Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds

techcrunch.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

281–290 of 295 posts

Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds

#281

Post by semi-extrinsic »

kw71 wrote: post #225
semi-extrinsic wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With the OP's requirements I'd recommend a '94 Volvo 240 Turbo. (If we ever need a second car I'm getting one; my first car was one). New enough to be safe (airbags etc), some tinkering will get you 300 bhp, it's rear-wheel drive and has a perfect 50-50 weight distribution if you move the battery to the trunk (standard rally trick). Stereo still has a cassette player, so a $5 adapter lets you plug in your phone for m…

What a terrible car, especially the "1994 model" which is laughably just the 1974 car as if it were from some Soviet manufacturing line that just wouldn't go away. If you think bolting an airbag into a 1974 car body makes it safe, I'm sure the NCAP people want to talk to you. I own a 960, Volvo won't sell parts for it anymore. Two generations and 20-years after your suggested car was designed I find mine has no thoug…

That the 240 was the same car for 20 years is an absurd claim. It's well known that the NHTSA bought and tore apart multiple 240s when they were updating the US auto safety standards in the 80s. It's also well known that Volvo has one of the most thorough and well-funded safety R&D departments in the world. The 1993 240 received five stars in crash testing from the NHSTA [1].

As for your 960: I can't comment on the ergonomics, never having been in one, but I know for sure that you can still get parts for it in Europe.

[1] http://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle+Shoppers/5-Star+Safety+Ratin...

Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds

#282

Post by semi-extrinsic »

firethief wrote: post #250
justizin wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Sure, it's more expensive in gas money, but when you factor in the reduced depreciation that's peanuts. What a disappointing attitude to have toward fuel consumption in 2015. :/

Blame subsidized gas; not everyone can afford to act as if it were priced correctly.

FYI, gas costs $7 per gallon where I live.

Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds

#283

Post by bravo22 »

seanflyon wrote: post #212
bravo22 wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The linked report compares BEVs with ICE and Hybrid. Hybrid beats both because of the smaller battery. BEVs have a very large upfront footprint due to the battery that needs to be paid off overtime by driving from a renewable source. However in US only 14% of energy comes from renewable sources, so it'll be a very long pay off. Hybrids are the best way to go until we make significant strides in batteries (20-30 years…

You just completely ignored the question you replied to.

I didn't. He is talking about the footprint of the fuel (electricity vs gasoline). The report addresses that as well. It looks at OVERALL footprint of the three different types, and includes upfront cost (i.e. production which includes battery) and on-going.

Larger battery means a much larger up-front carbon footprint. Unfortunately on an on-going basis due to profile of electricity production in US you are burning a ton of coal [1] to generate that electricity. Coal is far, far worse than gas in the carbon impact as well as extraction footprint.

Because of the much larger initial hole you've dug (due to a very, very large battery) you're not going to crawl your way out of this deficit for a long time.

The logical solution is to minimize the battery to a degree that it would cover most weekday commutes (which isn't 300 some-odd miles). You would have a much smaller, optimized, gas based generator to recharge that battery for the odd time the person needs the longer range.

It gives you the best of both worlds. You would get far greater savings. This is the reason why other manufacturers are making hybrids or if they do make pure EV it has a much smaller battery than Tesla.

[1] http://www.mapawatt.com/2010/11/29/where-does-us-electricity...

Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds

#284

Post by seanflyon »

city41 wrote: post #261
seanflyon wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With the exception of the Leaf, all those fully electric cars seem more like tests or prototypes than serious attempts to win the market. Nissan is anything but passive when it comes to fully electric cars, but all the other major car makers are being, in my opinion, overly cautious.

The VW e-Golf and BMW i3 are no less cars than the Leaf is. The e-Golf in particular competes directly with the Leaf, offering similar features and price. The i3 is pretty pricy, but it is a BMW after all.

I agree with you about the e-Golf. I had previously seen numbers like this: http://insideevs.com/monthly-plug-in-sales-scorecard/ that make the e-golf look like they were converting a few hundred cars to electric drivetrains as a test, but I didn't realize that the car was selling in meaningful numbers in Europe. I would love to know if they are making a profit on them or plan to in the near future. You might be right about the i3 as well, but everything about it screams "concept car" in my mind. I also consider the Volt to be a serious attempt to win the market, but it's not a fully electric vehicle.

Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds

#285

Post by rn222 »

greglindahl wrote: post #223
rn222 wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The entire automotive industry sees automobiles as upgradeable, it's called the "aftermarket". Conventional automobiles can be tuned and upgraded and have been for generations, except, us non Tesla owners can do it without the manufacturers say so. With Tesla you are forced to buy your upgrades from them, this is less flexible IMO.

