'UberX driver's Tesla-S-Web EV is a Toronto.ca celebrity'
http://www.altenergystocks.com/archives/2015/06/how_a_parttime_uber_driver_can_buy_a_tesla.html How A Part-Time Uber Driver Can Buy A Tesla By Jeff Siegel June 17th, 2015 [image http://www.altenergystocks.com/archives/specialev%5B1%5D.jpg (chart) ] “My next car will definitely be a Tesla,” my Uber driver said with great enthusiasm. As he was driving me from the Hyatt in Newport Beach to John Wayne Airport, a Tesla P85D quietly flew passed us. It was black, shiny, and clearly driven by an individual that was in a hurry. He must've been doing at least 90, and this 20-something part-time Uber drive could barely control his excitement. While I certainly shared his enthusiasm, I was unsure of how a part-time Uber driver (I believe he was a college student driving for Uber to make some extra cash) would be able to afford an $80,000 car. But then I realized that by the time this guy gets a new car, he won't need $80,000 to buy a Tesla. He won't even need half that. You see, Elon Musk's next big rollout — following the Model X all-electric SUV — will be the Tesla Model 3, which is set to debut next year with a $35,000 price tag. And rest assured, it won't lack much more than space compared to the Model S. In fact, I've heard it's basically just a smaller version of the Model S. In any event, the $35,000 price tag on the Model 3 is the actual price — without any incentives included. Throw in the $7,500 federal tax credit, along with California's state tax credit of $2,500, and my Uber driver will be able to pick up a shiny new Tesla for $25,000. Not a bad deal considering he'll save at least another $10,000 on gasoline during the first three years of ownership (and all Tesla Superchargers are free to Tesla owners). Figure that into the equation, and you're looking at a price tag of $15,000. Of course, we can't forget that with a Tesla, there are no oil changes or smog checks either. And because it uses regenerative braking, the brake pads can last between three to five years longer than those on a typical internal combustion engine vehicle. Overall, over the course of three years, you're probably looking at another $1,500 in savings on maintenance. That brings us down to $13,500 for a Tesla! I believe the cheapest internal combustion vehicle you can buy today is the Nissan Versa, which will cost you about $12,800. But of course, when you figure in gas and maintenance costs, it quickly becomes much more expensive. Just Kidding! Okay, so admittedly, I went a bit over the top just now. Yes, the new Tesla Model 3 will be priced very competitively. But when looking at pricing, I actually try to exclude any special tax incentives. If you figure those into the equation, you're not really getting an accurate read on pricing. So if we take that same Model 3 and exclude the tax incentives but still include gas and maintenance savings (which are absolutely relevant), that puts us back up to $23,500. Now, let me ask you this... Would you pay $23,500 for what is basically a smaller version of the car in the image below? [image] (Tesla-S EV) Before you answer, keep in mind that you will still be limited in driving range. Right now, I can drive my Prius from Washington, D.C. to Boston on a single tank of gas. In a Tesla Model 3, however, which will deliver 250 miles per charge, I'd only get as far as New York City. I say “only” because I'm being a bit sarcastic. Being able to drive from Washington, D.C. to New York City in an electric car — without having to stop to recharge — is pretty damn impressive. Especially if you get to do it in a Tesla. Change is upon us The reason I did these quick calculations was to illustrate that the two biggest obstacles to electric vehicle integration — price and range — are quickly being overcome. Hell, they're being torched! Next year, we're going to see an electric car that will be competitively priced against similarly styled internal combustion vehicles and will provide nearly every daily commuter with enough “fuel” (i.e. battery power) to get to and from work or school. Now imagine where we'll be by the end of the decade! My engineering contacts tell me 300 miles per charge should be the standard by 2020, and according to UBS, electric car sales should soar after an “expected rapid decline in battery cost by more than 50%.” With the dual threat of cost reductions and increased range, the highly disruptive breakthrough of electric vehicles is now in place where a major ramp-up is inevitable. In fact, consider what was recently written at Oilprice.com in an article entitled, "Electric Vehicles to Become Mainstream in Short Period of Time." Consider the ramping up of some of the most basic items that have conquered the American market over the past century. Refrigerators went from a luxury item to 60 percent household penetration during the Depression and World War II. Technologies we used to live without including PCs, the Internet, and cell phones have become an integral part of daily life. We are about to find out if electric vehicles can make their mark and become mainstream. The launch sequence and liftoff phase (now barely underway) will soon reveal the extent of their fuel supply, i.e. How much interest