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"Teslas are .... "

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#1 ·
#2 ·
Re: "Teslas are .... undriveable(?)"

Tesla responds to 'undriveable' review (with VIDEO)
DetroitFreePress/USA Today

By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY
May 19, 2015

Consumer Reports elaborated on details Monday surrounding its door-handle problem in its new $127,000 deluxe Tesla electric performance sedan Monday that it says made the car "undriveable."

Consumer Reports says testers were initially locked out of its 27-day-old top-of-the-line Tesla Model SP85D because the car's fancy retractable door handles wouldn't work...
 

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#3 ·
Re: "Teslas are... ...stingy?"

since this is a sort of offbeat thread...

Tesla sends out 'don't use our Superchargers all the time' letters
Autoblog

Aug 19th 2015

Model S Owners Don't Take Kindly To Such Things

...Now, there are letters scolding some Tesla Model S owners for overusing the company's Supercharger network of electric-vehicle chargers...
...The official wording from Tesla about the Superchargers is that, instead of "free forever," CEO Elon Musk is now talking about the Superchargers as offering "free long-distance travel forever." See the difference?...

...The following is the text of the letter, as reported by numerous sites

Dear XX,

One of the great benefits of owning Model S is the many ways to easily charge. Between home charging, Destination Charging, and Supercharging, there is a solution for any application and adventure.

In particular, the Supercharger Network is the fastest, largest and quickest growing charging network on the planet. The Supercharger Network has grown tremendously to meet the needs of our owners and so far more than 150 Stations have opened globally in 2015.

However, as fast and prevalent as Superchargers are they will never be as convenient as charging at home. The true convenience value of EV ownership is unlocked when owners enjoy the ease of charging at home each night and Supercharging only when needed. Simply plug in when you arrive home and Model S will charge right away or at the time you've scheduled using the Touchscreen or Mobile App. Long before morning, your car will be fully charged for the next day. There is no extra travel time and no waiting.

The Supercharger Network's intent remains to expand and enhance your long distance travel while providing the flexibility for occasional needed use during local trips. Our goal is to provide the best charging experience, keeping charge times low to get you back on the road as quickly as possible. As a frequent user of local Superchargers, we ask that you decrease your local Supercharging and promptly move your Model S once charging is complete. Doing so ensures a better experience for the whole Tesla ownership community and allows Supercharger resources to be available for those who need them most.

Our helpful charge time and cost calculator shows just how little it costs to fill up at home. Using the national average cost per kWh of $0.12 and a 40 mile daily commute, topping up at home is under $2.00. In addition, many utilities offer incentives for off-peak charging, allowing you to realize additional savings of up to 50% depending on your local utility provider.
 
#4 ·
Our goal is to provide the best charging experience, keeping charge times low to get you back on the road as quickly as possible. As a frequent user of local Superchargers, we ask that you decrease your local Supercharging and promptly move your Model S once charging is complete. Doing so ensures a better experience for the whole Tesla ownership community and allows Supercharger resources to be available for those who need them most.
I dunno, sounds reasonable to me. Of course it's annoying to be told something is 'unlimited', and then to be told 'but within limits', but if people are blocking Superchargers so that others can't use them, then I get Tesla's point.
 
#5 ·
"Teslas are... "

...Updating Cars With Semi-Autonomous Driving
Starting on Thursday

TTAC

By Aaron Cole on October 13, 2015

Tesla will begin rolling out its firmware update Thursday to enable some Model S and Model X cars to partially drive themselves, the company’s CEO announced on Twitter.

Tesla’s AutoPilot feature will reportedly steer the car during some highway driving and help parallel park the car. A valet feature that would park and retrieve the car without a driver will reportedly come later. It’s unclear how autonomous the cars will be after Thursday, so we’ll save up the $75,000 and let you know as soon as we can...
 
#6 · (Edited)
10 Things I Hate About My Tesla...

...Actually, I could only get to seven things.
TheDrive.com

By Andy Blau
November 4, 2015

I picked up my new Tesla Model S a year and a half ago. It is a dark shade of green and affectionately named the Green Hornet. After 18,100 miles I have compiled my list of the ten things I hate most about my Tesla. Don’t get me wrong. This is a very cool car. It is generally reliable and fast as ****. But, there are certainly flaws in the car and here’s my take.

