Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System • Hacker News Board

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#121

Post by Someone1234 » Thu, Aug 27, 2015, 6:32 PM UTC

JshWright wrote: post #112

pimlottc wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing that bugs me about that video - are they really going 60-70 mph on normal city streets?

Also, that kid in the back seat should at least be in a booster seat. The seat belt is way too high on him.

He is fine.

It is identically positioned on both him and the teenage girl sitting next to him. Which should hint that it is correctly positioned.

But to get specific, a seatbelt is incorrectly positioned when the lap strap goes across a child's belly OR the shoulder strap doesn't cross their collar bone. Like this: http://i.imgur.com/Zu9pmBv.jpg

In this video the boy (or girl) didn't violate either of those guidelines, therefore he does not require a booster seat.

I wouldn't go much smaller than he is without one however.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#122

Post by toephu2 » Thu, Aug 27, 2015, 6:37 PM UTC

buckbova wrote: post #101

Does this Tesla S still overheat on a lap of Nürburgring?

yes probably, but how often are you taking your family sedan for a lap around the Nürburgring?

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#123

Post by toephu2 » Thu, Aug 27, 2015, 6:43 PM UTC

chabby wrote: post #54

Just my 2 cents: I've driven both a P85D and a 2014 Porsche 911 4S cabriolet fairly extensively. Guess which one I decided to buy? The Porsche. These might not be two cars that are commonly cross-shopped, and the Tesla does beat the Porsche to 60 mph. Still, the Porsche was clearly the winner in just about every other way in my estimation. Anyone else have a similar experience?

Not sure how the Porsche was the winner in every way? Going from point A->B (work commute), is your foot hard on the pedal every day? Can you even have your foot all the way down (traffic)? Tesla wins by far in terms of energy-efficiency, luxury, capacity, and just overall being more useful than the Porsche (and still being fun to drive). The only minus is the price tag. But Porsches aren't cheap either. But yeah I understand, any true racing enthusiast would probably choose a Porsche over a Tesla.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#124

Post by kylec » Thu, Aug 27, 2015, 6:43 PM UTC

mikeash wrote: post #110

forgetsusername wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "With a normal car, you have to worry about how much gas you have, when and where you'll stop to fill up " Okay, people might exaggerate "range anxiety" on the Teslas. But you're definitely reaching here: when and where to fill up a gasoline car? How about 24 hours a day on almost any street corner in the country. Running out of fuel isn't even on the radar.

I drove gas cars for about two decades, and owned them for about one decade. I've only been doing the EV thing for about half a year. So it's not like I don't know what I'm talking about here. No, it's not a particularly big deal, but it's a constant low-level refrain. If I'm leaving in the morning for something time-sensitive, do I have to build an extra ten minutes into my schedule for a gas stop? What if I haven't…

What if you haven't been paying attention and discover your batteries are running low when you're on the highway and the next exit is in 20 miles? What are the chances you'll be able to find somewhere to charge before your car stops?

Also, just like how you charge your Tesla every night, I think most gas-powered car owners keep an eye on their fuel and will fill up the night before if they don't have time to stop in the morning. That's really a non-issue as well.

Yes, owners of gas-powered cars will need to make impromptu, unscheduled stops to fill up, but EV owners have to constantly be planning in advance to know that they'll be able to hit the next charging point, because if they don't make it their car is going to be making the rest of the journey on the back of a flatbed truck.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#125

Post by Shivetya » Thu, Aug 27, 2015, 6:47 PM UTC

rsync wrote: post #11

""They have an interesting rating system. It ends up representing the fact that all this performance and fuel efficiency comes out of a car that can seat 7 people. The variant that does 0-60 quicker and gives you AWD gives you better energy consumption. Things like these are what blew up their scale."" A few weeks ago (a month ago ?) BMW released the spec sheet / announcement for the new 7 series. And it's just sad.…

All I see is that early adopters who made a purchase are happy with it. That out of the way, if anything a 100k car with 250 odd mile range if you drive nicely simply proves the technology is not ready for the everyday driver.

Get to the point you can deliver 300 to 500 miles per charge at the same price point the average car purchase is at and call me. Its a rich man toy that you have to adapt to live with and don't even get me started on trip planning. I am not routing around my car's limitations.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#126

Post by giarc » Thu, Aug 27, 2015, 6:50 PM UTC

tw04 wrote: post #95

sahaskatta wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How ridiculous would it be for a car company to give you a lifetime unlimited supply of gasoline along with the purchase of your car? Absolutely ridiculous. Guess what? That's exactly what Tesla does. http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger Unlike gas cars, you start off with 200 miles of range EVERY MORNING since you charge overnight. Most Americans also only drive an average of 40 miles a day. And for those long tr…

How ridiculous would it be for a car company to give you a lifetime unlimited supply of gasoline - but you have to wait in line 30 minutes for it every time. And oh by the way, it's an hour from your house, and you'll use a third of a tank getting there and back. And there's only like 200 stations total worldwide. So... awesome, right? Oh, and we built the cost of those stations into the car, so it's not REALLY free.…

I can't comment on some things (like the line ups at super charger stations) but other things I can. You say "it's an hour from your house", if you are at your house, why wouldn't you just charge at your house?

