What if the rumored Amazon Tablet isn't meant to compete with tablets at all. It actually doesn't make sense to try and compete with the virtually perfect tablet APPLE makes.
But what does make very good sense is making a portable store built for every home and business in the world. A portable touch screen store that has a specifically designed UI, and search with suggestion generators for potentially desired products. What if what Amazon is trying to do is revolutionize how we buy and sell stuff like eBay has, and like Amazon already has through the internet; but now they are making it mobile and portable and possibly with a better customer interface?
Imagine a future where you had Amazon prime free shipping and you just used your Prime Pad (lets just call it that) it to buy any house hold idem or book and have it shipped overnight to your house, or play and stream the movie you bought from them through your Prime Pad to your TV.
Imagine Amazon bringing every store front to your living room through the portal of the Amazon store with its affiliates (assuming Amazon when all out and started charging tax to make shipping in all states much faster and easier).
This is some footage of a model S alpha Tesla's on a test drive. Tesla apparently tests the handling ability through roads like this, and from the looks of this the model S has superior handling. The model S really gives this car a run for its money you can heard the BMW accelerating just to catch up and maintain their view of the Tesla. This truly is an amazing display of Tesla's ability to create great acceleration and the ability to handle on the road, especially if it can give BMW such competition.
There is one electric car maker that can not be forgotten, that is Tesla Motors ticker symbol TSLA. As they are coming off from the success of their first model, the successful Roadster (the first highway legal EV sports car); they are preparing for the launch of their Model S sedan coming in 2012.
This car will push the limits of all electric cars on the road.
The "signature series model S" will boast:
-A 300 mile range
-Industry first 17" touch screen center console
-Seating for a total of 7
-0-60 in 5.6 seconds
-45 min quick charge capabilities
-More cargo room than typical sedans because the battery is built into the floor of the sedan making its center of gravity extremely low, thus increasing driving performance
Watch the video below of the Roadster and Model S side by side and you'll see how compelling the pure electric vehicles that Tesla's creating are, and you can imagine the legacy they will leave.
These are no golf carts, and no longer will Tesla be making only sporty millionaire toys. The model S has the potential to be a middle class transportation game changer. The model S has a very sleek design with, smooth streamlined curves, and thoughtful contours. In other words this sedan has some serious sex appeal. Not only is it a great design, but it will have the best range of all electric vehicles and even out last some gasoline cars on miles/refueling.
Its design comes from the direction of Franz Von Holzhausen who came from Mazda and Volkswagen. This designer reminds me of a similar very successful designer of a billion dollar company. Watch the following short clip and figure out who:
Now watch this video and use some imagination but think about the similarities:
Now that is just a taste of Jony Ive lead designer for Apple's iMac, iPad, iPod, iPhone products. Although Ive is still with Apple, Von Holzhausen bears a striking similarity in the way they both portray their vision of the product design. Tesla has often been compared as the Apple of the auto industry and from a design and innovation perspective it looks as if it might have a chance.
They have also hired George Blankenship former Apple executive in charge of Telsa's retail strategy. Also they have recently hired John Hillegass for design and retail development who also formerly worked for Apple and Pixar (another steve jobs influenced company). Interesting picture forming here around Tesla and the people it chooses to hire.
I just came across an interesting youtube video about the prospect of upgrading our decades old roadways and parking lots with solar panel laced roads. Yes solar panels topped with flexible impenetrable glass! There is a group of scientists who have a grant from the government to build a prototype solar parking lot to demonstrate how this could functionally work!
I naturally am optimistic but even this notion is somewhat far fetched for me since there is so much wear and tear on roadways which need constant maintenance, I know this video proposes that solar roadways would pay for themselves and save us from using fossil fuels for electricity but wouldn't the maintenance on these high tech roadways and parking lots cost more than they are worth maintaining?
In case you haven't watched the trailer for "The Revenge of the Electric Car" check out the trailer for this documentary that goes deep into the heart of companies betting on the market wide adoption of electric vehicles.
Please feel free to leave comments pos or neg I'd love to hear them and give feedback:
I recently came across the chance to test drive an electric Mini Cooper made by BMW group. This car is still in the testing phases, but it uses the latest lithium ion battery technology.
I honestly have to say the experience of driving this pure electric vehicle was the farthest thing possible from an electric go cart.
The Mini-e had some serious pep, and easily accelerated as if traveling in a small spaceship with the only noise being a slight high pitched hum, which added to the extraterrestrial experience. In other words I loved it! I actually enjoyed the experience of driving this electric vehicle MORE than I thought I would. After finishing an extended spin around the block and checking the car to make sure i really wasn't in some sort of top secret space ship, I came to the realization that if every person had the chance to drive one of these cars they would never want a sluggish gasoline engine again!
The most intriguing and exciting new experience of driving this electric vehicle was how the regenerative breaking worked. As soon as the driver takes the foot off the accelerator the regenerative breaking starts to slow the car down by recapturing energy from the spinning wheels. At first this was kind of weird and seemed like it was cutting all the fun out of the car's peppy-ness and quick acceleration. However the converse turned out to be true, I quickly got used to taking my foot off the accelerator as a form of breaking in itself, so when driving around the neighborhood I actually rarely needed to even use the breaks at all. I would simply start to naturally take the foot off the gas and the car would automatically slow down exponentially until i stopped about exactly where i needed to pause for a stop sign and then gas into my next turn (or should I say "bolt into my next turn). This mechanism which I am learning is in most electric cars seems to be a great new way to drive, capturing energy with breaking (using less wear on the breaks) and reusing this energy for the acceleration once the breaking has finished.
Honestly anyone out there that is a skeptic really has to get out and try at least two different electric vehicles before you write another negative pessimistic article about how these things will not have mass appeal. After driving this car my opinion has gone from excited supporter, to full fledged believer that this technology is the car of the future.
Check out a lease holders test drives too at this blog:
On a bright summer morning I drove over to optimistic Palo Alto in my aging two door gasoline burning honda civic to learn more about electric vehicles from first hand owners and to test drive a Volt. At the GM technology offices planted here strategically to make inroads with the innovation of the silicone valley, a gang of enthusiastic Volt owners lead by Patrick Wang of mychevroletvolt.com meet up with a brunch catered from Panera Bread.
The morning had a exciting bustle about it with a surprising amount of families and retirees who owned Volts, Nissan Leaf's, and Telsa's, and those whose next car has electric and/or hybrid as the only qualification. It was actually to my surprise that one Volt owner said he had only filled up for gas once in the past three months!
After browsing the offices and looking at the many EV's that had come, I signed up for a test drive in the Volt. Although i did have a driving instructor it was a very fun experience, on that felt exactly like a normal car; far different than the feel of a pure electric vehicle. (Although i did drive only in one of the cars many modes) I found i kept becoming distracted by the plane milky white dash board where the navigation system was. It was clearly a cheap plastic finish with buttons that only had impressions to press which resembled braille symbols used for the visually impaired. I almost wanted to comment to the driving navigator on how ugly the dash board was but i quickly realized he was not from GM but just outsourced help for the event. Also the plastic side panel on the drivers door had an interesting whirl design that resembled the background for twitters homepage. I have to wonder if GM was making up for all the oil the hybrid car was saving by using it for the interior design.
All in all the experience was just like any other car. Next event I am looking for is a Nissan Leaf, Fisker Karma, and eventually a Tesla Model S meet up or driving demo.
