Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors
Tesla's Roadster wins Autopia's Car of the Year award
In a somewhat surprising move (especially given this), Wired.com's Autopia blog has chosen the Tesla Roadster as their Car of the Year. The runner-up was the Fiat 500. Many people are fed-up hearing all of the hype about the Tesla, but that is part of the reason that the machine won this particular award. The general consensus around AutoblogGreen is that the Tesla is awesome and that it will indeed make a big difference in the automotive world, despite some of the bad press (mostly deservedly) that it has gotten as of late. Here are a few quotes from the article:
The Tesla is our pick for two reasons. First, it's easily the coolest alternative fuel vehicle ever made, one that proves electric cars can be every bit as breathtaking as the finest fossil-fuel guzzling super cars... But more importantly, the Tesla best represents the direction the auto industry must go. Too many automakers have churned out the same old cars year after year, growing fat and lazy on the profit margins offered by SUVs and pickup trucks. That won't work anymore, and they know it. It's time for new thinking and new ideas. It's time for innovation. The Tesla has those things in spades, and there's a reason Silicon Valley is emerging as a leader in electric vehicle technology.
So, there you have it. Now... what do you think about it?
Related:
[Source: Wired's Autopia]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim 10:42AM (12/23/2007)
A $100K electric sports car toy for the wealthy early adapter is not a “game changer”.
However, GM's Bob Lutz stated that the Tesla was THE reason why GM started the E-Flex and Volt programs in the first place! A mass produced $25k-$30K four passenger, highway capable range-extended electric car is most certainly a game changer.
Tesla proved once again that people want highway capable electric cars. This paradigm changing design is also changing the entire automotive industry.
Kudos!
Reply
Yanquetino 11:11AM (12/23/2007)
I truly hope the Roadster is indicative of changes on the horizon. It is about time! We would already be much further down this path if GM hadn't crushed the EV1. Indeed, by now it would probably be the EV2 with li-ion batteries --and much more affordable than the Roadster.
Also, I have never really understood giving awards to objects rather than people. It is like giving an Oscar to the celluloide. Shouldn't this award go to the original visionary, Martin Eberhard, for making the Roadster a reality? Thank you, Martin!
Reply
Dad 1:04PM (12/23/2007)
"AutoblogGreen is that the Tesla is awesome and that it will indeed make a big difference in the automotive world"
Difference? I doubt it, unless vaporware makes a difference. If and when it goes into full scale production, it will be an insignificant piece of hardware given the paltry numbers that will be sold.
Reply
Tim [no relation] 2:51PM (12/23/2007)
Dad:
As the other Tim said in post 1, the roadster itself is not what is going to be driven by most of the people affected by its introduction. The very existence of the car, and the knowledge that as technology improves that costs will come down (such as the 10x Li-ion battery capacity breakthrough announced recently) poses a huge threat to established automakers. So much so that suddenly they are all reaching deep into their IP vaults to dredge up their once-abandoned projects that could have been brought to market decades ago...
If they just sit around and ignore the "Tesla problem", then Tesla would completely dominate the market by the time the third or fourth generation vehicle comes to market, which would be cheaper and better than comparable cars on the road today, while costing significantly less to own and operate.
People say that the previous electric car 'revolution' was snuffed out because it was based on legislation. And despite having very successful pilot programs, bowing to the lawmakers that wanted to force change would have meant willingly giving up profits. Those people claimed that only competition would be a significant motivator of change.
Well, here's the competition. Not a golf cart, or a go-cart, 3-wheeled runabout or a underpowered scooter. Instead, a status symbol of the highest class. This car is the real deal, and a game-changer because it's being made by a company that WANTS to make them. This car is expensive, but anyone with a brain can see that it will only get cheaper and better from here.
The writing is on the wall, and thankfully the current major players can see it, and are trying to react. Most of them seem to be going about it the worst way possible, but they aren't just sitting idle. That instigation of fear of competition is why the Roadster deserves the award.
The roadster will rarely be seen by normal people, but the ripples this will generate through the industry are not akin to tossing a rock in a pond. They are akin to a massive sea-quake, generating a tsunami of change that sweeps across the entire planet.
Reply
Dad 3:38PM (12/23/2007)
"The roadster will rarely be seen by normal people, but the ripples this will generate through the industry are not akin to tossing a rock in a pond."
Lake Michigan is called the "pond" by many. Same impact outside of autobloggreen.com crowd. In the "real" world the Telsa is unknown and its impact insignificant in the real world.
Reply
jake 4:30PM (12/23/2007)
@Dad
Those ripples don't have to hit every corner of the world to make a big impact. Given that it made even GM notice, I would say that is a big enough impact in itself. Even people in autoblog and jalopnik noticed, which is saying something. When it is in full production and the customers and auto magazines get their hands on it, the impact will be even greater.
Reply
Dad 4:35PM (12/23/2007)
"When it is in full production and the customers and auto magazines get their hands on it, the impact will be even greater."
I hope you are right, I will keep my fingers crossed! But in reality, the Volt is coming, so I am not worried.
Reply
Dad 4:39PM (12/23/2007)
"Too many automakers have churned out the same old cars year after year, growing fat and lazy on the profit margins offered by SUVs and pickup trucks."
I assume Telsa will make money on their cars? And you think making money made GM fat and lazy? Cripes, I should be so fat and lazy. Unless you define fat and lazy as to be the absence of cars like the Telsa? Then, that is a very limited definition.
Reply
susan.kraemer 4:48PM (12/23/2007)
What Tim-no relation said.
Reply
Throwback 6:35PM (12/23/2007)
While I am hoping the Volt sells well, It's a little early to crown the Tesla a game changer. The fact is we don't know if the average car buyer, you know the other 99% of the population will buy a pure electric car. The Volt is a smart hedge just in case pure electrics don't sell, since you don't have to plug it in.
Reply
BlackbirdHighway 7:12PM (12/23/2007)
The significance of the Tesla is that it's an electric car that people want. Not just a few eco-fringe types, but lots and lots of people want it because it's cool, it looks good, it's fast, it's stylish. Oh and yeah, it's also electric. The very same car with a regular gas motor would still be desirable. That's a first for electrics.
So people want it, but few can afford it. That's ok, that will come later. It's usually a bad idea to go for a home run on the first pitch, or a touchdown on the first play. One step at a time, that's what wins in the end.
Reply
Tim 7:43AM (12/24/2007)
A car with constant delivery delays, a massive price tag that many outside the car world have no knowledge of? BMW's 1-series has a simple start-stop assist function and a couple other inexpensive aids that provide massive return for little investment. $100,000 electric car? Maybe you should have picked the (http://goodcarbadcar.blogspot.com/2007/11/linc-volt.html) Linc-Volt.
Reply
Throwback 8:09AM (12/24/2007)
Blackbird, I'm not sure what you mean by lots and lots of people want a Tesla, most car buyers have no clue the Tesla exists. There is a passionate core group of electric cars devotees, I would not extrapolate that to the average car buyer. The question remains will people be willing to plug in a car every night? That is a major change for car owners, the fact is buying a small gas car is a major change. What about people who live in apartments with no access to an outlet? They are effectively off the Tesla or any other pure electric cars shopping list.
Reply