and still no Model X or even serious updates about it... and yet I will still let them keep my $5k until it arrives...
Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds
201–210 of 295 posts
Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds
#202Earlier quoted context omitted.
In a straight line... The Tesla weighs more than an F150 and corners like a boat
It certainly weights a bit, but the CoG is much lower than any ICE car due to the battery pack running along the floor. That gives it much better handling characteristics than an equivalent ICE car.
> That gives it much better handling characteristics than an equivalent ICE car.
Yes but the equivalent ICE car by weight is... an SUV, or one of those old, massive cadillacs.
The P85D is a heavy, heavy car at just under 5,000 lbs. Whereas something ilke the Aventador is 3,400 lbs (and it's on the heavier end of the sports car spectrum).
But regardless while a low CoG is nice, it doesn't change the basic physics of you need to alter the direction of 5,000 lbs and you are not going to do that as well as altering the direction of 3,400 lbs.
Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds
#203How can they get that many amps out of the battery? It seems like you'd need a capactior to have that kind of power?
Well, the battery is not a single monolithic design, it is composed of thousands of small (think AA) cells. My uneducated hunch is that that design helps them extract power from many cells in parallel. It's also huge, taking almost all the floor of the car. Not sure how they cool that beast though.
The batteries are actively liquid cooled.
Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds
#204Earlier quoted context omitted.
It [Tesla Model S CoG = 17.5-18"]'s competitive with supercars, i.e. that of the Ford GT [1], and better than the Porsche Boxster [2], which is not a supercar. [1] http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/car/1301_2013_motor_tren... [2] http://www.caranddriver.com/features/tesla-model-s-60-2015-1...
Okay. Now what are their lap times? Center of gravity is one of the dozens of aspects working in conjunction that make cars fast. One of the most important being, weight.
http://fastestlaps.com/cars/tesla_model_s_p85d.html
Unfortunately only 1 track, but it's not pretty and turns in times slower than a Golf GTD (diesel) or Fiesta ST.
The P85 has a bit more tracks: http://fastestlaps.com/cars/tesla_model_s_performance_model....
Around Willow Springs it's slower than a Ford Mustang Ecoboost (0-60 5.2s, 310hp), and around Laguna it's close to 3 seconds slower than a VW Golf R (0-60 4.5s, 300hp)
The Tesla is a luxury barge after all, not a sports car, so these results shouldn't exactly be surprising.
Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds
#205Even if not a software update, I still find Tesla's way of thinking of a car as an actual (continuously update/upgrade-able) product fascinating. Very rare for hardware. It gives an amazing user experience, "Hey restart your car and it's now got X and Y". Respect. Edit: clarifying the term "product".
At the same time, this means you do not really control your own car anymore. It's like a service.
For those that lease their car, this seems like a positive thing.
Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds
#206Amazing, that's as fast as the Lamborghini Aventador https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamborghini_Aventador
In a straight line... The Tesla weighs more than an F150 and corners like a boat
Well it's not meant to be a sports car, but this may be more to your liking:
http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/17/8994649/new-tesla-roadster...
My guess is it will also have at least a 500-mile range, as the prices for batteries would have fallen by ~3x by the time the new one is out and since the original launched.
Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds
#207If you can do this as a $10k update "safely" with a computer-controlled pyro fuse, I wonder what you could do by hacking the firmware and replacing it with a piece of busbar. 2 seconds?
I feel like the limit of what these motors can do now is being held back by something they can't control anymore, tire grip. I think a lot of these software updates on the acceleration speed aren't because they all of the sudden figured out how to get more power from the electric motor. I think it's from tweaking the "no-slip" system or whatever they call theirs. Basically when the car detects it's losing grip, it cu…
What if the car actually used the suspension to 'drop' just a fraction of an inch lower to the ground (to increase its momentary, apparent weight) as soon as you punch the accelerator to get some extra grip? I wonder how much of a difference the momentary 'downforce' would make.
Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds
#208One thing I don't understand is the position of the big car makers(BMW, MB, AUDI) being a passive observer in this field. Tesla is getting so much, that if any automaker that can deliver a car with half the specs of a model S, and keeping their model's prices as a mass produced car, would deliver a big punch to Tesla, and would greatly move the market forward. Is it the investment necessary for building a network of…
Why do you say the other makers are passive? BMW, Mercedes, Nissan, VW, Ford and Fiat all have fully electric cars. Sure none of them get near the range the Model S does, but they are getting involved in this. A Nissan Leaf offers roughly one third the specs of a Model S, but also at one third the price. Seems like progress to me.
Problem with the Leaf is that a 75 mile range is unusable for most people. A 30 mile commute is pretty common, to and from work and you're almost out. Pick up kids and groceries and you'll probably be stuck on the side of the road somewhere. Forget to charge the car overnight and you're screwed.
If we take the base Model S, which has a 230 mile range, 315hp, and 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds, it goes for $70k minus $10k in tax subsidies. And compare it to the Nissan Leaf SL which has a 84 miles range, 107hp, and 0-60mph in 10.2 seconds, it goes for $35k - $7.5k in tax subsidies.
So it's exactly half the price, for much less then half the car. The Tesla has the highest safety rating out there. It handles really well. You get free charging station access. I mean, it doesn't even make sense to compare the cars. Even when you account for price, you are still getting way more than twice the car when you get the Tesla.
Progress for me would be Nissan offering a car comparable to the Model S for a comparable price.
Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds
#209Earlier quoted context omitted.
My friend has a Mazda3 and we hacked on it over the weekend to make the infotainment system a little bit better. Check this out: http://www.mazda3hacks.com/doku.php You can turn off the annoying restrictions, change the ordering of some menus and drastically reduce the time of the starting confirmation dialogue box. All you need is a USB to Ethernet adaptor. Also make sure to disable watchdog or you can get into a re…
Thanks for pointing me to that. I had no idea that stuff existed!
No worries - if you have any questions about the hacks let me know.
Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds
#210Earlier quoted context omitted.
He should have just asked to see a model without the (assumed, but very likely) upgraded system. Cheaper, and excludes the terrible bits that will be outdated in 2-3 years anyway. My Audi has just the basic system (radio, satellite, aux-in, and Bluetooth) and it has no discernible boot time. Excludes the navigation, but my phone does that perfectly fine, and I get free map updates for it every couple months. (Windows…
I think we may see that option go away in the next couple of years thanks to the backup camera mandate (which goes into effect in 2018). Once automakers are putting the screen in the car anyway, basic head units are probably going to go away.
My RAV4 and my wife's Outback both have backup cameras, and the display is inset in the rear view mirror.
A much better system, IMHO, and doesn't mandate a nav system style screen.