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Electric Cars (Tesla and Others) (3 Viewers)

"Autopilot" is a marketing ploy geared at susceptible consumers and fanboys. My car has "autopilot", it is called lane keeping assist, blind spot monitor, etc. These features will almost be the norm by 2018 on entry level vehicles. 

 
I will be honest with you I've always been a red-blooded gas-stomping muscle car kind of guy and figured a hybrid or electric would only be in my garage once they outlawed internal combustion engines. Looking at the 3 model I have to say my opinion has changed. I like the way it looks, I like that it's all electric, and the 35k price point is right in my wheelhouse.

From what I see right now the Tesla 3 is near the top of the list for next new car. The only things keeping it from being #1 right now are:

* I need to see more charging stations popping up locally

* Hopefully they can figure out a way to improve the range, it's currently just under the roundtrip distance to my relatives

* They have got to axe the oversized ipad stuck to the dash, that's ridiculous looking

 
I am hoping for the first time in Tesla's history they will offer different options to increase range and/or performance that can make the price vary by five figures.  

 
I see the Chevy Volt at 30k or so... but is there anything else in the 30-40k range with 200+ mile range? Despite some concerns over a few details, is there an electric in that price range that looks better? Is there an electric in that price range with 0-60 in 6 seconds? 

Hell... Is there an electric in that price range with Autopilot? 

Serious questions. 
Mitsubishi quietly put out the ugliest all electric ever and would gladly pay you to take it off their hands.

 
To those concerned about not enough charging stations:

a) They are about to double their number of superchargers

b) Most of charging is done at home. You only need the superchargers if you are going on a long trip. Now if you travel a lot by car to different cities then a Tesla is probably not the car for you right now. But as Tesla continues to ramp up its capabilities and other automakers expand their electric car options, I can only see the number of charging stations increasing at a very fast rate.

Here is a link to Tesla's supercharger locations:

https://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger

 
if they double the charging stations i don't see how taking these on long trips would really be an issue.  Could easily plan long trip without having to take any major detours.

 
The charging stations are starting to pop up in more and more hotel parking decks, making it even more convenient for travelers

 
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Hmm, looks like it takes $1.58 of electricity for every 40 miles of charging needed.  Works out to $316 a year for the 8k miles I'd drive it (daily commuting, not longer trips).  It would cost me about twice that in gas at 25 MPG assuming gas holds at $2 per gallon.  Not sure ~$320 of savings a year is worth the plunge, yet.  The math worked a lot better when gas was over $3 a gallon.
Can you convert that to kWh based on a rate? Electricity rates fluctuate. Thanks. 

 
if they double the charging stations i don't see how taking these on long trips would really be an issue.  Could easily plan long trip without having to take any major detours.
Zooming out on that supercharger map shows some huge dead zones. Of the 3 routes I take from Dallas to see relatives only 1 has decent coverage. The other 2 go through the wastelands of West Texas and central Arkansas/Missouri. Even if they double the current number I doubt it would help me on those routes. They really need to saturate the superchargers or devise another way to draw power from "normal" electrical sources to really make this viable for some segments of the US.

 
ILUVBEER99 said:
if they double the charging stations i don't see how taking these on long trips would really be an issue.  Could easily plan long trip without having to take any major detours.
The issue will be that the charging stations are all full. It's already a big problem in my area.

Uberdoosh hooks his Tesla up to the supercharger, which is usually at a mall, then leaves the car unattended and goes shopping and/or grabs a bite to eat.

 
Statcruncher said:
Zooming out on that supercharger map shows some huge dead zones. Of the 3 routes I take from Dallas to see relatives only 1 has decent coverage. The other 2 go through the wastelands of West Texas and central Arkansas/Missouri. Even if they double the current number I doubt it would help me on those routes. They really need to saturate the superchargers or devise another way to draw power from "normal" electrical sources to really make this viable for some segments of the US.
There are barely gas stations in west Texas for miles and miles. 

 
The issue will be that the charging stations are all full. It's already a big problem in my area.