There are numerous aftermarket upgrades for Teslas.

Powertrain upgrades?

Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds

#286

Post by qbrass »

theonlyhighlndr wrote: post #237
kllrnohj wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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,…

Exactly, yet people who have no clue about cars will say that because it has a faster 0-60 time it's a faster car. Teslas marketing department is damn good.

Cars spend most of their time between 0 and 60. It's a good area to optimize.

Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds

#287

Post by mikeash »

vonmoltke wrote: post #272
mikeash wrote: post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You only need enough range to go as far as the next charger, or until your bladder is full, whichever is last. 300 miles is plenty (overkill, really) for long distance travel. Gas car range is more about how many times per month you need to stop at the gas station in normal use. More range makes that more convenient. With home charging, the convenience of an electric car is better even with less range.

> 300 miles is plenty (overkill, really) for long distance travel. Don't read trip with me, then. I drove from Hartford, CT to Dallas, TX last month in two days (900mi the first day, 750 the second). Trips like this are specifically why I nixed the Model S as an option and went with a turbodiesel Passat (with its 750+ highway mile range). I realize I'm in the minority, but it is a notable minority. I don't want to be…

900 miles in a day is stretching it, but not entirely out of the question. You can sustain a long distance average speed of about 55-60MPH (counting time for stops) in a Model S 85. It will be slower than you could do in a gas car if you push it. If you don't push it, it won't be any slower, and could even be faster. (Refueling a gas car takes a lot less time, but can't really be done concurrently with other things. If you were going to get coffee or whatever at each charging stop regardless, then you're looking at 5 minutes for gas versus zero for electricity. Accomplishing this with perfection is, of course, a bit of a challenge.)

Note that an hour every 300 miles isn't generally how you'd do it. Charging is faster the closer your battery is to empty, so your best bet is to work in the bottom ~50% of your charge range when possible, and spend ~20 minutes charging at intervals of ~150 miles. You'll note that this is about how far apart Tesla's superchargers are spaced. That, to me, is about the right interval for a quick coffee, bathroom, or stretch break. Your mileage may, of course, vary.

The biggest problem with your particular trip isn't the time for charging, but the general lack of charging infrastructure along the shortest route. If you route through superchargers, the distance is about 300 miles longer due to the need to take I-70 into Kansas to follow the chargers. This should improve with time, and current owners will benefit, but until it does there are some trips that are just not as good with superchargers. But improvements there pay off a lot better than improvements in range beyond 300 miles.

Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds

#288

Post by nicboobees »

jpiasetz wrote: post #187
nicboobees wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is an awful user experience though. Look at mobile phones. An old Nokia 3210 or something, just works. It does everything fine. It works as a phone. It was designed from start to finish, and built. Compare that with Android. Every update they seem to break or remove some functionality. Endless software updates, restarting, etc. It was shipped with bugs, it'll always have bugs. I'm not convinced this is an improv…

What type of phone do you use? If it's an Android phone and not a Nokia 3210 I would suggest that you examine whether you actually value just working at the expense of lots of new features.

I have both. If I need maps/browser/camera, I use my android phone, and moan at all the crappy UI issues and endless updates etc.

One of my worst gripes with android is just how often it changes the UI just as I'm about to click on something, so that I click on something else. It's maddening.

If I need a phone, I use my Nokia 3210 (With its ridiculously long battery life and far superior reception).

Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds

#289

Post by coldpie »

j-b wrote: post #111
coldpie wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I will never buy a vehicle with both an infotainment system and a steering wheel. Subaru lost a sale of a brand new car when the dealer sat down, turned the key, and the radio showed.... a loading bar. Fuck that. I deal with shitty software enough everywhere else in my life. I'm not going to put up with that in a 4000lb piece of metal going 70 MPH.

So, did you end up buying a different vehicle? If so, which one?

My requirements were a hatchback with no touchscreens and a manual transmission. New or used. There were no Imprezas matching that available. I bought a 2011 Mazda 3 hatchback with a stick. The only one available in my area that day. They even had to drive it from a different dealership. Next on my shopping list would've been a Ford Focus, but the Mazda was available, so I didn't get that far.

Re: Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds

#290

Post by coldpie »

jdmichal wrote: post #174
j-b wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, did you end up buying a different vehicle? If so, which one?

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…

The base model for 2015 Subarus has the touchscreen, and there weren't any used for sale with a stick shift.
Post reply on HN