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Comment by ams6110 | Hacker News Reader

I have nothing against Tesla. But the fact of the matter is that cars like Tesla make are impractical for the vast majority of drivers. They are doing great selling into a niche market that find the cars appealing, but that proves nothing about the future of electric automobiles for the mass market. None of them would be even as successful as they are without massive support from government grants and tax credits. Free charging is not sustainable, and our current electrical infrastructure won't support massive adoption of plug-in electrics without significant upgrading. It will be decades if not longer before electric vehicles are a workable option for most people.

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You need an editor, sir! Your true meaning is lost. Let me rewrite that for you.

I don't like Tesla. A Tesla car isn't practical for me, so by extension it's not practical for most. Massive popularity and interest in buying them proves nothing about the future because I don't have one. Other electric cars failed after receiving public support, and therefore Tesla will fail. Even though nobody claims free charging is sustainable, I claim that non-existent claim will lead to failure, because it's impossible to change our current electrical infrastructure. Ever. And a decade into the future? That's crazy! We need to deal with what's in front of us for the next ten minutes! And after that, we'll do it again!

Sarcasm: "a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain"

Were you so personally offended by what the person wrote that you needed to stab them for it?

That seems like a very obnoxious thing to write and was completely unnecessary. If you disagree with someone fine, say so and why, but there's no need to do that to what the person wrote. Why sink to such a level intellectually?

Sorry, but I don't feel like spending $7K+ in taxpayer subsidies to help a rich person get richer is wise fiscal policy for our nation. I know this might sound completely shocking to you.

You see no value in shepherding the companies that are creating the future of transportation across the world? You may reason that market forces will take care of it, and I would agree with you if other countries played by the same rules. They do not.

This is about a lot more than a rich person getting richer, and you know that. I'm a little shocked that you would pretend otherwise.

I don't understand your argument. It will be decades before the grid is ready? Yes, so?

The only way forward is a step at a time, and Tesla is showing that electric vehicles can be practical and also playing their part in starting to build the infrastructure to make it practical for all. Of course the grid isn't ready now, but you better believe they are seeing the writing on the wall and adapting. The entire world isn't going to switch to electric cars overnight, nor in ten years, it will happen gradually and so will the infrastructure.

You seem to be ignoring that Musk and Tesla have already laid out their general "bootstrapping" plans, which are aimed at developing just the infrastructure you are calling out, and in the decade-scale timeframe that you mentioned. They have deliberately started in that niche, to keep initial production volumes / expectations low while they work on the scaling and infrastructure.

Given those stated goals, how does your impression change?

Aside from cost, what do you think makes a Tesla impractical for the "vast majority of drivers"?

I think they would probably need to start from niche and build up scale that way. It's probably much more risky to go full out scale to try and hit the mass market. Of course, I do agree that free charging is not sustainable and this project, like you pointed out, has infrastructure hurdles that we won't begin to see mass adoption until years into the future. But I don't know what better way you could try and force the issue of developing electric vehicles for the mass market other than beginning with a niche market.

But the fact of the matter is that cars like Tesla make are impractical for the vast majority of drivers.

I think your argument holds for other EVs, but not the Model S and X and the lower-end car that is on the horizon. These cars have 200+ mile range. 99.999% of my driving is well within that range. Maybe I'm more local than most, but even in the Bay Area, that gives me a very good range of places I can go.

The post contains a fact, but is there a recommendation?

Is the suggestion to cease all electric vehicle R&D, marketing, and consumer adoption?

Curious.

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