DC Trawler

Tesla Motors: Solid as a brick

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In another blow to our imminent Utopia, car blog Jalopnik reports:

Tesla Motors’ lineup of all-electric vehicles — its existing Roadster, almost certainly its impending Model S, and possibly its future Model X — apparently suffer from a severe limitation that can largely destroy the value of the vehicle. If the battery is ever totally discharged, the owner is left with what Tesla describes as a “brick”: a completely immobile vehicle that cannot be started or even pushed down the street. The only known remedy is for the owner to pay Tesla approximately $40,000 to replace the entire battery. Unlike practically every other modern car problem, neither Tesla’s warranty nor typical car insurance policies provide any protection from this major financial loss…

A Tesla Roadster that is simply parked without being plugged in will eventually become a “brick”. The parasitic load from the car’s always-on subsystems continually drains the battery and if the battery’s charge is ever totally depleted, it is essentially destroyed. Complete discharge can happen even when the car is plugged in if it isn’t receiving sufficient current to charge, which can be caused by something as simple as using an extension cord. After battery death, the car is completely inoperable. At least in the case of the Tesla Roadster, it’s not even possible to enable tow mode, meaning the wheels will not turn and the vehicle cannot be pushed nor transported to a repair facility by traditional means.

It’s one thing if your phone or your Xbox gets bricked. But your $100,000 car?

Hey, guess who got $465 million in federal loans? And guess who’s now trying to blame their customers?

Now this picture is twice as funny:

Not only are the windmills supposed to be doing something useful, but the car is actually moving. LOL!

(Hat tip: Ace of Spades)

P.S. Good news: If you work for General Electric, you might get a company car. Bad news: It’ll be a Volt.