This is HUGE: WIKISPEED, first car-maker in the world to accept Bitcoin

[Stephen Gornick]

OP here.

We are very excited about this.

[..]

I will be glad to answer any questions, just go ahead and ask.

Rocky, your work in support of Bitcoin and the P2P economy is fantastic.

I see that one of the principles of Wikispeed is equitable distribution of wealth.  (with interest paid to those "investors" whether the investment is in the form of "money, time, cookies or supplies").  How does Wikispeed gauge each person's contribution once there is wealth to distribute?   (Is there some ledger?)  

I have an idea that I wonder if there would be interest in.

Raise $18K USD worth of funds for the purchase of a completed Wikispeed C3 using GLBSE.  So this is no different from pre-selling, like what you see on Kickstarter, except that because the amount of money involved, individuals would pay in advance for just a fraction (share) of a Wikispeed C3.

Then once that vehicle is ready for delivery, it is sold by auction.  The first opportunity for bidding is given exclusively to those who bought shares directly pre-IPO (they can sell their shares through the exchange after the IPO but they retain the ability to enter the auction, that right does not transfer with the shares).  If that auction results in no bids above the $18K USD purchase price (in terms of USDs) then the vehicle is auctioned off to the public.  Shareholders then receive the proceeds of the auction.

This is a bit further down the rabbit hole than the simple pre-selling like what you see on Kickstarter because it is not a direct 1:1 consumer-supplier relationship.  So I doubt this approach would be possible without going the GLBSE route (at least not for a quantity 1 and a relatively smallish total amount ($18K) involved).

I wouldn't be the right person to set this up on GLBSE, but I'ld be willing to buy a few "shares" in this.

[rockyleal]

OP here.

We are very excited about this. And we really hope this will be greatly rewarding for Bitcoin and for WIKISPEED alike.

Finally, some competition for Lazslo's pizzas! Who will make history and be the first Bitcoin WIKISPEED car buyer?

Personally I see this as the moment when tunnel-drilling machines meet in the middle after years of working on their own: WIKISPEED and Bitcoin share a vision of a world that is made by us, for us. WIKISPEED on how to make complex stuff collaboratively, Bitcoin on solving the riddles of decentralized money.

I will be glad to answer any questions, just go ahead and ask.

You work for wikispeed?

This is an awesome project, good job. You should work with bitcoincard to create a mesh network to get stats on the car use, as well as help out the bitcoin network. I checked the site, might have missed it, but how much will one of these cost?

No, I actually work for the P2P Foundation. I was the person who got their salary paid in Bitcoin a few months ago. I also wrote an op-ed for Al Jazeera about Bitcoin called "Understanding Bitcoin".

I volunteered to help WIKISPEED accept Bitcoin. I contacted WIKISPEED with the idea and they encouraged me to join the team to make it happen. I am doing this as a volunteer, volunteering as much for Bitcoin as for WIKISPEED.

About your bitcoincard idea: hell yes! send me your email or your skype name and we will do all we can to do it, with your help...

The prototypes are $25k, but there is a 3% discount for Bitcoin-paying customers!

[rockyleal]

OP here.

We are very excited about this.

[..]

I will be glad to answer any questions, just go ahead and ask.

Rocky, your work in support of Bitcoin and the P2P economy is fantastic.

I see that one of the principles of Wikispeed is equitable distribution of wealth.  (with interest paid to those "investors" whether the investment is in the form of "money, time, cookies or supplies").  How does Wikispeed guage each person's contribution once there is wealth to distribute?   (Is there some tally ledger?)  

I have an idea that I wonder if there would be interest in.

Raise $18K USD worth of funds for the purchase of a completed Wikispeed C3 using GLBSE.  So this is no different from pre-selling, like what you see on Kickstarter, except that because the amount of money involved, individuals would pay in advance for just a fraction (share) of a Wikispeed C3.

