Archive for the 'Batteries' Category

A Senior Director of Engineering at work never specifically said that she would cause me bodily harm if I did not write a blog entry about my bunny slippers. So I wrote, “They are size 7-½ fluffy pinks with big ears and little, white puffy tails, and I really like them.” She said that I should consider elaborating. She also never specifically pulled out an instrument of destruction. Read more…

Stephen Casner spent 25 years working on protocols and systems for transmission of audio and video over packet networks, starting before the Internet existed and continuing through the Internet Multicast Backbone (MBONE). He was recruited to the Silicon Valley to work with startup Precept Software and its IP/TV product, which was later acquired by Cisco. He is currently a Fellow at Packet Design, working on route analytics, and waiting patiently for his Signature One Hundred number to be called.

I’ve been driving production electric vehicles since November, 1998, when I took delivery of a General Motors EV1. I lost that first-generation EV1 when it was recalled in March 2000, but two months later I was able to lease a Gen 2 EV1 with NiMH batteries. GM pried that one out of my fingers when the three-year lease was up. I managed to continue driving electric by leasing a Ford Ranger EV pickup, but again that was only for a year before it was taken back. Luckily, I was given the opportunity to lease or buy one of the last few 2003 Toyota RAV4-EVs. Given the EV1 lease experience, the choice to purchase was obvious! Read more…

Don Cox is a Professor of Electrical Engineering and the Harald Trap Friis distinguished chair at Stanford University. He spent 25 years at Bell Laboratories and Bellcore developing revolutionary technology for what is now referred to as “cellular phones.” He has served on the board or as an officer of several Silicon Valley public companies and sits on technical advisory boards of many others. In this week’s blog entry, Don explains why he wanted to be among the first customers to receive a Tesla Roadster. (Don, pictured above with his wife, Mary, checks out the Tesla Roadster.)

My wife, Mary, and I were invited to be a “guest blogger” on the Tesla Motors website. This is a big honor for us. It is an easy task because of our high regard for the Tesla Roadster and the people at Tesla Motors.

We have had a long-standing interest in electric cars because of their potential both to help reduce our country’s dependence on foreign oil and to save our environment from pollution emitted by cars that use internal combustion engines. We thought you might be interested in our experiences and investigations in becoming Signature One Hundred members, the group that has reserved the first Tesla Roadsters to come off the production line. Our story might be called, “How we fell in love with the Tesla Roadster and Tesla Motors.” Read more…

Bob Bressler is a customer of Tesla Motors and owner of Bressler Vineyards, a small producer of super-premium Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. An expert in the Internet and networking technologies, Bob’s career prior to becoming a full-time vintner spanned executive positions at Sun Microsystems, 3Com and BBN. We asked Bob to share his perspective on electric cars and the Tesla Roadster.

Why did I order a Tesla Roadster? Believe me, my wife has asked me that question many times. I guess there is no single reason – but a long list of them. Read more…