Um, there are more recent sources for Tesla's current plans, which understandably tend to change every quarter. Eberhard was relieved of his post in the 4th quarter of last year, so it's likely that the new CEO has different plans.
Um, thanks. I'm fully aware of the power changes. The link provided was just the first for the Blue Star I was able to find. I had not heard that the Blue Star concept had been completely dropped....do you have a link to that announcement?
I didn't say that the Blue Star was being dropped, just that it was intended to be developed in partnership with, and manufactured by, a major automaker.
I hope you are right. But a couple of factors that I think may throw Tesla off. First the lawsuit with Fisker. If Fisker did in fact steal trade secrets, then I doubt Tesla is going to want to release designs substantially different, otherwise they have no damages to complain of in the lawsuit. Second, Tesla will offer an IPO much like A123 prior to partnering with one of the bigger manufacturers IMO. The VCs want to make their buck first, even more than they want to protect their butts from ouster like Eberhard was kicked out.
Not sure what you mean about Eberhard, but you make a good point about the IPO being one of the pacing items prior to a partnership with a major automaker. It's hard to say, perhaps a partnership with a major automaker might help make an IPO take off, so they might seal that deal prior to an IPO - hard to say, I could see arguments doing it either way.
Well, if Tesla goes the IPO route and have common stock with voting shares, they are subject to the whims of the majority stockholder. That's a good way to lose control. If it's closely held (aka private), then you retain control and can make decisions as you see fit. For example, Musk saw it in the best interest of Tesla to give the boot to Eberhard.
Am I to assume that you are hoping voting shares might lead to investors who wish to force out Musk? Musk has billions of dollars from his previous ventures, as well as a current success with SpaceX, so I don't see him going anywhere.
I'm indifferent to Musk. He puts his money where is mouth is, which is admirable. He's an advocate for EVs, which I support. I hope at least one version of Whitestar is a BEV, which would launch a heck of a lot quicker than an E-REV. The work has already been completed (drive train and battery), so why not?
The great thing about an REEV, is that adding an ICE generator has nothing to do with operation of the vehicle, as it just runs when it needs to keep the batteries charged a certain amount. In a true series hybrid, it only charges the batteries, which is a simple on/off sensor operation.
I disagree a bit. The more junk you put on a car, the more that can go wrong. Maintenance on a BEV is less than an E-REV; can we agree on that? Plus, we've never seen an E-REV design successful, have we? The extra weight along with concerns about fuel spoilage, weight, oil changes, etc. are things I don't want to screw with. BEV for me please--although I will buy the Volt if it's first to market.
I agree there is more maintenance for a REEV, compared with a BEV, but the "design complexity" is trivial, as ICE's and their controllers are already in mass production. A BEV just leaves you stranded between 4 hour recharges, so until they become rapid recharge, and build out the infrastructure, I wouldn't own a BEV.
