal webservice calls to the various servers within the control system. Most auditors wouldn't even think to check HOSTS.

  147. Coren22 CRUSHED & dominated (by facts) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Aryeh Goretsky NOD32/ESET agrees hosts = good security -> http://it.slashdot.org/comment...

    Oliver Day (Symantec) does too -> http://www.securityfocus.com/c...

    MalwareBytes' hpHosts BOTH hosts & recommends my APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-2 32/64-bit -> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl...

    ---

    * HOW MANY REAL SECURITY PROS (not menial wannabe rookie like you) DO I NEED TO KNOCK THE CHOCOLATE OUT OF YOU SOME MORE?

    ---

    Those security pros?

    They INCLUDE ME too you noobie rookie obvious dimwit as I work with those guys from malwarebytes' hpHosts on a fairly regular basis!

    I've worked professionally for decades as a combined domain-wide network admin & software engineer professionally since 1994 (with ME showing you HOW to migrate a hosts file across an enterprise -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p... )

    (I've also been securing computers + WRITING GUIDES (which you told me you learned from guides) + WARES TO DO IT 1,000's to MILLIONS USED, probably LONGER THAN YOU HAVE BEEN ALIVE possibly BEING PAID FOR IT -> http://pcpitstop.com/news/winn... )

    ---

    You're all TALK & can't back it -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

    APK

    P.S.=> YOU say "hosts=bad" (yet they add security, speed, & reliability) & bitch about using admin privelege (first) to UPDATE them vs. threats online:

    "So, have you figured out why privilege escalation is a bad thing yet?" - by Coren22 on Tuesday September 22, 2015 @05:15PM (#50577809)

    Hypocrite - You admit using admin priv yourself & how else could I programmatically update hosts minus it inside Windows?

    ---

    "Of course it requires elevation to write to the hosts file" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday September 23, 2015 @05:35PM (#50585879)

    Since you're MENIAL ASS limited in skills self doesn't code (& didn't even KNOW that) & CLUE/FACT:

    Even MalwareBytes AntiMalware (best there is) DEMANDS you use admin privelege (you saying it's "bad" too?) it can't do its job fully otherwise, like many security tools... apk

  148. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you were a top one-percenter, you wouldn't have to ask this question.

  149. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    $35K is the luxury segment in the United States. The median car price in 2015 is $19K, which include both new and used sales. The average new car price is $33K and only 20% of the population in America can afford that price.

  150. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But that's what they said about this model. It was supposed to be ~$50k. Instead it's even more than the Model S. If this trend continues then the Model 3 will be $200k+.

  151. Re: So when are they making something we can AFFOR by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    Actually, charging stations extremely.abundent.
    First, every home with a garage or carport is a charger.
    secondly, there are over 10,000 public chargers just in America.
    Tesla has over 200 SC in America alone which allow for driving around most of the lower 48. And by end of next year, they will have over 300 SC, and the entire lower 48 covered with free driving.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  152. Re: So when are they making something we can AFFOR by chill · · Score: 1

    Technically my 1985 Jeep Scrambler is an SUV, and I hose the entire thing out on a regular basis. just pull all the drain plugs and go.

    --
    Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
  153. Re:Only for rich douchebags... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They just can't win with you guys. Here is a US carmaker, hiring US manufacturing workers, and hiring US factory builders, and US factory worker insurance agents, and US building maintenance workers and US building construction workers... And US robot installers, and US salespeople and US car insurance people and US SuperCharger construction workers and US auto engineers and US marketing workers and on and on.

    You just summarised why I will never buy a Tesla. I don't want my money to go to the US.

  154. Positive pressure by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Modern vehicle seals, mostly for NVH issues, makes positive pressure pretty easy on modern cars. Most will do it with the fan on medium-high.