1. There’s No Spare Tire...

2. This Car Hates Cold Weather...

3. Only 2 Cup Holders?...

4. It’s Developing a Premature Rattle...

5. It Makes Your Life More Complicated
First of all, don’t buy a Tesla if you don’t have a backup. The big problem is that you really have to think before driving beyond your everyday commute. When I want to take a 100-mile trip to Philadelphia or a 250-mile jaunt up to visit my son at the University of Vermont, I have to really have to plot my trip, plan my charging stops, and factor in 30 minutes charging time.

I get no comfort from Tesla’s claim you can now drive from NYC to LA. Maybe I’ll do that when I retire. Right now I want to know that I can take a leisurely drive without having to beg someone to let me use their 110-volt outlet to charge my car. Or, I can hop into my wife’s Lexus or my daughter’s Subaru and, you know, just drive straight there.

6. I’m not that psyched about driving it in the snow...

7. The Hardware Can’t Keep up With the Software
Tesla’s software updates automatically. But the claim that this car is software driven—a paradigm-buster in the auto world—is only partially true. In reality, it’s hardware driven.

I made the mistake of buying the entry-level Model S60. But over the past 18 months, Tesla has added a slew of new software features that I can’t get because they require new hardware—dual motor, which gives you 4-wheel drive, Auto-Pilot, blind spot monitoring, etc. My advice? Don’t buy a Tesla! Lease it. That gives you a much better option to trade in and enjoy the benefits of Tesla’s newest features which are not only software driven but hardware driven, too.

8. OK, I Can’t Get to 10
Here’s the thing: The Tesla is a great driving car, packed with torque and superb handling. I smile every time I pass a gas station, even if gas in New Jersey is now $1.87 a gallon. I don’t regret the purchase in the least. In fact, I’m trading in my S60 for a new Model S70D. Tesla, I just can’t quit you.

.
 
#8 ·
Re: 10 Things I Hate About My Tesla...

1. There’s No Spare Tire...
Do any cars have a spare tire these days?

2. This Car Hates Cold Weather...
No heater?

3. Only 2 Cup Holders?...
Ugh.

4. It’s Developing a Premature Rattle...
Legitimate complaint. Take it in and get it looked at.

5. It Makes Your Life More Complicated
First of all, don’t buy a Tesla if you don’t have a backup. The big problem is that you really have to think before driving beyond your everyday commute. When I want to take a 100-mile trip to Philadelphia or a 250-mile jaunt up to visit my son at the University of Vermont, I have to really have to plot my trip, plan my charging stops, and factor in 30 minutes charging time.

I get no comfort from Tesla’s claim you can now drive from NYC to LA. Maybe I’ll do that when I retire. Right now I want to know that I can take a leisurely drive without having to beg someone to let me use their 110-volt outlet to charge my car. Or, I can hop into my wife’s Lexus or my daughter’s Subaru and, you know, just drive straight there.​
Everyone who bought one knows the limitations. Yes, there's a trade off. You also get close to 300 km of driving on a full charge. What kind of leisurely drive are you taking? An electric car clearly isn't for you, sir.

6. I’m not that psyched about driving it in the snow...
Get snow tires. It has traction control. Where is the problem?

7. The Hardware Can’t Keep up With the Software
Tesla’s software updates automatically. But the claim that this car is software driven—a paradigm-buster in the auto world—is only partially true. In reality, it’s hardware driven.

I made the mistake of buying the entry-level Model S60. But over the past 18 months, Tesla has added a slew of new software features that I can’t get because they require new hardware—dual motor, which gives you 4-wheel drive, Auto-Pilot, blind spot monitoring, etc. My advice? Don’t buy a Tesla! Lease it. That gives you a much better option to trade in and enjoy the benefits of Tesla’s newest features which are not only software driven but hardware driven, too.​
Which running hardware upgrades did BMW offer you? Mercedes? Jaguar? You'd rather have no software upgrade than have software upgrades, knowing that NO ONE offers hardware upgrades?

I usually don't question someone's opinion of a vehicle, but most of his complaints seem very silly to me.


 
#12 · (Edited)
a quick-post thanks to Jpd80
to give background to why Elon has been pissed lately

CARB ZEV Program Changes; Tesla Takes Largest Hit, Fuel Cell Tech Wins
InsideEVs.com

2 years ago by Jay Cole


While the eventual lowering of environmental credits for California for electric vehicles (or ZEV credits) comes as no surprise – the action had previously been delayed from last September; so to see a 15 Day Notice posted on CARB’s website this week was noteworthy.

The ultimate loser for these changes? Tesla Motors

Under the new rules Tesla will only qualify for 4 credits per new Model S, down from as much as 7, thanks to a harder/lower threshold for the rapid-refueling requirement.

The winner? Any fuel cell with 300 miles of range

The ZEV credit maximum raises to 9 credits, provided the vehicle can refuel in 15 minutes and has a range of 300 miles. Naturally this makes players like Toyota and Hyundai very happy. The Hyundai Tucson fuel cell for example, just so happens to have a 300 mile range and can be filled in 10 minutes.

Despite the fact that Tesla netted $129.8 million worth of ZEV credits in sales to other automakers in 2013, as well as almost $65 million in other efficiency credits, this event comes as no surprise as the company has long ago said that ZEV revenue would rapidly decline in 2013 and they had zero expectations for it going forward. (Tesla booked no ZEV revenue at all in Q4)
 
#13 · (Edited)
Re: Teslas are .... in "CAMP MODE"

I Went Camping in the Trunk of a $145,000 Tesla
Elon Musk inadvertently spawned a subculture that's hacking the Model S into a 21st century tent.
Bloomberg

Tom Randall - August 17, 2016

As the sun set beyond the long-needle pines and emerald waters of Lake Tahoe, I looked across the campfire and laughed out loud. I was about to go “camping” in the back of a $145,000 electric car because, well, it's become a thing.

Tesla “Camper Mode,” as it’s often called, may not be sanctioned by the company, but a community of drivers is devoted to the practice. There are forums and YouTube videos that praise the virtues of Tesla camping and explore the hacks you’ll need to make it work. There’s even a third-party Tesla car app, with a “Camp Mode” function that will optimize the car’s systems for a good night’s sleep. This is a quirky, little Tesla subculture, and of course I had to try it myself.

I know what you’re thinking (because it was my first thought, too): Why would someone who can afford a Tesla need to bed down inside one? The last time I slept in a car was on a college road trip from Iowa to Florida, and it was a night of eternal torment, with cramped seats, suffocating heat, and mosquitoes that swarmed when we cracked the windows. Who would choose that again?

But Tesla camping promised something different. The sapphire blue Model S I was driving for the week has a 90 kilowatt hour battery—the largest you can find in a car on the road today. In theory, it should be able to handle a night of climate control and HEPA-level air filtration without much limiting of the vehicle’s range. Also, electric cars are virtually silent and release no tailpipe emissions (they don’t have tailpipes) so they won’t suffocate the camper or disturb the local fauna. As for the Model S’s panoramic glass roof, well, no tent can compete with that.

There’s also something romantic about the idea that you slide into a car to enjoy the solitary pleasures of life on the road—and you need to stop only when you, or the car, need to recharge. And Camper Mode could be a real draw for Tesla’s next car, the more affordable Model 3, which is headed for production in 2017. According to a person familiar with the final design, which hasn’t been made public, Camper Mode will indeed be possible. (More specifics below.) Tesla is hoping to make at least 500,000 Model 3s a year, beginning in 2018. In doing so, it may open up a whole new approach to road tripping for 21st century

Step one: Park it
One beauty of the Model S for camping is that the back seats fold flat, creating an impressive expanse that can accommodate someone more than six feet tall, or even two people side-by-side, as Norwegian Tesla enthusiast Bjørn Nyland shows in this video from April 2015. But what I didn’t realize is that the 2016 Next Generation rear seats don’t fold completely flat. In fact, they leave a hump of several inches that could be a real pain in the backside.

My solution: I stopped by a sporting goods store and picked up a few leftover cardboard boxes. It took only a minute to even out the hump, but it’s an annoying extra step that somehow feels like cheating. Cardboard in place, I unrolled a self-inflating sleeping pad and made up my bed with a sheet, pillow, and light blanket. The parking spot at my Lake Tahoe campsite was slightly inclined, so I backed the car in to level it out, accounting for my cardboard job.

