Tesla test drive. Thoughts
Discussion
To adjust the Speed Limit Warning setting, touch Controls > Autopilot > Speed Limit Warning, then choose one of these options:
Off - Speed limit warnings do not display and chimes are not sounded.
Display - Speed limit signs display on the touchscreen and the sign increases in size when you exceed the determined limit.
Chime - In addition to the visual display, a chime is sounded when you exceed the determined speed limit.
You can also specify how the speed limit is determined:
Relative - You can set a speed limit offset (+ or -) if you want to be alerted only when you exceed the offset speed limit by a specified amount. For example, you can increase the offset to +10 km/h if you only want to be warned when you exceed the speed limit by 10 km/h.
Absolute - Manually specify any speed limit between 30 and 240 km/h.
Off - Speed limit warnings do not display and chimes are not sounded.
Display - Speed limit signs display on the touchscreen and the sign increases in size when you exceed the determined limit.
Chime - In addition to the visual display, a chime is sounded when you exceed the determined speed limit.
You can also specify how the speed limit is determined:
Relative - You can set a speed limit offset (+ or -) if you want to be alerted only when you exceed the offset speed limit by a specified amount. For example, you can increase the offset to +10 km/h if you only want to be warned when you exceed the speed limit by 10 km/h.
Absolute - Manually specify any speed limit between 30 and 240 km/h.
LHRFlightman said:
So Telsa correctly identified you as a wannabe test pilot and blocked you. As they do for all vehicles that are available for a test drive. Sounds ok to me.
Do you regularly drive around at speeds greater than 87mph?
Yep. Do you regularly drive around at speeds greater than 87mph?
It was a test drive. So naturally, being a M3P, I put my foot down as soon as I got it on the motorway. Hitting the 87mph limit was like hitting a wall.
AVB said:
It works ok in that scenario but in town traffic where you can’t use cruise control (due to parked cars, pedestrians etc) then a ‘normal’ speed limiter would be useful.
Surely in that scenario just a bit of self control is required. Why on earth do you need a speed limiter for driving round town? Just control your right foot. The throttle isn’t binary 
Edited by Keith R on Friday 19th May 00:10
Why do people feel compelled to tell someone they’re wrong for wanting a feature Tesla doesn’t have? Just because you can’t see the benefit doesn’t mean others can’t see one. It smacks of tesla fanboism where you won’t hear anything bad said. I don’t see the benefit of having a car that plays farting sounds, but I happily accept there are some immature enough to like it.
Keith R said:
Surely in that scenario just a bit of self control is required. Why on earth do you need a speed limiter for driving round town? Just control your right foot. The throttle isn’t binary
It's a heavily requested feature on electric cars due to how sensitive the throttle can be. A lot of people seem to use it on their ICE cars too just as a comfort feature more than anything. Edited by Keith R on Friday 19th May 00:10
I personally don't think it's a massive issue apart from maybe on the motorway but then I just engage the cruise control.
AN UPDATE.
I've had my Tesla M3 SR+ for about 8 months now. It's a 2021 model. It's covered 12,995 miles, 8,348 of which have been mine. I'm averaging 32 miles a day and the average efficiency is 205 wh/mile.
Charging has been 96% % at home, overnight on Octopus Intelligent. Cost for electrons so far has been £176.
Most mileage on a day of driving has been 243 miles, with 14% remaining when I got home.
Maintenance has been washer fluid and a weekly wash and vac on the drive.
Niggles? A motor failed in the passenger rear right window, causing the glass to shatter. Repaired under warranty on the drive within 48 hours.
The glass roof developed a crack in August A trip to the showroom determined a manufacturing defect in how the glass was bonded to the body shell. Repaired in an afternoon in the workshop, under warranty.
Overall, very, very happy with the car and the service.
I've had my Tesla M3 SR+ for about 8 months now. It's a 2021 model. It's covered 12,995 miles, 8,348 of which have been mine. I'm averaging 32 miles a day and the average efficiency is 205 wh/mile.
Charging has been 96% % at home, overnight on Octopus Intelligent. Cost for electrons so far has been £176.
Most mileage on a day of driving has been 243 miles, with 14% remaining when I got home.
Maintenance has been washer fluid and a weekly wash and vac on the drive.
Niggles? A motor failed in the passenger rear right window, causing the glass to shatter. Repaired under warranty on the drive within 48 hours.
The glass roof developed a crack in August A trip to the showroom determined a manufacturing defect in how the glass was bonded to the body shell. Repaired in an afternoon in the workshop, under warranty.
Overall, very, very happy with the car and the service.
On my trip from south coast to Manchester over the weekend I was stopped at Warwick Services and noticed there appear to be just 3 chargers for the general EV population and a second larger bank on one side for the Teslas, which weren't being fully used. All the chargers in front of the service area were in use. For me, this fact is still a major pull to Tesla if and when I make the jump to EV, which I have put off for now. The Tesla charging infrastructure is just so superior.
