i think it would be widely successful, i'd buy one
DeLorean considering all-electric reboot
61–70 of 343 posts
Re: DeLorean considering all-electric reboot
#62From 2011: "So far, said [James] Espey, the company has retrofitted one car with an electric motor. If all goes well, he said, the company would start selling built-to-order electric DeLoreans around 2013."[0] Original article also mentions "...an EV DeLorean – as we displayed at the 2012 New York International Auto Show...". [0] https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/back-future-delorean-plans...
In 2011 it was pretty difficult to build a BEV. In 2021 you just call up Magna and use their stock platform, like the Fisker Ocean is doing.
Maybe they are full of shit and always have been. But I could see a good team with limited resources realizing how in over their heads they are 10 years ago, only to circle back today and be able to pull it off.
Re: DeLorean considering all-electric reboot
#63Despite the time machine nostalgia, I have heard DeLoreans are not very good cars to own.
Low availability and high cost of replacement parts, not many mechanics are familiar with them, need to avoid scratching them in any way because you don't paint them...
Not to mention gas consumption, safety, etc.
You can make a profitable business from a DeLorean. Like selling wedding photos and such... but as an everyday car it is not the right choice.
Re: DeLorean considering all-electric reboot
#64Some useful backstory on the government regulation to allow low-volume cars like this on the road: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a34673012/where-is-the... And some history on DeLorean overall: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15352382/back-to-the-futu... …and it’s a pretty wild history.
Maybe I'm missing something or I'm too stupid to understand the article but I don't see why anyone should be allowed to sell a new car with old safety standards for road use? I'm not from the US so maybe it is yet "Another US Thing I Don't Understand" (sorry). Where I'm at (in Scandinavia) not only would this not be allowed on the roads but even if I buy an old car and want to upgrade it (modern brakes?) it wouldn't…
I guess in most countries, you can renovate an old antique car from the 1920s and that's ok for people to drive around in. It's only a small step from that to saying that someone can upgrade an old car with a new engine and sell them.
From a government perspective, as long as these cars are niche, they probably don't mind so much. I can go and buy a 1955 Morris Minor fairly easily and it won't have seatbelts, but the assumption is that I would be aware the car doesnt meet modern safety standards.
Re: DeLorean considering all-electric reboot
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
The year Tesla started manufacturing Model 3s got Elon back to the ground from dreaming about special cars, like the new Roadster: to get to a huge company and deliver on sustainability, they have to focus on cheap cars in huge volume, and can't afford many fun projects (except things like Tesla Tequila, that they can mostly outsource :) )
Are you sure about that? Why would Tesla want to compete with Toyota and VW to produce the bottom tier of cars? When at that point they are competing with the best of the best at making the most affordable cars at the largest volumes? They could also maintain their brand image and sell their mid range luxury models achieving less volume at a higher profitability margin.
I think your definition of “best of the best” needs updating.
Show me where Toyota has casting machines anywhere near the scale of what Tesla is using in Model Y, or board design, or AI chips, or even things like buying experience.
Fundamentally “best” can be reduced to margins because everything else shakes out in a competitive market. Tesla has the best margins, and they will bring that margin advantage down to the $25k price point and Toyota won’t stop them.
The other big number you can look at is depreciation and operating costs. Tesla has the lowest depreciation and operating costs per mile at its price point, making it substantially cheaper to own a $45k Tesla than a $45k ICE.
A $25k Tesla with the same fundamentals could be had for perhaps $200/month with $0 down and would essentially obliterate any passenger car competition in any consumer environment where it’s possible to charge it.
I would not expect Tesla to have any compunction of selling a $25k vehicle under the Tesla brand. I don’t think their S/3/X/Y cachet would be hurt by a smaller sibling.
Re: DeLorean considering all-electric reboot
#66> National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has completed a regulation permitting low volume motor vehicle manufacturers to begin selling replica cars that resemble vehicles produced at least 25 years ago. Congress enacted a DeLorean Motor Company-backed bill backed by the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) DeLorean Motor Company, and others into law in 2015, which streamlined requirements for…
> They could even do a stickshift EV if they wanted to, though most car companies seem to not think it's worth the complexity/maintenance, and I get the impression that electric motors are hard on transmissions. Electric motors have a wider power band, so there’s less need for gear shifting. They could get more efficiency with multiple gears, but it’s be a smaller benefit than in an ICE vehicle. One of the big early…
Doesn’t the taycan have some kind of gears?
Re: DeLorean considering all-electric reboot
#67As a fun replica car in a limited run it makes sense. You wouldn't want a DMC-12 (even as an EV, where the lack of acceleration and power could be addressed) for a daily driver. The ergonomics of the design are terrible. It's a cool-looking car, but supremely uncomfortable to drive or ride in. I suppose that if you like attention it could be a "win". Driving one gets you a lot of attention, even 30+ years after "Back…
I don't know. I have one and while its performance is awful its certainly the most comfortable car I've ever owned.
Don't know. It looks cool but then again, it is history. An having been in twoseater cars, I am less than impressed.
But, in regards to new cars, I might be interested in this: https://ineosgrenadier.com/
Re: DeLorean considering all-electric reboot
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
If Tesla just made a sedan version of the Cybertruck, it would look just like a DeLorean.
My impression was Cybertruck is heavily influenced by the DeLorean design. It would be great to be able to get a DMC-1200 by Tesla.
From what I've seen, there are technical reasons for the design of the Cybertruck. Tesla wanted to use stiff stainless steel for their "tough" vehicle. The use of stainless steel for the SpaceX BFR (aka Starship) may have also been a factor.
Problem is that the usual techniques for making nice curved shapes don't work on such a material, so they used folded metal sheet instead, resulting in that "low poly" look.
Considering that the DeLorean is also made of stainless steel and also has a rather angular shape, you are bound to make the comparison. The necessarily noticed it at Tesla and I am not sure what they intend to do with that. The DeLorean is iconic and (back to the) futuristic, it also had the reputation of a terrible car and was a commercial failure.
Re: DeLorean considering all-electric reboot
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
The year Tesla started manufacturing Model 3s got Elon back to the ground from dreaming about special cars, like the new Roadster: to get to a huge company and deliver on sustainability, they have to focus on cheap cars in huge volume, and can't afford many fun projects (except things like Tesla Tequila, that they can mostly outsource :) )
Are you sure about that? Why would Tesla want to compete with Toyota and VW to produce the bottom tier of cars? When at that point they are competing with the best of the best at making the most affordable cars at the largest volumes? They could also maintain their brand image and sell their mid range luxury models achieving less volume at a higher profitability margin.
Why? Because they want to help wih climate change. And that means voluke production of affordable cars. Not everything is about profit.
Re: DeLorean considering all-electric reboot
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
> They could even do a stickshift EV if they wanted to, though most car companies seem to not think it's worth the complexity/maintenance, and I get the impression that electric motors are hard on transmissions. Electric motors have a wider power band, so there’s less need for gear shifting. They could get more efficiency with multiple gears, but it’s be a smaller benefit than in an ICE vehicle. One of the big early…
> On the other hand, different axles don’t have to use the same gearing ratio. That’s how dual motor Teslas work - the front wheels are geared for higher speeds, and more power is shifted towards those as you go faster. No gear-shifting required. Yep. Alternatively, the Porsche Taycan has an 2-speed transmission gearbox (cf. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a28903274/porsche-taycan-t... ). I don't think gearboxes ar…
Do the Tesla’s still have differentials then? It would be cool to eliminate those two but then you’d need a motor for each wheel I guess.