My Tesla thoughts after driving one... - Page 10

Gogar · 07-22-2014, 07:28 AM

Oh eric you and your pesky facts

onewhippedpuppy · 07-22-2014, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaisen

2013 Tesla Model S Coast-to-Coast Road Trip | Edmunds.com

My friend Dan Edmunds just completed a blitz from LA to NY in a Tesla Model S 85. Just two guys, one car, no support crew, no back ups.

3,332 miles

67 hours including stops to recharge, eat, pee, sleep, etc (averaged 50 mph including stops, 63 mph w/o)

$0 fuel/electricity cost (used free Tesla Superchargers)

38 minutes average re-charge time (also used to eat, pee, sleep, etc)

105.4 mpg equivalent average energy use (using equivalency of 33.4 kWh per gallon of gasoline)

So yes, it can and has been done several times now

True, but......

They stopped 23 times at Superchargers, with an average of 38 minutes per stop. Per the story, on the long legs they were stopping approximately every 2 hours to recharge. Would you like to stop every two hours on a road trip for 40 minutes to recharge your car?

They took a route dictated by Supercharger locations, which appears to be about 600 miles longer than the ideal route. All well and good for an internet article, but not so good if your destination doesn't coincide with current charger location. Sure you can find other means to charge the car, but that means even longer charging stops.

It's a testament to Tesla that their investment in infrastructure makes this possible. But there's still quite a few places you can't go on your great cross country road trip.

kaisen · 07-22-2014, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

But there's still quite a few places you can't go on your great cross country road trip.

Ah, no..... perhaps you meant "for free"..... because you can certainly go anywhere you can find a place to plug in. Not that hard. But not as fast. And likely not free.

But you'll still get there.

Gogar · 07-22-2014, 08:05 AM

I think that's a reasonably impressive amount of stations for less than 2 years though. I wonder how many they will have in 2 more years, etc.

onewhippedpuppy · 07-22-2014, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaisen

Ah, no..... perhaps you meant "for free"..... because you can certainly go anywhere you can find a place to plug in. Not that hard. But not as fast. And likely not free.

But you'll still get there.

True. Though I suspect trying to find an EV charger in Hickville USA would be a challenge, and Bubba might not be willing to loan out his extension cord and let you use his outlet. I also cringe at the thought of stopping every two hours to charge for 40 minutes. Slower charge times are even less appealing. Like I said earlier in this thread, these are tailor made for an urban area. Cross country road trips are definitely their weakness.

techweenie · techweenie's Garage

I'm always amused by people who want the new technology to have equal infrastructure to 100 year old tech. For the amount of time Tesla has been doing this, they are at about 20 years' equivalent development when compared with IC automobiles. Even at MPGe of 108 for a 5-seater sedan, that's a leap forward.

Jim Richards · 07-22-2014, 08:16 AM

Techweenie nailed it. How many gas stations were there 100 years ago, and how easy was it to drive anywhere in the USA back then? Oh yeah, the future continues to rock...

Battery Swap | Tesla Motors

john70t · 07-22-2014, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

It's a testament to Tesla that their investment in infrastructure makes this possible.

Something to note:
This hasn't been done during the past 120 years of electric vehicles.

I won't go into PARF.....but this is not a shiny sparkling brand new subject.

It is a company being allowed to fill in a pothole.

island911 · 07-22-2014, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaisen

Ah, no..... perhaps you meant "for free"..... because you can certainly go anywhere you can find a place to plug in. Not that hard. But not as fast. And likely not free.

But you'll still get there.

That should be their tag line -

100% battery power- it might be a PITA, but you can still get there.

YMMV, some restrictions apply. not valid in NewMexico, Texas or Guam ...see our website for full details.

kaisen · 07-22-2014, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by island911

That should be their tag line -

100% battery power- it might be a PITA, but you can still get there.

YMMV, some restrictions apply. not valid in NewMexico, Texas or Guam ...see our website for full details.

You can still get there ...... the once or twice a year you take a long road trip

The other 300+ days a year are easy, drama-free, and incredibly inexpensive

hardflex · 07-22-2014, 09:03 AM

didn't they make the trip in like 60hours? 2 1/2 days? How fast do you want it to be? In a gasoline car I would take at least 72 if not more. probably 4 days at our normal travel times. 60 hours is I think damn fast.

island911 · 07-22-2014, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaisen

You can still get there ...... the once or twice a year you take a long road trip

The other 300+ days a year are easy, drama-free, and incredibly inexpensive

incredibly inexpensive . .yeah, except for that first $100k. (laptop on wheels ain't cheap.)

What's a good golf-cart cost these days? That ought to be cheap. (by comparison). Besides, it maybe once or twice a year you take a long road trip .... pack the cooler!

Seriously, the "oh look how cheap it is" argument is a fail with Teslas.

island911 · 07-22-2014, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hardflex

didn't they make the trip in like 60hours? 2 1/2 days? How fast do you want it to be? In a gasoline car I would take at least 72 if not more. probably 4 days at our normal travel times. 60 hours is I think damn fast.

So you are saying that Tesla will be the faster vehicle for a road trip, for some one interested in making time? Seriously? My guess is that a TDi Passat would kick it's butt.

kaisen · 07-22-2014, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by island911

incredibly inexpensive . .yeah, except for that first $100k. (laptop on wheels ain't cheap.)

Seriously, the "oh look how cheap it is" argument is a fail with Teslas.

The cost of daily driving is "incredibly inexpensive", free Supercharger or not.

Think about it. On that trip they averaged 105 mpge. But 33.4 kwh (equivalency to a gallon of gasoline) isn't $3.59 (the current national average for a gallon of gas), even if you had to pay for it at home (vs free Supercharger). Here in Minneapolis, you'd have to have a gasoline powered car that got 230 mpg to equal the driving costs of a Tesla Model S (with no free Supercharging). In other words, a M-B S550 would cost you ten times as much to drive daily. One tenth for the Tesla, then, is "incredibly inexpensive".

A laptop on wheels may cost $100K, but so does a comparable gasoline luxury car that performs similarly. Have you priced out a Audi A7, or M-B S550 lately? The initial cost isn't a powerful argument against a Tesla S (which has a base price of $69,900)

kaisen · 07-22-2014, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by island911

So you are saying that Tesla will be the faster vehicle for a road trip, for some one interested in making time? Seriously? My guess is that a TDi Passat would kick it's butt.

And a Boeing 737 would kick the Passat's butt. Drive from LA to NY? I'll fly. So would 99% of the public.

island911 · 07-22-2014, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaisen

And a Boeing 737 would kick the Passat's butt. Drive from LA to NY? I'll fly. So would 99% of the public.

So then you agree, hydrocarbons kick ass.

kaisen · 07-22-2014, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by island911

So then you agree, hydrocarbons kick ass.

I've never said I like the Tesla Model S to save the world. Flying with dozens of other people is much more efficient and cost-effective than driving cross-country with just a couple people using electric, gas, diesel, or any other current motive power.

The Tesla S is a good car independent of being an electric car.