  155. Re: Only for rich douchebags... by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    Actually, I would-be shocked if 1 worker pays all of that subsidy. And the fact is, that they don't. But that is OK. In 10 years, Tesla's taxes will have covered the subsidy. In addition, Tesla has forced all car companies to go pure EVs. By 2025, America will likely not import any more oil. That will be huge.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  156. Re: Only for rich douchebags... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There are plenty of EVs for you
      Try Nissan leaf, or Ford fiesta. But obviously, your hatred of musk, and probably, your being paid to Astroturf, causes you to have stupid comments. Now wipe your mouth before moving over to the other kock brother.

  157. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by dave420 · · Score: 1

    Hydrogen is a bitch to transport and store. Battery swapping makes much more sense, and considering everyone with an electric car starts with a full tank every morning, most people won't even need to "refuel" away from home unless they drive further than the range of their car per day, and that range will only increase as improvements to the technology are made.

  158. Dave420 replies - a miracle? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: No you ran dry of sockpuppet "downmod" points you abuse trying "hide" posts I expose your fails with when you attack me first (which that post of mine proves).

    * Do you THINK you're fooling anyone but yourself?

    YOU BRING IT ON YOURSELF & yes, you had it coming every time!

    APK

    P.S.=> It's also not my fault you are so WEAK in computing that I get to expose that fact to everyone when I give YOU A DOSE OF YOUR OWN MEDICINE IN RETURN - How's it taste? BETTER THAN "EATING YOUR WORDS" I bet (& yes, you are eating them BOY - grow up)... apk

    1. Re:Dave420 replies - a miracle? by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      You get downmodded by actual mods because you are offtopic. What does your rant have to do with Tesla unveiling a new vehicle? Is Tesla running hosts files on their onboard computers now?

      People don't need to sockpuppet to downmod you, you earn them yourself by being massively offtopic, stalking, posting things that make no sense, and posting agreeing with yourself. No one is on a crusade to downmod you.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  159. Dave420 "eats his words" (again) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "it patently clear no-one else agrees with your position" - by dave420 (699308) on Friday September 25, 2015 @04:44AM (#50595241)

    Here's some that are QUITE contrary to yours from /. users + experts in the field:

    MalwareBytes' hpHosts Admin (MalwareBytes employee) hosts & recommends it -> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl... & MalwareBytes = BEST antivirus per this VERY recent testing of them all http://www.av-test.org/en/news...

    "I like your host file system." - by Karmashock (2415832) on Wednesday September 09, 2015 @03:57PM (#50489401)

    &

    "his hosts program is actually pretty good" - by xenotransplant (4179011) on Monday August 10, 2015 @03:34PM (#50287195)

    ---

    * Let's see - a TOP antimalware company hosts AND RECOMMENDS my ware, & real users here like it - you're outnumbered, outthought, & OUTSMARTED, easily as usual, by "yours truly"...

    APK

    P.S.=> To top all THAT off? Better people that a "ne'er-do-well" MORON troll who's never accomplished a thing of good note in computing in yourself AGREE with me hosts are good security:

    Quote of Aryeh Goretsky of NOD32/ESET doing so in fact -> http://it.slashdot.org/comment...

    You UTTER blowhard do nothing "ne'er-do-well" troll... "eat your words" & tell us:

    HOW DID THEY TASTE?

    Flavored with the "bitter taste of SELF-defeat" since your mouth wrote checks your dimwit brain can't cash? Rammed down YOUR THROAT since you stuck your FOOT IN YOUR MOUTH too?? LMAO...

    ... apk

  160. Dave420 "eats his words" (again) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "it patently clear no-one else agrees with your position" - by dave420 (699308) on Friday September 25, 2015 @04:44AM (#50595241)

    Here's some that are QUITE contrary to yours from /. users + experts in the field:

    MalwareBytes' hpHosts Admin (MalwareBytes employee) hosts & recommends it -> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl... & MalwareBytes = BEST antivirus per this VERY recent testing of them all http://www.av-test.org/en/news...

