The EV king is dead...
Discussion
The original King of EVs is officially dead. 14 years doesn't seem that long ago but in the technology world it's a life time. Just looking at stats, 85kWh temperature controlled battery, 200-250 miles range, 120KW DC charging and 22KW AC, built in app functionality that works, Sat Nav with integrated charging locations, there are some new EVs launched today that offer less functionality!
I visited the Fremount factory in 2016 when the firsr pre production X's started to appear. Sadly I never got a tour inside. Tesla in 2026 is unrecognisable as a brand and company compared to back than. But what ever anyone of us thinks about Tesla now the impact the S had on the EV market is undeniable. The some of the other EVs out at the time are still around, the Zoe, Leaf, i3, but the first two are so unremarkable they are barely in people's consciousness as part of the original EV movement.
It'll be fascinating to see what happens with EV technology over the next 14 years, maybe we will finally see a real 'Break through' in battery technology. The 2012 Model S came with a 85kWh battery, and it appears the 2026 iX3 40 will also have a 85kWh battery, it really is about time the 'concerns' of people worried that EV technology moves so fast cars become obsolete quickly is finally realised
.
https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-mo...
I visited the Fremount factory in 2016 when the firsr pre production X's started to appear. Sadly I never got a tour inside. Tesla in 2026 is unrecognisable as a brand and company compared to back than. But what ever anyone of us thinks about Tesla now the impact the S had on the EV market is undeniable. The some of the other EVs out at the time are still around, the Zoe, Leaf, i3, but the first two are so unremarkable they are barely in people's consciousness as part of the original EV movement.
It'll be fascinating to see what happens with EV technology over the next 14 years, maybe we will finally see a real 'Break through' in battery technology. The 2012 Model S came with a 85kWh battery, and it appears the 2026 iX3 40 will also have a 85kWh battery, it really is about time the 'concerns' of people worried that EV technology moves so fast cars become obsolete quickly is finally realised
.https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-mo...
Edited by gangzoom on Thursday 2nd April 07:57
The Model S is a classic design IMHO. So useful too.
I have well over 200,000 miles in them and am now in the new Model 3.
They look better now than when they were released in 2012.
If you are going to buy one I would recommend a non performance dual motor facelift car like a 2016 90D, they dont seem to suffer with the coolant manifold problem unlike the RWD and performance models (unless modified). The Large Drive Unit cars can be a problem.
I never had an issue with one over that time and never visited a garage with one - (I did make up for it though with my other cars).
I have well over 200,000 miles in them and am now in the new Model 3.
They look better now than when they were released in 2012.
If you are going to buy one I would recommend a non performance dual motor facelift car like a 2016 90D, they dont seem to suffer with the coolant manifold problem unlike the RWD and performance models (unless modified). The Large Drive Unit cars can be a problem.
I never had an issue with one over that time and never visited a garage with one - (I did make up for it though with my other cars).
Motor Trend called the S the ultimate Car of the Year in their 70 years of ratings, and I'd agree:
https://www.motortrend.com/features/2013-tesla-mod...
I adore my Plaid, and at this point plan to replace it with another (used) Plaid when that time comes.
https://www.motortrend.com/features/2013-tesla-mod...
I adore my Plaid, and at this point plan to replace it with another (used) Plaid when that time comes.
I’ve had 2, first one nearly 11 years ago. In many respects the cars Tesla produce today aren’t any better except for efficiency resulting in more range, as my car from 2015 could steer, park, change lanes, and even wipe the windscreen when needed. I know FSD supervised in in some countries, but it’s not here on the UK. It has air suspension, and was far smoother than the Y I owned. Tesla took the cars to the masses making them cheaper but that took something away in the process. I’ve never enjoyed owning a ubiquitous car, I’d have probably driven Saabs if I’d been older.
Back to the Model S, it was the game changer, the i3 was the nearest arriving only a year or so later in the U.K., and as much as there still loved all these year later, it wouldn’t have moved the needle like the Model S do. I might still own a Tesla if they’d invested half the spent on the cybertruck in keeping it genuinely up to date with 800v battery, drive by wire, etc
Back to the Model S, it was the game changer, the i3 was the nearest arriving only a year or so later in the U.K., and as much as there still loved all these year later, it wouldn’t have moved the needle like the Model S do. I might still own a Tesla if they’d invested half the spent on the cybertruck in keeping it genuinely up to date with 800v battery, drive by wire, etc
We had EVs from 2015 - Leaf, Soul, then a Model S P100D built in 2018 for two years, followed by a Honda E.
