Answers from Tesla

Today I spoke with the same man at Tesla who gave me the tour last week, and I asked the questions listed in the other thread. Here's what I learned:

Battery:

Battery life is indeed a factor of many variables. Calendar life, number of charge cycles, operating temperature, etc., etc., etc. At present, the battery pack costs about $20,000, but the price should decline with improvements in technology and economies of scale as more and more are produced. So far they are satisfied that the battery pack, tested outside the car, is safe and sturdy. They have not yet tested it inside the car, but such tests will have to be performed, and satisfactory results obtained, before the car can go into production. Cooling of the battery pack is done by the same air conditioning system that cools the car in hot weather. It is liquid-cooled.

The warranty has not yet been announced. He thinks it will probably be 4 years bumper-to-bumper, not counting normal wear items like tires and brake pads, and he thinks it will be 4 years pro-rated for the battery, so you'd get 50% credit if it failed in two years. He thinks the actual terms of the warranty will be determined soon.

The $8K premium for out-of-area purchasers would include delivery of the new car.

The deposit will not be held in escrow. Persumably Tesla is using that money for operations or development, meaning that if things went terribly wrong and the company went under, the deposits would be lost. There might also be trouble if too many people cancelled and wanted their deposit back. But if I decided the car was too fast or too uncomfortable for me, or just was not fun to drive after my test drive, I could get my deposit back (but not the accumulated interest).

It turns out the trunk I saw on the prototype was actually the same one pictured on the web site. It seemed to me much smaller in real life than in the picture, but he confirmed that you can actually fit the largest permitted carry-on suitcase into the trunk.

We also had a discussion on regenerative braking, as he drives a 2005 Prius. He said that until the car has been on the road a while, it will be impossible to make definitive statements about brake pad life, but he said the roadster uses strong regen braking, so brake pad wear should be small. Note that the Tesla has a much bigger motor than the Prius's MG2, and is built for much higher current loads, so presumably should be able to handle much higher regen loads.

So now I'm going to sleep on it and try to make up my mind... tomorrow (???). ... I wonder what color I should get. I'm partial to yellow ever since seeing the pictures of the tzero. I don't like red. Most of the other colors are dull and nondescript, except the blue, which is a premium color at added cost. Fortunately, that decision can wait until I have to specify options, three months prior to delivery.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tag @ Mar 8 2007, 03:08 PM) [snapback]402470[/snapback]</div>

The guy in the interview is not the guy who I spoke with. I spoke with a salesman, who is also the man who gave me a tour when I visited there last week.

It is odd that he stated 5 years/ 100,000 miles in the interview, where my salesman said "probably" 4 years and the battery pro-rated. But anyway, the actual warranty is supposed to be announced soon. I think he said a month or so.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Mar 8 2007, 06:50 PM) [snapback]402576[/snapback]</div>

No TV here. So I cannot watch the program. But you are more than welcome to come out and visit any time you like. If I order it now, and if all goes according to schedule, I'd have it around may of 2008.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(livelychick @ Mar 8 2007, 08:02 PM) [snapback]402607[/snapback]</div>

If I get it, I'll certainly post some bad-quality pictures (the only kind I'm capable of) unless Dave wants to take some good ones. As for photoshopping Juliette Lewis on the car, not interested. I want the real lady or nothing.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ Mar 8 2007, 08:28 PM) [snapback]402616[/snapback]</div>

I don't want an SUV. I hate SUVs. Even an EV-SUV. And as for the "SUT" that Phoenix Motors is going to build, gawd! that's uglier than the xBox. Now if Honda came out with an EV liftback Civic or an EV liftback Accord, that'd be more my style. (It was the liftback that changed my mind about the Prius. I didn't want the 2001 because my old Civic station wagon was so practical.)

But, see, the Tesla won't do for road trips. No EV today will do for road trips. That means I'll have to keep my Prius. And that means I'll have my "practical" car for transporting stuff or picking up a friend at the airport. The Tesla would be for normal daily driving.

 

UPDATE:

Well, I was leaning toward ordering the car, but my biggest concern was when they told me they have not yet completed the safety testing. I am not worried about the safety of the car. I am confident it will be safe. My concern is that if the testing is not yet completed, then the delivery schedule is still uncertain: If the testing reveals a problem, it could have to go back to the drawing board, and who knows when it will go into production.

I am under the impression that EDrive Systems had working units of their Prius PHEV conversion, but then they seem to have disappeared. Last I looked their web site still promised nation-wide installers in 2006!

Could the same happen with Tesla? They seem serious, and solid, with a strong demand for their car. But will it materialize? They have several working prototypes, one of which I rode in. They look to me to be closest to production of any EV company, but will it actually happen?

My mother, a very sensible and intelligent woman, a very competent and self-assured woman, and a successful businesswoman who founded her own small company about 45 years ago and is now very comfortably semi-retired and still physically active, advises me not to get it, or at least to wait until they are actually producing it.

The Tesla Roadster is not really the EV I want. I want it because it looks like it could be the first real EV out there since the EVs of the 90's were killed. But the car I really want would have half the power, and cost half as much.

So at least this morning I am not ordering it. I will try to get some more solid information about their testing and scheduling. How can they give a May, 2008 delivery date if they have not yet completed testing??? How likely is this car to turn into vaporware? I don't think anybody knows. But I gather that some of the Signature 100 customers are already unhappy about the delays caused by the re-design of the transmission.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SomervillePrius @ Mar 9 2007, 10:05 AM) [snapback]402883[/snapback]</div>

Yeah. Tesla will not fail or succeed because of my order or lack of it. But I really wanted an EV and this looked like it would be first to market... until I learned that they have not completed testing yet, which places their delivery estimate date in grave doubts.

The eBox is hideously ugly and not available outside of CA.

And the Phoenix Motors SUV Truck is not a lot better.

The Tesla Roadster has style and class.

Just think: had it not been for the scumbags at GM we'd probably have a dozen different models of EVs to choose from today, all sitting on car lots and ready to drive away.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SomervillePrius @ Mar 9 2007, 12:20 PM) [snapback]402960[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Mar 9 2007, 03:45 PM) [snapback]403074[/snapback]</div>

yeah, they're all partly responsible. But I gather it was GM that sued to eliminate California's ZEV mandate.

Darell seems to be the most knowledgeable one here on the subject of EVs. But even he cannot know whether Tesla will come through or not. I'm sure they want to. Their founder got into it because he wanted a tzero. He was 4th on the list, and only 3 got built. He started Tesla to build the car he wants. And he'll make a lot of money if he succeeds, because there's a big demand for it. But whether he can succeed or not is the question.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon @ Mar 9 2007, 08:48 PM) [snapback]403194[/snapback]</div>

This is a joke, right? I can't believe that Norm is working on a Prius converson. (Though I do use and enjoy my CAN-View, all while wrapped up in the prius shell.)

Anyhoo, I have decided not to order the Tesla Roadster now. This does not mean I won't get it. It just means I am going to wait a bit. I'm really not all that concerned about the terms of the warranty. But I want to be convinced the car will really be produced before I order it.