Tesla's to unveil $35K Model in 2016; will go on sale in 2017

[Monoriu]

Just where do you propose the "wall socket" should be located?  And how do I install the wall socket without somehow running cables through another owner's space?

In the ground and in the floor.

Unless you have wireless power, it won't work.  You are going to need to seek permission from the people who own the carpark corridors to rip the whole place apart to bury the cables under the parking spaces.  That's requires, what, closing the carpark for half a year?  Nobody will agree to let you do that. 

[Iormlund]

Just where do you propose the "wall socket" should be located?  And how do I install the wall socket without somehow running cables through another owner's space?

In the ground and in the floor.

Unless you have wireless power, it won't work.  You are going to need to seek permission from the people who own the carpark corridors to rip the whole place apart to bury the cables under the parking spaces.  That's requires, what, closing the carpark for half a year?  Nobody will agree to let you do that.

The wiring can easily be installed in trays anchored to the roof of the car park (just as lighting is often done). There's no need to bulldoze anything.

[frunk]

The biggest problem I think, is that the main benefit of electric cars, namely that it doesn't pollute, is a social benefit.  The car owner pays for it in terms of higher purchase cost, reduced range, inferior performance etc, but won't notice the marginal reduction in pollution.  For the individual owners, the only benefit seems to be reduced fuel cost, but this must be weighed against the problems mentioned earlier.

Purchase cost differential is shrinking, as is range.  Tesla is showing that performance can be equal or better.

[Eddie Teach]

The way Mono is talking in this thread, you'd think he kept his anime collection on VHS tapes. 

[Monoriu]

Just where do you propose the "wall socket" should be located?  And how do I install the wall socket without somehow running cables through another owner's space?

In the ground and in the floor.

Unless you have wireless power, it won't work.  You are going to need to seek permission from the people who own the carpark corridors to rip the whole place apart to bury the cables under the parking spaces.  That's requires, what, closing the carpark for half a year?  Nobody will agree to let you do that.

The wiring can easily be installed in trays anchored to the roof of the car park (just as lighting is often done). There's no need to bulldoze anything.

I work in a government complex, and I deliberately walked to the carpark to check out the charger for electric cars yesterday afternoon due to this thread.  I know that the government keeps a small fleet of these cars.  Sure enough, the charger has the Tesla name on it.  It is quite a bit larger and more complicated than a "wall socket" though.  I remember seeing at least 3 components in the setup, and entire thing is about 2 feet by 2 feet large.  They mount it on a wall, not on the ground or the roof.  Of course, this being a government complex, they can do whatever they want.  It is going to be a lot harder for an individual carpark owner to convince the owner's committee and management company to let him install this thing, and only if the parking space happens to be next to a wall. 

[frunk]

I work in a government complex, and I deliberately walked to the carpark to check out the charger for electric cars yesterday afternoon due to this thread.  I know that the government keeps a small fleet of these cars.  Sure enough, the charger has the Tesla name on it.  It is quite a bit larger and more complicated than a "wall socket" though.  I remember seeing at least 3 components in the setup, and entire thing is about 2 feet by 2 feet large.  They mount it on a wall, not on the ground or the roof.  Of course, this being a government complex, they can do whatever they want.  It is going to be a lot harder for an individual carpark owner to convince the owner's committee and management company to let him install this thing, and only if the parking space happens to be next to a wall.

That's the heavy duty fast chargers.  They can also be charged from normal wall sockets.  It's slower but works fine for overnight.

[Monoriu]

The way Mono is talking in this thread, you'd think he kept his anime collection on VHS tapes. 

You should've said Betamax    Yes, when I was a kid, I really kept it on Betamax tapes.  A 42-episode series required, what, 4-5 tapes.  It was insane, and the quality was bad. 

Right now everybody is moving toward cloud storage and streaming.  I insist in keeping them on harddrives, and I have 5-6 of them.  I plan on buying several 4T ones soon.  I'll resist the move toward streaming and fight this battle for as long as I can 

[Zanza]

Wireless charging through induction coils in the ground will come, Mono.