For a 2012 design the S is still fresh, and that’s before you look at the tech - it’s still as quick as the latest EVs and you can buy a decent one for less than 20k now.
Friends have a 6 seater X and they’ve said it’s basically irreplaceable - there’s just nothing out there that competes.
To have your car navigate itself to a charger at a motorway services (or in Europe quite often in the grounds of a posh hotel), battery fully prepared for accepting that charge, plug the car in and walk away and know it’s charging within a few seconds, all with your phone and credit cards still in your pocket is even now a marvel that most manufacturers can’t match. When I first did it in 2020 it was just crazy.
Absolute game changer, whether good or bad, and it does make you wonder where the car industry and the whole green thing would be now without the last 10-15 years of Tesla influence.
Even something like over the air updates - would that exist now without Tesla - were they the first to do it?
For a 2012 design the S is still fresh, and that’s before you look at the tech - it’s still as quick as the latest EVs and you can buy a decent one for less than 20k now.
Friends have a 6 seater X and they’ve said it’s basically irreplaceable - there’s just nothing out there that competes.
To have your car navigate itself to a charger at a motorway services (or in Europe quite often in the grounds of a posh hotel), battery fully prepared for accepting that charge, plug the car in and walk away and know it’s charging within a few seconds, all with your phone and credit cards still in your pocket is even now a marvel that most manufacturers can’t match. When I first did it in 2020 it was just crazy.
Absolute game changer, whether good or bad, and it does make you wonder where the car industry and the whole green thing would be now without the last 10-15 years of Tesla influence.
Even something like over the air updates - would that exist now without Tesla - were they the first to do it?
Zcd1 said:
ShortBeardy said:
cyber truck is 800V, steer by wire and 48V for ancillaries.
Yes, and if those technologies trickle down to the 3/Y, they would be back to being fully "state of the art", where they were when they were first introduced.Somehow it feels worse to actually have the capability in house and not use it, than not to have bothered.
If they do ever launch the Roadster 2, that really needs to have it.
realistically this tech was never going to be added. The sales volumes were too small to justify the reengineering that would be required.
The Model S cooking model is/was 3.1 to 60 and 410mile range with lifetime free supercharging and at 99k USD
The Plaid with 1020hp and 2s to 60 and still only 110, but I see in the US there is no inventory
Objectively there is still nothing close for the money.
I just hope we're not going to look back and say 2025 was peak EV.
The Model S cooking model is/was 3.1 to 60 and 410mile range with lifetime free supercharging and at 99k USD
The Plaid with 1020hp and 2s to 60 and still only 110, but I see in the US there is no inventory
Objectively there is still nothing close for the money.
I just hope we're not going to look back and say 2025 was peak EV.
ShortBeardy said:
realistically this tech was never going to be added. The sales volumes were too small to justify the reengineering that would be required.
The Model S cooking model is/was 3.1 to 60 and 410mile range with lifetime free supercharging and at 99k USD
The Plaid with 1020hp and 2s to 60 and still only 110, but I see in the US there is no inventory
Objectively there is still nothing close for the money.
I just hope we're not going to look back and say 2025 was peak EV.
Disagree completely The Model S cooking model is/was 3.1 to 60 and 410mile range with lifetime free supercharging and at 99k USD
The Plaid with 1020hp and 2s to 60 and still only 110, but I see in the US there is no inventory
Objectively there is still nothing close for the money.
I just hope we're not going to look back and say 2025 was peak EV.
The sales were low because they didn’t invest in the model and offer a suitable customer experience at the price point. Lotus Emeya, Polestar 5, Audi e-tron GT all exist in the super saloon category, to name just 3, and Tesla still talk about a niche Roadster coming out so they still talk about high value small market segments. As I said, if they spent half the money they blew on the Cybertruck on bringing that tech to the model s and x it might have been a different story.
gangzoom said:
The original King of EVs is officially dead. 14 years doesn't seem that long ago but in the technology world it's a life time. Just looking at stats, 85kWh temperature controlled battery, 200-250 miles range, 120KW DC charging and 22KW AC, built in app functionality that works, Sat Nav with integrated charging locations, there are some new EVs launched today that offer less functionality!
I visited the Fremount factory in 2016 when the firsr pre production X's started to appear. Sadly I never got a tour inside. Tesla in 2026 is unrecognisable as a brand and company compared to back than. But what ever anyone of us thinks about Tesla now the impact the S had on the EV market is undeniable. The some of the other EVs out at the time are still around, the Zoe, Leaf, i3, but the first two are so unremarkable they are barely in people's consciousness as part of the original EV movement.
