Yeah and anyone who bought a gas guzzler thinking gas prices would stay low is a big ****ing moron.
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Just drove my first Tesla S
- Thread starter Wiggle
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Yeah and anyone who bought a gas guzzler thinking gas prices would stay low is a big ****ing moron.
You have to completely change the way you think about driving when you're in this thing. When you take your foot off the accelerator, it automatically starts "braking", but what it's really doing is slowing the motor, so while it feels like it's breaking, it's just lowering power. There are a million settings on the thing and I was driving one by my buddy who works at Google so he had it fully customized to his liking. He said you can change the way it slows down and handles non-acceleration.
It has adjustable suspension. It's like having a car that you can customize to be smooth, sporty, off-roady, etc. My buddy showed me a couple of the changes and you can see the hood of the car go up or down depending on your preference, again, customizability is incredible.
Steering is solid, the thing hugs the road. and the model I drove was rear-wheel drive. There was no slippage or anything, it just knew where you wanted it to go. The model I drove also had a beta version of self-driving, but we didn't play with that at the time.
Cornering is one of it's downfalls. It corners like a Ford Taurus. It's a long car, so it's not super agile when making U-turns and the like, but it's easy to overlook this particular downside given its many, many advantages.
Torque? Have you ever been on a roller coaster that accelerates you up a hill? That's what it feels like. I live in San Francisco and my buddy had us drive to the top of one of the steepest streets in the city. I'm sitting there just letting my foot off the accelerator to let it coast down to gain speed, and he says "Gun it". I refused, but he insisted, so I did. I've never been on a more exciting roller coaster ride in my entire life. It defied gravity. I could have been in the cockpit of a space shuttle and not known the difference. The acceleration and torque on this thing is awe-inspiring. The same goes for uphill. It's like it doesn't have to work at all. It just goes and it does it without any complaint whatsoever!
Forget the Tesla, I want to hear how the Aventador drive went!
The Aventador is work. It's a sexy car, it's "fun" to drive, but it's work. There's a lot you have to pay attention to to make her purr. The Tesla does all of that for you and just lets you enjoy the motion. I'd take a Tesla over an Aventador any day for any reason.
The oddest thing about driving the Tesla, is when she accelerates, you expect to hear a very loud or vivid "VROOOOOM". Instead, all you get is pure physics. G-Forces, no sound, just gravity. It's amazing. Also, the model I drove has OCR technology. It READS the speed limit signs and you can program it to tell you when you are "x" over the limit and automatically have it slow you down to your setting. For a car invented by a guy who Iron Man was based off of and designs spaceships, I wasn't surprised.
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I'm ordering the S in about 6 months (Just moved to SF so have to gauge our car uses and figure out where I'm gonna end up working full time if I don't freelance) and am already on the waiting list for the X for my wife (and me since I like higher cars).
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...all electric, whatevs. I lump them all in the same category. They're not "real" cars within reach of the general populace.
When you factor in nearly 0 maintenance (Tesla handles nearly all maintenance issues for FREE), free power at charging locations (and free parking at chargers in major cities), minimal moving parts to replace or maintain, etc, a $70k Tesla is far more valuable than a $40k Honda Accord over the long run. Oh, and did I mention you don't need to pay $2-5/gallon for gas just to drive it?
Let's make a deal. In a few years - i.e., 3 years - we'll both revisit this thread. If electric vehicles, like the Tesla, are by then mainstream I'll look like an idiot. I don't think I'll look like an idiot.
...be that as it may, I still don't regard electric vehicles as everyday machines. They are all the things you mentioned, but still not even close to being in every garage of America. My Porsche gets 25 to the gallon and takes premium gas. I'd love a car that does better and is feasible where I live. As it is, it's like 10 years from being reality. A Macintosh is inherently more valuable than a Windows PC, and yet people still prefer to buy a $200 El Crappo (Dell or HP) at Walmart rather than spend $900 on a Mac, and this mentality has been around for decades.
Oh wait, I don't have a Porsche. That's right.
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Ok
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If you live in San Francisco, "a few years" is already here. So, from some perspectives, you already look like an idiot.
I don't regard San Francisco as indicative of the way the rest of the nation lives, nor indeed, as even what the bulk of the US population desires to live. Most of this great nation does not live like San Franciscans. Try convincing your deep south rednecks they should drive a Tesla - or any hybrid, as awesome as they truthfully are - rather than a Chevy or Ford pickup. You'd have better luck teaching a hamster to fly the space shuttle.
