Best car ever? Tesla model S

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surfisup1000

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#191817 17-Feb-2016 13:15

Don't usually follow electric car tech, but, this is an awesome vehicle and opened my eyes to just how close we are to phasing out the private internal combustion engine car.

All electric with a range of 460km and can hit the legal limit in under 5 seconds.

Specialised charging system (EV gas station equivalent) will provide 200km in 20 minutes, or, leave it plugged in for 10 hours overnight for a full charge.

Costly at this stage (90k usd) but often this type of technology tends to get really cheap really quickly.

And, NZ power supply is 230v, so standard charging will be faster than the US 120v system.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-tesla-model-s-p85d-first-drive-review

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#1493972 17-Feb-2016 13:21

USA is 120V at 15A whereas NZ is 220V at 10A. We do get a bit more power per socket, 2400W vs 1800W.

I'm looking forward to electric cars being cheaper than petrol ones. Motors should be cheaper, I guess it's batteries that will keep the costs up - plus of course all the electrics and the metal.

kobiak

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#1493979 17-Feb-2016 13:32

I was fortunate enough to have a ride in Tesla model S last November.

this is the only car, I'd buy if I win big lotto :) or Model X or next generation cheap Tesla.

doing from 0 to 110km/h on Auckland motorway under 4 secs is something spectacular and breathtaking.

Too bad these are too EXPENSIVE :(

helping others at evgenyk.nz

dclegg

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#1493987 17-Feb-2016 13:42

kobiak:

I was fortunate enough to have a ride in Tesla model S last November.

And I had the chance last June. I've been a Porsche fan since ages ago, but if I won Lotto, I think the Tesla would be my first purchase.

surfisup1000

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#1493989 17-Feb-2016 13:44

Stop teasing!!!

robjg63

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#1493990 17-Feb-2016 13:46

Really beats me that with all the established car companies in the world with the resources they have on hand, that it takes someone like Elon Musk to come along and show the world how to build an inovative car that is all electric and absolutely usable (range/features etc).

They are definitely having some company growing pains though. Model delays, production bottlenecks etc.

Hope they work their way through this ok - its the sort of thing that can kill a business.

The model 3 is due for some sort of launch announcement soon - it maybe just photographs. They reckon you can put down deposits from 31 March. Price USD$35,000 in production 2017 - so who knows when it will really appear - claiming over 200 mile range (321km).

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

dclegg

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#1493995 17-Feb-2016 13:50

robjg63:

Really beats me that with all the established car companies in the world with the resources they have on hand, that it takes someone like Elon Musk to come along and show the world how to build an inovative car that is all electric and absolutely usable (range/features etc).

And now that he's open sourced so much of the tech, it's even easier for others to follow his lead.

The model 3 is due for some sort of launch announcement soon - it maybe just photographs. They reckon you can put down deposits from 31 March. Price USD$35,000 in production 2017 - so who knows when it will really appear - claiming over 200 mile range (321km).

It'll be interesting to see how well this is received by the marketplace. While the Model S & Model X are cool vehicles, they are very much priced at the luxury end of the market. The Model 3 should open it up to a lot more consumers.

stevenz

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#1494020 17-Feb-2016 14:01

So they obviously make RHD Tesla's, are they readily available in countries other than the USA then?

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dclegg

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#1494025 17-Feb-2016 14:05

stevenz:

So they obviously make RHD Tesla's, are they readily available in countries other than the USA then?

They are officially sold in Australia now.

It would've been great if the National government had chosen these for their recent fleet upgrade. Leading by example.

lxsw20

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#1494026 17-Feb-2016 14:06

Yes, for sale here in the UK. There is a Tesla store in one of the Westfield's in London. The only thing I dislike, is the lack of physical controls where they have used a touch screen. It's nice to be able to change temperature or volume with feel rather than using a touch screen that you have to glance at. Also, att the size it is, it looks a bit out of place. I get that is is very functional all the same.

trig42

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#1494028 17-Feb-2016 14:10

I saw one on Waiheke over the Christmas break - drove past me. Looks really nice, and the only thing I could hear was the tyres on the road.

