Tesla & Lutz

Monday-Wednesday this week, I posted about the predictions of Bob Lutz. His article has gone viral because it's a prediction of doom for the car industry - from a man who loves cars and spent decades as an industry exec. 

Last March Bob had more to say about the coming end of human-driven cars:

"As much as one side of me deplores it because I love to drive, when you look at the skills of the average driver, and the reaction times, and the incidence of alcohol and drug use as a factor in accidents, and the amount of national productive time that’s wasted in traffic jams, it is time to find a different solution."

About Tesla:

"[Musk] has no technology that’s not available to anybody else. It’s lithium-ion cobalt batteries. Every carmaker on the planet has electric vehicles in the works with a 200-300-mile range.

"Raising capital is not going to help, because fundamentally the business equation on electric cars is wrong. They cost more to build than what the public is willing to pay. That’s the bottom line.

"The one advantage [Musk] has is that the Model S is a gorgeous car. It’s one of the best-looking full-size sedans ever. . . They are unarguably a ton of fun to drive. The Tesla Model S? The one with ‘ridiculous mode’? Zero to 60 in like 2.2 seconds? That’s got to be like a shot off an aircraft carrier."

Regarding Tesla Model S, I agree with Bob Lutz that it's gorgeous. He's correct that it's a ton of fun. Its acceleration really is "like a shot off an aircraft carrier." 

Yes, I test drove a Model S this week.