will consumers have in EVs when a 200-mile-per-charge car costs less than $25,000? When a 60 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery costs $9,000, there will be plenty of room in the budget to build a lightweight car around it. At any price, the cost of ownership falls by 75 percent (not including cheaper insurance and maintenance); gasoline miles costing 12 cents each (at the current mileage standard with $3 per gallon) cannot compete with electric miles costing 3 cents or less. My friend, if you're a regular reader of these pages, you know I've been bullish on electric vehicles since 2005 — back when hardly anyone knew a company called Tesla even existed. And here we are today, with electric vehicles being nearly ubiquitous in terms of any discussion regarding the auto market. These days, Tesla models, Volts, LEAFs, and a handful of compliant electric cars are just as easy to find on a highway as roadkill — an ironic foreshadowing of what lies ahead for internal combustion. There is no doubt that we are at the dawn of one of the biggest transitions we'll ever see in personal transportation. Ten years from now, I'll be surprised to see many internal combustion vehicles even being manufactured. Hell, most kids born today will probably never even know what it's like to fill a gas tank, get an oil change, or smell exhaust. Change is upon us, dear reader. Embrace it, enjoy the benefits of it, and — by all means — profit from it! To a new way of life and a new generation of wealth... [© altenergystocks.com] ... http://www.energyandcapital.com/articles/electric-car-investments/4863 Electric Car Investments How to Own a Tesla for Just $13,500! By Jeff Siegel June 17th, 2015 http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5693633-uberx-driver-s-tesla-is-a-toronto-celebrity/ UberX driver's Tesla-S is a Toronto.ca celebrity [June 24th, 2015] By Tyler Hamilton Corporate Knights [image http://media.zuza.com/9/e/9e2d1ca3-920c-4f01-b7a0-90dc7b2db534/B822008949Z.1_20150624141411_000_G3D1GKUUB.1_Content.jpg TESLA- WEB / Corporate Knights ] Meet Mike Lee, the UberX Tesla-driver of Toronto. Uber, the embattled enabler of ride sharing, loves Mike Lee. Tesla Motors, the electric vehicle pioneer, loves Mike Lee. And many UberX users around the Toronto area probably love Mike Lee as well. Lee is known by his Twitter handle @uberxtesla, and since joining UberX he has become somewhat of a celebrity to users of the popular ride-sharing service. After all, it's not often that your ride-for-hire shows up in a shiny white Tesla Model S sedan, an electric car that continues to turn heads three years after its introduction. "It's been like a crazy adventure," says Lee, 29, over a patio lunch in Toronto. He's wearing an Iron Man t-shirt, which goes well with his disarming, youthful smile. Lee says he drives most nights, usually when he can't sleep. "I've done it at 4 a.m. – it's like instant non-boredom, and I've been connected with so many different people." One night he picked up two NASA scientists attending a conference in Toronto. The three hit it off, so much so that Lee was invited to a dinner the same evening with Bill Nye the science guy. He has also picked up Washington Wizards basketball guard Garrett Temple and members from the cast of The Book of Mormon, among others. The fact Tesla's warranty is market leading and that Lee doesn't have to pay for gas makes the Tesla-UberX relationship not just novel in Toronto, but profitable. "I can drive the crap out of the car and it's all covered," he says. "Here I'm the only guy currently in the UberX system who drives a Tesla, which is kind of surprising because the economics work out so well." So how did a biology graduate from the University of Western Ontario who now co-manages a chiropractic clinic in Markham become one of the city's most sought-after UberX drivers? Lee purchased his Tesla Model S in September 2013, but it was only after he dislocated his shoulder last year and couldn't work that he considered the UberX option as a way of making some extra cash on the side. "I saw an ad that UberX was coming to Canada, and responded to it," Lee recalls. "When they did come, they contacted me, saw my car, and told me, 'You're going to launch UberX in Canada.'" Tesla Motors, meanwhile, isn't complaining. "All the Tesla guys know I'm doing this with their car. It's like the best advertisement for them," adds Lee, who estimates he has picked up more than 1,800 UberX users over the past nine months. It would have been 10 months, but in early May a typical left-hand turn became a nightmare for Lee. A row of cars had stopped to let him make his move, but a vehicle in the far lane didn't get the memo and kept driving. As Lee turned, the oncoming car t-boned his Tesla Model S and put his UberX driving routine on hold. "I'm completely fine, and the other gentleman was okay as well. I think we were both rushing to get to work and just got careless with the driving," Lee explained in an e-mail shortly after the accident. "I just want to get my car back." The car was significantly damaged, but repairable. Lee is expected to get it back on the road later in June. But as far as his UberX ambitions go, that might be the least of his