springbank said:
Let's see (I'm probably wrong about this), Tesla did not attempt to align their charging system with any other electric car out there so they really could care less about me, but now I'm important to them so I can sign this petition?
I can understand why you might feel this way. Initially, I just kind of rolled my eyes when I heard about the cost of Tesla's roadster, and then these years later the cost of the Model S. But, wanting to learn what I can about current and likely future EV offerings, I started following threads on the Tesla Motors Club site that talked about the development of what is referred to as the "Bluestar", or more commonly, the "Gen III". The prices being bandied about were, and apparently the goal still is, in the $30,000 range after tax incentive (and probably with the smallest battery pack and minimal or no options, etc.) The range is said to be targeting in excess of 200 miles / charge. This future car appeals to me for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it might be somewhat affordable to us mere mortals. (And, of course, when you factor in the savings on fuel and maintenance over an ICE, it may look like a downright appealing option.)
While lurking on the TMC website, I came to understand a little bit more about Tesla's business model. In a nutshell, as I understand it, the idea has been to initially target premium buyers and keep margins high to prove the viability of Tesla and it's products. So far, with the Motor Trend Car of the Year Award (unanimously chosen, I believe?) and the highest score ever given by Consumer Reports, and meeting their production benchmarks for Year end 2012 and first quarter 2013, the Model S has been a wonderful torchbearer for Tesla in particular and BEV's in general. It's proven to be an erstwhile contender against some of the most prestigious cars in the world...Audi, BMW and Mercedes, and in the process put the lie to the idea that an EV can't compete on even footing with a similarly priced ICE vehicle.
I've also learned that one of the stated goals of Tesla's Elon Musk is the electrification of the automobile industry, and that once the company proves it's viablility (and profitability) by selling the premium priced, higher margin Model S and Model X, one of the next steps is the release of the car I spoke of earlier - the Bluestar / Gen III, with a price point that may be attractive to you and I.
Lastly, with Tesla serving the premium / high end of the market, their battery packs, and subsequently their charging systems, are built to a much higher capacity of charge than our Leafs. I'm pretty happy with my 3.3 Kwh charger and the EVSE upgrade, but the 2013 6.6 Kwh upgrade would be nice. By contrast, Tesla recently upgraded their Supercharger station charging capacities from 90 Kwh to 120Kwh. I applaud Nissan's attempt to place a serviceable BEV on the world market, and I daresay my Leaf is the coolest car I've ever owned. But Tesla is starting at the other end of the spectrum and delivering a very high end, premium product, with the goal of expanding into a larger market with more competitive pricing in the future. I can't fault them for choosing a proprietary charging system that outperforms most (all?) other charging stations.
My question, instead of why didn't Tesla align it's charging system with any other electric car, is why didn't Nissan install DC / QC chargers at their two dealerships here in Spokane instead of the level II chargers? There is not a single DC / QC unit in Eastern Washington, even though many of the Leafs shipped into and sold in this area are the DC / QC equipped models.
braineo said:
Anyway - today I saw the best analysis on TESLA on why it is relevant. Worth a reading:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1532842-tesla-motors-full-analysis-2-0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Thanks for posting this...I found it to be really interesting reading!
Gary