[Robert]

I am very doubtful of hybrid car and electric vehicle as the vehicle to save the environment. Where are you going to dump the used batteries? There will be billions of tons of it and there's no guarantee it won't make it to the water supply from the landfill.

[hks786]

Originally Posted by Bimmer Loyalist

Two words: Fawkin hawt.

Yeah man thanks for posting! You can be the new post whore I've hardly been on just too busy these days.

Do you see any Jag XF in the design?

[ChrisV]

Originally Posted by Robert

I am very doubtful of hybrid car and electric vehicle as the vehicle to save the environment. Where are you going to dump the used batteries? There will be billions of tons of it and there's no guarantee it won't make it to the water supply from the landfill.

You don't dump the used batteries. You recycle them. These aren't typical lead acid units, either.

Simply put, it generates orders of magnitude less pollution to generate electricity than to burn gasoline, even with moving the generation to coal plants. And even with current power plant generation levels, there is room on the grid for a few million electric cars, without adding a single power plant, given smart charge technology (where the cars are plugged in to the charger and the smart charger determined when to charge it based on off peak loads).

We need early adopters of cars like this to get the tech in the hands of the consumer, which will spur faster development towards better batteries, better charging schemes, and lower cost (much like the situations with computers and cell phones. Remember how big, slow, and expensive early ones were?).

I wish I had the money to buy one right now. My commute is only 14 miles, round trip. With a 200 mile range, I could commute for a couple weeks on ONE charge (and that one charge would cost considerably less than a fill of gasoline, especially now with the prices going back up...)

[ragingclue]

Originally Posted by ChrisV

You don't dump the used batteries. You recycle them. These aren't typical lead acid units, either.

Simply put, it generates orders of magnitude less pollution to generate electricity than to burn gasoline, even with moving the generation to coal plants. And even with current power plant generation levels, there is room on the grid for a few million electric cars, without adding a single power plant, given smart charge technology (where the cars are plugged in to the charger and the smart charger determined when to charge it based on off peak loads).

We need early adopters of cars like this to get the tech in the hands of the consumer, which will spur faster development towards better batteries, better charging schemes, and lower cost (much like the situations with computers and cell phones. Remember how big, slow, and expensive early ones were?).

I wish I had the money to buy one right now. My commute is only 14 miles, round trip. With a 200 mile range, I could commute for a couple weeks on ONE charge (and that one charge would cost considerably less than a fill of gasoline, especially now with the prices going back up...)

Great post. Someone has to kick the door down, whether it's on Hydrogen or electricity. The tech will move forward and make itself "worthwhile." It just needs a jump-start. All these companies (to include BMW) have been dipping their toes into these concepts for years. Someone needs to jump in already. And it doesn't have to be either/or. Imagine if the Hydrogen solution and the electrical solution offered competitive products.... Although if we split the financial R&D resources between the two techs, the competition would put more pressure on the technologies to evolve.

If the $50k is no joke, and the 2011-2012 timeframe is correct, I would not mind getting one of these.

[NewSong]

I'm going to miss the "roaarrrrr" of petrol engines, but maybe they can just add a nice speaker output to mimic the sound???

[Fugly M3]

Originally Posted by Robert

I am very doubtful of hybrid car and electric vehicle as the vehicle to save the environment. Where are you going to dump the used batteries? There will be billions of tons of it and there's no guarantee it won't make it to the water supply from the landfill.

we could try to ship them into space if they are that bad, haha

Originally Posted by hks786

Yeah man thanks for posting! You can be the new post whore I've hardly been on just too busy these days.

Do you see any Jag XF in the design?

yea I see Jag XF and Maserati Quattroporte

[Year's_End]

Originally Posted by hks786

Yeah man thanks for posting! You can be the new post whore I've hardly been on just too busy these days.

Do you see any Jag XF in the design?

Haha no probs man, I actually don't mind this thread-whore stuff.

Nobody takes the time to set up a proper thread anymore.

[just4kickz]

Originally Posted by BMWTT135i

Great design, anyone know how these cars hold up?

service once a year... can't remember how long the batteries last. and i think charging is 3 hours for full charge.

oh and i don't think they'll be producing these very fast... i think they're hand made right? i don't think they've delivered half of the telsa roadsters that have already been bought

[FStop7]

Originally Posted by NewSong

I'm going to miss the "roaarrrrr" of petrol engines, but maybe they can just add a nice speaker output to mimic the sound???

I'm pretty sure the Tesla Roadster already does this. Part of the concern is how to make the car generate at least some noise when they're going through neighborhoods with kids, blind people, etc.

[BillLee]

looks good

[adrian1480]

yes, please.

[x5love]

Concerned over the 17inch display. Accidents waiting to happen.

[335ifanatic]

Never like the roadster but the sedan is hot.

[OBI_agent]

I want to see how 7 people can be seated in this car.

BTW, the car looks great....kind of reminds me of a Maserati Sedan with more bulk.

[Fugly M3]

^ yea I can't find the 5 adult and 2 children slots, even if the kids are newborns, but the italian inspired design is amazing, hopefully the production model's interior is a little better, namely 3 spoke wheel, that one looks like it came right out of my bros old tahoe

[lib]

Originally Posted by spacedogg

I'll wait another 15-20 years for hydrogen technology to become more feasible. In the meantime, I'll look at diesels for my next car.

^ This.

I like what Tesla is doing but if it lugs around a ton of batteries and can't be refueled/recharged within 5 minutes it is automatically ruled out of my options.

[Fugly M3]

so true, before I got the 135i I told myself my next car would be a diesel, but I ended up leasing the 1 sooner than I had planned on getting a new car so diesel is in line to be my next car, either an audi, benz, 335d or who knows, maybe there'll be a 135d by then

[Davin]

the front reminds me of one of those maserati's
looks really sexy