[dennis]

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101039600

GM takes on Tesla with plans for 200-mile electric car

As automakers race to make cheaper electric cars with greater battery range, General Motors is working on one that can go 200 miles per charge at a cost of about $30,000, a top company executive said.

Vice President of Global Product Development Doug Parks wouldn't say when or if such a car will be built, however.

So let's see, they are going to take on Tesla, but they won't say when or if they will build the car. Sounds like a perfect project for Tony P. - he's looking for work and GM should hire him back.

 

[Makis]

ALl the big guns (GE Siemens 3M etc) are doing battery research. They have enough money in R&D for a breakthrough. GM and the rest are betting on these guys as none other than mitsubishi are in the car and battery business. It will happen. What they are missing is that when the new battery technology is finally here ... TESLA will go 700 Miles on a charge. Eventually its not the distance but the recharging time problem that needs to be addressed as well

 

[clsr2nrvna]

Agreed. The benefits of an electric car are exceptional to a driver like myself that has a 30+mi commute to work one way. But once I get home, i have trouble going anywhere else in an all-electric vehicle (thus my justification for a Fisker

 

[Ira]

ALl the big guns (GE Siemens 3M etc) are doing battery research. They have enough money in R&D for a breakthrough. GM and the rest are betting on these guys as none other than mitsubishi are in the car and battery business. It will happen. What they are missing is that when the new battery technology is finally here ... TESLA will go 700 Miles on a charge. Eventually its not the distance but the recharging time problem that needs to be addressed as well

There were 3 guys standing around my Karma a couple of days ago. Two were admirers and simply wanted to know "What the heck is that?" and the usual, "That's one beautiful car."

The third fellow was an engineer with a consulting company who was working on Tesla's superchargers and battery swapping stations. He had never seen a Karma up close and asked a lot of questions. I then inquired about the rollout plans for the supercharger. I know this subject has been discussed here and on various sites, so this info might be redundant. But here is what he said: Tesla was currently focusing on California, from the SF Bay Area to San Diego, since that's where most of the Teslas are. The goal is 120 miles between stations and 8 charging spots per station. Total time at a charging station should be under 30 minutes. Battery swapping will take only a few minutes.

The fellow also said it was going to take quite a while to branch out North and East from here, but eventually a MS owner will be able to drive up and down the West Coast and across the U.S.

I've driven across the U.S., and 600 miles a day is my limit. (Your body and mind continue to vibrate from 10 hours of road noise while you're trying to sleep at night.) If any pure EV is going to be practical for distances like this, it will have to have a 700-mile range as Makis suggests, as well as overnight charging capability. That's not going to be easy at the No-Tell Motel or at the Marriot.

Battery-swapping all over the country would be better, but I don't think we'll see that in our lifetimes. For the foreseeable future, pure EVs will be used for shorter distances like day trips or running errands.

 

[P90XMC2]

I also had similar encounter with a Tesla employee, he was walking up to the car and said "Can i admire your car"
after that he said he works for tesla at the engineering for the car harness.. i asked them is they used the MOST bus like many of the german cars but he said it's the first time he ever heard about it.. i guess they got few things to learn there at tesla.. no company is perfect.

 

[dennis]

More EV Nonsense from GM Exec

GM CEO Says Cadillac ELR is “In the Same Postal Code” as Tesla

http://insideevs.com/gm-ceo-says-cadillac-elr-is-in-the-same-postal-code-as-tesla/

Includes a potshot at Fisker.

 

[Fabulist]

GM CEO Says Cadillac ELR is “In the Same Postal Code” as Tesla

http://insideevs.com/gm-ceo-says-cadillac-elr-is-in-the-same-postal-code-as-tesla/

Includes a potshot at Fisker.

This guy is pretty clueless. The Cadillac ELR is just a Volt with fancy bodywork. It's even FWD, like the Volt. It's not even in the same country (let alone postal code) as Tesla S or Fisker Karma in terms of power and handling.

The more important question is: Can Fisker return Tony P and get its money back?

 

[Ira]

"GM CEO Says Cadillac ELR is “In the Same Postal Code” as Tesla

http://insideevs.com/gm-ceo-says-cad...code-as-tesla/

Includes a potshot at Fisker. "

Yeah, my Karma has all but disappeared from the public eye - except perhaps in the 6 flash photos someone took today as he was trailing me on Winchester BLVD.

 

[P90XMC2]

Let Tesla and Caddi stay on the same postal code, Fiskers are from another planet

 

[Ira]

There's tons of Teslas in my community, but I've never seen anyone take a picture of any of them. (There's a red one driving around that might be an exception.)

 

[dennis]

There's tons of Teslas in my community, but I've never seen anyone take a picture of any of them. (There's a red one driving around that might be an exception.)

I believe that belongs to the guy who used to own @mcguiver's car. He replaced it with a Multicoat Red P85+.

And I agree they are way too common in our town. 1/2 of the Tesla's sold have been registered in California.