Tesla Model ≡ Thread

[ZBB]

I haven't decided yet. There is a rumor that owners will be able to do it online before the reveal event. If I can't do that, I may swing by the store early afternoon...

[JST]

I'm going to at least try and go to the store, which isn't far from my office.

[clyde]

Originally Posted by JST

I'm going to at least try and go to the store, which isn't far from my office.

Fortunately you're both on the same side of the nuke summit.

[bren]

A friend is picking up his model S tomorrow. Sounds like he may be walking into quite a show.

So, can I have him reserve one in my name? While he's there?

[clyde]

I can understand that many people can't drive more than a couple hours at a stretch for physical or mental acuity issues. I also know that I'm rarely one of them. There was one time driving back from Toledo to DC, I had to stop to pee at almost every service area, but that was weird. 300 miles in a single stretch isn't enough to even think about. If I start a trip in the morning after a normal night of sleep, it's 13-14 hours before I need more of a stop than it takes to fill a tank of gas and pee. 30 minutes and some food and I'm good for another 3-4 hours before it might start getting iffy. When I was younger, I would have thought that was old and slow. Today, I recognize this probably isn't normal.

300 real world miles in moderately adverse conditions still seems like a tipping point. A charger network comparable in coverage to today's gas stations still seems like the other.

[John V]

Originally Posted by clyde

I can understand that many people can't drive more than a couple hours at a stretch for physical or mental acuity issues. I also know that I'm rarely one of them. There was one time driving back from Toledo to DC, I had to stop to pee at almost every service area, but that was weird. 300 miles in a single stretch isn't enough to even think about. If I start a trip in the morning after a normal night of sleep, it's 13-14 hours before I need more of a stop than it takes to fill a tank of gas and pee. 30 minutes and some food and I'm good for another 3-4 hours before it might start getting iffy. When I was younger, I would have thought that was old and slow. Today, I recognize this probably isn't normal.

300 real world miles in moderately adverse conditions still seems like a tipping point. A charger network comparable in coverage to today's gas stations still seems like the other.

Coverage and time to "fill up."

[bren]

Originally Posted by John V

...time to "fill up."

That's the real killer.

Waiting on 30 gallons of diesel from a normal car-type pump nozzle is bad enough. Having time for a sit down table cloth meal? Forget that, take the other car.

[clyde]

Originally Posted by John V

Coverage and time to "fill up."

Ease of "topping off" or getting a "splash and go" would get almost as much mileage (ha!) as "topping off." If you miscalculate your range just a bit, a relatively quick stop at any city or suburban corner to charge up enough to get home or to the office and a similarly quick stop to make it that last 50 miles to your trip destination may go a long way to solving range anxiety.

[robg]

I'm curious to see what they offer for 35k. Its' not like a base Model S for 70k is luxurious or well-equipped. To save money, supposedly it's:
-steel vs aluminum
-economies of scale from the gigafactory
-lower margin/higher production

Hard to see how that saves 35k though. Will be interesting to see how they differentiate it from the regular (non P) S other than size. Only possibiltiies I can think of are longer range (which would probably mean a 100D as the minimum config for an S)

[Plaz]

Originally Posted by clyde

I can understand that many people can't drive more than a couple hours at a stretch for physical or mental acuity issues. I also know that I'm rarely one of them. There was one time driving back from Toledo to DC, I had to stop to pee at almost every service area, but that was weird. 300 miles in a single stretch isn't enough to even think about. If I start a trip in the morning after a normal night of sleep, it's 13-14 hours before I need more of a stop than it takes to fill a tank of gas and pee. 30 minutes and some food and I'm good for another 3-4 hours before it might start getting iffy. When I was younger, I would have thought that was old and slow. Today, I recognize this probably isn't normal.

300 real world miles in moderately adverse conditions still seems like a tipping point. A charger network comparable in coverage to today's gas stations still seems like the other.

Your stamina is impressive. I like to think I'm good at long drives, but at about the 10 hour mark I often start to fade mentally enough that I'm not that comfortable pushing farther. I can, and have, pushed much farther in a pinch, but if I'm planning a long road trip I usually plan for 9-ish hours per stint.