If I won Powerball, there would be one in my garage.

stevenz

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#1494040 17-Feb-2016 14:19

dclegg:
stevenz:So they obviously make RHD Tesla's, are they readily available in countries other than the USA then?
They are officially sold in Australia now.

It would've been great if the National government had chosen these for their recent fleet upgrade. Leading by example.

Guess they'd need to buy something with a local service agent, even National would be hard put to justify sending the cars to Australia for their regular servicing.

Would love one of these things, everything about them seems amazing.

@KnightNZ

dclegg

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#1494045 17-Feb-2016 14:22

stevenz:

Guess they'd need to buy something with a local service agent, even National would be hard put to justify sending the cars to Australia for their regular servicing.

Yeah, that makes sense.

BlinkyBill

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#1494052 17-Feb-2016 14:37

I own one of these, in Australia. I bought it in a 'latest thing' kind of mood. It's a good car, but certainly not the best car out there. Here's the downside of owning a tesla:
- Re-charging: you need to plan when and where to charge, no noticing you're nearly out of gas and go into the next station; not viable for trips out of town (I only drive in Sydney itself, so this doesn't affect me)
- lack of driving engagement: it just not as much fun to drive as my Porsche
- pedestrians don't hear you coming - I'm serious, you need to watch out for jaywalkers a lot more
- the build quality is below a Porsche for similar money, the build is a bit average
- cost of replacing batteries, I'll be selling mine before then
- I was annoyed Musk cancelled that guys X order because he (the customer) criticized the X launch

Good points:
- torque and acceleration
- OTA updates
- the vision for the future
- very quiet on the road, about the same as a Bentley

The X looks like something badly designed for an SUV. Can't put anything on the roof.

It's easy to drive, but I'm not sure I'd buy one again. But someone had to do it.

WyleECoyoteNZ

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#1494054 17-Feb-2016 14:38

It's a start, and a step in the right direction.

However (and this isn't a anti electric car rant\beat-up)

A range of 460Km is good, but is that on flat smooth roads or NZ style coarse chip and hills? I suspect it's the former, so in NZ I'd guess the range is a little less. Then a 20 minute 'fill up' for 200kms is speedy, but still four times longer than it currently takes in a conventional petrol car.

Its seems to me that electric car are moving on quickly in terms of range etc, but at the expense of other technologies.

E.g. Hydrogen fuel cells.

Let's not forget that the Hydrogen powered Honda FCX Clarity (2008) existed before the Model S (2012) and I believe Hydrogen filling stations still exist in California.

The problem with the pure electric car is that re-charging time, and unless that can be reduced to the same time as a petrol car then I don't think they'll sell in great numbers.

The thing that a current combustion engine vehicle gives is freedom, the freedom to go where you want.

Having never driven either, and only going off what I saw from James May's Top Gear FCX review, the Hydrogen powered car takes roughly the same time to fill up as a conventional combustion engine vehicle giving that same freedom.

Yes, there are issues in extracting Hydrogen, and the fact no filling stations exist in NZ. And think about it, if there were Hydrogen filling stations, part of the price you pay could go towards ACC, road charges etc like petrol does now.

I think the likes of Tesla are helping drive the development and improvement of battery life, but I really don't think they the sole future power source.

And as a final note, Mike Hoskings doesn't like either. His rant below:

http://www.driven.co.nz/news/news/mike-hosking-electric-cars-not-the-future/

dclegg

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#1494056 17-Feb-2016 14:44

WyleECoyoteNZ:

And as a final note, Mike Hoskings doesn't like either. His rant below:

http://www.driven.co.nz/news/news/mike-hosking-electric-cars-not-the-future/

Mike Hosking doesn't like it? That's an insta-buy in my book :-)

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