I may be that paranoid, but the glass roof feels as thrilling as scary. What happens if something drops on it ? if the car ends up tumbling ? the roll cage is probably as sturdy as anything Tesla did before but that seems like a too large open spot ..
Model 3 Unveiling [video]
181–190 of 395 posts
Re: Model 3 Unveiling [video]
#182Re: Model 3 Unveiling [video]
#183Very clean looks also: 215 Miles Range with 0-60 in 6secs, Seats 5 will have autodrive tech all for $35,000 Deliveries begin end of 2017 (Hopefully) This is truly a mass market full electric car. We may be seeing something on the lines of the iPhone - a category busting product.
"with 0-60 in 6secs" This part confuses me. The very fast 0-60 times that you see in electric cars are a function not of their massive engines or super tuned turbos, but of their instantaneous torque (as they are electric). Given that this is an electric car, and that its size and weight are commensurable to the (presumably) smaller electric motor, I would expect it to have similar 0-60 times. I just assumed that whe…
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Re: Model 3 Unveiling [video]
#184Earlier quoted context omitted.
The same way they're currently competing with the model S at the mid to high end: they provide a more luxurious experience at the same price point.
"they provide a more luxurious experience at the same price point." A much, much, much more luxurious experience. The highest end, max-optioned Model S you can buy does not have as nice an interior as a decent 3 series or C class mercedes. It doesn't even beat out their low end. Never mind the cars in its price range (A8/S class/7series). They're not even remotely comparable in terms of interior or luxury appointment…
I suspect it's at least partially a marketing decision. When a car interior gets too plush people start to think about grandpa's Cadillac.
Re: Model 3 Unveiling [video]
#185> If you buy a conventional car, your interaction with the people who made it has ended. With Tesla, that interaction has only just begun. There's something unnerving about this. Your car has access to so much information about you. Where you go, where you work, what stores you like to shop at, and what restaurants you like. To me, a car is a tool. When I purchase a car, I'm purchasing The engine, the wheels, and the…
I believe most modern cars you buy today (even low-end ones) have a GSM modem connected to a phone carrier which is probably active regardless of your payment for the "connected" features, so not much better unless you figure out a way to pull its power.
source? If so, I may need to go to my garage for a sec....
Re: Model 3 Unveiling [video]
#186I love Tesla the company and respect the hell out of Elon. But his presentation style is hard to watch - he is literally stammering through what feels like a dry script. I've never seen him live before is this par for the course or nerves? Edit - wow that is a better looking car than I expected. You can be as awkward serving as you like if that's the main course!
I think they could improve things by controlling the audience more. The presentation wasn't helped by people yelling and interrupting (yes, they were enthusiastic). Apple handles this a lot better, they get applause and cheers, but it always seems to be at the right time. Is it because their audience is apple employees highly trained to give feedback on cue?
The most cringe worthy moment for me was: "...and it can sit 5." CHEERS "YEAH!" WOOOOOOO
I think a lot of people in the audience had just spent 1000$ on a reservation and they needed to rationalise.
Re: Model 3 Unveiling [video]
#187OK, $35K, 115,000 pre-orders, delivery early 2018. (Yeah, he said "next year", and then the projection said "late next year", and then he waffled, so 2018 is realistic.) Tesla's current production rate is about 70,000 units a year. Yes, the NUMMI plant once produced 500K vehicles a year on that site, but that just means Tesla has lots of empty building shell into which they can expand. The real problem is profitabili…
>Tesla isn't profitable
On a per-unit sold basis, Tesla Model S is wildly profitable, with a gross margin north of 30% [1]. However, they are obviously still in startup mode, so they reinvest all of those earnings along with investor capital into improving the business.
>Cutting the price means they have to produce at a far lower cost while expanding factory capacity.
Corporate finance is a little more nuanced than that. The price of expanding factory capacity is not an interesting number by itself; what matters is whether that investment will yield a profit over its useful life. Or, in more technical jargon, over the useful life of this investment, will marginal revenue per unit made possible by this investment exceed average total cost of producing units with this investment. Moreover, a dramatic expansion of capacity, executed competently, will reduce production costs across all product lines due to economies of scale, economies of scope, and improved negotiating power.
>But with near-zero interest rates, and lots of pre-orders, they can probably borrow heavily for plant at very low cost.
Tesla's credit rating is in junk bond territory [2] and their weighted average cost of capital is almost 9% (which includes interest free loans from pre-order reservation payments). So there isn't a lot of financial magic here - they need to produce units profitably to be successful.
[1] http://seekingalpha.com/article/855661-tesla-profit-point [2] http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-rated-junk-by-sp-2014-5
Re: Model 3 Unveiling [video]
#188Earlier quoted context omitted.
"with 0-60 in 6secs" This part confuses me. The very fast 0-60 times that you see in electric cars are a function not of their massive engines or super tuned turbos, but of their instantaneous torque (as they are electric). Given that this is an electric car, and that its size and weight are commensurable to the (presumably) smaller electric motor, I would expect it to have similar 0-60 times. I just assumed that whe…
Because you can make more money by charging extra for performance. For an extreme example, the Model S P90D has a $10,000 Ludicrous Mode option which just flips a software switch.
No, that upgrade involves replacing the main pack contactor and fuse so they can handle the higher current draw.
Re: Model 3 Unveiling [video]
#189Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can't make a car with low drag without it being a hatchback. And low drag is key to reasonable battery size.
I believe you, but can you provide a source or explanation for that insight?
The optimum subsonic shape is a hemisperhical nose with a long tail tapering to a point ( like an ice-cream cornette on its side, with the dome of ice-cream heading into the wind ).
The K-tail is an abbreviation of that impractical-for-cars long tail which gives most of the effect for much less effort.
The Tatra T77 was an attempt to implement the optimum form though even then the tail was somewhat abbreviated:
Re: Model 3 Unveiling [video]
#190Earlier quoted context omitted.
Which brings up the question of whether it's not already time existing cars (starting at the performance end, and then trickling down to consumer market), should not already be replacing: (Int. Combustion Engine)---[variable rotational speed/torque]--->drivetrain with: ICE---[constant rot. speed & constant torque]-->dynamo--->battery-->fully electric motor(s) drive train. That would give most of the performance benef…
> maybe someone could point to examples of it Chevrolet Volt, BMW i3 with Range Extender
As well as any train locomotive built in the last 40 years or so....