    "I like your host file system." - by Karmashock (2415832) on Wednesday September 09, 2015 @03:57PM (#50489401)

    &

    "his hosts program is actually pretty good" - by xenotransplant (4179011) on Monday August 10, 2015 @03:34PM (#50287195)

    ---

    * Let's see - a TOP antimalware company hosts AND RECOMMENDS my ware, & real users here like it - you're outnumbered, outthought, & OUTSMARTED, easily as usual, by "yours truly"...

    APK

    P.S.=> To top all THAT off? Better people that a "ne'er-do-well" MORON troll who's never accomplished a thing of good note in computing in yourself AGREE with me hosts are good security:

    Quote of Aryeh Goretsky of NOD32/ESET doing so in fact -> http://it.slashdot.org/comment...

    You UTTER blowhard do nothing "ne'er-do-well" troll... "eat your words" & tell us:

    HOW DID THEY TASTE?

    Flavored with the "bitter taste of SELF-defeat" since your mouth wrote checks your dimwit brain can't cash? Rammed down YOUR THROAT since you stuck your FOOT IN YOUR MOUTH too?? LMAO...

    ... apk

  161. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Correct. I am a 'millionaire next door' with about $1M in liquid assets and a house worth about 300K. I drive a five year old Mazda3 and wife drives a 2009 Honda Fit. Cars are just inferior ways to get around and a general waste of money. I'd rather own no car alas that isn't an option in where we live.

  162. Price elasticity in luxury markets is weird by sjbe · · Score: 1

    There will be more Tesla Model X sold at $120K than at $130K.

    That is not necessarily true. While that is normally true for most markets there are exceptions. I explain below.

    As such, the expense of putting lambo doors on one will price someone out of buying it.

    That argument doesn't always work when you are talking about high end luxury cars. I used to be in the business back when I owned an auction company. High end car markets are more like selling artwork than anything else. Utility is NOT the primary concern among buyers of these vehicles. This is not a purchase being made for practical reasons. Without the fancy doors it is entirely possible that they would actually sell less cars overall than if they made it simpler and lowered the price a bit. People buy these vehicles for many of the same sorts of reasons people buy expensive artwork. Fun, conspicuous consumption, investment, etc. While the Model X has a fair amount of utility the buying equation is more complicated than for a $30K family sedan. The difference in price between a car selling for $120K versus $130K is relatively inconsequential for buyers interested in products at that price point. Not to say it doesn't matter at all but the usual expectations don't necessarily hold.

  163. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by ultranova · · Score: 1

    Because you can fit all gas stations with hydrogen fueling elements

    No, you can't. Storing hydrogen requires cryogenic equipment, which are expensive. And since hydrogen is one of the most flammable substances known, any kind of equipment fault will cause the whole station to go up like Hindenburg, which means the maintenance budget will go through the roof.

    you simply cannot put enough charging stations everywhere people live, work and travel.

    Of course you can. All it takes is a meter and a mains connection. Colder climates already feature such infrastructure in parking lots for the engine/interior pre-warmer.

    You can't use the gas station model with battery electric for large numbers of people without putting a station on every street corner... they could not handle peak volume recharging.

    Main reloading will be done at night, at your own home. The gas station model exists because our current fuel can't be transferred through wires like electricity can.

    --

    Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

  164. Re:Only for rich douchebags... by willworkforbeer · · Score: 1

    You just summarised why I will never buy a Tesla. I don't want my money to go to the US.

    Ok, but your ambivalent attitude is just killing Tesla's share price. If Elon asks you nicely, would you at least buy a Tesla tote bag?
    It's guaranteed to fit in your sedan built in WhoCaresistan.

    --
    Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
  165. Re: So when are they making something we can AFFOR by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Apparently you got a Prius that doesn't have problems with the suspension/battery/ac...I'm envious.

  166. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Heck, the $35K Telsa is no different from Duke Nukem Forever.

    That is... It's a myth.

  167. Re:Only for rich douchebags... by RyoShin · · Score: 1

    What's more, every nifty gadget we have these days began life as a product only affordable by "rich douchebags", as the GP puts it. GPS, cell phones, TVs, probably every single car feature that is now standard was once a high-priced optional.

