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Tesla Completes L.A.-to-New York Electric Model S Drive Chargers

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Re: Tesla Completes L.A.-to-New York Electric Model S Drive Chargers

#101
post #61

Is it reasonable to buy a Model S now hoping that within 6-7 years you can swap out the "old" tech batteries for newer / better / faster / higher capacity battery packs which will be introduced in 5-7 years? If so, it wouldn't be a bad long-term car for those of us who like to keep cars more than 5 years.

The battery is removeable (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5V0vL3nnHY) so I guess it's reasonable to assume upgrades will be available (if the company still exists/we're still buying cars).

Re: Tesla Completes L.A.-to-New York Electric Model S Drive Chargers

#102

Not the most direct route between the two cities [1]. It looks like there are at least two parts of the route that don't follow interstates. The excursion up to South Dakota to go past Mt. Rushmore makes sense, but I can't figure out the jog into New Mexico. Unless someone's really interested in a couple of National Monuments in that corner of NM, it looks like the only reason for that jog is to go to the Four Corner…

If you look north of Flagstaff in Arizona, there aren't many places to stop. They need infrastructure to place one of these stations, and they're promising that each stop will have restaurants (and hotels?) nearby.

My first thought was local politics (offers of free land in places trying to attract tourists come to mind), but I'm now leaning toward the fact that they just routed around completely barren areas where they couldn't get the station spacing correct.

Re: Tesla Completes L.A.-to-New York Electric Model S Drive Chargers

#103
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you considered that some people do feel free when driving their cars?

Its a fallacy. There is no greater enslavement than petroleum, my friend.

Obligatory: http://simpsonsgifs.tumblr.com/post/596042619/it-sounds-like...

Re: Tesla Completes L.A.-to-New York Electric Model S Drive Chargers

#104

>> provide 170 miles of range in a 30-minute charge That would have still sounded impractical to me when I was still able to just drive through the night to get where I needed to be. Now that I travel with a young baby and a dog, that's about how often and for how long I have to stop for breaks anyway. This is impressive progress anyway, but I'm especially impressed now that it really wouldn't alter my own schedule m…

Just doing some quick numbers (not related to current specific locations of quick chargers and gas stations), stopping 30 minutes every 170 miles would add a bit over 6 and a half hours of stopping to a LY->NYC trip. LA -> NYC is about 2,800 miles. If you had to stop for 30 minutes every 170 miles, that'd be 16.5 stops, for a total of about 8.25 hours of charging stops. If you assume 25mpg in a car with a 12 gallon t…

I think the point is that more often you're stopping for more than just gas. Lunch. Bathroom. Clean your windshield. You add it up, it's longer than 10 mins anyway, so this doesn't affect you all that much.

Also I take issue with the logic that fuel savings don't matter if you're spending that much on a car anyway. I don't see it that way at all. Being able to pay like $1k/mo car payment doesn't yet put you in "money is no object" territory IMO.

Re: Tesla Completes L.A.-to-New York Electric Model S Drive Chargers

#105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just doing some quick numbers (not related to current specific locations of quick chargers and gas stations), stopping 30 minutes every 170 miles would add a bit over 6 and a half hours of stopping to a LY->NYC trip. LA -> NYC is about 2,800 miles. If you had to stop for 30 minutes every 170 miles, that'd be 16.5 stops, for a total of about 8.25 hours of charging stops. If you assume 25mpg in a car with a 12 gallon t…

I just drove from Chicago to Tampa, stayed for two weeks in FL, and then drove back over the last two weeks. I did both sprints straight through in a 2008 Infiniti G37, which has a six-speed auto, V6 engine, and 20 gallon tank. At an average speed of 85 mph, the car averaged about 24mpg, giving me a range of around 420 miles per gallon (with ~60 mile reserve). This is an edge case of course. I'm 31, and drove the ent…

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Re: Tesla Completes L.A.-to-New York Electric Model S Drive Chargers

#106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just doing some quick numbers (not related to current specific locations of quick chargers and gas stations), stopping 30 minutes every 170 miles would add a bit over 6 and a half hours of stopping to a LY->NYC trip. LA -> NYC is about 2,800 miles. If you had to stop for 30 minutes every 170 miles, that'd be 16.5 stops, for a total of about 8.25 hours of charging stops. If you assume 25mpg in a car with a 12 gallon t…

I just drove from Chicago to Tampa, stayed for two weeks in FL, and then drove back over the last two weeks. I did both sprints straight through in a 2008 Infiniti G37, which has a six-speed auto, V6 engine, and 20 gallon tank. At an average speed of 85 mph, the car averaged about 24mpg, giving me a range of around 420 miles per gallon (with ~60 mile reserve). This is an edge case of course. I'm 31, and drove the ent…

It's not an edge case, but neither is it really a sensible comparison.

You have to look at the model s like the first macintosh. It does some revolutionary things very well and it's an astounding achievement. It will however take a few years to overtake the mainstream. It would be a little short-sighted to go on about how the Apple II is so much more practical, even though it was at first.

Re: Tesla Completes L.A.-to-New York Electric Model S Drive Chargers

#107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not saying you shouldn't drive your car everywhere. I am saying, you shouldn't be doing it every day. That, right there, is one of the unhealthiest lifestyles, for everyone. The average American spends an hour a day in their car. This number changes over the years, of course, but generally Americans spend a large portion of their lives, consuming gas. Its just built into the nations life-lines at this point. Week…

Can you share the source for the data on how much time the average American spends in a car?

A quick google search points to an even higher average (101 minutes), in 2006: https://web.archive.org/web/20100526113417/http://www.revolu...

Re: Tesla Completes L.A.-to-New York Electric Model S Drive Chargers

#108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't it counterproductive to drive a model s at high speeds cross-country? You get an extra ~40 miles of range by going 65 instead of 75.

Going 65 on a 75 highway is going to be a problem since your speed difference with most cars is what causes the problems in highway driving. Breaking flow of traffic is not a good idea. I can assure you that doing 65mph on I-90 through South Dakota is a really, really bad idea. Its listed as 75mph and that would be the low-end for what people do. Nevermind the wind that is probably going to kill your range.

Aside from perhaps Montana/etc I've never seen a highway with a single 75MPH speed limit. There is always a lower limit for big trucks, usually 55 or 65mph. You in a Tesla driving 65 in the right lane is not going to affect traffic much. In the wide open spaces, there's enough room it doesn't matter. In cities, there's enough traffic to push realized speeds below posted limits anyway.

Re: Tesla Completes L.A.-to-New York Electric Model S Drive Chargers

#109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the speed limit is 70mph or 75mph, it is less than every three hours.

Isn't it counterproductive to drive a model s at high speeds cross-country? You get an extra ~40 miles of range by going 65 instead of 75.

When the supercharger stations are at fixed points, an extra 40 miles isn't much help. You charge where the charging point is, not where you run out of juice.

Re: Tesla Completes L.A.-to-New York Electric Model S Drive Chargers

#110
post #95
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The side of history that can't afford a Tesla S Yet. There were millions that couldn't afford an automobile when they came out too you know..... Give it time, stop thinking a new product has to be everything to everyone so early on.

Range is a significant factor of the Tesla's cost, and it'd require a order of magnitude of efficiency increase to both support a cheaper model while also keeping the same charging range and keeping Tesla's profit margins in place.

uh-huh, and you can say exactly the same thing about the first cars, computers, commercial (or private) planes, and about 10 million other things.

Why do you think complaining about the Tesla is somehow different from complaining about all those other things when they were in their infancy?

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