Uberdoosh hooks his Tesla up to the supercharger, which is usually at a mall, then leaves the car unattended and goes shopping and/or grabs a bite to eat.
One of the rare times I approve of key meeting paint.

 
I can't wait until all the fanboys have one and the cool factor dies down. TGunz pulls into the Whole Foods parking lot to get his organic chia seed shake after hitting Soul Cycle and there are 73 other model 3s in there. 

I prob won't own another car until both my kids are 18, so I'm an SUV man once my current lease ends. Model X isn't even a thought at $100k, rather get a Range Sport or X5 and save $35-$40k.
Nothing would make me happier than pulling into Trader Joe's and seeing 73 Tesla's in the parking lot. It will mean that Musk won, America won, and our planet won.

Model 3 will likely be the best reviewed mass market sedan in history.  Performance wise, safety wise, style wise, etc.  Yet those of us excited about that value are "fanboys" while you wax on about played out, over priced, "HEY LOOK AT ME I HAVE $70K TO THROW AWAY ON A POS" Range Sports.  The irony is suffocating.  

 
Fairly new hybrid/plug in owner here, got the Ford C-Max (don't worry, no one else has ever heard of it either). As a lifelong SUV/Truck guy, I got mine b/c of a job change that was about 2x as far away from me. But here on Long Island, certain hybrids can get you the HOV pass with having only 1 person in the car. This makes my commute equal to quicker than my old, shorter one during rush hour. 

I still have my old truck b/c its paid off and I'll use that on weekends to keep miles down and when it snows. 

While its still a little toy car, Its actually pretty fun to drive. This car is a dual electric and gas....so it has a gas motor that pops on when I run out of juice. I get about 22-24 miles of pure driving (more in stop and go b/c energy is returned when braking). 

I surveyed all of the hybrid models when buying it and not a single one in that price range comes close to this Tesla when it comes to miles.  The closest pure electric only is the Nissan Leaf and that gets about 100 miles per charge.

I'm kinda bummed, I really like the range of this Tesla. 100 miles for the Leaf was just in that range that made it scary to own, just in case I had to drive to an out of state client meeting or something. But there is no where i'm going outside of 250 miles. 

For charging, I use the standard plug that goes right into my garage outlet. I charge it overnight, starting at 1am when the rates go down, and its full by the time I leave in the AM. I'm going to get a rapid charger eventually for the house and i'm talking to my work about adding one there. 

I get around 700 miles between fill ups and honestly, last week I almost forgot to get gas. 

I never figured I'd be a globe loving hippie when it comes to cars, but I'm really digging the electric side of things. Def keeping the Tesla on the radar for the future. 

Edit to add...a Doc friend of mine has one of the high level T's and they have a cool feature built into the navigation. If you are planning a road trip, you plug it in and it will plot the route based on the charging stations. So he showed me a NY to Washington DC trip and it bounced around from station to station and even told you how long you needed to stay at each location in order to charge it enough to make it safely to the next station. It was pretty smart, although I couldn't see wanting to burn 45 mins of my trip time just sitting somewhere.   

 
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Not sure why all this hate. 

Finally took my first ride in one (Model S) in Amsterdam this week--most of the taxis at the airport were Teslas. It was sweet. Quiet as a whisper, big roomy interior, and the dash was like s piece of art. No buttons and knobs or switches, just a massive touchscreen console with an enormous gorgeous nav screen. 

I didnt get to drive it obviosily, but I did have a sense for the acceleration on the highways. Full torque available all along the power band is a pretty amazing concept, and I could feel it. 

I had considered a Model X some time ago, but decided it was too much to spend on what was essentially a luxury item. If they make an SUV that's for real in the 50k range or less, I'll be the first one on board with a big fat charger in my garage. Hoping the Model 3 is a huge hit and keeps the company moving forward so that kind of SUV will be on the horizon; by then probably with better battery, range, performances, features etc. 

Not really understanding why people hate the notion of us being less dependent on what happens in the worst and most violent region of the world. 