    Things, especially electronics, have never popped into existence as affordable by the middle class. It's only after economy of scale kicks in and R&D is somewhat recovered that the prices drop. So these "rich douchebags" are not only shifting money towards those various US things, but they are also beta-testing the product for a premium price before it reaches us proletariat.

  168. Room for 7? Challenge Accepted! by wkwilley2 · · Score: 1

    I can't wait to get one of these, now I just need to sell everything I have and move into my Model X.

    --
    Have you ever fallen asleep at the keybhanusdiog?
  169. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by macpacheco · · Score: 1

    Have you ever studied the history of industrial civilization ???
    Pretty much EVERY new type of technology first comes to the market as a rich man's toy. As scale goes up, manufacturing investment pays off, processes get streamlined, you know, boring industrial engineering / economics things, price comes down.
    Before the Ford Model T all cars were rich people's toys.
    Then big cars were only affordable to the rich.
    Then hybrids were only affordable to the upper middle class.
    Although the fully loaded Tesla Model S is still very expensive, there is a 100% difference between the most basic and the top of the line Model S.
    In 10-15 years I expect a Tesla Model S / X to sell for US$ 50k corrected for inflation.
    The most expensive component is the battery pack, Li Ion prices will drop by half over a decade.
    The other big ticket item is the electric motor, once Tesla is buying a million a yr (vs current less than 100k / yr) prices will drop substantially too.

    And the more modest Tesla Model III should go for US$ 40k before incentives in 2018/2019. Should be a much better car than the Nissan LEAF, better performance, better range, at the same price.

  170. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 1

    Well that's better than valve time...

    --
    A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
  171. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 1

    Selling supercars like this produces some money, if you really want to get funding for development come up with an electric van or something for UPS or businesses that have tons of working vehicles.

    --
    A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
  172. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by Lennie · · Score: 1

    The point is to push the state of art and win the competition:
    http://www.worldsolarchallenge... (in this case the more practical cruiser class)

    Also to show how 'close' we are to having productions cars with solar or at least show how things are progressing.

    It's a step up from this:
    http://images2.fanpop.com/imag...

    It's like F1 is trying to push the state of the art. Obviously F1 cars are not for normal production use either.

    --
    New things are always on the horizon
  173. Re: Only for rich douchebags... by willworkforbeer · · Score: 1

    Actually, I would-be shocked if 1 worker pays all of that subsidy. And the fact is, that they don't. But that is OK. In 10 years, Tesla's taxes will have covered the subsidy. In addition, Tesla has forced all car companies to go pure EVs. By 2025, America will likely not import any more oil. That will be huge.

    1. I was referring to the retail buyer tax credit rebate, I did not make that clear, but indeed when you take in the economic activity of one Tesla hire, the taxes to the Federal Government cover it.

    2. US has already been a net oil exporter, as recently as 2011. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/...
    But I am with you generally on the oil dependency regardless.

    --
    Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
  174. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by swalve · · Score: 1

    Plenty of companies sell $200,000 cars all day long. One percent of the US population is over 3 million people. Surely one percent of THEM might want a Tesla?

    Sorry, disaffected hipster, but these cars aren't targeted at you.

  175. Re:Only for rich douchebags... by willworkforbeer · · Score: 1

    What's more, every nifty gadget we have these days began life as a product only affordable by "rich douchebags", as the GP puts it. GPS, cell phones, TVs, probably every single car feature that is now standard was once a high-priced optional.

    Things, especially electronics, have never popped into existence as affordable by the middle class. It's only after economy of scale kicks in and R&D is somewhat recovered that the prices drop. So these "rich douchebags" are not only shifting money towards those various US things, but they are also beta-testing the product for a premium price before it reaches us proletariat.

    Well said. Someone else pointed out the original 50" flat screen TVs were initially around $20,000. Now I can get one from NewEgg for about $500-ish.
    Thanks rich douche-class, you are the on-ramp to economies-of-scale; you're the reason I can watch WWF in the big screen glory of 4k, for way less than $4k.

