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I’m a Realtor from Greenwich, CT and I’ve been passionately following the development of electric vehicles for over ten years. I voted with my wallet in November of 2007 with a $5,000 deposit on a Tesla Roadster since it was by far the best alternative for me then, and it still is today. My Roadster was delivered on July 27, 2009 after the Plycar driver notified me that he was approaching my house. My wife, Ann, and son, Scott, pictured below were very excited to receive this present from the automotive gods.
The green in Greenwich got a little brighter that day as I drove up my driveway and plugged my new mode of transportation into the 240v outlet my electrician wired in my hybrid garage (the other side is for my gasoline car – at least until my Model S arrives). My passion for EVs centers around six dimensions of interest:
- pushing the envelope of automotive and information technology,
- linking alternative forms of energy with transportation,
- achieving personal energy independence,
- ending foreign oil dependency and all that it has brought us (I was in the World Trade Center for both bombings),
- cleaning up our environment, and
- achieving excellence in automotive design, especially for sports cars.
The completion of my personal dream was achieved with the installation of a 10.8 kW array of photovoltaic panels from SunPower Corporation. In fact, to celebrate and promote the achievement I ordered “SUN PWR” license plates for my Roadster on a Greenways background. Finally my car is being fueled by the sun, not Sunoco, as I “ride free” past gas stations. The plates and the vehicle spark a ton of questions wherever I go and my passion for both shows when I answer them.
Thanks to a Connecticut Clean Energy Fund rebate, a federal energy tax rebate, and 16 cent-per-kilowatt energy from my power company, the solar system is economically viable. As a Realtor I know that adding PV to a house also enhances its value, but this wasn’t figured into my payback calculations. Neither were the gasoline and maintenance savings from the car. I’ll be happy to pick up another federal tax credit of $7,500 for my Roadster on my next tax return. I’ll also be happy to not have to pay exorbitant repair bills that are customary with a high-end sports car.
My solar installer, Mercury Solar Systems in Port Chester, NY, recently hosted a “Solganic” party at one of their installations, an organic farm that has adopted solar energy as its main power source. When I arrived I was redirected from the parking area to a place in front of the solar-equipped barns. Like many Roadster owners, I was besieged with questions about the car and also how I used solar power to fuel it. The car, while coming from another millennium seemed to be at peace in these surroundings, curiously complementing and completing the environment.
Earlier this summer Joe Powers, a Sales Consultant for Tesla, asked me if I wouldn’t mind bringing my car to a charity auto show in Plainville, CT. I’m always eager to help promote the company and its products so I quickly agreed.
At the show I was greeted by Seth Cutler from GE (left in photo below). The car was an instant success and, according to Seth, the highlight of the show. With the knowledgeable people who go to these shows, I got a lot of detailed technical questions about the car, the technology and the company. It was a pleasure to be able to exhibit the car and answer questions about “tomorrow’s” technology today. (It’s only tomorrow’s technology if you’re from General Motors or Nissan.)
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Ken, thanks for a great posting. I am a neighbor in nearby North Castle and also have a model S reservation. Perhaps in the future you can share your Roadster experience with us, particularly during cold weather months.
thanks so much 4 a nice topic
An inspirational story Ken! Not only did you buy the car, but you bought the photovoltaic cells to power it! Well done.
It would be great to know more about the solar energy installation that you did. Have you written about it on any other websites? In particular - the installation price, important issues you had to consider, whether it works all year round, how long it takes to charge to full.
I’ve ordered a Model S for delivery in about 18 months and would love to charge it with solar like you are doing.
Thanks for your story.
Superb posting. Thangkewverrahmuch!
For those interested in the $$ side of the power issues, here’s a recent piece from an energy investment newsletter I get:
www.energyandcapital.com/articles/lithium-battery-stocks/990
Thanks for posting Ken. As an alternative enthusiast, I share your passion and look forward to reserving my Model S in the near future. Refueling with your own solar panels….. The ultimate! Congratulations!
Do you sell your daylight power to the electric company and buy back cheaper nighttime power to charge the Tesla?
When do you typically charge the Roadster?
What does your 10.8 kW array really get during a sunny day in CT?
Thanks.
Here I get all excited thinking I can get an electric car and then I see the price $129,000 , give me a break. Once again it’s the rich who can get everythiong they want and let the little guy fall by the wayside..
Dan, most new high tech products start out very expensive, but eventually get cheaper as manufacturing improves. The first personal computers and cell phones were very expensive, the Apple “LISA” that preceded the Macintosh cost a cool $10,000, but now even top of the line Macs cost 1/5 that. So it isn’t surprising that the first high performance LiIon EV would be expensive, but eventually the prices will drop.
Another reason for the high cost is that as a small company with limited production facilities, Tesla needs a substantial profit on each car sold to pay back the development costs and grow the company.
But take heart, the profit and technical knowhow derived from the $120,000 Roadster is enabling Tesla to design a less expensive $50,000 “Model S” sedan, and bigger facilities to produce the Model S more efficiently and in greater quantities. Profits and knowhow from that 2nd car will be used to develop and produce their 3rd model which Tesla hopes to sell at a price below $30,000. So be patient, in a few years there will be EVs affordable to most people.
Don, its the Tesla Master Plan you should have looked at first. The high price tag is for the “rich” to fund the company that will bring the world the Model S ($50,000). An it is the moderately fortunate folks that buy the Model S that will fund the company to bring us the Blue Star ($25,000)
Now, Don, that’s the premium Sportster. The Model S is about ($57K - $7K = ) $50K. It will carry and operate for about the same as a $30K gasser. Which would you rather have?