Tesla

[hybridbear]

We don't have a general thread to discuss Tesla and the news surrounding them, so I figured I'd start one with this article...

Navigant Predicts ‘Volatile Year’ For Tesla

[kuzzi]

I see at least one or two everyday in my commute.

 

I like them, but too pricey.

[B25Nut]

On Dec 23, as I turned onto the main drag in our town, a Model S drove by. One block down was my destination, which was our bank that had a Tesla Supercharging station. Three Telsas were charging up, and when I left another Model S was turning into the facility.

[Ted Swing]

We have a Tesla store at the mall here in Scottsdale and I see them around here, too. They're very cool cars from everything I've seen. Right now they're only competing with super-luxury cars, though, so it doesn't affect many people.

 

It will be interesting to see what the newer Tesla models (Model X crossover and Model E sedan) are like. They could shake things up for more regular consumers. I expect they will be good car, but the price may still be too high for most. At this stage in its development, the Model S was supposed to be $60,000 before rebates but ended up at $70,000 for the base model. They say the Model E is aiming for $40,000 before rebates but if that goes up to $50,000 it may start to be out of reach for most people again (especially if any of the tax credits disappear).

 

Edit: Mixed up some details from the Model X with the 3rd generation Tesla (Model E).

Edited January 9, 2014 by Ted Swing

[B25Nut]

Right now it takes $40K just for the deposit on a Signature Model X. With its Falcon Wings, I wouldn't be able to open the passenger doors in my garage, but it's a fun car to dream about.

Edited January 9, 2014 by B25Nut

[aaronj1159]

Turned into my local Kroger the other day, right behind a white Tesla Model S. Keep in mind, there are very few hybrids/electric vehicles in this area relative to some other more urbanized areas. I followed him around the crowded parking lot and managed to get a spot near him. Got to look at it a little more. Love them.

[Ted Swing]

Yeah, my bad. In any case, I think the big challenge for Tesla is scaling down the price given that their starting point is a super-luxury car.

[hybridbear]

I would love to buy a Tesla, but it's out of our price range... The biggest thing I like about Tesla is the no dealership model and the exceptional service experience. I hope that succeeds.

[vangonebuy]

Its on my short list. When I win the lotto.

 

The shame is that it really wont save me any $. With our shameful high electric rates.

 

 

If you really are interested in buying a Tesla S.

Someone did their homework on the buying process.

 

http://nickjhowe.com/tesla/modelsguide.html

Edited January 15, 2014 by vangonebuy

[hybridbear]

Neat article about the two guys who drove a Model S from Louisiana to the Panama Canal.

http://www.hybridcars.com/from-usa-to-panama-in-a-tesla-model-s/

[Ted Swing]

That was brave of him to take it on a road trip down to Panama, between the rough country roads, variable charging arrangements, and the need to constantly bribe border officials. I doubt that I'd be willing to take those chances if it were my car.

 

It was funny that the border officials couldn't figure out what to put down for the motor/engine number.

[hybridbear]

That was brave of him to take it on a road trip down to Panama, between the rough country roads, variable charging arrangements, and the need to constantly bribe border officials. I doubt that I'd be willing to take those chances if it were my car.

 

It was funny that the border officials couldn't figure out what to put down for the motor/engine number.

I agree!! I would not do a trip like that with a new car, only with an old beater like on a Top Gear Special.

[corncobs]

Just for fun I watched the Model S walk through video on Tesla's website.

Very impressive how many cool things they thought of when designing the UI but yet it's beautiful simple.

Like how you can open the moon roof or that you can see the status of your outside lights. The reaction time on the big center screen seems very responsive.

 

In case you are interested here is the link.

 

http://www.teslamotors.com/models/walkthrough

[murphy]

And yet for all of that money it doesn't have Adaptive Cruise Control.

 

They also want $1000.00 to include ambient lighting in the car. $1000.00 buys an extremely large quantity of multicolor LEDs.

[HenryVIII]

I saw a Tesla meet at a restaurant. I typically see at least 1 on my commute every day.

[B25Nut]

I was able to take a test drive of the Tesla Model S last Sunday. It was the Performance version that does 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, so needless to say, the acceleration was incredible, and smooth. It is also the most solid car I have ever driven, but I have to admit I have almost zero experience with performance and luxury cars. It's good looks is a given. Where it falls down is in the interior. I described it as a little Spartan. The Tesla rep said the word he hears the most is minimalistic, but the designer's intention was to be simplistic. "The concept was that everything is done from the main touch screen, and everything else is......simple." is his exact quote. The 17" screen is impressive. On my drive it was filled with the satellite view for navigation. The rep emphasized how the driver would have access to the Internet all the time. When this raised my eyebrows, he added that of course only the passenger would handle this while the car was moving. My thought was "Yeah, right".

There is no storage in the doors or on the back of the seats. When I went to pull up on the right armrest, it didn't move. The rep slid it back to reveal the two cup holders. There is no storage in that area, just a very large area made from black plastic in front of the console and under the dash. The rep said this set-up, which he qualified as being tongue-in-cheek, is there to do its duty, and to discourage eating and drinking in the vehicle. "Really getting back to the 'driver's car' mentality".

I mentioned that I wasn't impressed with the headliner material, which also covers a lot of other areas. It is more coarse than the cloth in our Fusions. The rep said they also have a alcantara headliner available. For the $109,000 cost of the car I drove, I would think this would be standard. This car also didn't have a sunroof, which added to the Spartan feel. The other Model S they were demonstrating did have the glass roof, which did make the interior feel better and actually gave more headroom, but this was only due to them being fixed, with not vent option or a sliding shade cover. In the car I drove, my head touched the top of the car when I sat in the back seats.

