161–170 of 228 posts
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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…
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The P85D is, no question, stupendously fast 0-60. But is that really all you care about when driving a car? I recently was shopping for a performance car and the Tesla was never even a consideration because of all the other limitations (range, charging availability, etc). As something to show off with, the Tesla wows and amazes people. As a car to drive on a daily basis, I think it is too compromised.
Nearly all drivers go less than 50 miles in any given day. Trips longer than 70 miles (still well within the range of a Tesla) make up one percent of trips. A premium electric car like the Tesla is perfectly capable of being a daily driver for essentially anyone.
* (second only to the US in total Tesla sales, highest per-capita sales in the world)
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I'm surprised to see the Viper in several spots in the top 10. I think of it as more of a muscle car than as known for handling well.
According to comments here http://fastestlaps.com/cars/dodge_viper_srt-10_acr.html the massive rear spoiler is responsible for the improved handling of that model.
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The list, if anyone's looking for it http://fastestlaps.com/tracks/laguna_seca.html
I think it's funny that list has 2 different Porsche 911's (2001 & 2004) a few spots under a 2013 Ford Fiesta ST, and above that a Focus ST just above another 911 S.
They take very tight corners. I'd imagine that the turn-intensive tracks would be where these smaller cars would do better. Their acceleration leaves a bit to be desired (but what do you expect for $25k?). 0-60 in 6.3 seconds is still reasonably sporty.
Fiesta is too small for my tastes, but I did go with a Focus (non-ST... just normal stock Focus) for my vehicle. For a manual vehicle, its perfectly fine.
From 4000 through 6500 RPM, you can definitely feel the little engine work. Turbo must kick in or something.
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In any case, its amusing to see "just" the ST models do decently on these tracks. After all, people who actually want performance go for the RS model.
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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.…
1) Superchargers aren't geographically positioned for daily routines, but rather strategically located between major cities across the country for long range trips.
2) There's a lot more places to charge than Tesla's 200 Superchargers. U.S. Department of Energy currently states that there are ~10k public charging stations ( http://www.afdc.energy.gov/locator/stations/?fuel=ELEC ). This also doesn't even count the many private chargers on commercial property provided by employers to their employees. (ChargePoint's commercial network has 20k stations as well.)
3) Most people will charge at home and start with 200 miles of range each day vs. filling up a 350 mile range gas tank once a week.
4) The cost to install a charger isn't excessive: my parents spent about $600 to get an 80 amp breaker outfitted into their 25 year old home. The work was complete in a half day. (When they visit my home, they were able to plug directly into my 240V dryer outlet to recharge.) Even with the cost of install + cost of electric factored in, it's still 3-4x cheaper to travel the same number of miles on gas each year.
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"doesn't have a huge iPad in the dashboard" Why is this a bad thing?
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…
... which is why the HUD (for velocity, navigation) in my 6 years old BMW is my favourite feature. I don't understand why so few manufacturers offer one.
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"doesn't have a huge iPad in the dashboard" Why is this a bad thing?
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…
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Oh come on now. I can fit my entire family in a Model S (with luggage) and still do 0-60 on 2.8 seconds. That is, by definition, bleeding edge. At this point a Porsche is a glorified garage queen. EDIT: A Porsche 918 MSRP is almost $845K and it's only 0.6 seconds faster than the Model S (P85D). They've made less than 1000 units. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_918
are you new to the car scene? you sound exactly like a car forum troll from the 90s. like word for word.
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Having driven both a 7 Series and a Model S, I'll take the BMW any day. More comfortable, better handling, looks better, doesn't have a huge iPad in the dashboard, and allows road trips with far less planning needed. It's nice that the tesla has insane acceleration, but in practice that's not super useful. And gas is a small enough part of my budget that it's not material so that isn't really a factor.
the funniest thing about tesla is it turned a bunch of non-car people into car people - they're arguing over cars on the internet now, completely unconsciously. let me say that again - arguing over cars on the internet like a bunch of car guys . isn't that hilarious? i think it is. there isn't much difference between a tesla fanboy/fangirl and ... say, for example, a GT-R fanboy/girl.