Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance

[bronsin]

A new book about EM. Ive been following SpaceX but knew little about Musk.

Great book, I recommend it! :thumbsup:

[ern-diz]

Power Walls for all!

[bronsin]

I wish Musk would make his version of the Yaris/ECHO...

[Kal-El]

I just wish Tesla could succeed without massive taxpayer subsidies. A Tesla costs around $100K obviously leaving it only to the very wealthy to own. Sadly, the middle class are pouring their hard earned money into Tesla when they themselves couldn't dream of ever owning one. For most taxpayers, their whole house is only worth 2 Tesla's.

At this point, Musk has received about $4,900,000,000.00 from us to keep his dreams alive.
I'm all for the new tech, but they really need to succeed on their own.

And yes, it is overdue for mainstream models. We need a Tesla under $30K. And maybe someday under $20k but I doubt it.

[nookandcrannycar]

I just wish Tesla could succeed without massive taxpayer subsidies. A Tesla costs around $100K obviously leaving it only to the very wealthy to own. Sadly, the middle class are pouring their hard earned money into Tesla when they themselves couldn't dream of ever owning one. For most taxpayers, their whole house is only worth 2 Tesla's.

At this point, Musk has received about $4,900,000,000.00 from us to keep his dreams alive.
I'm all for the new tech, but they really need to succeed on their own.

And yes, it is overdue for mainstream models. We need a Tesla under $30K. And maybe someday under $20k but I doubt it.

I agree re the subsidies. One of the other past knocks on Musk is that he has been a neglectful father, but I've heard recently that he is rectifying this :thumbsup:. I just saw my third trailer full of new Teslas the other day. I've seen a LOT of Teslas on the road in the last few months in the Tri-Valley....San Ramon, Dublin, Pleasanton, and Livermore, CA. This is just over the hill from the Tesla factory in Fremont, CA and single family houses under $700,000 are few and far between.

[Kal-El]

Here on the east coast, I see a Tesla maybe once every few months. Seems the majority of them are in Cali.

[nookandcrannycar]

Here on the east coast, I see a Tesla maybe once every few months. Seems the majority of them are in Cali.

Yeah, I've only seen one in the NE, and that was at a bank branch in Middletown, RI.

[ilikerice]

Yea, I have not seen one in person in the southeast, not to say there are not any, I just haven't seen one on the road here. Only time I saw one was when I was at the mall in D.C. and was able to sit in one. Really cool cars. Savannah Georgia where our houses in decent neighbors cost around 200k-250k for a 1800 sq.ft. house is the average, but gets cheaper the further you get from the city. Math doesn't match up to own one

[bronsin]

I just wish Tesla could succeed without massive taxpayer subsidies. A Tesla costs around $100K obviously leaving it only to the very wealthy to own. Sadly, the middle class are pouring their hard earned money into Tesla when they themselves couldn't dream of ever owning one. For most taxpayers, their whole house is only worth 2 Tesla's.

At this point, Musk has received about $4,900,000,000.00 from us to keep his dreams alive.
I'm all for the new tech, but they really need to succeed on their own.

And yes, it is overdue for mainstream models. We need a Tesla under $30K. And maybe someday under $20k but I doubt it.

From what I understand its all about the batteries now for Musk. He plans to build them and sell them to the other automotive manufacturers. And also to market them for home generated electricity from solar panels which will put the utilities out of business. So they hope!

Toyota says the future is fuel cells NOT electric cars with batteries. If so Musk is a dead duck! We shall see...

Yeah the last thing we need are cars we cant afford! But we have the $20,000 Yaris. :cool:

Well if someone gave to a billion dollars you would take it too. Musk doesnt want SpaceX to go public because then it would be out of his control. What he wants to do is put a million people on Mars.

Read the book its great!:headbang:

PS Model S on Edmunds lists for $71,000.

