Ride in a Tesla

Tesla or Testla?

 

I test drove one overnight. It was a blast I would like to get one. However, I can’t justify the cost.

 

a) you typically can only go as fast as the car in front of you.
b) my wife rode in the rear seat of an ‘S’ said it was very uncomfortable.

 

Yeah, no local dealer for service is the biggest problem. I will not buy a car that can not be serviced locally. And in my region, the term "local" means within ~1 hr of driving distance. LOL

Besides, I have never felt the need for speed, and the cost of electricity just went up by 90%... Will stick with PP a bit longer.

 

While the acceleration is the big WOW factor, there are lots of other, more impressive, aspects.

The Model 3 is the most efficient car I have ever driven.
The voice commands can be given in plain English. My comparison may now be out of date. In the last non-Tesla I drove, to give navigation an address you had to tell it which region, wait for response, then the State, wait, then city, wait, then street address. I am guessing things have improved.

The convenience, for me, can’t be matched by any ICE vehicle.
The cost of fuel, for me, also can’t be matched by any ICE vehicle.
Service is almost unheard of, and most of the time if needed, they send someone to me.

I find the Y the easiest to get into and out of. The 3 next. The S has a very sloped roof and can be difficult for some to get in.

 

There's a video on Youtube where they do a teardown and analysis on the Tesla Model S drivetrain. At one point you can see the label on the motor. It shows that the motor is rated at something like 500 HP. So, to get the acceleration you put in a 500 HP motor and all the electrical and mechanical hardware to support that kind of power and then use something like 10 - 20 HP when you're cruising on the highway.

No thanks.

 

High power electric motors don't suffer the efficiency loss while at low loads like high power engines do. The performance versions of the Model 3 and S are still at the high end of the EPA ratings.

 

Also, power is torque over time, and even the motor in the Prius produces a lot of torque compared to an engine.

 

i'm still waiting for the 30k version that goes 200 miles and takes regular tires

 

Trollbait, I wasn't thinking about a loss of efficiency, but rather the idea of designing, building, and paying for a system rated for 500 HP and then using 4% or less of that 99% of the time. The math just doesn't add up for me.

Ed

 

My 2019 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus:

• $24,000 after Prius Prime trade-in via Tesla web site
• Initial 240 mi EV range now down to an expected 232 mi after 60 k miles.
• OEM tires wore out at 30 k miles, now on Bridgestone ECOPIA tires

Bob Wilson

 

that was a good deal!

what is the cheapest version now? my pip is probably worth 7-8k

 

And how is that different than an ICE powered car? When do you use all that power in normal use? How is this different?

 

The designing costs are likely the same regardless of what the car's power output is.. Aside form materials costs, same for the building.

I agree on the paying for such performance, but every car is only using a fraction of its power most of the time. A car with a power plant rated to match power requirements for the majority of its use would have dangerously slow acceleration for modern roads, and have trouble climbing hills. Hybrids get around that by having a second power plant to provide assistance, but that increases the designing and building costs, and also the price.

 

If you consider that Prime that he traded in had a value of over $25,000 and add the $24,000 that was financed, that made the cost of the Tesla closer to $49,000 dollars. I have no idea whether that was a good price for a Tesla.

 

If you accept the value of 20 HP as the requirement for cruising on the highway (it might actually be lower than that), the Tesla has 25 times that amount available. By comparison, the PP is rated for 121 HP or about 6 times the cruising amount. That's enough to provide adequate, although rather boring acceleration without overdesigning the system. That's the difference.

Where did I suggest that the power plant should match the cruising requirements? I'm saying that the Tesla is overdesigned for any sane driving scenario.

Imagine if they cut the system power in half down to 'only' 250 HP. Cost saving in the motor and inverter would be minimal but what about the battery? Now that the battery only has to provide half as much power, it could either be made smaller and lighter or it could be configured to provide longer runtime. Neither is possible as long as it has to provide 500 HP just to give silly amounts of acceleration.

I was curious to see what would happen to the battery in the PP if I punched the accelerator so I set up Hybrid Assistant and went for a drive. The weather was nice and warm - not too hot. The maximum current I pulled from the battery was about 190A. At about 350V, that's about 66KW or 86 HP of pure battery power (no ICE). That's more power than most houses are wired for! In our gutless PP! What kind of numbers would you see in a Tesla? How can anyone even imagine that the Tesla design is reasonable?

I understand that Tesla is working on lower cost, lower performance cars that they hope will have higher sales volumes. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.

Ed

 

• $41,000 - Tesla Monroney sticker price
  • ~$1,000 extra for AutoPilot
  • ~$1,500 extra for blue color
• $29,000 - new price of Prius Prime that I drove back from Rhode Island
  • $18,300 Tesla trade-in value

There were sales taxes avoided by the Prius Prime trade-in. Both cars were bought new and had sales taxes and registration fees which I don't remember how much. Regardless, trade-in was a 30 second affair handing over the keys and signing the Prius Prime title. Since both Tesla and I were happy with the deal, it was for both of us, a 'good deal.'

Bob Wilson

 

We call that 'the competition.' Let them sell the wimp EVs and let others buy them.

Tesla uses multiple engineering approaches including the 'mega casting.' By reducing ~100 parts to a single casting made in seconds, the newer Teslas will cost less. It is not just the battery which Tesla is changing from 18650/2170 cells to the next, 4680s. For example, the Tesla Plaid has a similar kWh to the Model S but the Plaid design battery has fewer modules.

Efficiency in manufacturing as well as all design elements is the road to a lower cost car. Tesla doesn't have to make a compliance EV. In contrast, existing ICE manufacturers are happy with a gutless compliance car (aka., the Bolt) to offset their ICE emission and mileage fines.

Bob Wilson