Tesla Model 3

[BLAKE]

Tesla has stated that it's not first-in, first-out. They're building the Model 3s that were ordered with the most options first. That's one way to cut in line.

[jakesford]

I like Tesla, so I pay attention to what they're doing. Driving a Model S is pretty special.

That said, Having driven a Leaf as a daily for the last 2 years, Tesla is finally cracking the code. Affordable + range. This stupid leaf gets about 80 miles to a charge. Charging it at home takes all night, and the one time I needed to use a charging station, I had to try 4 different locations before I found one that actually worked. That sucked out loud.

At least the Tesla Supercharging stations actually work.

As soon as this lease is up this summer, I'm just going to enjoy 13.5mpg and smile.

At one point I was thinking about picking up a leaf with a $199 lease and keeping my truck. I think it was around $3.40 per gallon where the leaf would be free to own as long as I used all of the yearly miles. That was before taking into account depreciation/wear & tear savings on the truck.

[BLAKE]

At one point I was thinking about picking up a leaf with a $199 lease and keeping my truck. I think it was around $3.40 per gallon where the leaf would be free to own as long as I used all of the yearly miles. That was before taking into account depreciation/wear & tear savings on the truck.

It's not a bad deal if you fall between very specific parameters. Now that I have a gas powered alternative besides the '66, it's much more livable. Before that, if my wife was using her Edge and I needed to get to Dallas, I either needed to dust off the fastback or I was SOL. That got old fast.

[Chili]

Saw a Tesla cab in Portland a couple of weeks ago.. Weird.

http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2015/07/uber_ecocab_launching_tesla_ta.html

[aggie97]

Range of 215 miles is likely without any accessories at a reduced steady speed. sit in traffic with a/c on starting and stopping and it will go down. Also, I have yet to EVER see anyone with a model S actually say how much their electric bill went up charging their car based on actual mileage driven or what the insurance rates are.

Also, this golf cart is essentially a Nissan Sentra, Toyota Corolla or Ford Focus which can be had for around $18k-20k...leaving you $15k+ for fuel over the years of Ownership. at even just 30mpg.. and $2.00/gal for gas, that is 225,000 miles in gas. Even with the tax incentives of 7500, you have 125,000 miles in fuel....assuming you buy the base model at $35k with no options...and if you recall on the model S, options ran the price up REALLY quick.

So what you are buying into here is a fad like and iPhone or iPad or the like.

Musk is a master of marketing snake oil to idiots. Seriously. Genius!

[BLAKE]

Electric cars get more range in the city by recovering some energy when braking.

When I was driving the Leaf every day, it added $18-$20 to my electric bill every month.

[mschmoyer]

So what you are buying into here is a fad like and iPhone or iPad or the like.

Musk is a master of marketing snake oil to idiots. Seriously. Genius!

Most don't buy an electric car to save money on gas. If he can make a car that costs the same to own as a gas powered car - the question is why not?

A car that requires no oil changes, has two trunks, the torque only an electric motor can produce, and the badass gadgets like auto-driving is pretty appealing to me.

[aggie97]

Most don't buy an electric car to save money on gas. If he can make a car that costs the same to own as a gas powered car - the question is why not?

A car that requires no oil changes, has two trunks, the torque only an electric motor can produce, and the badass gadgets like auto-driving is pretty appealing to me.

Apparently, most don't buy an electric car to save money at all! LOL! He's making an electric car that costs MORE to own than a gasser...Guess I don't get your point.

As far as no oil changes and such...ok, the flip side is you STILL have to own another car that does so you can take trips longer than 215 miles, so what is the point. If you don't have the second car, you have to live in fear of finding a charging station....or piss away time charging and drinking coffee waiting for it to charge. Then, figure in how much it costs to have a super charger installed in your home....and again if you move...or not at all if you live in an apartment....etc...

Oh, and for the self driving car BS... I've spoken with a few accident investigators and they have a TON of questions as do attorneys. What happens if I decide to throw a sack of potatoes in front of your self driving car to fuck with you? Does the car drive into the ditch and kill you? What if I pinch you off to fuck with you? Will the car drive you into the ditch and kill you? I have a buddy with an SRT8 Jeep with auto braking. He was doing 80 on cruise and a plastic bag blew across in front of the car. It did a panic stop at 80mph and damn near caused him to get rear ended by another car....for a plastic sack.

Not sure ANYONE is thinking ANY of this shit through beyond the hype of "The Google" or "The Elon".... It's all Hype. Period. Sadly, once you sign on the dotted line for $35k to $90k...you get to own every penny of it! LOL!

[Baba Ganoush]

So what you are buying into here is a fad like and iPhone or iPad or the like.

Musk is a master of marketing snake oil to idiots. Seriously. Genius!

Yup. It's a gimmick, no knock on his success.

Batteries have, and always will be junk.

[Snatch Napkin]

I don't give a shit. I hope he sells a million.
Whatever it takes to make that home electricity storage device viable, reliable, and affordable.

[BP]

It's 215 miles per charge and it takes less than two minutes to install a fresh battery pack. That's with the base model, if they follow the model S roll out it'll have an optional higher capacity package soon.

Tesla has built a pretty impressive Supercharger Station network. Obviously there are places you could drive that'd be out of range but if someone wanted one to drive from DFW to San Antonio, Austin or Houston it'd easily make it round trip with a brief stop (an hour) to charge on the way or you could stop by a service center for a fresh battery. That or if you do completely run out of power they'll send out a tech to swap it in the field. It's all part of the warranty.

Obviously they aren't catering to people that drive long distances regularly but for most of the population a Tesla could be a reasonable option. They are already a way better option than hydrogen or CNG and considerably safer.

Also imagine what would happen if/when the DOT gets on board and starts funding roads with inductive charging. The cars can already drive themselves, eventually you'd be able to hop in your car at bed time and sleep while it takes you across the country.

[Mach1]

how bad is the l-ion for the environment??!?

[cool cat]

Also imagine what would happen if/when the DOT gets on board and starts funding roads with inductive charging. The cars can already drive themselves, eventually you'd be able to hop in your car at bed time and sleep while it takes you across the country.

If I could ride in my car and have drinks without legal consequences, I would be in.

[BP]

how bad is the l-ion for the environment??!?

Compared to what? There are downsides to every method of energy production/storage. They are a lot better for the environment than throwing a lead/acid battery into a landfill.

[Sgt Beavis]

how bad is the l-ion for the environment??!?

I've read that the mining can be fairly destructive but I think that may be more of an issue in countries with little mining regulation.

Compared to what? There are downsides to every method of energy production/storage. They are a lot better for the environment than throwing a lead/acid battery into a landfill.

An those Li-Ion batteries can be recycled. That said, I think Li-Ion is a short term solution as we keep getting closer and closer to power storage with graphene and super capacitors. I think we may see something on the road with that tech sometime around 2020.