Diesel pickups are for chumps

[Gman]

Tesla is already ahead of the curve on pretty much everything. Largest battery capacity/range, good looking, nationwide super charging network enabling long-range travel, literally the biggest battery factory in the world, hell, the Model 3 has already cracked the top 10 for sales among sedans.

The Tesla 3 cracking the top 10 in sales has a hell of a lot more to do with the bottom falling out of the sedan market. Ford plans to only make 1 of them going forward. The market is primarily CUV/SUV/Truck in this country.

As to scale, people get excited about Tesla trying to hit 5,000 vehicles in a week. GM makes over 8,000 per day. Car manufacturers announce new products and then they show up at dealers to purchase in volume. No fanfare whatsoever. Yet, people get excited when Tesla loses a little less money in a quarter than expected. I'm not drinking the Kool-aid.

Car companies are really good at making cars. To make electric cars isn't outside their ability.

Tesla isn't building base 3's. They're selling $70K+ 3's. The production volume of Tesla is leading to the expiration of some of the 'free' tax dollars subsidizing this horseshit.

WHEN Tesla shits the bed, the vehicles will no longer have OTA updates, etc.

[Irving]

Not buying an electric vehicle, for 90% of people, because it can't do 500 miles in one jaunt, is the same as buying a pick-up that you actually use once a year.

[Gman]

Just got back from a road trip to the Olympic Peninsula, then to Whistler, BC, then back through Seattle to home. Day 1 was from Highlands Ranch to Kellogg, Idaho. Do that in an EV.

[Irving]

I think there is a community of people who do stuff like that, but I don't know enough about it to know the trip details. The point still stands though, and this coming from someone who drives more than almost everyone but truck drivers and door to door vacuum salesmen.

[68Charger]

I think there is a community of people who do stuff like that, but I don't know enough about it to know the trip details. The point still stands though, and this coming from someone who drives more than almost everyone but truck drivers and door to door vacuum salesmen.

It's all in the fine print (which is grounded in physics)...

I've seen Tesla model S owners tout "170 Mi charge in 30 minutes"... AT A TESLA "SUPERCHARGER" station...up to 120 KW per vehicle, but 145 KW distributed at one station... 75 minutes for a full charge! But that's for a model S that's ONLY 4,647 to 4,941# curb weight.. (Gross vehicle weight rating: 5,732 to 5,997 lbs)... And with the lowest cd od any produ production vehicle

Need more than 5 passengers that are less than average size? The model X suv is 5,185 to 5,531 # curb weight.. (Gross vehicle weight rating: 6,581 to 6,768 lbs)... and with the lowest cd of any SUV. same charge capacity, just less range.

Those weights are without any on-board power genset, and without pickup level payload capacity. They're going to have to bump up charging rates beyond that for a pickup towing a trailer... not to mention are facilities available at all stations for vehicles with cargo? What about live cargo?

The grid power draw requirements will increase exponentially...

[Irving]

The grid power draw requirements will increase exponentially...

Of course, just like with any new technology.

I think Jer pretty much nailed it with his post. It doesn't really matter if Tesla fails or not, because the bar has already been set, and the public has already been given a taste of the future; regardless of how many people have actually purchased an EV vehicle at this point. It just takes a company to start the ball rolling.

[Aloha_Shooter]

I'm saying the Porsche Tayman will rock because they've been combining lessons learned with their mainline cars and lessons learned at Le Mans. My cousin is a regional sales manager for Tesla and was bragging about its performance. When I told him I expected him to take me on straights but that I'd get him on curves, all he could talk about was how the car's weight let it take curves -- sorry, but the automotive engineers at Porsche or GM or Ford have other tricks up their sleeves besides making the car heavy with a low center of gravity.

Despite all the Tesla hype, the company has been surviving on decapitalization write-offs and tax rebates. They still haven't made an actual profit. Yes, they approach things differently -- that's not always good, as their bitter experience with the Model 3 is bearing out. Musk is going through the same thing with SpaceX -- some good, original think in the way they approach space launch but also relearning lessons the "bigs" learned 40-50 years ago because they roll in thinking they already know everything they need.

The X model my cousin drove looked great and I'd totally want an EV if I was back in Hawaii with a daily commute of 10-15 miles and a longest ever drive of maybe 50-60 miles but I wouldn't have wanted it for my drive to Tucson last month and I don't want a vehicle that "bricks" if you let the battery drain completely.

[Bailey Guns]

I say the more choices, the merrier. I'm not happy about tax dollars subsidizing auto makers like Tesla...but it happens all the time and it's been happening for years with all the others at some point. So apparently the government doesn't give a damn about what I like or don't like getting subsidies. Go figure.

If a manufacturer can make an EV that can do the same things a vehicle currently powered by gas/diesel can do, why not?

But I'm not giving up my diesel-fueled truck, car or tractor any time soon. Likely not in my lifetime.

[asystejs]

Just got back from a road trip to the Olympic Peninsula, then to Whistler, BC, then back through Seattle to home.
Day 1 was from Highlands Ranch to Kellogg, Idaho. Do that in an EV.

I wouldn't want to do that Day 1 in any land based vehicle.

[asystejs]

Just got back from a road trip to the Olympic Peninsula, then to Whistler, BC, then back through Seattle to home.
Day 1 was from Highlands Ranch to Kellogg, Idaho. Do that in an EV.

I wouldn't want to do that Day 1 in any land based vehicle.