    --
    Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
  176. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by swalve · · Score: 1

    You can do the same thing in the opposite direction. The subsidy stays with the car. The first buyer gets a $26,000 car for $19,000, and the second buyer gets a $19,000 car for $11,000. The second buyer knows he isn't getting the subsidy, so he knows to pay $7000 less than what he thinks the car is actually worth. You are mistaking price for value.

  177. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by rpstrong · · Score: 1

    I wonder if it's even practical in ideal conditions, because a car parked in the sun gets hot as hell, and batteries don't like that much.

    Play that back in your mind. A car, with its roof full of sun sucking solar panels, is going to get "hot as hell" heat up because . . .

  178. You & Dave420 = trolls "eating your words" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... started w/ me first (can't take what you dish out) - YOU say "hosts=bad" (but they add security, speed, & reliability) & bitch on admin privelege to UPDATE vs. threats:

    "So, have you figured out why privilege escalation is a bad thing yet?" - by Coren22 on Tuesday September 22, 2015 @05:15PM (#50577809)

    Hypocrite - You admit you use admin priv

    &

    How else could I programmatically update hosts minus it in Windows?

    ---

    "Of course it requires elevation to write to the hosts file" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday September 23, 2015 @05:35PM (#50585879)

    You FINALLY admit later there's no other way!

    Even MalwareBytes AntiMalware (best one) DEMANDS you use admin privelege (you saying it's "bad"?) it can't do its job fully otherwise, like many security tools do!

    ---

    Aryeh Goretsky NOD32/ESET says hosts = good security -> http://it.slashdot.org/comment...

    Oliver Day (Symantec) does too -> http://www.securityfocus.com/c...

    MalwareBytes' hpHosts hosts & recommends my APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-2 32/64-bit -> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl...

    ---

    * REAL SECURITY PROS KNOCKED THE CHOCOLATE OUTTA YOU?

    ---

    Those security pros INCLUDE me: I work w/ those guys from malwarebytes' hpHosts on a regular basis!

    I've professionally worked for decades as a combined domain-wide network admin & software engineer since 1994 (Even showing you HOW to migrate a hosts across an enterprise -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p... )

    I've secured computers + WRITING GUIDES using CIS Tool (who took fixes from me too http://slashdot.org/comments.p... - bonus) http://www.bing.com/search?q=%...

    You told me you learn from guides? I write good ones that MILLIONS USE & was PAID FOR IT http://pcpitstop.com/news/winn...

    + WARES TO PROTECT USERS that're endorsed & hosted by security pros -> http://start64.com/index.php?o...

    You did all that? No.

    APK

    P.S.=> You're all TALK -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p... & a "ne'er-do-well" as far as security

    ...apk

  179. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by jwhitener · · Score: 1

    But that is likely changing soon. After they get this built: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigafactory_1

    Batteries will be 30% cheaper (so they say). That might make their lower end cars (35K and 50K, drop to 25k? and 35k?, respectively.) drop enough to start competing with cars like the Toyota Camry.

  180. Model X intro by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Base price of 132,000 is nonsense. Look it up. Get your facts straight.

  181. Re:So when are they making something we can AFFORD by vadim_t · · Score: 1

    Because modern solar panels are just 20% efficient, which means you still get 80% of the heat. And the parts not covered by panels keep performing just like in any other car, so you can expect this thing to be what, 10% cooler in the best case?

    It could run the AC, but then I suspect it'd get much less charging done.

  182. Re: Only for rich douchebags... by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    being a net exporter is not the same thing as not importing oil. I have no doubt that Tesla will force other car makers to move to electric which will drop demand for gas rather quickly. Interestingly, our rail system is in the process of moving off diesel and over to nat gas. And as long as O does not allow nat gas exports, then it should remain cheap here and trains, and ideally, semis will move that way.

    And actually, I was just teasing on the 1 worker thing. Sorry if you misunderstood that .

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.