RE: McLaren considers electric future

[suffolk009]

Mike_C said:

suffolk009 said:

A friend of mine has just purchased a Tesla S. One of the reasons she justified spending so much was that "they hold their value". I suggested that she was talking bks. In five years time her Tesla S will be as old hat as a PC workstation running Windows 95.

Suffolk - not true, Tesla offer a guaranteed buyback scheme (RVG in Tesla-speak) where after 3 years they will buy the car back off you for 50% of the car cost + 43% of any Accessories cost, guaranteed. So a 75D @ £65,300 with some typical accessories totalling £6,550 (total price £71,850) will still be worth a minimum of ~£35,500 after 3 years and 45,000 miles...doesn't sound too bad to me. Look at what a 3 year old 7-Series BMW or S-Class Merc is worth after a similar age/mileage! Starting price for a 7-Series is £70k now, this 3 year old 740D with 44,000 miles is advertised at a dealer for £27,000: http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...

I think those are both pretty terrible. 50% in three years doesn't sound like "holding it's value". The £70k BMW advertised for 27K - at 50% it's only a difference of 10%.

[Mike_C]

suffolk009 said:

I think those are both pretty terrible. 50% in three years doesn't sound like "holding it's value". The £70k BMW advertised for 27K - at 50% it's only a difference of 10%.

It depends what you're used to; personally I'd never been once to spend significant money on a brand new car before, instead preferring to buy decent secondhand vehicles, so I've never really been hit by significant depreciation. But when I bought the Tesla I had to reconsider what was 'acceptable' but looking at other luxury vehicles of a similar price, the residuals seemed much better on the Tesla. The guaranteed buyback thing is only a fallback, but at least it gives you a 'minimum' figure to budget to. So, going back to your friends point about her not losing too much money, I think she has a point, that's all!

[AER]

Max_Torque said:

right now, the limiting factor in Emobility passenger car development is a significant skills shortage!

BBCnews

Are you raking it in at the moment, Max?

[CDP]

Pvapour said:

mwstewart said:

RossP said:

modeller said:

mwstewart said:

The end of fun has begun.

Rubbish. I'm having loads of fun in my EV. Go try one

This^^^

An electric motor could never replace the noise, vibration, power band, and even smells of a great N/A engine. The machine itself. The loss of sound alone is too much for me.

I will own an EV, though, just for city driving.

In the same way you choose your comfy modern sports car over an old brooklands bentley to drive around in th next generation will see your car the same way.

Ive always loved all the things you listed but when i was pressented with effortless, quiet vibration and smell free motoring that put the biggest grinm on my face any many many years of motoring I knew the petrol engine was dead, get in and drive a petrol car and it feel like you're driving an old horse & cart, no contest.

IC cars will be kept running for fun - like steam locomotives. You'll probably even be able to buy new ones without much regulation when nobody in their right mind will want them for everyday use because they have to go to the chemist for a five gallon can of petrol.

On a day to day use the electric car will be so much more convenient, reliable, quieter and faster that the vast majority will only feel nostalgia for old cars and not a desire to own one.

[anonymous-user]

AER said:

Max_Torque said:

right now, the limiting factor in Emobility passenger car development is a significant skills shortage!

BBCnews

Are you raking it in at the moment, Max?

yeah, i'm having to burn bundles of £10 notes at the moment because i haven't got room to keep them all...... ;-)

[big_rob_sydney]

Its funny. The car company to build the next super-car based on an EV platform? I'd be guessing... Tesla.

They have the runs on the board today.

[RobDickinson]

big_rob_sydney said:

Its funny. The car company to build the next super-car based on an EV platform? I'd be guessing... Tesla.

They have the runs on the board today.

I doubt it. Tesla wants to revolutionise mass transport not provide toys for the rich.

Yes they made a limited run (elise based) sports car to start but that was only to kickstart finances.

their cars wont ever be slow but a high cost super car toy I doubt is in their medium term plans.

[AER]

Max_Torque said:

AER said:

Max_Torque said:

right now, the limiting factor in Emobility passenger car development is a significant skills shortage!

BBCnews

Are you raking it in at the moment, Max?

yeah, i'm having to burn bundles of £10 notes at the moment because i haven't got room to keep them all...... ;-)

Well, it's thermally efficient when it warms you twice...

[RemarkLima]

rampageturke said:

MikeGoodwin said:

Oh god no. The industry is fked.

step aside grandpa and let the future take its course

Having been for a test drive in a BMW i3 at the weekend, I can only echo this - I've seen the future, and was very impressed. Let's save the remaining petrol for race cars, stonking V8 and the fun stuff and let all the shopping trollies stop burning the precious fuel!

[Pvapour]

RemarkLima said:

rampageturke said:

MikeGoodwin said:

Oh god no. The industry is fked.

step aside grandpa and let the future take its course

Having been for a test drive in a BMW i3 at the weekend, I can only echo this - I've seen the future, and was very impressed. Let's save the remaining petrol for race cars, stonking V8 and the fun stuff and let all the shopping trollies stop burning the precious fuel!

Impressive eh, i can honestly say nothing has opened my eyes as much as the surprise of how much fun the i3 was along with effortless peace n quiet, really really want a go in a p85 beofre my next purchase...

To be fair though, i didnt expect it to be THAT good, had a go in a Veyron and expected it to be good and it was jaw dropping, not sure how it'd stack Up after the novalty had warn off

Edited by Pvapour on Monday 1st August 12:18

[RossP]

I picked up my second i3 on Friday

[smilo996]

I wonder how adding batteries to the current cars would work. McLaren have made only minor changes to the tub but adding a significant weight in batteries that, presumably would need to be kept low down would demand changes to that tub.

Seems like a sensible way for McLraren to proceed though, with experience (when they kick Honda into a decent solution) from F1 and the P1.

[electric_fanatic]

I was one of the biggest petrol heads going until I started using my sons electric motor bike as our pit bike when I was rallying historics. Then I built my first ever electric car and haven't looked back since, I now convert and build electric classic cars. I'm not going back to burning dead dinosaur juice again, electric is just way more fun. More power, less maintenance, etc etc.

One of the problems I see in the mass market is that fact that most of the EVs available at the moment (with VERY few exceptions) are just plain boring or ugly to look at. So McLaren entering the EV market will help to bring some much needed excitement and passion into this historically dull market.

Here's my daily driver at the moment but at only 0-60 in 8 seconds McClaren can rest easy :-)

[OwenK]

Lovely thing. The flat four engine is a part of the charm but it's not the majority.
What does a turnkey electric conversion cost if I was to throw you a standard ICE car? I presume bits like motors can be had with standardised subframes that you then fab up a way to attach to the body?
I realise that's asking how long is a piece of string but I have no idea if we're talking 3k or 30k.

[electric_fanatic]

Hi Owen. It really depends on many factors, what car, what power, what range etc But I don't want to get chucked off here for looking like I'm trying to sell my wares as I've only just joined so if you want we can have a chat offline, email me at richard AT electricclassiccars.co.uk

[mclwanB]

I suspect petrol will be banned but hopefully hydrogen will become commonplace. Who says you have to use it to power a fuel cell?

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/12/bmw-officially-...

With the hydrogen storage solutions coming for fuel cells hopefully an H2 conversion for older cars will become viable, allowing you to enjoy that V12 with water being the only tailpipe emission