I still quite like the idea of the basic RWD model, as the Dual Motor car is a fair chunk heavier and has more performance than I would trust myself with, but here's a question. How far, realistically, can you go on one charge during autumn, with outside temp of 7-10C and rain, so heater, lights, wipers on constantly, at a steady 70 MPH motorway cruise, mixed in with the usual motorway issues of accidents causing hold ups......?? Just trying to work out if Bournemouth to Manchester is possible without a top up (its 251 miles)
I still quite like the idea of the basic RWD model, as the Dual Motor car is a fair chunk heavier and has more performance than I would trust myself with, but here's a question. How far, realistically, can you go on one charge during autumn, with outside temp of 7-10C and rain, so heater, lights, wipers on constantly, at a steady 70 MPH motorway cruise, mixed in with the usual motorway issues of accidents causing hold ups......?? Just trying to work out if Bournemouth to Manchester is possible without a top up (its 251 miles)
greenarrow said:
On my trip from south coast to Manchester over the weekend I was stopped at Warwick Services and noticed there appear to be just 3 chargers for the general EV population and a second larger bank on one side for the Teslas, which weren't being fully used. All the chargers in front of the service area were in use. For me, this fact is still a major pull to Tesla if and when I make the jump to EV, which I have put off for now. The Tesla charging infrastructure is just so superior.
I still quite like the idea of the basic RWD model, as the Dual Motor car is a fair chunk heavier and has more performance than I would trust myself with, but here's a question. How far, realistically, can you go on one charge during autumn, with outside temp of 7-10C and rain, so heater, lights, wipers on constantly, at a steady 70 MPH motorway cruise, mixed in with the usual motorway issues of accidents causing hold ups......?? Just trying to work out if Bournemouth to Manchester is possible without a top up (its 251 miles)
My Long Range will give 270, 280 miles in the worst conditions. I still quite like the idea of the basic RWD model, as the Dual Motor car is a fair chunk heavier and has more performance than I would trust myself with, but here's a question. How far, realistically, can you go on one charge during autumn, with outside temp of 7-10C and rain, so heater, lights, wipers on constantly, at a steady 70 MPH motorway cruise, mixed in with the usual motorway issues of accidents causing hold ups......?? Just trying to work out if Bournemouth to Manchester is possible without a top up (its 251 miles)
greenarrow said:
On my trip from south coast to Manchester over the weekend I was stopped at Warwick Services and noticed there appear to be just 3 chargers for the general EV population and a second larger bank on one side for the Teslas, which weren't being fully used. All the chargers in front of the service area were in use. For me, this fact is still a major pull to Tesla if and when I make the jump to EV, which I have put off for now. The Tesla charging infrastructure is just so superior.
I still quite like the idea of the basic RWD model, as the Dual Motor car is a fair chunk heavier and has more performance than I would trust myself with, but here's a question. How far, realistically, can you go on one charge during autumn, with outside temp of 7-10C and rain, so heater, lights, wipers on constantly, at a steady 70 MPH motorway cruise, mixed in with the usual motorway issues of accidents causing hold ups......?? Just trying to work out if Bournemouth to Manchester is possible without a top up (its 251 miles)
There is another way of looking at this. It takes about 20 mins to charge from 10% to 70% and 70% gives you over 200 miles range. (Mine is a LR) A Tesla will navigate from one charger to another, telling you how many stalls are available and what facilities are close by. In 14 months and 25k miles ive never come across a stall that doesn’t work and never had to wait. I still quite like the idea of the basic RWD model, as the Dual Motor car is a fair chunk heavier and has more performance than I would trust myself with, but here's a question. How far, realistically, can you go on one charge during autumn, with outside temp of 7-10C and rain, so heater, lights, wipers on constantly, at a steady 70 MPH motorway cruise, mixed in with the usual motorway issues of accidents causing hold ups......?? Just trying to work out if Bournemouth to Manchester is possible without a top up (its 251 miles)
After that long in the car, in that 20 mins, someone in the car tends to need the toilet / a coffee or happy to watch YouTube/Netflix on the screen. Would be the same in an ICE car.
I sometimes forget to charge overnight - and don’t care. I’d happily travel any distance, it’s not a problem.
It’s interesting that many companies are buying the tesla supercharger for their own network, I suspect because not only is it reliable but it’s also able to communicate its status to a central network
Edited by Hans_Gruber on Tuesday 14th November 09:35
Hans_Gruber said:
greenarrow said:
On my trip from south coast to Manchester over the weekend I was stopped at Warwick Services and noticed there appear to be just 3 chargers for the general EV population and a second larger bank on one side for the Teslas, which weren't being fully used. All the chargers in front of the service area were in use. For me, this fact is still a major pull to Tesla if and when I make the jump to EV, which I have put off for now. The Tesla charging infrastructure is just so superior.
