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Oh, no doubt I'm confused. But what market isn't being served that the Model S can waltz in on? It's an M5 with a linear torque curve that you can't take on lon

by jfb 13y ago

Oh, no doubt I'm confused. But what market isn't being served that the Model S can waltz in on? It's an M5 with a linear torque curve that you can't take on long trips.

enraged_camel 13y ago
>>But what market isn't being served that the Model S can waltz in on? It's an M5 with a linear torque curve that you can't take on long trips. Yeah, except unlike an M5, it is a high-tech and environmentally friendly vehicle.
- jfb 13y ago
  I think you might be underestimating the technological sophistication of a twin-turbo V8 that develops 550bhp at 7000rpm, in a cabin so quiet that they have to pipe artificial engine noise in -- but set that aside. The Model S doesn't do anything that an M5 can't, save charge from the mains. That's not insignificant, by any stretch, but it also seems to me less like a different class of thing than a serious, big-time but incremental improvement.
  - jstelly 13y ago
    I think this is pretty much correct, but Tesla only has to carve out a niche in each market it enters to be successful. They will enter a high volume market soon. Also, the EV feature comes with side benefits of decreased weight and size. For smaller cars this will be a bigger win as comparable gas powered cars have less space to use on passenger satisfaction. So you're missing that in your comparison. How much interior+trunk space does the model S have over the M5?
    - jfb 13y ago
      Tesla being successful and Tesla disrupting the car industry are two different things.
  - enraged_camel 13y ago
    I'm not underestimating the technology used in the M5. If anything, though, the M5's technology is the one that I would describe as "incremental." They took an internal combustion engine, the mechanics of which have been well-understood for over a century now, and improved it incrementally until it became a twin-turbo V8 that has a ton of horsepower. Contrast that to the Tesla, which has been engineered from the ground up to use batteries to power it. The car is a technological marvel, even compared to cars like the M5. And this translates to a driving experience that is different enough from ICE cars* that it makes it a disruptive tech. *instant acceleration, no engine noise, real-time graphical feedback about the car's systems, etc.
    - lttlrck 13y ago
      Batteries and electric motors predate ICE. How is the Tesla not incremental?

by jfb 13y ago

Oh, no doubt I'm confused. But what market isn't being served that the Model S can waltz in on? It's an M5 with a linear torque curve that you can't take on long trips.

enraged_camel 13y ago

>>But what market isn't being served that the Model S can waltz in on? It's an M5 with a linear torque curve that you can't take on long trips. Yeah, except unlike an M5, it is a high-tech and environmentally friendly vehicle.

jfb 13y ago
I think you might be underestimating the technological sophistication of a twin-turbo V8 that develops 550bhp at 7000rpm, in a cabin so quiet that they have to pipe artificial engine noise in -- but set that aside. The Model S doesn't do anything that an M5 can't, save charge from the mains. That's not insignificant, by any stretch, but it also seems to me less like a different class of thing than a serious, big-time but incremental improvement.
- jstelly 13y ago
  I think this is pretty much correct, but Tesla only has to carve out a niche in each market it enters to be successful. They will enter a high volume market soon. Also, the EV feature comes with side benefits of decreased weight and size. For smaller cars this will be a bigger win as comparable gas powered cars have less space to use on passenger satisfaction. So you're missing that in your comparison. How much interior+trunk space does the model S have over the M5?
  - jfb 13y ago
    Tesla being successful and Tesla disrupting the car industry are two different things.
- enraged_camel 13y ago
  I'm not underestimating the technology used in the M5. If anything, though, the M5's technology is the one that I would describe as "incremental." They took an internal combustion engine, the mechanics of which have been well-understood for over a century now, and improved it incrementally until it became a twin-turbo V8 that has a ton of horsepower. Contrast that to the Tesla, which has been engineered from the ground up to use batteries to power it. The car is a technological marvel, even compared to cars like the M5. And this translates to a driving experience that is different enough from ICE cars* that it makes it a disruptive tech. *instant acceleration, no engine noise, real-time graphical feedback about the car's systems, etc.
  - lttlrck 13y ago
    Batteries and electric motors predate ICE. How is the Tesla not incremental?