Why they call it “Camper Mode”
Driving a Model S takes some getting used to. There’s little difference between having the car “on” or “off.” When you approach it with the key fob in your pocket, it unlocks itself and the climate control engages, ready to drive. When you leave the car, everything shuts down and locks up automatically. You can even use the official Tesla phone app to pre-heat or pre-cool the car from a distance. There’s no key or ignition button.

Unfortunately for campers, when the driver’s seat sits empty for more than half an hour, the car wants to turn itself off. Here are the steps to “trick” the car and get it ready for camping:

Engage Camper Mode.
1. Put the car in neutral and manually engage the parking brake on the touchscreen. This will prevent the car’s systems from turning themselves off. (Don’t worry: You can’t accidentally disengage the parking brake without having your foot on the brake pedal.)
2. Turn off the headlights, though the daytime running lamps (a thin outline of LEDs) will remain on when the car is in neutral. For stealth mode, I cut out squares of cheap backing for blackout curtains and hung them like sunglasses from the car’s front hood.
3. Set the temperature, fan, and air filtration to your preferred levels for sleeping.
4. Manually lock the car via the touchscreen.
5. Change the screen to the nighttime setting and dim it to the lowest setting. If that’s still too much light, you can also set the screen to “cleaning mode,” which blacks it out, though I preferred to maintain instant access to the controls. I threw a towel over it.
6. Do yourself a favor and pick up a portable electric espresso maker or kettle. They plug right in to the car, so in the morning you can recharge before hitting the road again.

The “Camp Mode” option on the unauthorized iPhone Tesla app works differently. Instead of shifting to neutral, the app checks in with the car every 30 minutes to re-engage the climate control when it would otherwise turn itself off while parked. This has the added advantage of allowing you to charge the car while you camp and to turn off the headlights completely, but it disengages if you ever use your phone. I wasn’t able to test it because there’s no Android version of the app yet.

Coming Soon to the Model 3?
Short of a literal camper, the Model S may be the only car in the world ready for full “Camper Mode.” Other electric cars—the Nissan Leaf or BMW i3, for instance—don’t yet have the battery range to drive to a remote destination, park, leave the car’s HVAC system running overnight, and return home. After driving the car from Reno, Nev. to the south shore of Lake Tahoe (mostly on Autopilot), the car’s navigation system told me I had enough power left to make it to the next Supercharger station on my route with 40 percent of my 270-mile range to spare. A night of camping ultimately sapped that range by about 7 percentage points...

Surprisingly, the Model S’s bigger brother, the Model X SUV, makes an unsuitable camper because the unique monopost second-row seats don’t fold down. The Model S’s little brother, the Model 3, will be camp-ready, if a bit cramped...
...accommodate only someone who is about 5 1/2 feet long, stretched out...

but wait, there's MORE...


.
 
#17 ·
Re: "Tesla is .... "

"... head-hunting"

via AutoVerdict

Tesla poaches Volvo’s ‘Head of Interior Engineering’ to improve its interior quality
elecTREK.co

Fred Lambert - 1 day ago


Tesla managed to hire a top engineering talent from the Swedish automaker Volvo. Electrek has learned that Anders Bell, Senior Director of Engineering at Volvo and the automaker’s ‘Head of Interior Engineering’ is joining Tesla in an equivalent role this month.

The engineer confirmed the move on his LinkedIn profile over the weekend...
.
 
#22 ·
not quite-new & didn't read the whole thing - yet - but...

Are you safer in a Tesla on autopilot, as Elon Musk says? Let’s do the math.
WashingtonPost

By Mark Palko - October 7, 2016


...Many journalists are missing the statistical context
There is a much deeper issue here than just another case of bad statistics in a news story. Since well before the accident, transportation researchers, statisticians, and traffic safety experts have been pointing out that the mile-to-mile comparisons reported by companies like Tesla and Google are not valid and that the data collected did not support the conclusions the companies were drawing. Most journalists have failed to report this essential context.

Journalists have never been more eager to throw statistics at their readers. But data without proper statistical context can mislead as often as it informs. Along similar lines, stories on science and technology are fatally incomplete unless they put the new findings in the larger context of existing research and let the readers know the consensus opinions of scientists in that field.

