I think I will. I have $1k I can lend them. . May give a chance of getting a partial credit when buying, and I'd be happy to go on record that I want a long-distance BEV, not just a long-range BEV. merged I'll add that I'm not looking to buy until 2019, and at that point I'd expect the credits to be done, but I'd bring forward purchase to take advantage of credits, either to save money or get a better car at the same price. And yes, the reservation is fully refundable, but it's only in some places (e.g. WA) that the money's held in escrow and can't be used by Tesla.
Currently not eligible for the credit. I have to just manage to be able to afford the damn thing. With only just over $1k to pay off on the 2012 Prius C (46k+ miles), this vehicle should be able to get me there.
I don't see the problem. People talk about competing products on other forums all the time. I think it can be very healthy, as long as Prius topics still get hits and people with Prius related comments still get their voices heard.
Just found out Tesla's plan for the Model 3's uber-low drag CD. It started with me thinking about HOW in the world the Model S (for example) could best the prius' low drag. So then that make me wonder about the model 3; Tesla Model 3 To Aim For 0.20 Drag Coefficient: Report Jeez! That'd be lower than any sedan (ie; not a 2 seater) production car ever built. But then again, that would be just ludicrous .... like starting a space program, once you create the 1st new U.S. auto manufacturing company in what ... a half century or more? .
Also worth noting, for those considering a CPO Model S vs a new Model 3, it seems that over the past few weeks Tesla has repurposed a majority of cheaper CPOs to be used as service loaners (supposedly they didn't have enough and customers were mad they were being placed in ICE rentals), while at the same time listing a lot more inventory cars on their website. This resulted in the mean price of their CPO/Inventory models to increase by roughly $30k (a bunch of prices closer to new list price now), and removed all CPOs under $60k (the cheaper ones were down around $48k previously with plenty in the $50k's, now the cheapest is $60k). Source: What happened to the cpo inventory? Personally, I find the timing of this to be quite coincidental with the preorders of the Model 3 coming up, and it could sway some potential customers on the fence between a CPO and a Model 3 preorder.
It's been a while since I visited Priuschat, and I'm glad to hear that the '16 has a bunch of tech toys and improvements. Of course, the PiP's future is still murky. It looks like the Gen 4 Prius is modeled after the Mirai (which I sincerely believe is the biggest strategic error Toyota has ever made - abandoning BEVs in favor of fuel cells). I'm still trying to wrap my head around that angular look. I'm putting my deposit down for a Model 3 on 3/31, if for nothing else to be at the beginning of the queue. How long that queue will be (both in ordering-delivery time and # of deposits) will determine Tesla's ultimate viability. I'm now at 8 months of Model S ownership (after 13 years in three different Priuses) and I can only say that I feel about this car like I did about my Gen 2 ('04, purchased literally off the carrier truck on Halloween '03). Even got the same color as my first Prius. The auto-steering functionality is amazing and continues to get better with over-the-air updates. My 90 mile round trip commute from OC to the Pomona Valley now is 95% done with auto-steer. I'm at 15,000 miles already. It's interesting how much more one finds any excuse to drive with this car. On the other hand, I see Tesla's customer service starting to wane. My last service visit was not pleasant, although the service adviser tried his best to make up for the problems. Hoping this was an anomaly, and the short sellers of TSLA aren't right about the future.
Nope, it was the Gummint. Because GM's been selling so many trucks, they have to bring the CAFE up, so there's a push to get more economical vehicles out the door. I was told by a Sales Manager at a Chevy dealer that there was an internal letter stating as much.
A sales manager at a dealership? I'm sure that, or something like it is what the troops were told. Per members of the board and Bob Lutz, the Volt was shelved. Then Tesla announced the Roadster. Lutz went back to the board pushing for the Volt again. He basically said, "if this little pipsqueak start up in California can do THAT..."
Ah, thank you for the correction. However, I am wary of that, as the Volt alone would, I would think, help them out quite a bit? We will have to see how GMs production numbers work out. I am hoping they will make enough to meet nationwide demand.
The problem is gas prices. To offset the big sales of trucks due to cheap gas, it became a priority to move up production of anything that uses less or no gas for the offset. Besides a lower allotment of trucks to the dealers if they don't move more fuel efficient vehicles, there's also a big fine looming of GM doesn't get the average up. This was all outlined in the letter that went to the dealers and I wouldn't be surprised if other manufacturers in the same boat sent out similar letters to their dealers.
The Bolt being a domestic assembled BEV will also have credit advantages over the Spark EV. Which might be why GM kept its market limited.
Wonder how Subaru and Mazda will handle the fleet mpg average since they only planning to improve ICE efficiency without hybrids or BEVs.
On back to Tesla. A company was able to convert a c6 z06 to a BEV with a tranny to go 180+ mph record. Don't have link with me since I am typing on my phone. Tesla could not get their tranny to work, but these guys did.
Tesla stopped trying back in 2008/2009. If Tesla went their route of limiting the torque, any drivetrain could have worked. As is, I suspect if Tesla removed the limiters, the S could reach that speed, although slower due to weight. I'm glad people continue to push the boundaries with electrics. But comparing a vehicle build for a single purpose for $350,000 with a mass produced multi-purpose car isn't all that telling.
Mazda's SkyActiv suite is quite efficient even without their auto start/stop or regenerative braking. They are working on some type of plug in to meet CARB requirements though. Subaru has a hybrid. Granted its EPA numbers didn't look impressive until the NXh came out. They also reclassified all their thirstier cars as trucks awhile ago.