200 supercharger stations worldwide, but that's not counting electric vehicle charging stations, plus the station in your driveway. All gas stations are further away than the tesla station in the garage.

Yes, the cost of the vehicle includes the cost of building supercharger stations, but then again, the cost of gas includes the cost of building stations too, so maybe a bad comparison.

I see where you are going with your arguments, however they don't all apply. I think the most valid thing you said is perhaps the line ups, but again I can't comment on that, not to mention gas stations have line ups... so there's that.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#127

Post by kylec » Thu, Aug 27, 2015, 6:53 PM UTC

mikeash wrote: post #90

kylec wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in Massachusetts, and I regularly visit my parents in Maine, which is about 270 miles away. There are no Superchargers along the route, at my parents' house, nor indeed anywhere in Maine. I also live in an apartment, and there is no electric car charging here, so I'd probably have to frequent the local Supercharger to keep it topped off. The "etc" covers things like not having physical controls for adjusting t…

If you can charge at your parents' place (a dryer outlet would do fine) then you should be good to go in that respect. Maybe wait until the Seabrook, NH supercharger is done so you can top up on the way, since 270 miles one way is pushing it. Or buy the CHAdeMO adapter and patronize one of the stations in Portland. CHAdeMO isn't as fast as a Supercharger, but it's fast enough to be a practical bridge for road trips.…

I don't know if I'd amend that statement that far. Even if there's a supercharger on the route, we haven't yet talked about the time required to let the car charge back up for the remainder of the journey.

If you're on a 400 mile road trip, you can drive the first 250 or so on a fully charged Tesla, but then you'll need to stop for a half hour at a Supercharger and let your car charge up to get the remaining 150 miles. If there's no Supercharger around and you need to stop at a conventional EV charger, be prepared to wait an hour or more.

Because of the non-trivial time increase once you go beyond the initial range of the car, I know I'd be less likely to want to take trips beyond it, even if they were technically doable.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#128

Post by Spooky23 » Thu, Aug 27, 2015, 6:54 PM UTC

rsync wrote: post #11

""They have an interesting rating system. It ends up representing the fact that all this performance and fuel efficiency comes out of a car that can seat 7 people. The variant that does 0-60 quicker and gives you AWD gives you better energy consumption. Things like these are what blew up their scale."" A few weeks ago (a month ago ?) BMW released the spec sheet / announcement for the new 7 series. And it's just sad.…

Consumer Reports scoring system is always weird, and tailored to the preferences of whomever creates it.

Declaring a car perfect that has some pretty severe limitations in terms of range, etc is pretty ridiculous, but that's pretty standard fare for them. Or touting 85 equivalent MPG when you can purchase a similar gasoline vehicle at a significant discount vs. Tesla that performs as good or better.

In ye olden times with CR, you essentially lost 10 points for not being Honda.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#129

Post by cc438 » Thu, Aug 27, 2015, 6:58 PM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #88

kylec wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When it comes to in-car controls, you want to be able to use them without taking your eyes off the road. To this end, knobs that you can grasp for and feel the current setting are great. Knobs without a tactile indication of the current setting are OK, as you can find them without looking and only glance down to see that you are selecting the appropriate setting. Buttons are worse because you have to glance down to f…

I have to say I agree. We have a car made in 2000, it has knobs and dials for everything, you can configure the AC/heat completely without looking at it after some familiarity with the controls. The radio you can configure the station and volume without looking. We also own a Prius made in 2014. They've either turned everything into a flat button, or worse it requires the touch screen to configure. And while the Priu…

"this completely ignores other scenarios where people want to be hit with hot/cold and don't care what the actual temp is, or that the temp doesn't measure the sun hitting you on your bare arm constantly making you feel hotter than you actually are."

Exactly! I hate the ubiquity of automatic climate control systems these days. Everyone that has a car equipped with one just uses the "set point" knob like regular manual controls. It's full cold, full hot, or off with "in-between" settings managed via fan speed. They don't work for the reason you've stated even when used "properly".

I've also noticed that most systems refuse to switch off the A/C compressor unless you choose a set point several degrees above ambient. It's a waste of gas, especially when it's 68-70F with low humidity outside.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#130

Post by jazzyk » Thu, Aug 27, 2015, 7:00 PM UTC

fps wrote: post #115

jazzyk wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True, and in the abundance of "charging" stations. But it is the _only_ advantage left (see disclaimer at the end). - Reliability should be much higher with Tesla, as the engine is much simpler. - Ride quality. The 7 is a boat, does not have the agility of smaller, sportier BMW models. - Looks. Obviously subjective, but 7's styling is very conservative and has not changed much. Disclaimer: These two cars are targeted…

People are always touting the "reliability" of electric cars, but that argument mostly falls flat if you're comparing it to any car built in the last 20 years. Internal combustion engines are incredibly reliable. They require basically no maintenance other than oil changes every 5K to 7K miles, and they'll run for 500K miles with no problems. If you're having any sort of engine failure in an internal combustion car b…

Good points, though BMW, specifically, hasn't had the greatest reliability record. Which is pretty appalling for an upscale brand (I am giving the Tesla a pass for now, since its tech is new and different).

That's why Lexus (reliability + interiors) is the bees knees. :-)