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

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

#91

Post by retroafroman »

cglee wrote: post #59
Havoc wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its easier to expand downwards. e.g. Take Porsche...they have a bullet proof brand so they can sell a Cayenne football mom SUV fairly easily...just costs a bit of brand dilution. Doing the opposite (SUV to sportscar) would be a tough sell no matter how (objectively) good the sportscar is.

> It's easier to expand downwards Lots of business research says this is not true, and in fact, the opposite. This is why VW is the world's most popular car maker, and not Porsche.

So, anecdotally, low end Porsche models have sold well, like the Boxster and Cayman, and high end VW models have often not sold well, like the Phaeton.

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

#92

Post by bravo22 »

rjusher wrote: post #76

One 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…

The batteries in a Tesla aren't very green and sadly they are quite large. Big automakers think in volumes of millions of cars, Tesla delivers about 25K (EDIT: looks like 40K projected for this year[1]) cars a year.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2015/05/12/tes...

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

#93

Post by vvanders »

More impressive to me is the fact that the 90kWh battery is already trickling down to the Model S. It was originally developed for the Model X.

I think it's safe to say that we'll see Model X features moving down to the Model S much faster than previously thought. This is how you relentlessly improve a product instead of holding specific features to a Model without solid technical reasons.

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

#94

Post by chambo622 »

bravo22 wrote: post #92
rjusher wrote: post #76

One 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…

The batteries in a Tesla aren't very green and sadly they are quite large. Big automakers think in volumes of millions of cars, Tesla delivers about 25K (EDIT: looks like 40K projected for this year[1]) cars a year. http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2015/05/12/tes...

Try ~55k this year

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

#95

Post by ForHackernews »

myth_buster wrote: post #27

Tesla's seems to be beating a dead horse! Don't get me wrong; I love what Tesla does but making a faster production car seems to be an answer to the critics who I think have already taken home the message that the electric car is as fast as the best IC car! I think what they should address is getting out the affordable Model 3 as fast to the market as they can. They may loose the game if the incumbents beat them to i…

The incumbents have already beaten them to the mass-market segment. The Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt are both affordable, competent (if unexciting) electric vehicles.

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

#96

Post by cherry_su »

vvanders wrote: post #87
theonlyhighlndr wrote: post #50

Earlier 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.

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...

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

#97

Post by CydeWeys »

bravo22 wrote: post #92
rjusher wrote: post #76

One 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…

The batteries in a Tesla aren't very green and sadly they are quite large. Big automakers think in volumes of millions of cars, Tesla delivers about 25K (EDIT: looks like 40K projected for this year[1]) cars a year. http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2015/05/12/tes...

Isn't it an overstatement that the batteries aren't green? Yes, there are environmental impacts from the production, but still a lot less than the environmental impacts of all the oil that would otherwise be produced and burnt to fuel the car over its lifetime, no?

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

#98

Post by csours »

rjusher wrote: post #76

One 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…

The biggest issue at the moment is the limited range with battery only.

Even after a large network of charging stations is created, the user experience for long trips is not ideal - up to 1/4 of driving time may be spent charging.

The ownership paradigm may change at some point, but at the moment people like the idea of using their own car to go around town as well as going on vacation / see the parents / etc across the state or nation.

- Disclaimer - I work for GM

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

#99

Post by wbeckler »

bravo22 wrote: post #92
rjusher wrote: post #76

One 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…

The batteries in a Tesla aren't very green and sadly they are quite large. Big automakers think in volumes of millions of cars, Tesla delivers about 25K (EDIT: looks like 40K projected for this year[1]) cars a year. http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2015/05/12/tes...

The bestselling minivan only sells 110K units in a given year. That's not millions.

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

#100

Post by WillPostForFood »

stefanobernardi wrote: post #79
skrebbel wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What? I think I know what you mean, but how the hell are BMW not thinking of their cars as "actual products"?

All of the responses got what I meant, which I realize is not clear. I mean a non-disposable, dynamic and upgradable hardware product. This is the first time that I see this in the hardware world, where every object is manufactured and then all plans are towards a V2 or a new product. The few exceptions are for recalls, but that's obviously a different story.

Is it really that different from the performance parts divisions of the major auto makers? Like Toyota uses TRD to build and sell aftermarket parts that you can get installed at the Toyota dealer. Mercedes does it with AMG, Ford with Ford Performance, etc...
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