That being said, most the country would love to drive a $70k vehicle of some kind; but whether it's a 'better value' or not simply isn't in the equation if you can't afford it, and that's the bottom line. We're not talking about how forward-thinking hybrid technology is, or how to best deify Elon Musk... it's a matter of how people actually live. Until we have a car within reach of the way people really live it won't change. It's simple economics, not the car's value. Seventy grand isn't affordable; and if it was, I'd have the money to drive a better car like a Porsche (in my own apparently "idiotic" dream) or a BMW.
Ergo, thank you for the veiled name calling, but it doesn't really apply. Let's agree to disagree.
EDIT: and the thread is off track. You drove a Tesla. It must have been cool - they are beautiful cars.
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I don't regard San Francisco as indicative of the way the rest of the nation lives, nor indeed, as even what the bulk of the US population desires to live. Most of this great nation does not live like San Franciscans. Try convincing your deep south rednecks they should drive a Tesla - or any hybrid, as awesome as they truthfully are - rather than a Chevy or Ford pickup. You'd have better luck teaching a hamster to fly the space shuttle.
That being said, most the country would love to drive a $70k vehicle of some kind; but whether it's a 'better value' or not simply isn't in the equation if you can't afford it, and that's the bottom line. We're not talking about how forward-thinking hybrid technology is, or how to best deify Elon Musk... it's a matter of how people actually live. Until we have a car within reach of the way people really live it won't change. It's simple economics, not the car's value. Seventy grand isn't affordable; and if it was, I'd have the money to drive a better car like a Porsche (in my own apparently "idiotic" dream) or a BMW.
Ergo, thank you for the veiled name calling, but it doesn't really apply. Let's agree to disagree.
EDIT: and the thread is off track. You drove a Tesla. It must have been cool - they are beautiful cars.
Ok, but you're the one who said you'd look like an idiot.
I don't think anybody is trying to say that in a few years every garage in America is going to have an electric car. But in a few years you're going to see many many more electric cars then we see you on the road today. In Chicago I already saw at least one tesla every day this summer and in the NYC area I spot them often.
Why ?
He said end of the MAINSTREAM hybrid and electric car sales.
At current gas prices, for most hybrids and electrics, there's no decent financial payback.
It might make you FEEL good driving one, but financially, it's only an ok decision as long as there are government incentives and subsidies.
Plus, what we don't know is how much the OEMs are internally subsidizing hybrid and electric cars. That might (or might not) change in the future.
So again, I don't see anything funny or ridiculous about the statement above.
-t
c'mon man... you really think gasoline prices are going to stay low??? what ya smoking der bub?
Ha ha, gas prices hit $2/gallon in Oklahoma (the middle of bumfracknobodylivesthere) for the first time in over a decade (which will last 2 weeks tops before it goes back to $3) and all of a sudden people think gas engines are still a good idea. Get with the modern era gents. Tesla will have a $35k full electric out by the end of 2015. Think on that for a moment.
I want to test drive one badly. Plus I'm digging the tablet like dashboard. I also want to test ride an electric motorcycle.
The genie is out the bottle. The benefits of electric engines are more well known know than before. There is more infrastructure. Cost is coming down.
And really, after driving electric, going back to a petrol vehicle feels like a shabby experience.
And then there is the torque. 100% torque at 0 RPM is a mind altering experience. Even in a Nissan LEAF. It just puts a massive grin in your face.
And for people that doubt the power of electric cars...I give you the Datsun White Zombie...
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Dude, learn to READ, and don't just put words in my mouth.
I didn't even say what my personal beliefs are.
My whole comment was based on the OPs comment AT CURRENT PRICES...
Where did I say ANYTHING about the hybrid and electric market IF prices rise (again).
-t
Indeed, many people do. And it's short sighted. Peak Cheap Oil is real.
Ahh, always nice to see black & white thinking.
Efficient fossil fuel based engines DO have a future, and are NOT outdated technology. The MIX between electric, hybrid and fuel based engines is still to be determined.
But even at the most optimistic scenarios, fossil fuel based engines are here to stay for a LOOOONG time.
What am I supposed to think about some dude's predictions ?
