Tesla to announce new product - not a car - on April 30

[Ithekro]

200 miles is roughly the range of most cars with gas tanks. Just their needs to be a way to recharge it in a few minutes for those 400 mile trips from San Fransico to Los Angeles.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I really have no opinion on the actual Tesla gear, but I can't help but wonder: why is it so damn hard for people to buy their cars? So many states have laws against Tesla selling their own cars. What's the big deal?

It's a threat to the traditional car sales model, so dealerships have been fighting it tooth and nail.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ And why is that important?

 

[sojourner]

^ And why is that important?

Because those car dealerships have deep pockets to get politicians on thier side.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ No, I meant why is the *sales model* important? Why should the customers care?

 

[sojourner]

^ No, I meant why is the *sales model* important? Why should the customers care?

The customers don't. That's why the traditional dealers are scared and pushing for laws to keep Tesla from bypassing the dealership model of sales. They're afraid that if it works for Telsa then Ford, Chevy, et al will stop using dealerships to sell cars and the owners of those dealerships will be out of business. Get it?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

^ No, I meant why is the *sales model* important? Why should the customers care?

They shouldn't? I don't know who you think you are arguing with here. I was offering an explanation, not a justification. I think it's ridiculous that politicians are rolling over and screwing Tesla on behalf of traditional dealership franchises.

 

[MacLeod]

200 miles is roughly the range of most cars with gas tanks. Just their needs to be a way to recharge it in a few minutes for those 400 mile trips from San Fransico to Los Angeles.

I would expect to get almost 600 miles (if I tried to maximise fuel economy I could maybe get to 700miles) range in my car true it is diesel powered and almost 10 years old. Modern petrol cars can get close to the the fuel efficency of what I get, But it all depends on the size of the tank and how you drive.

 

[Romulan_spy]

^ No, I meant why is the *sales model* important? Why should the customers care?

They shouldn't? I don't know who you think you are arguing with here. I was offering an explanation, not a justification. I think it's ridiculous that politicians are rolling over and screwing Tesla on behalf of traditional dealership franchises.

Speaking of this, the FTC has just released a statement in support of the direct-to-consumer sales model that Tesla uses:

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs/competition-matters/2015/05/direct-consumer-auto-sales-its-not-just-about-tesla

 

[Ithekro]

Most cars I have encountered have tanks sized to give them about 200 to 300 miles between filling (depending on driving style). Be it a 1970s Cadillac or a 1990s Mercury. One has a 27 gallon tank while the other has a 12 gallon tank.

 

[Mudd]

200 miles is roughly the range of most cars with gas tanks.

Where?

My car's not noted for good gas mileage and I get at least 300. Back in the day when most cars really did get what would now be considered poor mileage, tanks tended to be bigger.

Just their needs to be a way to recharge it in a few minutes...

Good luck with that. Right now it takes, what, twenty minutes to extend a car's range by less than a hundred hours? Most drivers are going to continue to pass on that, however much they may like the notion of electric cars in theory.