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That's entirely untrue of the new generation of gear head. I'm a gear head and what I would consider an "average" Top Gear fan. I'd love a Tesla Roadster. I als

That's entirely untrue of the new generation of gear head. I'm a gear head and what I would consider an "average" Top Gear fan. I'd love a Tesla Roadster. I also find that Clarkson's views on a car are pretty close to what I feel. Yes, the whole out of juice thing was staged, but it was based on the realities of an all-electric car. It does have less range than most petrol powered vehicles. It does take longer to recharge than it would to refuel a petrol car. These are realities, but the show dramatizes them so the viewer can relate to them. Clarkson had plenty good to say about the car too. None of this makes me want a Tesla any less, and I'd argue that this holds true for pretty much anyone who wants to buy a Tesla. It's a $100k+ two-seater car for crying out loud. You don't buy it because it's practical, you buy it because it goes like stink and is a technological triumph. It's as fast around their track as a Porsche 911 GT3, yet it's 100% electric! I almost fell out of my chair when I first saw that.

Tyrannosaurs 16y ago
Sorry, when did I say anything about the average Top Gear fan being interested in practical cars? That was the old Top Gear (and in large part the reason that the old show had became utterly tedious and why Clarkson left it). The editorial line on Top Gear (and Jeremy Clarkson's view in pretty much all media) has long been to mock environmentalists and their concerns. Maybe the viewers are all wildly interested in electric cars but it would be slightly odd as it would have them watching a show that spent a significant chunk of it's time mocking their beliefs. Obviously were you to offer to give them a Tesla they'd bite your hand off - it's as close to a super car as most of them will get - but offer them any car of equivalent value and I suspect you'd find that the demand dropped to close to zero.
- bradleyland 16y ago
  It appears we have a not-argument against a not-argument. I'm not claiming TG fans are interested in electric cars. I'm claiming that TG fans are interested in cars with awesome performance whether they're electric or not. As you correctly pointed out, most TG fans would jump at the chance to own a Tesla. The equation becomes less clear when you thrown a more traditional super car in to the mix, but that's all besides the point, because very few of these people can afford to actually buy one. I'm rebutting this: "I think your average Top Gear viewer is as far from a potential customer as you can get given the general stance the show takes on such matters" Well, come to think of it, you're right in many respects. The average TG viewer simply can't afford a $110k automobile. I think you slightly misinterpret the TG editorial view though. They're not opposed to electric cars. They're opposed to slow, ugly, uninspiring cars. The net effect of environmentalism is that efficiency is put before all of these other factors. There wasn't one jab at the green aspect of the Tesla Roadster in that episode. It was all about the performance and the trade-offs.
  - Tyrannosaurs 16y ago
    Possibly I'm making the mistake we're all accusing Tesla of here which is taking TG too seriously. In regard to it's view of electric cars I'd say it's position is pretty much to deliberately miss the point (that is that they are practical items rather than performance ones) and to play that for comic effect. As you say, they like attractive, fast cars (and curiously the Renault Megane which I recall Hammond liked which is neither) and electric cars are designed to be practical and functional - two things which generally are lower down the list of what they consider worthy of note. Where I have trouble (and I'm running the risk of contradicting things I've said elsewhere in this thread) is that while the presenters and programme makers exaggerate this for entertainment value, I'm not so convinced that it isn't a more accurate representation of the opinions of many of the shows viewers who do have an overly negative view of electric cars. But maybe that's just me being biased against how I perceive a "typical" TG viewer (to be clear I do watch it, though not always and I'm really not typical in that I don't really care about cars, I just find it amusing).

Tyrannosaurs 16y ago

Sorry, when did I say anything about the average Top Gear fan being interested in practical cars? That was the old Top Gear (and in large part the reason that the old show had became utterly tedious and why Clarkson left it). The editorial line on Top Gear (and Jeremy Clarkson's view in pretty much all media) has long been to mock environmentalists and their concerns. Maybe the viewers are all wildly interested in electric cars but it would be slightly odd as it would have them watching a show that spent a significant chunk of it's time mocking their beliefs. Obviously were you to offer to give them a Tesla they'd bite your hand off - it's as close to a super car as most of them will get - but offer them any car of equivalent value and I suspect you'd find that the demand dropped to close to zero.

bradleyland 16y ago
It appears we have a not-argument against a not-argument. I'm not claiming TG fans are interested in electric cars. I'm claiming that TG fans are interested in cars with awesome performance whether they're electric or not. As you correctly pointed out, most TG fans would jump at the chance to own a Tesla. The equation becomes less clear when you thrown a more traditional super car in to the mix, but that's all besides the point, because very few of these people can afford to actually buy one. I'm rebutting this: "I think your average Top Gear viewer is as far from a potential customer as you can get given the general stance the show takes on such matters" Well, come to think of it, you're right in many respects. The average TG viewer simply can't afford a $110k automobile. I think you slightly misinterpret the TG editorial view though. They're not opposed to electric cars. They're opposed to slow, ugly, uninspiring cars. The net effect of environmentalism is that efficiency is put before all of these other factors. There wasn't one jab at the green aspect of the Tesla Roadster in that episode. It was all about the performance and the trade-offs.
- Tyrannosaurs 16y ago
  Possibly I'm making the mistake we're all accusing Tesla of here which is taking TG too seriously. In regard to it's view of electric cars I'd say it's position is pretty much to deliberately miss the point (that is that they are practical items rather than performance ones) and to play that for comic effect. As you say, they like attractive, fast cars (and curiously the Renault Megane which I recall Hammond liked which is neither) and electric cars are designed to be practical and functional - two things which generally are lower down the list of what they consider worthy of note. Where I have trouble (and I'm running the risk of contradicting things I've said elsewhere in this thread) is that while the presenters and programme makers exaggerate this for entertainment value, I'm not so convinced that it isn't a more accurate representation of the opinions of many of the shows viewers who do have an overly negative view of electric cars. But maybe that's just me being biased against how I perceive a "typical" TG viewer (to be clear I do watch it, though not always and I'm really not typical in that I don't really care about cars, I just find it amusing).