With so many factors unknown about this hypothetical sub $35k Tesla car, there's no point in arguing about it's potential success.
-t
I like Teslas, driven quite a few including the Roadster years ago (which imo is what they should focus on bringing back, a new version of the Roadster). But don't think I agree with some of the comments in here, reminds me of the hype of how these cars will somehow obliterate anything on the road. I ran an S85 in my last SRT8 Jeep and it was a beating (just had normal bolt ons) however stock the Tesla still wouldn't have won, its tested 0-60 and 1/4 and trap tell it all. I was running times similar to the P85, trapping slightly less, I was around 109 and the P85 is between 110-112 trapping. And Aventador literally traps over 20+ mph higher. My buddy in his CTS-V ran his co-workers P85 and destroyed it from a roll but from a stop it was pretty much neck and neck till about after 70 or so when the V just kept pulling away. Thats when he was stock, puts down about 600rwhp now so obviously that wouldn't even be fare lol. The electric motors are quick off the line thanks to full torque at 0 rpm but they run out of steam noticeably, hence the low 1/4 mile time and strap speeds. Handling is pretty mehhh, take a sweeping entrance ramp and they feel like their going to roll like an suv, the + package should help though. Interior still needs a bit more fit/finish which I'm sure they'll accomplish in next few years and most likely starting with the X, so far each one I've been in or driven has had some creaks and rattles with not many miles, actually a common complaint from owners. Teslas remind me of the feel of a fast diesel just without the sound, they do feel quicker then they are, same as a buddies lifted and Spartan modded powerstroke feels fast as hell in a truck that big with that much torque, feels a lot quicker then it is (still fast).
Thats not to knock on the car, I still think its very cool, and excellent looking. Just nothing exciting about it to me, I love the sound of a gas engine, the feel etc. The supercharger stations will be awesome as they expand. South FL has gotten quite popular with Teslas, see them everywhere.
I know their focusing more on the cars and the suv, still think they need to bring back an updated Roadster, that would be very cool with the advancements they've made.
Thats not to knock on the car, I still think its very cool, and excellent looking. Just nothing exciting about it to me, I love the sound of a gas engine, the feel etc. The supercharger stations will be awesome as they expand. South FL has gotten quite popular with Teslas, see them everywhere.
I know their focusing more on the cars and the suv, still think they need to bring back an updated Roadster, that would be very cool with the advancements they've made.
The thing about the Model S compared to any of those traditional cars you mention is that the power is so much more immediate in the Tesla. Any ICE has a power curve and that you have to find the sweet spot, wait for a downshift, etc. at 4800lbs of course the Model S is no sports car, but as a GT, and for backroad overtaking of slower vehicles, or for just immediately usable power during regular driving, I've never been in anything better.
How is the Model S not a sports car? The new awd version has a 0-60 nearly as fast as an Enzo Ferrari! If that's not a sports car than I don't know what is!
Outright speed has never been part of the definition of a sports car.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_car
Did you seriously reference Wikipedia for the definition of a sports car to prove you're right? Come on, I know its a subjective definition, but we're talking about super car like acceleration here. It also handles pretty damn well. So what, because it's not light or small it's not a sports car? Would sport sedan be better?
Electric cars may be the standard in a few years, but Tesla won't be the one building them. The same manufacturers will be in power.
I'm still thinking fuel cells will actually be better than electric, either way.
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Not a sports car in any way, shape, or form.
I'm still thinking fuel cells will actually be better than electric, either way.
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Not a sports car in any way, shape, or form.
Owning a Leaf and a Tesla has really put power use in perspective for me.
It's amazing how much power it takes to accelerate any car, but driving an electric car really rubs your nose in it.
Most average size homes have a main electrical power panel of either 100 or 200 A at 220 volts,that's more than enough power to power your entire house.
These home panels produce about 20 to 40 kilowatts.
20 kWs will accelerate a leaf at a very sedate rate and 40 kW will do the same for the much heavier Tesla. This means, to move your car at all takes the same amount powers it takes to run your house
Now, if you decide to put your foot down in a Tesla it can pull 320 kW, that's the same amount power as the maximum 16 homes in a LA suburb can possibly use.
So to put power use in perspective running the AC and heaters in a car is not very significant compared to accelerating that vehicle from 0 to 60