Saw my first Tesla yesterday.

[Javaman]

It had a license plate with "NO CO2" on it.

It was smaller than I expected it. About the size of a miata, but a much lower profile.

It had pep. I was very impressed.

[Oregone]

1. Green cars

I wonder where we are going to find all the lithium we need to power the world in these? Hm....anyone seen any headlines about lithium lately? Nope? Ah well, schucks!

[Warpy]

3. Sure, that's why we're still in Afghanistan, they've got plenty

However, don't count the old fashioned, nasty lead-acid battery out. Add some carbon nanotubes in the right places, and it blows the doors off any lithium battery and with a faster recharge. It's very preliminary stuff right now and won't be out there for at least a decade, but that's likely the future of the greener car.

If that doesn't pan out and we're booted out of Afghanistan like all the other Empires before us, then I can see a bright future in mining sanitary landfills for anything with a rechargable battery to salvage the lithium.

Electric cars are going to be the future in all urban areas, there really isn't much alternative unless we're willing to go back to horses. Flyover country will likely have to run on biodiesel.

[Oregone]

4. Bingo

Yeah...Afghanistan.

So even these Teslas in the next few years will be stained with blood.

Man needs perpetual innovation causing perpetual production. To fulfill this, it causes global consumption, spawning pollution and resource wars. The attempt to outgrown the fallout of human nature, into a benign species, is futile in this direction IMHO.

[Javaman]

8. Even though I was impressed, doesn't mean...

1) I want one

2) can afford it

3) don't know full well it's almost comical to imagine a whole fleet of lithium cars with lithium coming at a premium.

But don't you know?! Afghanistan is loaded with the stuff!! LOL

people also fail to understand that it still takes about 15 barrels of oil to manufacture a single tesla.

Sure it's neat to look at, but I will stay with my used car until it runs into the ground or becomes obsolete. Probably become obsolete first. ;)

Cheers!

[Oregone]

10. "people also fail to understand that..."

Thats another huge facet of implementing "green" technology. The actual implementation may take massive consumption. If we always are re-implementing due to obsolescence, then it solves nothing. And if things don't become obsolete, we lose jobs and cannot even afford these things anyway.

Humans must change too.

[OnlinePoker]

13. Can you give us the source for barrels of oil to manufacture a Tesla? n/t

[LaurenG]

2. From the description and the weight I was imagining a larger car

Awesome. I wish I had the money for one.

on edit I looked Tesla up. Here's a lease, :scared:
Tesla Leasing allows you to take immediate delivery of a new 2010 Roadster or Roadster Sport with a three year, 30,000 mile contract and with monthly payments as low as $1,658. The cost savings compared to a similar gas powered car could be $131 per month.

They are also hiring. :) http://tbe.taleo.net/NA7/ats/careers/jobSearch.jsp?org=TESLA&cws=1

[Webster Green]

5. Yes, way smaller than I expected too.

I saw one a couple of weeks ago. They had the back open so the battery packs were visible.

I was very impressed as well.

[NoNothing]

6. No CO2?

I wonder where they think electricity comes from.

[hunter]

7. If you live near a nuclear plant it's a nuclear powered car.

If you have solar panels on your roof then you are the sort of person who ought to be paying more taxes than you do.

[Oregone]

11. If you consume nuke energy, thats less energy they have to sell elsewhere

And therefore, more energy that must be produced in other ways....preferably coal in the US.

Even "green" energy doesn't make the overall consumption of it purely green. Why? You increase demand across the grid, and that demand must be fulfilled however the market sees fit. If you get the clean energy, someone will probably get dirty energy in place of it.

[Javaman]

9. It comes from magic!

LOL

Don't get me started.

[Nathanael]

12. A Friend Rode in One the Other Day

He said it was incredible. The car has lots of pop, and is quieter than a mouse. He was more than impressed. Now we just need to the charging infrastructure expedited.