It'll be fascinating to see what happens with EV technology over the next 14 years, maybe we will finally see a real 'Break through' in battery technology. The 2012 Model S came with a 85kWh battery, and it appears the 2026 iX3 40 will also have a 85kWh battery, it really is about time the 'concerns' of people worried that EV technology moves so fast cars become obsolete quickly is finally realised.
https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-mo...
[Img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczOFIYuoW9Rj2HPA8syfXFBKcf4aAU1SQxbWAizJ4G4vdkw-nvT3CnAf9Kyv9B03m-WHMiNgB3PaN3Vs1CWVaXwlzdjsXQXKNWR_GbgZF7nLuOjREhKRNkxq0A8mOsDtBNiE2ZgTRKTuzyVdAPw1wgjhaA=w1080-h809-s-no-gm?authuser=0[/thumb]
Look to China if you want to see breakthroughs in battery technology, because it’s not gonna be coming from America, that’s pretty clear. I visited the Fremount factory in 2016 when the firsr pre production X's started to appear. Sadly I never got a tour inside. Tesla in 2026 is unrecognisable as a brand and company compared to back than. But what ever anyone of us thinks about Tesla now the impact the S had on the EV market is undeniable. The some of the other EVs out at the time are still around, the Zoe, Leaf, i3, but the first two are so unremarkable they are barely in people's consciousness as part of the original EV movement.
It'll be fascinating to see what happens with EV technology over the next 14 years, maybe we will finally see a real 'Break through' in battery technology. The 2012 Model S came with a 85kWh battery, and it appears the 2026 iX3 40 will also have a 85kWh battery, it really is about time the 'concerns' of people worried that EV technology moves so fast cars become obsolete quickly is finally realised
.https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-mo...
[Img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczOFIYuoW9Rj2HPA8syfXFBKcf4aAU1SQxbWAizJ4G4vdkw-nvT3CnAf9Kyv9B03m-WHMiNgB3PaN3Vs1CWVaXwlzdjsXQXKNWR_GbgZF7nLuOjREhKRNkxq0A8mOsDtBNiE2ZgTRKTuzyVdAPw1wgjhaA=w1080-h809-s-no-gm?authuser=0[/thumb]
Edited by gangzoom on Thursday 2nd April 07:57
Zcd1 said:
Motor Trend called the S the ultimate Car of the Year in their 70 years of ratings, and I'd agree:
https://www.motortrend.com/features/2013-tesla-mod...
I adore my Plaid, and at this point plan to replace it with another (used) Plaid when that time comes.
The Plaid is pretty epic! The ultimate practical large saloon. It’s a shame they never brought it over to the UK in RHD. https://www.motortrend.com/features/2013-tesla-mod...
I adore my Plaid, and at this point plan to replace it with another (used) Plaid when that time comes.
Gone fishing said:
..Lotus Emeya, Polestar 5, Audi e-tron GT all exist in the super saloon category, to name just 3...
Outside the UK, in markets where all those cars are available in addition to the Model S, they're all dramatically more expensive, and none offer the full performance envelope offered by the Plaid.It takes literally twice the money to come close to equalling the Plaid's performance from any non-Chinese brand name...
And though 800V tech would have been nice in some ways, the refreshed Model S's road-tripping performance is still right up there with the best due to its combination of efficiency and range...
It's a compelling package. I'm gutted that it's discontinued.
andy43 said:
...Friends have a 6 seater X and they ve said it s basically irreplaceable - there s just nothing out there that competes...
For what it's worth, in case your friends weren't aware, the Juniper Model Y is now available in a 7-seat version again:https://www.tesla.com/en_gb/modely/design#overview
The original Y wouldn't necessarily have been a good replacement for an X, but the Juniper version has closed that gap significantly...
andy43 said:
We had EVs from 2015 - Leaf, Soul, then a Model S P100D built in 2018 for two years, followed by a Honda E.
For a 2012 design the S is still fresh, and that s before you look at the tech - it s still as quick as the latest EVs and you can buy a decent one for less than 20k now.
Friends have a 6 seater X and they ve said it s basically irreplaceable - there s just nothing out there that competes.
Kia EV9 comes in a 6 or 7 seater version. For a 2012 design the S is still fresh, and that s before you look at the tech - it s still as quick as the latest EVs and you can buy a decent one for less than 20k now.
Friends have a 6 seater X and they ve said it s basically irreplaceable - there s just nothing out there that competes.
Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff