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Tesla model S eliminates range anxiety

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Re: Tesla model S eliminates range anxiety

#91

Post by acgourley »

clarky07 wrote: post #42
acgourley wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You say, "the problem" when you should say "my problem." Personally I just drive around the SF bay area. Maybe 120 miles on my longest driving day. For the one-two times a year I go farther, I suppose I need to rent a car, take transit. or have someone else drive. That seems like a reasonable price to pay to have the coolest car on the planet for a few years.

If you have a spare 100k "to be cool" then go for it. If I had that much money to throw around I'd get one as well. It's an awesome car. That doesn't however just make it "my problem." There aren't very many people buying any of these cars, so I assume it's a problem for more than just me. The point I'm trying to make, is that if I'm spending 50-100k on a car, I want it to solve "the driving problem." i.e. if I need…

"There aren't very many people buying any of these cars" - I can't tell if you mean teslas, or electric cars in general.

If you mean Teslas - an article in june said there are 10k reserved, which means the waiting list is a year long.

If you mean electric cars in general - I would urge you not to compare the leaf or volt to a tesla model S. The former was sold to cost conscious people who ultimately and correctly saw false economy, limitations and questionable design. The tesla can be sold to anyone who would buy a new BMW/Audi/Mercedes and wants to look earth conscious, tech savy, or hip.

Re: Tesla model S eliminates range anxiety

#92

Post by weaksauce »

simba-hiiipower wrote: post #87
ChuckMcM wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think your 10 year estimate is optimistic, but it is certainly coming to the point where the cars drive themselves. One of the interesting things about being driven, as opposed to driving, is that passengers rarely suffer from 'road rage.' That is a big win. Perhaps more interesting will be the transition time, that point where half the cars are self driving and half are manually driven. Will manual drivers become…

" Perhaps more interesting will be the transition time, that point where half the cars are self driving and half are manually driven. Will manual drivers become more aggressive because they "know" the robo-cars will get out of their way? " that would be quite interesting to see. i could certainly see myself becoming more aggressive if i knew others around me would adjust without incident; though that would depend on…

Actually, someone was saying that they saw a google bubble when they witnessed the self driving car in traffic. As the google car tried to keep a safe distance people kept cutting in that space and making the google car slow down even further to get the required space.

Re: Tesla model S eliminates range anxiety

#93

Post by enraged_camel »

clarky07 wrote: post #77
enraged_camel wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mid-range is typically around 250 miles, which the Tesla can do. As for budget, sure, the Tesla is a bit on the expensive side, but it is not difficult to afford for middle-class families.

all the other mid range cars can do another 250 in 5 minutes.

Irrelevant. The point is that if your destination is less than 250 miles away, then it doesn't matter whether the car charges in 5 minutes or 50.

Re: Tesla model S eliminates range anxiety

#94

Post by joezydeco »

jarito wrote: post #28
cstejerean wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would expect the number of people that routinely drive 450 mile trips to be greatly outnumbered by those that don't. There is also the option of renting a car for the weekend for those few occasions when you want to take a roadtrip.

Good luck with that. Renting a car for a weekend drive is crazy expensive and varies widely depending on location, time of year, etc. Asking people to pay an unpredictable several hundred dollars for the rental, then pay for gas, several times a year, is not going to work. I'd focus on 2+ car households. I would love to have an electric that doesn't suck and another car for the wife, traveling, hauling kids, etc. The…

Not sure where you live, but in the US you can usually get a weekend special from Enterprise for $10/day (although it's 100 miles a day) if you time it right. If not, a full-size sedan with unlimited miles will run you maybe $50-70. A rental might cost you hundreds if you're looking in the wrong place like an airport location, or the wrong time like a busy national holiday.

Re: Tesla model S eliminates range anxiety

#95

Post by ryanhuff »

jarito wrote: post #28
cstejerean wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would expect the number of people that routinely drive 450 mile trips to be greatly outnumbered by those that don't. There is also the option of renting a car for the weekend for those few occasions when you want to take a roadtrip.

Good luck with that. Renting a car for a weekend drive is crazy expensive and varies widely depending on location, time of year, etc. Asking people to pay an unpredictable several hundred dollars for the rental, then pay for gas, several times a year, is not going to work. I'd focus on 2+ car households. I would love to have an electric that doesn't suck and another car for the wife, traveling, hauling kids, etc. The…

If you are going to be driving a considerable distance (500-700 miles) in a short amount of time (such as a long weekend trip), renting a car makes sense. I have done so a few times, at a cost of barely more than $100 each time.

