[Newsbot]

Title: Israeli electric car pioneer Better Place shuts down
Category: Business
Posted By: stemmer
Date: 2013-05-31 04:22:43

[stemmer]

As long as electric cars have batteries with a limited range, they will continue to fail...

[DrCaleb]

stemmer stemmer:

As long as electric cars have batteries with a limited range, they will continue to fail...

I recall a story about Henry Ford's wife (?) who went on a long car trip and had to have the kids walking behind the car carrying extra fuel because the range was only a few miles.

Every technology has it's infancy.

[raydan]

A gas car has a limited range too, that's why we have gas stations.

[BartSimpson]

Electric cars fail in a free market because you can't force people to buy them. Period.

[raydan]

As gas prices go up and electric car prices go down, you won't need to force people to buy.

My only concern about electric cars is how we'll manage to produce enough electricity to feed them.

[BartSimpson]

raydan raydan:

As gas prices go up and electric car prices go down, you won't need to force people to buy.

Given that the USA and Canada are sitting on enough petroleum for at least the next half-millenium I'm not really worried about that happening in my lifetime.

[DrCaleb]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Electric cars fail in a free market because you can't force people to buy them. Period.

Then how did Tesla Motors repay their $465M Government loan 9 years early?

http://www.teslamotors.com/about/press/ ... ears-early

Why are they creating a network of fast charging stations anyone can use, free of charge? (pun intended)

http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-an ... ion-2013-5

[raydan]

I was so surprised when I went to my grocery store and saw 2 electric car chargers in the parking lot.

[raydan]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

raydan raydan:

As gas prices go up and electric car prices go down, you won't need to force people to buy.

Given that the USA and Canada are sitting on enough petroleum for at least the next half-millenium I'm not really worried about that happening in my lifetime.

Don't worry Bart... your guns will still fit in an electric car.


I'm just messing with you.

[stratos]

When and IF the electric car becomes compareable to current gas mileage cars, relitively cheap replacement parts ( a couple years ago to get new batteries was almost as much as a new cheap car) then you may see them being a viable product.

[BartSimpson]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Electric cars fail in a free market because you can't force people to buy them. Period.

Then how did Tesla Motors repay their $465M Government loan 9 years early?

http://www.teslamotors.com/about/press/ ... ears-early

Why are they creating a network of fast charging stations anyone can use, free of charge? (pun intended)

http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-an ... ion-2013-5

For the time being their cars are fashionable. Just like the Prius used to be.

http://green.autoblog.com/2013/03/03/fe ... u-prius-l/

But at a base price of US$62,500 for a car that's easily matched in luxury and performance by cars that cost $20,000 less it's a novelty.

Where Tesla is going to be proven is when first-time buyers replace their vehicles.

The Prius only had about a 35% loyalty rate at best. So we'll see what happens with Tesla.

Myself, I won't be surprised at all if/when Tesla starts producing their vehicles with a V-8 or V-10 option.

[DrCaleb]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Electric cars fail in a free market because you can't force people to buy them. Period.

Then how did Tesla Motors repay their $465M Government loan 9 years early?

http://www.teslamotors.com/about/press/ ... ears-early

Why are they creating a network of fast charging stations anyone can use, free of charge? (pun intended)

http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-an ... ion-2013-5

For the time being their cars are fashionable. Just like the Prius used to be.

http://green.autoblog.com/2013/03/03/fe ... u-prius-l/

'Fashionable' however doesn't mean 'good'. IMHO, the Honda Insight was a much better car, but for some inexplicable reason Honda just stopped making them.

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

But at a base price of US$62,500 for a car that's easily matched in luxury and performance by cars that cost $20,000 less it's a novelty.

Where Tesla is going to be proven is when first-time buyers replace their vehicles.

The Prius only had about a 35% loyalty rate at best. So we'll see what happens with Tesla.

There are cheaper hybrids, and they do garner repeat buyers.

$1:

The {Ford} Fusion Hybrid is in such hot demand that dealers only have an average of 14 days of them, far less than the typical "turn rate" for a car. The hybrid version makes up 15% of Fusion sales.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/driveon/2 ... s/2374921/

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Myself, I won't be surprised at all if/when Tesla starts producing their vehicles with a V-8 or V-10 option.

I'd be shocked. The Tesla chassis are designed for electrics vehicles, not dino fuel. I doubt they'd fit an IC engine.

[ShepherdsDog]

[stratos]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

Looks good but does it go veerrrrooooommmmm or squeak squeak