worries. The City of Toronto wants Uber shut down in Canada's largest city, arguing in court this month that it is an illegal taxi brokerage that is undermining the city's licensed taxi operators, which number nearly 5,000. Cities around the world have gone after Uber for similar reasons, putting the popular ride-share company on the defensive. Lawmakers across Canada are closely watching the Toronto lawsuit. Ontario Superior Court hearings were concluded on June 2, but the judge presiding over the case said any decision will likely be appealed and that nobody should expect Uber services to come to an abrupt halt. That comes as little comfort to Toronto's legitimate tax drivers, who staged a protest during the hearings. Uber, meanwhile, is working behind the scenes hoping to reach some kind of a compromise with the city. Mayor John Tory is a supporter of the technology and has expressed a desire to introduce regulations that would allow Uber to operate legally. Resisting Uber and services like it is futile, argues Kevin McLaughlin, who founded and led Toronto car-sharing service AutoShare in 1998 until he sold it to Enterprise Rent-A-Car Canada in March 2014. McLaughlin is one of two citizens who sit on the city's Taxi Advisory Committee, which was formed two years ago. "I was telling them there's this peer-to-peer thing coming, and you better worry about it," he says, adding that the taxi industry representatives on the committee were more concerned with new changes coming to Toronto's taxi licensing. "The idea of all these licenses and everything is meaningless now." Another future risk is peer-to-peer (P2P) car sharing, which allows anyone to rent out their own car from their driveway for short or long periods. In the U.S., services such as Getaround and JustShareIt are two pioneers of this P2P model, which is similar to Zipcar or AutoShare but doesn't require a centrally owned fleet of vehicles. P2P car sharing can't be launched in Ontario because obsolete insurance regulations currently act as a barrier. UberX drivers are covered by their own insurance, and while this coverage prohibits them from operating as a ride-for-hire, it all comes down to proving it. "How is the insurance company going to know the passenger is paying for a ride?" asks McLaughlin, who considers Uber a better way to travel than taking a cab. "Do rules really matter anymore?" Bottom line: insurance regulations and providers in Ontario are woefully behind the times and need to catch up. An insurance company prepared to go out on a limb by designing coverage that accommodates P2P car sharing and ride sharing could gain a major edge over competitors in the long run. Like McLaughlin, those who prefer Uber over traditional taxicabs don't just consider it a potentially cheaper way to ride. It's not difficult to find cabs on Toronto roads that are filthy inside, smelly, or don't feel safe. It's not uncommon to see an engine light flashing, or to be with a taxi driver who is always chatting away on a mobile phone or drives like a maniac. "The taxi industry is pretty bad," says Lee. Uber and UberX drivers, on the other hand, can't mess around. The riders they pick up rate them, like someone rates a book on Amazon.com. Drivers can't afford to have smelly, dirty or unsafe vehicles, or to drive in a vomit-inducing fashion. Lee is a big believer in supporting new technologies if they deliver a social or environmental good. He credits Tesla for being the first, in his view, to make a green product truly sexy. "That's why I support Tesla," he explains. "Money needs to be directed. It's like a vote." With UberX, he considers it to be a fun social experiment, or what he likes to call the most random thing ever. "Every day I get connected to some random person who could become a friend, or a business partner. I'm also connecting people through people through Uber." If social media networks like Facebook and Twitter connect people with past friends and family and acquaintances, collaborative social services such as Uber and AirBnB connect people in a way that builds future relationships. "It's like the one is 2D and the other is 3D," explains Lee. "Uber adds a new dimension to social networking." [© thespec.com] For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://learnbonds.com/rise-of-the-robocar-uber-ceo-says-hell-take-500k-tesla-motors-self-driving-cars/119632/ Uber CEO Sez He’d Buy 500,000 Auton-Tesla EVs http://cleantechnica.com/2015/06/17/bosch-takes-tesla-model-s-automated-driving-tests/ Bosch Takes Tesla Model S For Automated Driving Tests http://www.ecorazzi.com/2015/06/25/tesla-offers-fully-vegan-car/ Tesla Actually Already Offers a Full Vegan Interior http://www.citizen-times.com/story/girls-gone-outdoors/2015/06/24/snowbird-mountain-lodge-installs-electric-car-chargers/29235449/ snowbirdlodge.com & Tesla offer MPWC EVSE Robbinsville-NC ... http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/2015/06/24/CarolinaGroup/Asheville/635707621651500125-Snowbird-Mountain-Lodge-electric-car-charger-3.jpg + EVLN: Tesla-S EV Autopilot explained {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-13-5k-Tesla-EV-Even-A-Part-Time-Uber-Driver-Can-Buy-tp4676521.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
