V.I.S.I.T. – Teslas on a Truck

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I showed up to work early this morning because the sun is coming up earlier and earlier, and I figure there’s no point in sleeping when that big yellow ball has been up working since 5:30. When I sat down at my desk, my boss told me a car hauler was parked across the street. That’s not unusual; this particular stretch of road has soft shoulders and fairly light traffic, so it’s popular with truckers, especially local drivers. This truck, though, was loaded down with a bunch of Tesla S models, set to be delivered at a local car lot. Well,  I had to go check it out, and that’s just what I did. See for yourself.


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What is the collective noun for Tesla? A bevy of Teslas? A bond of Teslas? Whatever it is, this hauler was loaded down with the quickest lead sleds money can buy (so I’m told). I’m not a big fan of electric cars, but these Teslas look great, especially up close. There’s more than a hint of XJ about them, to my mind.

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Check out the bottom of this one; perfectly smooth and flat. That’s a real, working diffuser at the back. Adrian Newey, are you taking notes?

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These cars are much bigger in person than you might think – they are a full-sized family sedan, after all. I’m seeing more and more of these Teslas in this area; I see three or four on my way to work each morning, so electric cars have clearly taken hold in some segments of the high-end sedan market. How about you? What do you think of these silent giants?

[Photos Copyright 2013 Hooniverse/Marcal Eilenstein]

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22 responses to “V.I.S.I.T. – Teslas on a Truck”

  1. mdharrell Avatar

    "What is the collective noun for Tesla? A bevy of Teslas? A bond of Teslas?"
    It's the same as for wigeon: a coil of Tesla.

    1. MVEilenstein Avatar
      MVEilenstein

      Well played.

    2. Alff Avatar

      I beg to differ. I believe the proper term is "a battery of Teslas".
      While I see a few Volts running around, I don't think that pure electric cars will be embraced in this part of the country until the range improves dramatically. Travelling distances are much greater here.

      1. MVEilenstein Avatar
        MVEilenstein

        I agree with you, although I still come back to James May's point that batteries a poor solution in the long run.

        1. Alff Avatar

          They're inherently inefficient. The question is, what do we burn after we've used up the dinosaurs?

          1. MVEilenstein Avatar
            MVEilenstein

            Cows?Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

          2. Kelly Avatar
            Kelly

            Every prediction made about running out of dinosaurs has been wrong. I'll make a new one – we will NEVER run out of dinosaurs. Check back with me in 20 years. Continuing evolutions in demand and production will make sure of it. Those who wished for an end to the use of fossil fuels should not have worked so hard to mandate efficiency in their use.
            I like electric cars (hybrids not so much). I think there are plenty of reasons that some form of electrical power distribution can replace these millions of tiny individual hydrocarbon energy converters for transportation, but I don't think it will be due to a lack of hydrocarbons.

          3. Vairship Avatar
            Vairship

            Soylent Green? Because that stuff is amazing, and we never seem to run out of it…

      2. FuzzyPlushroom Avatar
        FuzzyPlushroom

        I was just thinking that 'battery' would be the ideal term. There's another vote for you.

    3. ˏ♂ˊ mzs zsm msz esq Avatar
      ˏ♂ˊ mzs zsm msz esq

      Except near Livermore where it's part of a zone, right? Sometimes people here will say teslas about magnets to sort of put emphasis on a particularly strong one, but usually just everyone says tesla, or kilogauss, so 70 kilogaussen here because that's what you're supposed to do to German to make it hip I think.

  2. TrueBlue315 Avatar
    TrueBlue315

    The styling on these is still so fresh and clean. I've seen a few in person now; they're gaining traction in this market as well.

  3. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    Because of the absurd taxes levied on conventional cars in Norway, tax-free electric cars are comparably cheap here. The Tesla is priced like a bigger family car, it costs only 2/3 of a luxury family car like the Volvo XC70. Musk's company is building charging stations everywhere, in addition to the public network of charging stations that is growing quickly. So I guess I am going to see a lot more of them shortly, and I am looking forward to it. It is a sleek design, even though I agree it seems like a well-copied Jag.

  4. Max Avatar
    Max

    The Hebrew plural for feminine nouns (which end in an -a like Tesla) replaces the -a with an -ot. An example would be Banana/Bananot. I think that Teslot sounds pretty good. EX. "I saw five Teslot today."

    1. Sjalabais Avatar
      Sjalabais

      I'm sure they would have approved at Camelot. Come to think of it, I'd like to take more than one Pamela in each their own Tesla on a quest to find Camelot. Camela?

  5. wunno sev Avatar
    wunno sev

    electric cars are inevitable. the technology will develop, the cars will get better, people will become acclimated.
    i've heard all the arguments about how electric cars introduce more pollution and harm to the environment than ICE-powered cars, and they're bunk: if we don't develop electric technology now, we'll just have to do it later, so you're just putting off developing the technology and polluting the environment in those ways. eventually we're gonna have to go through the ugly process of building electric car infrastructure, and eventually we're gonna have to develop good battery and charging technology. we can wait until there's no oil left – whether that's in 20 years or 200, as politically-charged a question as that is – or we can get the jump on it now. i say let's do it now.
    i'll miss engines, but i do firmly believe that we'll have to let go some day. so why not start us down that road with fancy luxury cars? the Model S is gorgeous and i want one, except for those chintzy retractable door handles and that awful giant screen. nobody takes some pasteboard penalty box seriously as a car, but teslas are better than gasoline cars. it proves that electrics can compete.
    as for musk, we can talk shit all day about his ego, but the guy has sort of earned it. he made a space ship that docked with the space station. he made electric cars mainstream. it seems like he can do anything.

  6. scoudude Avatar
    scoudude

    I think they are pretty cool but the fact that it is a hatchback is a no go. If I'm going to spend that kind of money give me a coupe with a trunk, preferably one at least as large as a Panther. I'm sorry but if I spend that kind of money on a car I'm not taking it to Home Depot for some 2 x 4's or bags of bark, I've got a pickup and a SUV for that.
    There is a guy in the neighborhood that has one and I see a few on the road around here.

    1. JAAM Avatar
      JAAM

      You're seriously quibbling over the fact it's PRACTICAL? I think the Tesla S is remarkable in the fact that it can serve an entire family's needs. Within a reasonable distance of a charging station…

  7. rennsport964 Avatar
    rennsport964

    I saw my first Model S late last year on the Jersey turnpike en route to the Newark Airport. It was after dark and I couldn't quite make out what it was from the rearview mirror. That is, until it passed me. Now they've become the Bellevue/Redmond area Toyota Camry. I see at least one a day.
    I really like the exterior styling, and I was thrilled to see them when they were rare. But now…

  8. vroomsocko Avatar
    vroomsocko

    I finally spotted one yesterday. It was brown(!) and it is a damn nice looking car.

  9. BobWellington Avatar
    BobWellington

    What are you taking pictures with? A toilet? I think you could use an upgrade. 😛

  10. Tyron Avatar

    shipping rate . This is your international shipping rate .Freight transport is a physical process of transporting goods and real goods and cargo. Ships term originally referred to transportation by sea

  11. Dual Battery Setup Avatar

    they look really nice, as long as theyre only on display