Tesla, our cars and way of life, and the future

[70MTRoadster]

May I start off with "holy shit Batman"! Just went to the local Town Pump and had a Tesla pull in next to me. OK, so had to talk with him as Tesla's are antithetical to our continued existance. Can you imagine a Roadster without the wail of twin SU's or Mikuni's? Anyway, we had a nice civil conversation but I was amazed at the end. $84,000 for his Tesla. Life long Bozeman, MT resident. 77 years old. Said when he bought his Tesla that he had "Free" recharging for the life of the car.....WTF? You and I are underwriting such insanity with our tax dollars!!! Former Republican but not now...he does not like what they are doing....??? Can't understand what "that" means but what the hell...........we are the cleanest or certainly top teer nation on the planet but we are deamonized as being "too filthy".......WTF?

I am 72 soon to be 73 grew up when the world was "sane" and am looking forward to whomever wants to debunk my reality which is for sure and for certain, F---ing stupid.

[MattC]

I feel like I could have heard a very similar conversation on that same Bozeman street about 120 years ago....except between a horseman and a horseless carriage driver.

…and I should add, people still use horses.

[eye]

When they figure out how to get free electricity...I'm in. Until then....

[redroadster]

Its all about the air-conditioning
We hit 112-115 most years that with the air-conditioning on . Cattle start dying at 117 degrees especially Angus , big Hogs too , turkeys are hard hit
also bacteria goes rampant in that heat .
Grain crops fail fires rage
it even changes the ocean currents disruptimg slowing them down
The air-conditioning is leaving us ( the glacier's ice are a lowering of the heat ) it is leaving us at a alarming rate
And Siberias perma frost melting releasing massive methane , particulat matter /smoke melts the glacier's quick ....it's bad and getting terribly worse , but seems nothing will save us now , it needed to change in the 80s to really help us

[DAC21]

"Its all about the air-conditioning"

Sheldon Cooper asks: Sarcasm? Umm ok, if not, can you send pictures of your Roadster. Apparently you have no need for it. I'll take my chances that we have a few more years.

[eye]

Electric cars means more gas for the rest of us. My roadster runs on gas(for now)

[redroadster]

"Its all about the air-conditioning"

Sheldon Cooper asks: Sarcasm? Umm ok, if not, can you send pictures of your Roadster. Apparently you have no need for it. I'll take my chances that we have a few more years.

No absolutely not sarcasm. We were talking about non polluting cars taking over ... remember ?
what are you going to eat ? I don't think some know how things work

[Ralph]

I was doing some searches for converting existing vehicles to electric and found this … among others
www.momentmotors.com
Once the pricing comes down, can go 300 miles or more without a charge, and have enough heat for Canadian winters, I might consider it. But +50k is a bit steep for me this month….

[DAC21]

"Its all about the air-conditioning"

Sheldon Cooper asks: Sarcasm? Umm ok, if not, can you send pictures of your Roadster. Apparently you have no need for it. I'll take my chances that we have a few more years.

No absolutely not sarcasm. We were talking about non polluting cars taking over ... remember ?
what are you going to eat ? I don't think some know how things work

I was kidding about the sarcasm. I knew you were all in on the "science" Boy hasn't it served us we'll with Covid.

[redroadster]

Ok ...yeah covids always changing ...new strains

[Gregs672000]

I love my Roadster but Red is right... for once I understood everything he wrote. I sure wish it wasn't true, believe me, but I don't think you can deny the science unless you don't understand science. It's not perfect, but is a method of analysis, not a political view until it's manipulated by those folks not true to science. Change is always good and bad, and this change from fossil fuels to the next generation of power WILL take place regardless of what we have done to the world in the mean time. Our way of life is simply too dirty and not sustainable and we're nearing the point where if we're going to continue to improve let alone survive CHANGE is inevitable, and has ALWAYS occurred (If you don't know this, watch a few documentaries by reputable and transparent organizations to improve your knowledge base). The faster we realize this and meld that reality with the need to transition with actual ACTION may dictate what KIND of world we and our children/grandchildren/great grand etc etc will HAVE TO live in. Nobody KNOWS the future for sure, but we humans do our best to read the signs, and thus the need for science! So, ask questions but please use a non-biased scientific method to evaluate things as much as you can and avoid BS.

I know I will probably be the last person to drive the Roadster as I do. I'm watching car shows where people spend countless hours assembling cars whose use will likely be very limited in some manner in the foreseeable future, whether it be access to fuel (no longer exist at an affordable price), restrictions because of emissions or other limits (though the internal combustion engine has cleaned up a lot). Truth is the car companies see the writing on the wall. Audi has announced that they will not be developing any new gas engines of any kind.

I love my car. I know every sound it makes. I know everything about it. It was my third car, if you count the 3 months with my first. I've had it 35 years. I drove it in southern California as my daily driver in grad school. I have no idea how many times the odometer has turned over. I never get tired of looking at it. It always puts a smile on my face, even when it's pissing me off. I've never once ever considered selling it. There's no price. It's my most prized possession, but calling it a possession disrespects the relationship we have. Crazy? Maybe (I should know!) Don't care. I've been blessed to have it. We'll go out together one way or another, nothing lasts forever. But in the mean time, I'm gonna drive it, fix it, care for it, improve it until I can't. But I'll never stop loving it.

Enjoy the drive!

[JT68]

Regardless of your politics, my expectation is we, our kids and grand kids are going to be paying for the switch to EV's for a very long time. A massive issue is the power grid. It isn't even close, not even remotely, near capacity to eliminate gasoline vehicles for a full country of electric cars, electric long haul trucks and trains.

Parts of the US barely can keep up now with winter and summer power fluctuations without rationing/switching to backup systems. The entire system will have to be redesigned and rebuilt at truly massive cost-there is no way around that. We'll see much higher power bills and higher gas taxes and whatever other taxes get approved..

Also, other than hydroelectric, most electric power generation is dirty, so I doubt the switch to EV's is really going to do much for climate change in this century. I'd say the die is cast.

No one wants a 3-mile-island or Chernobyl, or Fukushima in their back yard for very good reason.

Few of the impoverished countries are going to build multi billion dollar power plants for free so everyone there can have a Tesla. Instead they will likely cut down more rain forests, burn more wood/coal/oil/gas and raise more cattle.

[C.Costine]

Getting a little to political for my liking.

[notoptoy]

All:
This is a Roadster forum discussion, not a political or philosophical forum. There are plenty of other sites where this discussion is more appropriate.

If these were a discussion about the merits or process of an engine swap - to electric - and stuck to the Roadster aspects - we might be OK.
As this is straying too far from our raison d'être I have locked the topic, pending deletion.
Thanks for sticking to all things Roadster!