There is more to doing the math than just reporting the numbers.
 
#23 ·
In reply to the "Tesla able to save South Australia's energy woes", Journo Mike Sinclair tweeted the following:
@mcannonbrookes you've fixed SA's power now convince @elonmusk to build @TeslaMotors #Model3 at Elizabeth. @holden_aus will deal

- - - - - - -

1- at least SOMEbody has an idea for Holden
2- imho Elon might have his pick of GM-or-Ford factories...


- - - - - - -
Tesla's Musk offers to fix South Australia's power crisis in 100 days
Reuters-
Business News | Fri Mar 10, 2017
By Sonali Paul | MELBOURNE


Tesla Inc boss Elon Musk on Friday offered to save Australia's most renewable-energy dependent state from blackouts by installing $25 million worth of battery storage within 100 days, and offering it for free if he missed the target.

The offer follows a string of power outages in the state of South Australia, including a blackout that left industry crippled for up to two weeks and stoked fears of more outages across the national electricity market due to tight supplies.

Musk made the offer on social media, and the government said it could consider backing such a battery roll out by Tesla.

"The government stands ready through ARENA and the CEFC to work with companies with serious proposals to support the deployment of more storage," Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg said in an email to Reuters.

ARENA is the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the CEFC is the Clean Energy Finance Corp.

Musk made the offer in response to a comment on social media by Mike Cannon-Brookes, the co-founder of Australian software maker Atlassian Corp, who said he would be willing to line up funding and political support if Tesla could supply batteries that would solve South Australia's problems.

100-DAY GUARANTEE
Musk responded by tweeting: "Tesla will get the system installed and working 100 days from contract signature or it is free. That serious enough for you?"

He quoted a price of $250 per kilowatt hour for 100 megawatt hour systems, which would imply a price of $25 million for the battery packs.

"You're on mate. Give me 7 days to try and sort out politics & funding," tweeted Cannon-Brookes.

He said he was inundated with calls on Friday after the exchange and was eager to get the plan off the ground.

"My phone hasn't stopped buzzing. The support is flooding in, both from individuals in terms of '**** yes!' and from corporates who are asking: 'Can we buy power? Can we contribute dollars?'," Cannon-Brookes told Reuters.

Tesla launched its Powerwall 2 in Australia, the world's top market for rooftop solar, this week. Battery storage is just one of several options the government is looking at to help ensure reliable power supplies as the country grows more reliant on intermittent wind and solar power.

"We have been talking with a number of large-scale battery providers about potential storage solutions, including in South Australia. To the extent Tesla is interested, we'll also talk with them," Clean Energy Finance Corp Chief Executive Oliver Yates said in an emailed statement.

After a record-breaking summer, Australia's energy market operator said this week that eastern Australia desperately needed more gas for power stations within the next two years to provide back-up electricity for wind and solar and avert blackouts.

.
 
#25 ·
Tesla is discontinuing its least expensive Model S (again**)
with 60 kWh battery pack next month

electrek.co

Fred Lambert - Mar. 17th 2017


Electrek has learned that Tesla is planning to discontinue the least expensive versions of the Model S next month. Today, Tesla started sending out emails to warn potential buyers who have shown interest in the vehicles that the change is coming and Electrek confirmed the news with Tesla.

April 16th, 2017 will be the last day to order the Model S 60 and 60D. The vehicles were the least expensive models that customers could purchase from Tesla – starting at $68,000.

The Model S 60 and 60D were equipped with 75 kWh battery packs software-locked to 60 kWh. Owners were able to unlock the remaining 15 kWh through a software update for a fee at any time after the purchase if they decided that they wanted more capacity.

Tesla says that they are making the change because most customers ultimately end up upgrading to 75 kWh and they want to streamline the ordering process...



commentary swiped from GMi:
Tesla 'bulls' say it's a clear sign the Model 3 is around the corner,
and this is to create more price separation between the two vehicles.​



** like 4 years ago:
Entry Level 40kWh Tesla Model S Cancelled, 60 kWh Cars All Get Supercharging Hardware - InsideEVs


.
 
#26 ·
I agree with the model 3 comment however I also bet the take rate on the cheaper model is probably a lot less like the article states. Most Model S's that I have seen anyway have always been higher spec ones.
 
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