 
Not sure why all this hate. 

Finally took my first ride in one (Model S) in Amsterdam this week--most of the taxis at the airport were Teslas. It was sweet. Quiet as a whisper, big roomy interior, and the dash was like s piece of art. No buttons and knobs or switches, just a massive touchscreen console with an enormous gorgeous nav screen. 

I didnt get to drive it obviosily, but I did have a sense for the acceleration on the highways. Full torque available all along the power band is a pretty amazing concept, and I could feel it. 

I had considered a Model X some time ago, but decided it was too much to spend on what was essentially a luxury item. If they make an SUV that's for real in the 50k range or less, I'll be the first one on board with a big fat charger in my garage. Hoping the Model 3 is a huge hit and keeps the company moving forward so that kind of SUV will be on the horizon; by then probably with better battery, range, performances, features etc. 

Not really understanding why people hate the notion of us being less dependent on what happens in the worst and most violent region of the world. 
Some people just have to show how much smarter they are then the unwashed masses and fanboys.  I mean, if everybody loves something, then only the brightest, most insightful people actually know that it sucks.

 
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Interesting that this thread started in 2006. Love the 3 and it may very well be my next car. Hoping my craptacular 01 Mercury Sable can live that long. I'm gonna miss passengers asking what's that? It's called a cassette player, it's how we used to listen to music. A Tesla may be too big a transition for me.

 
There are barely gas stations in west Texas for miles and miles. 
I have never had a problem finding gas anywhere I've gone in Texas. Nothing like that immense charger deadspot. I'd love to go electric but I can't do it if there are 500+ mile dead spots. Imo Tesla's marketability is directly linked to their charging coverage.

 
I have never had a problem finding gas anywhere I've gone in Texas. Nothing like that immense charger deadspot. I'd love to go electric but I can't do it if there are 500+ mile dead spots. Imo Tesla's marketability is directly linked to their charging coverage.
I'm not so sure about that. At this time, most Tesla buyers are not road tripping in them. A few years down the road, yes certainly.

 
And see that's currently my biggest obstacle to electric. I can afford a 35k car, but I have no desire to keep 2 cars because the Tesla has a driving radius of X due to limited charging locations. If they solve that I'm all in.

 
Just my opinion, but that is an ugly car. 

Also, why would I buy something that I can't take on long trips?  So I have to own another car for that?  I guess in the future that wont be an issue.  I just dont get the hype for this car at this time. 

If I had balls I would short this stock right now.

 
Apologies for the ignorant question but I can't seem to find the answer with the Google. I also didn't try very hard. 

Is it a safe assumption that from a size perspective this is in the 3 series / A4 / C class / IS / G space rather than the 5 series / A6 / E class / GS / M space?

 
Obviously for long trips, it's no good. It would make sense for families that have 2 vehicles. One person has the SUV/Van for hauling the kids and long trips, the other has the electric that they use mostly for work and regular errands. 

 
Apologies for the ignorant question but I can't seem to find the answer with the Google. I also didn't try very hard. 

Is it a safe assumption that from a size perspective this is in the 3 series / A4 / C class / IS / G space rather than the 5 series / A6 / E class / GS / M space?
Answering my own question here but would still appreciate more detail if someone has it. Just read that LxW is roughly the same as a 3 series but the smaller motor allows for a bigger cabin. Just don't know how that translates. Same size cabin as what?  I've got two young kids that are both still in some form of car seat so rear seat room is important. Going to need to replace both of our vehicles soon so this car is intriguing. 

 
Not sure why all this hate. 

Finally took my first ride in one (Model S) in Amsterdam this week--most of the taxis at the airport were Teslas. It was sweet. Quiet as a whisper, big roomy interior, and the dash was like s piece of art. No buttons and knobs or switches, just a massive touchscreen console with an enormous gorgeous nav screen. 

I didnt get to drive it obviosily, but I did have a sense for the acceleration on the highways. Full torque available all along the power band is a pretty amazing concept, and I could feel it. 