Then once that vehicle is ready for delivery, it is sold by auction.  The first opportunity for bidding is given exclusively to those who bought shares directly pre-IPO (they can sell their shares through  the exchange after the IPO but they retain the ability to enter the auction).  If that auction results in no bids above the $18K USD purchase price (in terms of USDs) then the vehicle is auctioned off to the public.  Shareholders then receive the proceeds of the auction.

This is a bit further down the rabbit hole than the simple pre-selling like what you see on Kickstarter because it is not a direct 1:1 consumer-supplier relationship.  So I doubt this would be possible without going the GLBSE route (at least not for a quantity 1 and a relatively smallish total amount ($18K) involved).

I wouldn't be the right person to set this up on GLBSE, but I'ld be willing to buy a few "shares" in this.

This is a brilliant idea. Thanks! I think I know the right person to help us get it done...

About the distribution of wealth within WIKISPEED, I am as curious about that as you are. But I have a long-view outlook. For me the most important reward is that we change the world.

Also, thanks for the acknowledgement! It means a lot.

[rockyleal]

I have some questions.

It looks like only 5k out of 50 was raised on the crowdfunding website linked in the article. (It appears closed/deadline over?)
What now? Are you guys still working on ways to raise money?

What engine is being used in the demo vehicle ? Why isn't it mentioned anywhere? Is there going to be a different one used in production?

Will there be a kit available for the X-prize car?

Yes, there still needs a lot of money to be raised for safety tests of the new model. The faster we raise these funds, the faster the WIKISPEED C3 commuter cars will be ready. The proceeds of selling the current prototypes will go to this goal, as well as all donations! It is worth mentioning here that "Our Bitcoin address for donations is 12JiynsQcfNLbeWnM7cdnYGo3axPXDcwCV". This is VERY important!

For your more technical questions, stay tuned: Joe Justice will be in the forum as soon as possible (although I am not sure exactly when because I think he is in New Zealand at the moment). But he'll be here, I promise.

[DeaDTerra]

OP here.

We are very excited about this.

[..]

I will be glad to answer any questions, just go ahead and ask.

Rocky, your work in support of Bitcoin and the P2P economy is fantastic.

I see that one of the principles of Wikispeed is equitable distribution of wealth.  (with interest paid to those "investors" whether the investment is in the form of "money, time, cookies or supplies").  How does Wikispeed guage each person's contribution once there is wealth to distribute?   (Is there some tally ledger?)  

I have an idea that I wonder if there would be interest in.

Raise $18K USD worth of funds for the purchase of a completed Wikispeed C3 using GLBSE.  So this is no different from pre-selling, like what you see on Kickstarter, except that because the amount of money involved, individuals would pay in advance for just a fraction (share) of a Wikispeed C3.

Then once that vehicle is ready for delivery, it is sold by auction.  The first opportunity for bidding is given exclusively to those who bought shares directly pre-IPO (they can sell their shares through  the exchange after the IPO but they retain the ability to enter the auction).  If that auction results in no bids above the $18K USD purchase price (in terms of USDs) then the vehicle is auctioned off to the public.  Shareholders then receive the proceeds of the auction.

This is a bit further down the rabbit hole than the simple pre-selling like what you see on Kickstarter because it is not a direct 1:1 consumer-supplier relationship.  So I doubt this would be possible without going the GLBSE route (at least not for a quantity 1 and a relatively smallish total amount ($18K) involved).

I wouldn't be the right person to set this up on GLBSE, but I'ld be willing to buy a few "shares" in this.

This is a brilliant idea. Thanks! I think I know the right person to help us get it done...

About the distribution of wealth within WIKISPEED, I am as curious about that as you are. But I have a long-view outlook. For me the most important reward is that we change the world.

Also, thanks for the acknowledgement! It means a lot.

I would be happy to help out with this, setting up IPOs has become something of a expertise for me
I think I have setup about 7-8 IPOs either completly or partially
//DeaDTerra

[NothinG]

I asked for a shirt
Let's see if I can buy in BTC!

[rockyleal]

OP here.

We are very excited about this.

[..]