For the 25 miles I drove to the test drive, my FFH got 47.1 mpg. I asked how much a full Tesla charge would cost. The rep said at $0.12 per kwh, the cost would be $10 to go 260 miles. I told him my Fusion has used 8 gallons of regular gas in the last 350 miles, and that any additional electricity that I use would be at a rate of $0.36 per kwh. He suggested I would have to try to get the utility's special night rates, but admitted the cost of daytime use would be exorbitant. Maybe I could turn my AC off in July?

Since I could buy three of my FFH and get change back for the price of the car I drove, I know I made the smart choice buying my Fusion, and it still thrills my soul. Driving the Tesla was still the highlight of my day, however.

[corncobs]

Thanks for sharing your expierience. It's funny I'm

actually watching the NatGeo Mega Factories Tesla episode on YouTube this very second. They are currently painting the car ;)

Edited March 20, 2014 by corncobs

[corncobs]

Delete

Edited March 20, 2014 by corncobs

[B25Nut]

I forgot to mention that when you let off the "gas" pedal in the Tesla, it's like applying hard braking. This takes a bit to get used to. The only time you really need to apply the brake is below about 5 mph. Also, the "stick shift" on the Tesla is like our windshield wiper lever. You move it up for Reverse and down for Drive. A button on the end is pushed in for Park. One feature I really liked is that the Parking Brake comes on whenever you put the car in Park, and automatically releases when put into R or D. Since the FFH has an electric PB, I would think this would be a nice feature for the Fusion to have. It would be one less step you have to remember to do.

[GrySql]

I forgot to mention that when you let off the "gas" pedal in the Tesla, it's like applying hard braking. This takes a bit to get used to.

That sounds like driving a golf cart of one of those indoor little electric racing Karts we take our grandkids to race.

Are you saying it's your foot on the 'gas' pedal or the car shifts into 'regen/braking' - there is no 'coasting or freewheeling' feeling?

That would take some getting used to for sure.

Did the car have Cruise Control?

 

Oh, you mentioned that you were disappointed in the cabin appointments, I guess they decided to address that with this $205,820 model.

Edited March 23, 2014 by GrySql

[murphy]

That parking brake has a downside. If the Tesla loses all power it is impossible to shift out of park or release the parking brake and the car would have to be dragged onto a flat bed with dollys under all four wheels.

[corncobs]

I forgot to mention that when you let off the "gas" pedal in the Tesla, it's like applying hard braking. This takes a bit to get used to. The only time you really need to apply the brake is below about 5 mph. Also, the "stick shift" on the Tesla is like our windshield wiper lever. You move it up for Reverse and down for Drive. A button on the end is pushed in for Park. One feature I really liked is that the Parking Brake comes on whenever you put the car in Park, and automatically releases when put into R or D. Since the FFH has an electric PB, I would think this would be a nice feature for the Fusion to have. It would be one less step you have to remember to do.

Don't they have three different settings for the regen braking? Sounds like they didn't show you that.

As far as the PB our FFH is only missing half the feature. If the PB is active it automatically releases when you start driving.

 

Btw I saw a Model S P85 in our town yesterday. It's such a nice looking just slightly over my price range ;)

[tr7driver]

One issue with an automatic parking brake is freezing. On rainy days with quickly falling temperatures, I have more than once had my parking brake freeze in the "on" position after driving to work, making it impossible to drive until the temperature warms up. On day's like that, I choose not to set the parking brake. This problem was particularly acute on a Ford Ranger I used to own.

[hybridbear]

I forgot to mention that when you let off the "gas" pedal in the Tesla, it's like applying hard braking. This takes a bit to get used to. The only time you really need to apply the brake is below about 5 mph. Also, the "stick shift" on the Tesla is like our windshield wiper lever. You move it up for Reverse and down for Drive. A button on the end is pushed in for Park. One feature I really liked is that the Parking Brake comes on whenever you put the car in Park, and automatically releases when put into R or D. Since the FFH has an electric PB, I would think this would be a nice feature for the Fusion to have. It would be one less step you have to remember to do.

Do the brake lights turn on when you take your foot off the gas then? Some Energi owners drive with their cars in Low gear to get this same feel. The problem I forsee with doing that in the Energi is that the brake lights do no come on when you are slowing down in Low. I have tested this in my parents' Energi and, like the Tesla, you can just take your foot off the gas and only press the brake under about 7 MPH when the regen braking turns off.

 

My dad drove city bus here in Mpls for a little over 15 years and the city buses aggressively slow down as soon as you take your foot of the gas. Their brake lights also come on anytime you take your foot off the gas to warn anyone behind the bus that it is slowing down.

 

I wish the FFH had adjustable regen settings like the Tesla so that owners could customize how much braking there is with your foot off the gas pedal.

 

One issue with an automatic parking brake is freezing. On rainy days with quickly falling temperatures, I have more than once had my parking brake freeze in the "on" position after driving to work, making it impossible to drive until the temperature warms up. On day's like that, I choose not to set the parking brake. This problem was particularly acute on a Ford Ranger I used to own.

I've had this happen on cars with hydraulic parking brakes as well. I've always had the parking brake release once I start moving though, usually with a loud pop of the ice shattering. After experiencing this once or twice, I try to not use the parking brake in similar situations.

[B25Nut]

The FFH could still have the existing control for the Parking Brake so that you could engage it when the car was in neutral or disengage it at any time after it automatically applied by putting the car into Park.