[nookandcrannycar]

Yea, I have not seen one in person in the southeast, not to say there are not any, I just haven't seen one on the road here. Only time I saw one was when I was at the mall in D.C. and was able to sit in one. Really cool cars. Savannah Georgia where our houses in decent neighbors cost around 200k-250k for a 1800 sq.ft. house is the average, but gets cheaper the further you get from the city. Math doesn't match up to own one

In The Woollands, TX single family home values range from just under 150k to just under 20 million. I've seen many examples and types of 'exotic cars', but I've never seen a Tesla, nor any other all electric car. I don't know if this is an anti liberal political statement :biggrin:, a thought on practicality (because the Houston metro is so spread out}....or both..

[nookandcrannycar]

Musk doesnt want SpaceX to go public because then it would be out of his control

Depends on how the company is structured. Zuckerberg owns well under 50% of Facebook, but he still maintains voting control.

Musk...."Where should I locate the battery factory"....I'm not very surprised that he picked a location that is close, but NOT IN California. I had a fascinating conversation with a government attorney at a Starbucks today (widespread power outage, and Starbucks has generators). Fascinating guy. He makes my uncle seem like a liberal, and my uncle used to say " I'm to the right of Atila the Hun". He grew up, a black man in one of the least diverse white majority towns in the Bay Area (same town my mother grew up in). He went to Catholic schools until high school and then went public (same high school my mother attended0. His father was an MD, a surgeon. He's had a microscopic view of the criminal justice system for the last 25+ years. He thinks the elected officials over this period of time have paved such a path that eventually much of California will be like Brazil, with people with money largely living in gated areas and also shopping in gated areas.

[bronsin]

Depends on how the company is structured. Zuckerberg owns well under 50% of Facebook, but he still maintains voting control.

Musk...."Where should I locate the battery factory"....I'm not very surprised that he picked a location that is close, but NOT IN California. I had a fascinating conversation with a government attorney at a Starbucks today (widespread power outage, and Starbucks has generators). Fascinating guy. He makes my uncle seem like a liberal, and my uncle used to say " I'm to the right of Atila the Hun". He grew up, a black man in one of the least diverse white majority towns in the Bay Area (same town my mother grew up in). He went to Catholic schools until high school and then went public (same high school my mother attended0. His father was an MD, a surgeon. He's had a microscopic view of the criminal justice system for the last 25+ years. He thinks the elected officials over this period of time have paved such a path that eventually much of California will be like Brazil, with people with money largely living in gated areas and also shopping in gated areas.

Nobody has control like Musk has control. He explains in the book that investors would put pressure to make profits...disabling his plans. Which are to put a million people in a self sustaining colony on Mars.

Pretty far out there.

Yeah funny how that "liberal" stuff works...

[nookandcrannycar]

Yeah funny how that "liberal" stuff works...

:laugh:. I'd pay to see a bleeding heart liberal try to debate him. He'd mop the floor with the liberal. He spoke about the nuns he had as teachers...often new arrivals from Ireland who were as tough as nails. He thinks one of the major problems today is that that level of discipline is gone...pretty much permanently.

P.S. Oops. Just reread post #11. The conversation with the attorney was yesterday, not today.

[bronsin]

Is it too late for him to get in the Republican Primary?:iono:

[nookandcrannycar]

Is it too late for him to get in the Republican Primary?:iono:

:laugh:. This conversation also included two white women. One was a retired teacher, but the other one was a rather dim bulb. The dim bulb asked the attorney his opinion of the Republican party. He said most of the party is too liberal, that he is an Independent. This, and many other comments, made his disdain for Obama patently obvious. His words must have gone in one ear and out the other with this woman, because this woman then asked how he felt about Obama :rolleyes:. It was obvious that this woman expected the attorney would say that he liked Obama, to her way of thinking, because they are both black. This woman = :rolleyes:. The attorney, IMO, could run, get elected, and do some good in a city or county position. Re the Assembly or State Senate, I think he could get elected, but might think it a waste of time....the Democrats have a significant lock on power. Re POTUS....In the current environment, I don't think any conservative would have a prayer starting out in California.

