RE: Tesla Model S: PH Carpool
Discussion
Anyone who is commenting that the model s is no good but who also hasn't driven one needs to keep quiet.
Go test drive a 90D then come back.
And before anyone says '0-60 and performance' doesn't matter - yes it bloody well does.
I have never experienced acceleration like it. Not even close.
I happen to live the interior too but that's very subjective.
Go test drive a 90D then come back.
And before anyone says '0-60 and performance' doesn't matter - yes it bloody well does.
I have never experienced acceleration like it. Not even close.
I happen to live the interior too but that's very subjective.
As someone who often (once or twice a week on average) does relatively long [300 miles+] journeys for work, I was concerned with the range of the S however having had a look at the availability of both Supercharger units and the standard charging units - the kind available in multi-storey car parks and motorway service stations - I have realised there is not a single journey I do where I would struggle with the range. I'll always stop at least once each way on these longer journeys which would provide adequate opportunity to charge the car and I wouldn't have a problem in making these stops last 15 minutes longer if the car required it. Yes, it would certainly require additional planning for these journeys however spending 5 minutes the evening before to understand where charging locations are is hardly an insurmountable inconvenience.
My one big concern however is whether the charging infrastructure can keep pace with the growth in the number of EVs on the road. Currently, it takes me approximately 2-3 minutes to fill my car with fuel and therefore increase the car's energy "pool" from near empty to full. This means a petrol station can service hundreds of cars every hour. If we're saying it'll take 60 minutes to provide a Tesla with a similar charge and the predicted rise in EVs is as strong as expected, there will have to be a huge increase in the number of charging points for there not to be bottlenecks created at charging locations - something which would turn me off the idea completely.
Currently, I rarely see more than a single EV at any of the charging points I'm nearby so it's obviously not a problem. It remains to be seen though whether the availability of charging locations will be proactively increased to meet demand or whether it will be a reactive measure as and when capacity becomes too great.
My one big concern however is whether the charging infrastructure can keep pace with the growth in the number of EVs on the road. Currently, it takes me approximately 2-3 minutes to fill my car with fuel and therefore increase the car's energy "pool" from near empty to full. This means a petrol station can service hundreds of cars every hour. If we're saying it'll take 60 minutes to provide a Tesla with a similar charge and the predicted rise in EVs is as strong as expected, there will have to be a huge increase in the number of charging points for there not to be bottlenecks created at charging locations - something which would turn me off the idea completely.
Currently, I rarely see more than a single EV at any of the charging points I'm nearby so it's obviously not a problem. It remains to be seen though whether the availability of charging locations will be proactively increased to meet demand or whether it will be a reactive measure as and when capacity becomes too great.
MrBarry123 said:
Currently, I rarely see more than a single EV at any of the charging points I'm nearby so it's obviously not a problem. It remains to be seen though whether the availability of charging locations will be proactively increased to meet demand or whether it will be a reactive measure as and when capacity becomes too great.
I'm sure the ones you pay for will expand to meet demand; presumably they're profitable? How quickly the "free" Tesla supercharger network expands is perhaps a rather different question.
p1stonhead said:
And before anyone says '0-60 and performance' doesn't matter - yes it bloody well does.
I have never experienced acceleration like it. Not even close.
Mosdef said:
Does it? Really? It's fun the first few times but the novelty soon wears off unless you're really into repetitive traffic light Grand Prix racing. The Tesla handles ok but it's hardly exciting.
It's a two tonne saloon car. I don't think "exciting" is high on the list of priorities for most buyers. 
Mosdef said:
p1stonhead said:
And before anyone says '0-60 and performance' doesn't matter - yes it bloody well does.
I have never experienced acceleration like it. Not even close.
Have you driven a P90d?
I don't think it would ever wear off. I seriously don't it's like being shot out of a cannon.
p1stonhead said:
Anyone who is commenting that the model s is no good but who also hasn't driven one needs to keep quiet.
Go test drive a 90D then come back.
And before anyone says '0-60 and performance' doesn't matter - yes it bloody well does.
I have never experienced acceleration like it. Not even close.
I happen to live the interior too but that's very subjective.
