

The Tesla Model S is one of Time's Best Inventions of the Year - mickgiles
http://techland.time.com/2012/11/01/best-inventions-of-the-year-2012/slide/the-tesla-model-s/

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therealarmen
Current title is a bit of a stretch. It hasn't been named the "Best invention
of the year" -- it's number 19 out of 26 on a 2012 Best Inventions list.

Not to mention it's presented in a wonderfully agonizing slideshow format,
gotta maximize those pageviews!

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hop
Beating every other invention of 2012: indoor fog machine cloud.

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polemic
I stopped at the "Motion Activated Screwdriver" (#3).

Some things just don't need inventing.

\---

Note to self:

1\. add WiFi.

2\. put it on Kickstarter.

3\. profit.

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nextstep
How long until this old media dinosaur rolls over and dies? Fuck this stupid
slideshow.

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grainawi
Well deserved for Tesla.

They built the Model S from the ground up specifically to be an electric car.
This means every engineering decision was made with the idea of optimizing the
E.V. experience.

For instance, you know that notable 265 mile range that is one of its biggest
selling points? Well that requires huge and extremely heavy batteries. But
instead of this added weight being a disadvantage for the Model S, Tesla made
use of it as it best could for an automobile -- it drastically lowered the
center of gravity. This, in turn, gives it the excellent cornering ability
that the car buffs are all talking about.

Regardless of what field you're in, this is a great example of turning your
disadvantages into advantages. Great engineering.

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gilgoomesh
Not exactly.

It's one of Time's 4 best inventions of the year in the $22,000 - $750,000
price range.

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moistgorilla
Regardless if it is really the "best" invention of the year, I'm glad the
media seems to be giving it a ton of attention. I can't wait till there is a
tesla model in my price range.

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kilburn
From the website:

 _"[...] the ability to zip for 265 miles (426 km) on one charge —that's the
equivalent of 89 m.p.g. (2.6 L/100 km)"_

I have a hard time figuring out how on earth did they calculate that. My
(european) Ford Focus is not a very efficient car by our standars, yet it runs
some ~700km on a single tank. Oh, it consumes between 7-8 L/100km by the way.

Can anyone tell me how they came up with those numbers above?

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subsystem
In my opinion open source ecology, also on the list, is much more interesting.
It's basically the industrial revolution open sourced. Not that the Tesla
Model S isn't, but it's well known and a consumer product.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIsHKrP-66s> <http://opensourceecology.org/>

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andrewljohnson
Why is Tesla more important than other electric cars? It's an honest
question... no disrespect intended.

Nissan and Smart Car also made electric cars.

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lambda
I think because it's the one that feels the least like a compromise. With most
electric cars, you need to compromise on things like performance and range.
From all of the reviews I've read, the Tesla Model S a great car, that just
happens to be electric.

For instance, the Nissan Leaf has a range of 73 miles on a charge, then you
have to spend several hours charging it. You can generally do 400 or more
miles on a single tank of gas in a reasonably efficient car; and then you can
refill in a minute or two and be on your way. The Tesla has a range of 260
miles; much closer to a tank of gas, and a lot less likely to leave you
worried that you'll run out of charge.

From the reviews I've read, Tesla is also a great car for people who love
cars. It can do 0-60 in 4 seconds. It is well put together, with innovative
electronics. It makes electric cars sexy, not just something that makes you
feel good for saving gas while being kind of a pain to drive.

On the other hand, it is considerably more expensive than its competition, and
still somewhat limited compared to a gas powered car. While you do get greater
range, if you're going on a long road trip, you will need to stop for long
recharges.

I think part of the excitement is that Elon Musk, and Tesla Motors, are quite
committed to pushing for electric cars. They don't make anything else. It's
not an electric car from a manufacturer who makes traditional cars, and can
fall back on them. They need it to succeed. So they are introducing solar
charging stations where you can recharge for free. They are really coming up
with an innovative car; I think that of anyone, they do have the best chance
to make an electric car that will really take off, but they do have some tough
obstacles ahead of them.

