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Tesla created secret team to suppress driving range complaints (2023)

reuters.com

231–240 of 287 posts

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress driving range complaints (2023)

#231

The article really focusses on range loss when cold, but as far as I can see that isn't really true. The reality is there is lots of range loss when using the cabin heater, which obviously one is most likely to do when cold. All modern Tesla's use heat pumps for cabin heating, which ~halves the range loss, but it's still substantial.

I have a 2017 Bolt, resistive heater no heat pump. I take a -minimum- of 25% range hit in the winter (midwest, garaged but frequent long drives in sub-freezing temperatures) with minimal usage of heat. I've trialed no-heater days, but most of the time I only run a low level for window defogging.

I have a 150 mile round-trip commute when I need to go in to the office. My "summer range" (really more "not-winter range") is 240+ miles. I stick to posted speed limits for efficiency, 60-65 MPH. This winter I've been getting back home with 30 miles of range to spare. I haven't done the math or recall what power draw my gauge cluster reports when I toggle heat on/off, but I do remember it reduces my range estimate by ~5 miles when I turn the heat on.

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress driving range complaints (2023)

#233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tbh an S2000 nowadays is somewhat slow. Fun and cool but not quick. Electrics do stupid good launches 0-30 but past that you're just comparing a brand new likely 4-500hp car to a very peaky, old, 240hp car.

Somewhat slow compared to what, though? It didn't cost a fortune. A 2.0L MX-5 ND is the nearest modern equivalent and they should both do the 0-60 in ~6s. I mean, those two were never "performance cars" (though the S2000 should be rather good in the bends for a convertible), but this isn't slow nor quick in my books.

I'm talking strictly acceleration since the parent was about that. No dig at Miatas or S2000s for being light, cheap to run, fun cars but a dig at the comparison since it feels apples to oranges and a note on I guess the development of acceleration in the past years.

20 years ago when S2000s were the shit everyone was running 100hp shitboxes. Locally, one of the local car guys in the early 2000s became a legend with an Opel Astra pulling about 200hp with nitrous and every mod he could afford.

Now the affordable and reasonable "enthusiast" cars are 250-400hp. You can get a 10-15 y/o Cayenne that does 0-100 in the 4-5s while being a nice New York apartment on wheels for 15k (converted from eastern european pricing, your local market may vary) or a remapped (~300HP) 330d E90 for ~5k.

What I mean is that if you put someone blindfolded in the S2K 15 years ago chances are he'll think it's very quick, nowadays I think he'll think "it's a'ight". It's interesting how quickly people get used to acceleration and we now have very quick, affordable cars on the market so I believe people have a higher standard for what's quick. Something feels fucking insane, you do 50 pulls over a month and it's normal (assuming it's not a deathtrap spinning at stupid speeds).

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress driving range complaints (2023)

#234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They stated they recharge at the top of the hill (for free) so the downhill part is mute in this case.

*moot (No offense intended.)

None taken. I'm going to blame not reviewing before hitting reply. Appreciated.

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress driving range complaints (2023)

#235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know you weren’t expecting a serious response, but Tesla does use Git. They actually use a fairly standard version of GitHub enterprise.

Using git does not mean there is a PR process in place. Git can be used just in the way the GP describes, recklessly putting binaries onto cars.

GitHub cannot be used without pull requests. Git cannot be used without commits. Whether there is a code review process or everyone self approves is another question.

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress driving range complaints (2023)

#236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Using git does not mean there is a PR process in place. Git can be used just in the way the GP describes, recklessly putting binaries onto cars.

GitHub cannot be used without pull requests. Git cannot be used without commits. Whether there is a code review process or everyone self approves is another question.

GitHub absolutely can be used without pull requests. I don't say that this is a good idea.

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress driving range complaints (2023)

#237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Using git does not mean there is a PR process in place. Git can be used just in the way the GP describes, recklessly putting binaries onto cars.

GitHub cannot be used without pull requests. Git cannot be used without commits. Whether there is a code review process or everyone self approves is another question.

Are you saying at Tesla, GitHub can't be used without pull requests? You can for sure (obviously) just push to whatever branch you want for your GitHub hosted repository if that's your desire.

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress driving range complaints (2023)

#238

First to clear up my bias: Tesla is an overvalued scam company by a fascist techno-oligarch. I hope we will boycott this company in Europe just based on Elon Musk behaviour alone. This is my political opinion. With that out of the way... My opinion as a driver is that these cars deliver far less value for the price than other EVs. I have driven Model 3 and Model Y so far and both experiences have been very mixed. - I…

tells us how you really feel.

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress driving range complaints (2023)

#239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you understand how the EPA actually test this, it makes sense. "Highway" isn't anything like what most people think it is. It's not cruising at 75mph with no traffic on a major interstate. It's more like busy country road driving. > The "highway" program, on the other hand, is created to emulate rural and interstate freeway driving with a warmed-up engine, making no stops (both of which ensure maximum fuel econo…

As a German, I love how you call 75mph speeding. There is a huge discussion going on in Germany of introducing a 80mph speed limit on the highway and many people claim that that does not work for them as they regularly drive 100mph average.

Gp didn't call it speeding though. Interstates in the US often do have an 80mph limit, which is in turn routinely exceeded. That doesn't change the fact that 80mph is vastly less fuel efficient than 50mph, which is a typical speed for a two lane highway. Americans (and Germans?) simply don't want to acknowledge that speed kills efficiency, just as incessant speed changes kill efficiency, although the latter is mitigated by regenerative braking.

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress driving range complaints (2023)

#240
post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I floor my non-Tesla EV, I can see an instantaneous power consumption of 80kW. That's when flooring it. A smoother drive is more like 10kW.

That's likely averaged out as 80kW when flooring it is only around 100hp. I know my Polestar hits a peak of around 300kW when you put your foot right down.

Now that you mentioned it, I looked up the specs for my car it does say the motor is rated at 160kW max. Indeed when the 80kW figure is displayed it refreshes every few seconds or so, so an average is likely.
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