I will be glad to answer any questions, just go ahead and ask.

Rocky, your work in support of Bitcoin and the P2P economy is fantastic.

I see that one of the principles of Wikispeed is equitable distribution of wealth.  (with interest paid to those "investors" whether the investment is in the form of "money, time, cookies or supplies").  How does Wikispeed guage each person's contribution once there is wealth to distribute?   (Is there some tally ledger?)  

I have an idea that I wonder if there would be interest in.

Raise $18K USD worth of funds for the purchase of a completed Wikispeed C3 using GLBSE.  So this is no different from pre-selling, like what you see on Kickstarter, except that because the amount of money involved, individuals would pay in advance for just a fraction (share) of a Wikispeed C3.

Then once that vehicle is ready for delivery, it is sold by auction.  The first opportunity for bidding is given exclusively to those who bought shares directly pre-IPO (they can sell their shares through  the exchange after the IPO but they retain the ability to enter the auction).  If that auction results in no bids above the $18K USD purchase price (in terms of USDs) then the vehicle is auctioned off to the public.  Shareholders then receive the proceeds of the auction.

This is a bit further down the rabbit hole than the simple pre-selling like what you see on Kickstarter because it is not a direct 1:1 consumer-supplier relationship.  So I doubt this would be possible without going the GLBSE route (at least not for a quantity 1 and a relatively smallish total amount ($18K) involved).

I wouldn't be the right person to set this up on GLBSE, but I'ld be willing to buy a few "shares" in this.

This is a brilliant idea. Thanks! I think I know the right person to help us get it done...

About the distribution of wealth within WIKISPEED, I am as curious about that as you are. But I have a long-view outlook. For me the most important reward is that we change the world.

Also, thanks for the acknowledgement! It means a lot.

I would be happy to help out with this, setting up IPOs has become something of a expertise for me
I think I have setup about 7-8 IPOs either completly or partially
//DeaDTerra

This is happening

[Brunic]

This.
is.
completely.
AWESOME !

If I had 25 000$, I would buy it immediately. And it's coming from a guy who consider cars as the ultimate money waster and debt-trap. It means a lot  

[Serge]

OP here.

We are very excited about this.

[..]

I will be glad to answer any questions, just go ahead and ask.

Rocky, your work in support of Bitcoin and the P2P economy is fantastic.

I see that one of the principles of Wikispeed is equitable distribution of wealth.  (with interest paid to those "investors" whether the investment is in the form of "money, time, cookies or supplies").  How does Wikispeed guage each person's contribution once there is wealth to distribute?   (Is there some tally ledger?)  

I have an idea that I wonder if there would be interest in.

Raise $18K USD worth of funds for the purchase of a completed Wikispeed C3 using GLBSE.  So this is no different from pre-selling, like what you see on Kickstarter, except that because the amount of money involved, individuals would pay in advance for just a fraction (share) of a Wikispeed C3.

Then once that vehicle is ready for delivery, it is sold by auction.  The first opportunity for bidding is given exclusively to those who bought shares directly pre-IPO (they can sell their shares through  the exchange after the IPO but they retain the ability to enter the auction).  If that auction results in no bids above the $18K USD purchase price (in terms of USDs) then the vehicle is auctioned off to the public.  Shareholders then receive the proceeds of the auction.

This is a bit further down the rabbit hole than the simple pre-selling like what you see on Kickstarter because it is not a direct 1:1 consumer-supplier relationship.  So I doubt this would be possible without going the GLBSE route (at least not for a quantity 1 and a relatively smallish total amount ($18K) involved).

I wouldn't be the right person to set this up on GLBSE, but I'ld be willing to buy a few "shares" in this.

This is a brilliant idea. Thanks! I think I know the right person to help us get it done...

About the distribution of wealth within WIKISPEED, I am as curious about that as you are. But I have a long-view outlook. For me the most important reward is that we change the world.

Also, thanks for the acknowledgement! It means a lot.