I had considered a Model X some time ago, but decided it was too much to spend on what was essentially a luxury item. If they make an SUV that's for real in the 50k range or less, I'll be the first one on board with a big fat charger in my garage. Hoping the Model 3 is a huge hit and keeps the company moving forward so that kind of SUV will be on the horizon; by then probably with better battery, range, performances, features etc. 

Not really understanding why people hate the notion of us being less dependent on what happens in the worst and most violent region of the world. 
No idea. The best thing that could happen to the entire planet would be to convert to solar/wind/geothermal/waterwheel sourced electric everything. It is good for the environment, good for robbing terrorists of their funding and long term good for the consumer's pocketbook. 

 
No idea. The best thing that could happen to the entire planet would be to convert to solar/wind/geothermal/waterwheel sourced electric everything. It is good for the environment, good for robbing terrorists of their funding and long term good for the consumer's pocketbook. 
But BAD for big oil and all the industries it has its tentacles in.

 
No idea. The best thing that could happen to the entire planet would be to convert to solar/wind/geothermal/waterwheel sourced electric everything. It is good for the environment, good for robbing terrorists of their funding and long term good for the consumer's pocketbook. 
Yeah, I bet all the problems will be solved when that part of the world is dirt poor and blames the West for pushing them into abject poverty.

 
Yeah, I bet all the problems will be solved when that part of the world is dirt poor and blames the West for pushing them into abject poverty.
Nobody said all the problems will be solved. Who knows, they live in a massive desert, maybe they become the world's leading exporter of solar energy and we are right back to square one with them. The point is there are clear benefits at multiple levels to moving away from oil dependancy. Do you not agree with that?

 
[icon] said:
You forgot to include the list of things I said that were incorrect. I'll hang up and listen. 
You probably still believe Tesla is delivering the Model S for under $50k like they first promised.

 
You probably still believe Tesla is delivering the Model S for under $50k like they first promised.
Can't find anything incorrect to link to so we're putting words in my mouth now, eh? 

You should keep this up... this is a good look for you. I promise. :thumbup:

 
Can't find anything incorrect to link to so we're putting words in my mouth now, eh? 

You should keep this up... this is a good look for you. I promise. :thumbup:
lol.  You drive two ####ty cars so it's apparent you haven't done much (if any) research about Tesla.  They were completely deceptive about their Model S pricing and looks like they are reeling in the fish like you again with the Model 3.

 
lol.  You drive two ####ty cars so it's apparent you haven't done much (if any) research about Tesla.  They were completely deceptive about their Model S pricing and looks like they are reeling in the fish like you again with the Model 3.
Why do you insist on making the internet a slightly more terrible place with each post?

 
Why do you insist on making the internet a slightly more terrible place with each post?
You say that like the FFA isn't already terrible.

As I mentioned, Tesla fooled everyone with their remarkable Model S pricing.  Why should I believe the same thing won't happen again with the Model 3?

 
something is in the works with the interior with respect to the touchpad being in the center console.  Speculation is a hud display for the driver will be revealed at the second release event.

 
You say that like the FFA isn't already terrible.

As I mentioned, Tesla fooled everyone with their remarkable Model S pricing.  Why should I believe the same thing won't happen again with the Model 3?


You seem pretty obsessed with this.... Care to wager on it, tinfoil TJ? 

:popcorn:

 
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GroveDiesel said:
Yeah, I bet all the problems will be solved when that part of the world is dirt poor and blames the West for pushing them into abject poverty.
Oil will still have value even after we stop burning it for energy and countries in the Middle East have a very low cost of production.

The biggest gain will be that we no longer will have to muddle in their affairs, thus making relations more peaceful. The best thing for everyone is for the U.S. to use as little oil as possible and create our energy in another way. No more trillion dollar wars to control foreign oil fields and foreign occupation which fuels terrorism.

 
Thought about putting a deposit down on a 3, but since pre-orders are higher than the fed rebate, I figure I'll wait until it's released to make that decision. Last I read, 235k have preordered, what percentage gets cold feet?

 

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