[bronsin]

: Re the Assembly or State Senate, I think he could get elected, but might think it a waste of time....the Democrats have a significant lock on power. Re POTUS....In the current environment, I don't think any conservative would have a prayer starting out in California.

Democrats are in power in Detroit, Chicago, and here in Philly and they are seriously running those cities into the ground. That isnt going to go unnoticed. Here in Philly there is a growing sense of "We cant afford to educate our children" because business and people have been leaving for 70 years and the tax base is going away too. Republicans have to make Democrats wear that hair shirt and own it.

People have to come to their senses...OK we tried the Welfare State and it didnt work....whats next? If we dont we're going to be eaten alive.

Spoken like a true Rugged Individual. :biggrin:

[nookandcrannycar]

Democrats are in power in Detroit, Chicago, and here in Philly and they are seriously running those cities into the ground. That isnt going to go unnoticed. Here in Philly there is a growing sense of "We cant afford to educate our children" because business and people have been leaving for 70 years and the tax base is going away too. Republicans have to make Democrats wear that hair shirt and own it.

People have to come to their senses...OK we tried the Welfare State and it didnt work....whats next? If we dont we're going to be eaten alive.

Spoken like a true Rugged Individual. :biggrin:

:thumbsup: Yep

CT just passed more tax increases and the GEO of GE then announced that this might trigger GE to move their HQ out of CT. He encouraged residents to contact their representatives to take action on this.

Spike Lee is making a movie tentatively titled 'Chiran' (Chicago, Iran) about the murder situation in that city. Mayor Rahm is not happy about this.

California is unique (still the most venture capital, unique weather within the U.S.). If you're going to live with humid summers, why not have warmer winters and a lower tax burden?....see population of NY, TX, and FL and compare that to 30 years ago :biggrin:.

[BLKHILLSGUY]

I don't trust Tesla. I don't think quality is of their utmost concern. Toyota had to recently recall their Rav-4 EV vehicles, due to a faulty Tesla part. I think Toyota was very smart to walk away from Tesla when they did.

[bronsin]

I don't trust Tesla. I don't think quality is of their utmost concern. Toyota had to recently recall their Rav-4 EV vehicles, due to a faulty Tesla part. I think Toyota was very smart to walk away from Tesla when they did.

Toyota sez fuel cells are the powerplants for cars of the future, not batteries. If so Musk is toast. I'll be watching this one (eating popcorn).

SpaceX launches CR7 to the ISS today! (hopefully)

CR sez the current Tesla car is the equal of top of the line MB and BMW...

[sickpuppy1]

And SpaceX blew up.......

[nookandcrannycar]

And SpaceX blew up.......

Yeah, I just heard that on the news and thought about Bronsin's post above. I think they said this was the 3rd time since SpaceX got the contract to deliver supplies to the Space Station ?

[bronsin]

This was Mission 7 to the ISS. HArd to explain how they could have 6 successes and then something like this went wrong.

SpaceX is saying the 1st stage was nominal and the problem was in the 2nd stage. But if the 1st stage was nominal it should have soft landed on a platform in the Atlantic. It blew up or went asymetrical right about MECO which is main engine cutoff for the 1st stage. Altitude ~40 miles.

I saw something about fuel sloshing around in the fuel tanks for the 2nd stage. When MECO happens the fuel can rush to the front of the tank, (deceleration) and thuis air sucks into the engine. Which isnt good because the 200 below 0 fuel (oxygen) is routed around the engine to cool it. If the engine sees air no cooling and kaboom.

This happened to Flacon 1 years ago and supposedly was fixed.

[bronsin]

Today SpaceX landed the first stage of an orbitial rocket back on earth at Cape Kennedy, a huge historic first. Watching all the young faces at their headquarters who watched the event was seeing the baton passed from one generation to another in The Space Age.