I would be happy to help out with this, setting up IPOs has become something of a expertise for me
I think I have setup about 7-8 IPOs either completly or partially
//DeaDTerra

This is happening

don't sell all shares pre-IPO!

[Gabi]

Wow this is a great news! Being able to buy a so wonderful and special car with bitcoin!

[Serge]

WIKISPEED:  I'd like to know how are you achieving 100MPG? Was it tested and proved or just in a conceptual design that you will try to meet sometime in a future?

Another point, since you're claiming to be doing things wiki style, will Wikispeed be completely transparent publicly with development and budgets and monthly or quarterly reports?
Are your car models going to be "open sourced"?

[Phinnaeus Gage]

Huge news, awesome. The bitcoin address is shown in the press release, but doesn't accompany the "bitcoin accepted here" logo elsewhere on the site, as far as I can tell.

I will get this aspect rectified. Will work on it later this evening. Got to get back to the warehouse(s) now.

~Bruno~

[miscreanity]

Raise $18K USD worth of funds for the purchase of a completed Wikispeed C3 using GLBSE.  So this is no different from pre-selling, like what you see on Kickstarter, except that because the amount of money involved, individuals would pay in advance for just a fraction (share) of a Wikispeed C3.

This is a brilliant idea. Thanks! I think I know the right person to help us get it done...

About the distribution of wealth within WIKISPEED, I am as curious about that as you are. But I have a long-view outlook. For me the most important reward is that we change the world.

Also, thanks for the acknowledgement! It means a lot.

This is phenomenal on so many levels...

Beyond the single vehicle share plan, a general equity listing on GLBSE might be good - it should provide a better way of handling donations than just through the address on the site, especially regarding this:

Any and all donations and support to Team WIKISPEED (WIKISPEED Inc.) are treated as micro-investments. If we realize profit, we commit to repaying all of you plus any return responsible, so that if we profit you profit too. This is not at all over seen by the FTC, is fuzzy math because we can't yet commit to any rate of return, and please keep in mind we have no profit motive and intend to invest revenues directly back into our ability to deliver. But if we do realize profit, you will too.

That also has to be one of the most admirable and socially-responsible promises I've ever seen.

[ChrisKoss]

Are you in Seattle?  Could the CoinLab team get a factory tour or test drive?

[minimalB]

Ohhh... I'd love to be the first to buy wikispeed with bitcoins... unfortunately i am a bit short : )

But i can donate few coins! Done.

[jago25_98]

Can anyone tell me:

- what fuel does it run on?
- is the high mpg with the roof down? If so, that's a record
- does it have a windshield under the car to help efficiency?
- in general... anything concrete and interesting

I've taken an interest in fuel efficiency for a while now but I haven't been able to dig up much info on this

[TheBitcoinChemist]

Pretty soon you'll be able to buy a Moller SkyCar for bitcoins!

Those are just toys for the rich.  This wikispeed commuter car does have me interested, though.

[rockyleal]

Huge news, awesome. The bitcoin address is shown in the press release, but doesn't accompany the "bitcoin accepted here" logo elsewhere on the site, as far as I can tell.

I will get this aspect rectified. Will work on it later this evening. Got to get back to the warehouse(s) now.

~Bruno~

wat

[BitPay Business Solutions]

Huge news, awesome. The bitcoin address is shown in the press release, but doesn't accompany the "bitcoin accepted here" logo elsewhere on the site, as far as I can tell.

I will get this aspect rectified. Will work on it later this evening. Got to get back to the warehouse(s) now.

~Bruno~

Bruno, they have a BitPay account.  If they need any help plugging it into their site, have them contact me right away. 

[TheBitcoinChemist]

Huge news, awesome. The bitcoin address is shown in the press release, but doesn't accompany the "bitcoin accepted here" logo elsewhere on the site, as far as I can tell.

I will get this aspect rectified. Will work on it later this evening. Got to get back to the warehouse(s) now.

~Bruno~

Bruno, they have a BitPay account.  If they need any help plugging it into their site, have them contact me right away. 

It's on the main page now.