Re: Tesla model S eliminates range anxiety

#96

Post by hpvic03 »

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #86
rdl wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who (in the past 20-30 years) is celebrated more than Elon Musk is today? Other than Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. Maybe tied with Jeff Bezos? I don't think "many".

If I asked my wife today, I'm certain she's knows Jobs and Gates, maybe Bezos (and that's a big maybe) but no way would she know who Musk is. Lets not mistake our echo chamber for the world.

I'm sure Elon will get his due. It's just a matter of time before the rest of the world finds out about his accomplishments.

E.g., I don't think many of us here on HN were surprised to see Drew Houston on the cover of Forbes.

Re: Tesla model S eliminates range anxiety

#97

Post by Locke1689 »

dclusin wrote: post #53
clarky07 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm just suggesting that the general population doesn't have 50k to spend on something that only provides one very specific utility. As Musk just pointed out the other day, they are in a do or die 6 month period right now, and might not survive. The other electric car options have mostly been failures. Clearly I'm not the only person who would like to have a bit more utility for my 50k. Keep in mind that you don't ge…

Another problem here as well is the case of poor people. They don't have a lot of money and often times have to travel great distances just to get to work. I know of people who work for Stanford and aren't highly paid professors/doctors/lawyers/etc and routinely commute 60-100 miles each way.

They'll have to wait. Early adopters always pay a premium

Re: Tesla model S eliminates range anxiety

#98

Post by hatcravat »

ghostfish wrote: post #89
kennethcwilbur wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I forgot to mention what is maybe the best part. Surprised the article doesn't talk about this. When you drive an EV, acceleration is instant. Like, at the same time your foot goes down, your shoulders get thrown back. Gas cars often take 0.5-2 seconds to get response from the engine, depending on the car & current conditions at the time you accelerate. You get used to the acceleration in the Tesla after a while. But…

I think you're attributing to throttle lag something that is primarily attributable to torque (which isn't to say there isn't throttle response lag, just it's a minor component imo). Diesels are similar to EVs in the sense that you don't need to let the engine rev up or downshift to get that "throw you back" feel quickly. Depends on the car, obviously.

Depending on the engine computer (or lack thereof), a couple seconds of throttle lag isn't unreasonable. One of the things my flight instructor made a point to show me while learning to fly small planes (with carbureted engines, so the effect was magnified compared to what you'd see on a modern fuel-injected auto) was throttle lag on a balked landing (go-around). Most aircraft engines directly drive the propeller, so there are no transmission effects to confusing things. Shoving the throttle from idle to wide-open can actually cause a dip in RPM as the higher manifold pressure condenses formerly vaporized fuel and the fuel system tries to catch up.

Re: Tesla model S eliminates range anxiety

#99

Post by michaelt »

clarky07 wrote: post #81
michaelt wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was thinking someone who drove 5 hours to visit family would be staying over night and could do an over night charge. I'll admit this may not always be the case. I certainly agree that serious range and uptake will need serious charging and generation infrastructure.

Even overnight isn't enough though. It's 30 hours to charge in a normal outlet, and you then you have to take over their garage.

Ah, the article says the Tesla home charger takes 6 hours for a charge, but I guess it needs to be wired directly to be breaker box or something.

Re: Tesla model S eliminates range anxiety

#100

Post by bcbrown »

joezydeco wrote: post #94
jarito wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good luck with that. Renting a car for a weekend drive is crazy expensive and varies widely depending on location, time of year, etc. Asking people to pay an unpredictable several hundred dollars for the rental, then pay for gas, several times a year, is not going to work. I'd focus on 2+ car households. I would love to have an electric that doesn't suck and another car for the wife, traveling, hauling kids, etc. The…

Not sure where you live, but in the US you can usually get a weekend special from Enterprise for $10/day (although it's 100 miles a day) if you time it right. If not, a full-size sedan with unlimited miles will run you maybe $50-70. A rental might cost you hundreds if you're looking in the wrong place like an airport location, or the wrong time like a busy national holiday.

You mean like the time when many people will be driving a long distance to visit family?
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