Tesla repays federal loan nearly 10 years early

[Karee 4,190]

Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania once had sizable non-African populations there for economic opportunity. Nice places to live.

I bet their building codes are less strict than Bangladesh. Another positive!

[RGinWA 816]

So if you have to travel 800 miles you will plan a 4 day trip?

ohhhh hold on u r smart one, you will strap a generator on back of your car (which still burns gasoline)

Remember the internet crawled at 2800 bps...now I connect at 20 mps 20 years later...that's why you build electric cars that go 300 miles.

One step at a time.

If not, why advance any technology?

[JohnR! 5,495]

So one can have 60k electric car but its worthless when one wants to make 800 mile trip same time one can have 25k gas driven car but can easily take it on 800 mile trip.

If one chooses to travel by air and rent a car at the destination, both cars - electric or gas - are proven worthless for the enterprise, according to your sophism.

I appears to me you are having trouble understanding what you're trying to say.

Again, it is almost as if not all cars are suited to all enterprises. Perhaps that is the reason one sees so many varieties in size and purpose on our roads....

Edited May 23, 2013 by Gegel

[one...two...tree 2,762]

So lets recap. A foreign national, now living here in the US of A wants to make it a law that the government shall never invest in private enterprise. He doesn't care that he's a direct beneficiary of oil exploration, nuclear energy research, mass transportation and roads. He wants to build a moat around his house and fill it with alligators. American feudalism brought to us by foreigners with their own ideas of how to run America. Wonderful.

Edited May 23, 2013 by Lincolns mullet

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Remember the internet crawled at 2800 bps...now I connect at 20 mps 20 years later...that's why you build electric cars that go 300 miles.

One step at a time.

If not, why advance any technology?

Outstanding point. The resistance/resentment toward alternative energy is odd and almost cult-like. It defies logic.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Its not govt's job to float these business.

When the business are failing they come to govt to rescue them but when they are doing good they don't come to govt offering additional tax.

Govt can help them with favorable laws or tax structure but loaning them money is not govts fuction.

It's the government's job to set the foundation on which a market economy can flourish. That foundation is mainly made up of education, infrastructure and research and development. The loan guarantees for start-ups that venture into tomorrow's technologies are part of the latter. The government has invested into a foundation for the future prosperity of the nation for decades - for centuries, even. I don't understand why everything that the US government has done for just about as long as it exists is all of a sudden controversial?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Thinking electric cars do anything positive for the planet is a joke.

[JohnR! 5,495]

Thinking electric cars do anything positive for the planet is a joke.

Thinking plastic bags to anything positive for the planet is a joke as well.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Thinking plastic bags to anything positive for the planet is a joke as well.

True.

When an electric car rolls off the production line, it has already been responsible for 30,000 pounds of carbon-dioxide emission. The amount for making a conventional car: 14,000 pounds.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324128504578346913994914472.html

[JohnR! 5,495]

When an electric car rolls off the production line, it has already been responsible for 30,000 pounds of carbon-dioxide emission. The amount for making a conventional car: 14,000 pounds.

http://online.wsj.co...3994914472.html

Yes... I think another poster pointed out the 28800 bps internet speed of 20 years ago....

It is almost as if technology drives technology, is it not?

Edited May 23, 2013 by Gegel

[GandD 5,966]

True.

What about over the lifetime of both cars? Wouldn't electric catch up a bit? I suppose it would depend on life of batteries as well as how much fossil fuel goes into powering them.

Either way, the point others are making is that you have to look to start somewhere. If today's electric cars takes us to a better solution eventually, why is that a bad thing?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Yes... I think another poster pointed out the 28800 bps internet speed of 20 years ago....

It is almost as if technology drives technology, is it not?

That was fast! My first computer had a modem speed of 1200 baud and I was thrilled when I got a 9600 baud modem with a throughput of 14,400 bps, I could download a GIF in 2 hours instead of 8.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

First from resource perspective anyone who owns a electric car would also need a conventional car. Electric car at the moment can only be used for city commute beyond that it is worthless.

Why? My wife would do just fine having only an electric car. The distances that she drives, she'd be absolutely okay with only an electric vehicle.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

What about over the lifetime of both cars? Wouldn't electric catch up a bit? I suppose it would depend on life of batteries as well as how much fossil fuel goes into powering them.

Either way, the point others are making is that you have to look to start somewhere. If today's electric cars takes us to a better solution eventually, why is that a bad thing?

Conventional cars are also improving. I am just saying are not a panacea, at least not yet. American and the world tend to jump on trends that cause more environmental damage in the end, like plastic bags and CFL's.

[Harsh_77 718]

Remember the internet crawled at 2800 bps...now I connect at 20 mps 20 years later...that's why you build electric cars that go 300 miles.

One step at a time.

If not, why advance any technology?

Did they need a loan from govt to survive?

or u think Govt should had supported AOL and kept them in business as well.