[garbon]

Mono - do buildings last forever in Hong Kong or do new ones get built as years pass?

Also my parking garage is apparently undergoing some construction next month. They sent us all a notice about the several days (from 12 at night to 6am) that we will not have access to our cars unless we've moved them. Not a super big hassle, really.

[Monoriu]

Mono - do buildings last forever in Hong Kong or do new ones get built as years pass?

Also my parking garage is apparently undergoing some construction next month. They sent us all a notice about the several days (from 12 at night to 6am) that we will not have access to our cars unless we've moved them. Not a super big hassle, really.

Depends.  Really old buildings are torn down all the time to make way for new ones.  It is a huge political issue though, and the economics behind are very complicated.  Basically, it only makes economic sense to demolish old ones if they didn't use their "plot ratios" to the fullest.  Say, if you tear down a building with 10,000 sq. feet of space and you can build a new one with double that amount of floor space, you'll probably do it.  This really only applies to buildings constructed in the 50s or 60s though.  When HK's economy took off in the 70s, all developers built the maximum amount of floor space permitted.  It is super painful to reconstruct these buildings, as a redeveloper needs to pay quite a bit of compensation to get the existing residents out.  There are lots of people who make a living by deliberately moving into old buildings in the hope of getting compensated when redevelopment happens.  There is also an entire industry of professionals who specialise in err "convincing" people to move out.  One of the favourite tactics is opening all the windows so that the entire building is flooded during heavy rain.  Like I said it is a very sensitive subject.

Another possibility is that the entire housing estate is a public one owned by the government.  In that case redevelopment is not too difficult.

A modern housing estate (pictured above) that is privately owned will be almost impossible to redevelop.  The cost of buying up the one I posted will be in the billions. 

[Barrister]

If you walk through a typical Canadian parking lot you'll notice there's a plug in for every stall.

Now those are to plug in your block heater, not electric cars, but it goes to show it's not terribly difficult to get power in parking lots.

[Caliga]

This thread intersected oddly with my life today.

It was one of the last threads I left before leaving for work, and right after I read it I thought "It'll probably be a while before all-electric cars start showing up in this bass-ackwards state." 

So I get off the interstate at the exit by my office and turn onto the road that leads there and find myself behind a Chevy Volt, which I guess is a hybrid, but whatever... I don't think I've seen one before around here.  Anyway, I get to the office and when I'm coming back from lunch later, I notice a Nissan Leaf parked in the lot.

Earlier this afternoon when work got kind of slow I went onto Tesla's website and looked at a Model S and thought "Hey, this is a pretty cool looking car, maybe if it's available around here by the time I decide to replace my current car I'll consider one."  So I get in the car and drive home, and at the last exit on the interstate before mine a freaking Tesla Model S pulls onto the road right in front of me!   Traffic was slow and the dude switched lanes a couple of times so I got a good look at it from the front, side, and rear and it's indeed a pretty cool looking car.   The headlights have this neat LED thing that wraps around them.

[crazy canuck]

There is a Tesla showroom in the same block as my office.  Tesla is very smart in the way they market their cars.  The showroom is very small - enough room for only one car and some displays.  The place is always packed with customers and the curious.  Owning one has become a status symbol here.

[Caliga]

Awesome.  The nearest one to me is in Cincinnati, which I guess gives me an excuse to go up to the Hofbrauhaus and get drunk (maybe with spiess).

edit: ugh, it's up by Blue Ash, which is even further.  Guess I could combine it with a visit to the Montgomery Inn though.

[Jacob]

There is a Tesla showroom in the same block as my office.  Tesla is very smart in the way they market their cars.  The showroom is very small - enough room for only one car and some displays.  The place is always packed with customers and the curious.  Owning one has become a status symbol here.

Yeah, that's why I disagree with ... was it Zanza? ... who say they've got their marketing backwards. I think starting out high end and moving down market is a better plan than trying to break in at the low end first.