This is part of it. Lots of people who get all excited about the Teslas have never driven fast cars (because they are tight fisted about fuel) so get very excited about straightline acceleration. Once you have driven a 911 Turbo S or similar, you realise that 0-60 showing off etc is for you. I expect most people find it very exciting for about a week. Go test drive a 90D then come back.
And before anyone says '0-60 and performance' doesn't matter - yes it bloody well does.
I have never experienced acceleration like it. Not even close.
I happen to live the interior too but that's very subjective.
ORD said:
p1stonhead said:
Anyone who is commenting that the model s is no good but who also hasn't driven one needs to keep quiet.
Go test drive a 90D then come back.
And before anyone says '0-60 and performance' doesn't matter - yes it bloody well does.
I have never experienced acceleration like it. Not even close.
I happen to live the interior too but that's very subjective.
This is part of it. Lots of people who get all excited about the Teslas have never driven fast cars (because they are tight fisted about fuel) so get very excited about straightline acceleration. Once you have driven a 911 Turbo S or similar, you realise that 0-60 showing off etc is for you. I expect most people find it very exciting for about a week. Go test drive a 90D then come back.
And before anyone says '0-60 and performance' doesn't matter - yes it bloody well does.
I have never experienced acceleration like it. Not even close.
I happen to live the interior too but that's very subjective.
For what it's worth I have driven plenty of fast cars and it still feels mental. There's a reason there are plenty of videos of people reacting to the acceleration and why there are also videos of it beating anything it's tested against too. The silence whilst it's doing it adds to the experience in a way. Plus it is relentless, even a dual clutch box has tiny pauses whereas it doesn't.
p1stonhead said:
Yes it really does.
Have you driven a P90d?
I don't think it would ever wear off. I seriously don't it's like being shot out of a cannon.
I've driven a P85 (not a P90) and yes it was quite good fun but the 0-60mph time wouldn't be a great factor in my car buying decision. There are other points that matter more to me (like handling, a decent interior, some engagement to name but a few). If I was after a device for getting quickly and quietly from one place to another, maybe it would be more important but I prefer a few more layers of engagement. Have you driven a P90d?
I don't think it would ever wear off. I seriously don't it's like being shot out of a cannon.
Mosdef said:
p1stonhead said:
Yes it really does.
Have you driven a P90d?
I don't think it would ever wear off. I seriously don't it's like being shot out of a cannon.
I've driven a P85 (not a P90) and yes it was quite good fun but the 0-60mph time wouldn't be a great factor in my car buying decision. There are other points that matter more to me (like handling, a decent interior, some engagement to name but a few). If I was after a device for getting quickly and quietly from one place to another, maybe it would be more important but I prefer a few more layers of engagement. Have you driven a P90d?
I don't think it would ever wear off. I seriously don't it's like being shot out of a cannon.
kambites said:
It's a two tonne saloon car. I don't think "exciting" is high on the list of priorities for most buyers.
But again, the Tesla doesn't offer any of the engagement of an M5, M6 GC, AMG, Audi RS, Panamera, QP etc. If you have £90k to spend on a car, why would you care about fuel bills? A 2 tonne weight doesn't meant a car has to be dull, but an ICE can add a lot of character. p1stonhead said:
Fair play everyone is different. Personally my commute is 20 miles of dull motorway so quiet, cheap and occasional bursts of acceleration is ideal
I get that, the tesla would be an amazing car for that type of journey. Perhaps not quite as exciting as the alternatives for a big European road trip but each to their own :-)ORD said:
And the Tesla isn't even very fast at motorway speeds, is it? It's trick is 0-30 from what I remember, although I may be wrong.
A P90 will be quick at anything resembling normal speeds and the 1/4 mile time of around 11 seconds (maybe a second quicker than the Panamera Turbo) is pretty quick but yes, the advantage lies in the acceleration off the line.
ORD said:
No question that electric cars should be strongly encouraged in London.
Yup.ORD said:
Little city runabouts, preferably.
Not sure why you'd not want to also encourage medium andlarge electric cars (or hybrids).Get the diesels back out on the open road where they make sense.
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