Pre-ordered a new vehicle

[Knight165]

Okay.....
Just to start....I'm not a doomsday guy...conspiracy nut.....or anything of the sort...but I absolutely cannot stand to be dependent on anyone or anything that I or my family needs. Especially in an emergency!
Obviously, unless you really go all out there is no way to completely become self dependent and keep everything that you like and enjoy.
But, I do have a home in which I create all my own power, through solar and wind generation(although I am still on "the grid" until I complete my system to the level I need)....I also have enough food stores for 4 people for a year...etc, etc...
I know, what does this have to with a new car?!
As you probably realize.....if you have to drive, you are very dependent on gasoline and in general...it's expensive and in an emergency it will be nearly impossible to obtain.
The Leaf/Prius or any other electric/gas hybrid are just not a real viable option. That is why for the last few years I've had my eye on a company that is looking to really revolutionize the electric car industry. That company is Tesla Motors. They were building a Tesla Roadster which is all electric and can can go 250 miles on a full charge. That is just enough for me to go back and forth to work without having to charge anywhere but here at home.
The only thing holding me back was the price....$110,000 for the base model. It's an awesome looking car(based off the Lotus body...even though I'm not really a sports car guy, I much prefer a luxury sedan) and with some recent good investments I was willing to THINK about the plunge......especially since they opened a dealership in N.Y.C.
Here is the Roadster

So I went to the showroom for a test drive and to try and convince myself I needed this....and lo and behold, they are building a 4 door luxury sedan! The Model S....is also all electric and is going to have a 300 mile per charge range....and the best part it is looking like it will be around $50,000!!
Here is the Model S...

$5,000 got me a pre-order.
I'm going green and with 2 of my solar panels to charge it...I won't be paying dime one for fuel for quite some time. Just wear and tear and a new battery pack every once in a while!

M.K.
Knight165

[Bullit]

Re: Pre-ordered a new vehicle

Good move Knight, nice ride. I am all for the electric car. I am also glad that the reason you are doing it is my opinion the right one. So many people go "hybrid" for the environment when they really should do more research on the subject as they are not good at all.

Good choice on rides though, being a car guy I have done my research and you couldn't have made a better choice. Enjoy and keep me updated when you get it. I would be really interested on how it rides and how happy you are a couple of months after the honeymoon is over.

[HealyMonster]

Re: Pre-ordered a new vehicle

Thats a nice looking car knight. Congrats!

I need to really look into this solar energy for my house. Im about to hit google and looking into using wind. That sounds pretty cool.

[ryan36]

Re: Pre-ordered a new vehicle

That's awesome. Until Mr. Burns blocks out the sun, but yeah, that's awesome

[Knight165]

Re: Pre-ordered a new vehicle

Will do...but it won't be available until 2012.(the Model S)
Here is the website...http://www.teslamotors.com/
The Roadsters are out now and drive like a dream.
The weird thing is they are totally silent.
But they way the motors propel the car the acceleration is UNBELIEVABLE.
It's a little tight in the Roadster(expected by me...) and the sports car seats always seem a little stiff to me...

The Model S looks like it will be awesome....here is an interior pic...

That's a 17 inch monitor for the screen(total...not the actual picture area)
From talking with not only the dealer(of course he's going to be hyping it), but there was a gentleman there who already owns a Roadster and was ordering another for his wife...and he was extremely pleased with the vehicle.
Talk is that there is something in the works to have a sort of "fuel station" to be opened in areas...basically they would have pre-charged batteries in the locations and you pull in....swap 'em out(takes 5 minutes in the Roadster I believe...they are talking about 1 or 2 minutes for the Model S and future Roadsters and other models) for a fee. I guess that would be if you don't have any access to electric to recharge on your own.
It charges on regular 220 and takes 4-5 hours for a full charge. There is a quick charge which is about an hour(don't know the range with that...if it's depleted at time of charge).
My hope is that by the time they are ready to put them into production that they will have an AWD version. That would be it for me.

M.K.
Knight165

[Bullit]

Re: Pre-ordered a new vehicle

Be careful with the length of charge until you get used to your driving style. I have driven a roadster on a closed course and really pushed it hard. It handled like a dream but the charge lasted nowhere near the 250 mark, barely over 100 when it was pushed hard. So until you break it in and figure out your driving style, because it will be different, make sure you leave yourself some room.

[Knight165]

Re: Pre-ordered a new vehicle

Thats a nice looking car knight. Congrats!

I need to really look into this solar energy for my house. Im about to hit google and looking into using wind. That sounds pretty cool.

Thanks guys....

Bullit;
So you've test driven the Roadster. Weird, right? I couldn't get past no engine noise at first!
...and yes....the guy I was speaking to says he rarely gets 250....but he does get around 200. All I really need is 125, so I would be good to go....but since I'm looking at the Model S instead....the range is looking to be around 300, so I really should be fine. Here's hoping.

Rider;
I'll see if I can find the name of the company that came out and did my survey. Since my house wasn't designed and built with solar in mind....and is really inefficient in that sense...total solar(unless I cut down half the trees on my property to install an array) wouldn't do it for me, so I am having a solar/wind combo. It's about half done and I built a small shed for the batteries(I store instead of straight use....) and the units were not cheap. There is the Fed rebate.
If it's just for the money....you really have to figure out if it's really feasible for you right now. Staying in your home for a LONG period of time is essential as it doesn't really add value for resale on your home and disassembling and taking it with your would be a nightmare.
For me...it was more peace of mind as well that made me do it.
The kicker for me. I lived in Astoria, Queens.....1 minute from a VERY large Con Edison power plant. A couple of years ago there was a large blackout which lasted NINE! days until they could get everything up and running again. Up here(upstate NY)....we are prone to power outages in storms ...especially in the winter and just the fact that I don't totally depend on the power company was worth the investment for me.

M.K.
Knight165

[Bullit]

Re: Pre-ordered a new vehicle

They key is in the acceleration. Until you really get used to it you loose most of your power in accelerating too hard. Without the engine noise, and yes it is really weird, you don't really have the sensory input we are used to to help determine how hard you are pushing on the "gas" if that makes any sense.

I will be real interested in the what you think of the Model S. What features are you getting standard and what is the "BHP" and torque.

[chicubsfan20]

Re: Pre-ordered a new vehicle

Nice looking car man. If I could afford it I'd be all over it lmao. Finally, found something that matches your Minor's roster in greatness with that car! :P

[Kriech23]

Re: Pre-ordered a new vehicle

That is a great looking car. Congrats man.

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: Pre-ordered a new vehicle

sweet ride. what color are you getting it in? can't go wrong with silver or black.

[Knight165]

Re: Pre-ordered a new vehicle

sweet ride. what color are you getting it in? can't go wrong with silver or black.

My last three vehicles were/are black.
But I've got a YEAR to decide!

M.K.
Knight165

[12]

Re: Pre-ordered a new vehicle

Congrats, man. If I had the funds, I'd be all over that. That's an awesome investment.

Living off the Grid is something that I hope to do one day, too...

[DickDalewood]

Re: Pre-ordered a new vehicle

OK, that is cool and all, but I have one question:

Where the **** do you work that you drive 125 miles each way??

[Knight165]

Re: Pre-ordered a new vehicle

OK, that is cool and all, but I have one question:

Where the **** do you work that you drive 125 miles each way??

NYC.
St. Albans(South Jamaica) to be exact.
I used to live in Queens, but lately we've been upstate all the time.

M.K.
Knight165