I still quite like the idea of the basic RWD model, as the Dual Motor car is a fair chunk heavier and has more performance than I would trust myself with, but here's a question. How far, realistically, can you go on one charge during autumn, with outside temp of 7-10C and rain, so heater, lights, wipers on constantly, at a steady 70 MPH motorway cruise, mixed in with the usual motorway issues of accidents causing hold ups......?? Just trying to work out if Bournemouth to Manchester is possible without a top up (its 251 miles)
There is another way of looking at this. It takes about 20 mins to charge from 10% to 70% and 70% gives you over 200 miles range. (Mine is a LR) A Tesla will navigate from one charger to another, telling you how many stalls are available and what facilities are close by. In 14 months and 25k miles ive never come across a stall that doesn’t work and never had to wait. I still quite like the idea of the basic RWD model, as the Dual Motor car is a fair chunk heavier and has more performance than I would trust myself with, but here's a question. How far, realistically, can you go on one charge during autumn, with outside temp of 7-10C and rain, so heater, lights, wipers on constantly, at a steady 70 MPH motorway cruise, mixed in with the usual motorway issues of accidents causing hold ups......?? Just trying to work out if Bournemouth to Manchester is possible without a top up (its 251 miles)
After that long in the car, in that 20 mins, someone in the car tends to need the toilet / a coffee or happy to watch YouTube/Netflix on the screen. Would be the same in an ICE car.
I sometimes forget to charge overnight - and don’t care. I’d happily travel any distance, it’s not a problem.
It’s interesting that many companies are buying the tesla supercharger for their own network, I suspect because not only is it reliable but it’s also able to communicate its status to a central network
Edited by Hans_Gruber on Tuesday 14th November 09:35
Personally, I'd not do a 4hr drive without a coffee stop anyway so it's no inconvenience.
greenarrow said:
I still quite like the idea of the basic RWD model, as the Dual Motor car is a fair chunk heavier and has more performance than I would trust myself with, but here's a question. How far, realistically, can you go on one charge during autumn, with outside temp of 7-10C and rain, so heater, lights, wipers on constantly, at a steady 70 MPH motorway cruise, mixed in with the usual motorway issues of accidents causing hold ups......?? Just trying to work out if Bournemouth to Manchester is possible without a top up (its 251 miles)
I have a 2023 RWD.In summer that would be do-able, but I doubt it in Autumn conditions. You'd need a 5 min top-up to get to your destination.
You would also need to set off full and arrive almost completely empty. Plus not be able to go anywhere once you arrive without first finding some charging locally.
As the other poster said, full to empty runs aren’t the way think about it. Sure if you have home charging set off full but stop when you need to and not at the behest of the car.
Put enough in to make the stop not onerous but will leave you with enough to go where you need to at your destination and be able to drive for another charge on the journey home.
No use hypermiling all the way just to arrive on 1% to find you can’t charge at your grannies 10th floor council flat for example.
They do need a bit of planning but not much.
As the other poster said, full to empty runs aren’t the way think about it. Sure if you have home charging set off full but stop when you need to and not at the behest of the car.
Put enough in to make the stop not onerous but will leave you with enough to go where you need to at your destination and be able to drive for another charge on the journey home.
No use hypermiling all the way just to arrive on 1% to find you can’t charge at your grannies 10th floor council flat for example.
They do need a bit of planning but not much.
LHRFlightman said:
Hans_Gruber said:
greenarrow said:
On my trip from south coast to Manchester over the weekend I was stopped at Warwick Services and noticed there appear to be just 3 chargers for the general EV population and a second larger bank on one side for the Teslas, which weren't being fully used. All the chargers in front of the service area were in use. For me, this fact is still a major pull to Tesla if and when I make the jump to EV, which I have put off for now. The Tesla charging infrastructure is just so superior.
I still quite like the idea of the basic RWD model, as the Dual Motor car is a fair chunk heavier and has more performance than I would trust myself with, but here's a question. How far, realistically, can you go on one charge during autumn, with outside temp of 7-10C and rain, so heater, lights, wipers on constantly, at a steady 70 MPH motorway cruise, mixed in with the usual motorway issues of accidents causing hold ups......?? Just trying to work out if Bournemouth to Manchester is possible without a top up (its 251 miles)
There is another way of looking at this. It takes about 20 mins to charge from 10% to 70% and 70% gives you over 200 miles range. (Mine is a LR) A Tesla will navigate from one charger to another, telling you how many stalls are available and what facilities are close by. In 14 months and 25k miles ive never come across a stall that doesn’t work and never had to wait. I still quite like the idea of the basic RWD model, as the Dual Motor car is a fair chunk heavier and has more performance than I would trust myself with, but here's a question. How far, realistically, can you go on one charge during autumn, with outside temp of 7-10C and rain, so heater, lights, wipers on constantly, at a steady 70 MPH motorway cruise, mixed in with the usual motorway issues of accidents causing hold ups......?? Just trying to work out if Bournemouth to Manchester is possible without a top up (its 251 miles)
After that long in the car, in that 20 mins, someone in the car tends to need the toilet / a coffee or happy to watch YouTube/Netflix on the screen. Would be the same in an ICE car.
I sometimes forget to charge overnight - and don’t care. I’d happily travel any distance, it’s not a problem.
It’s interesting that many companies are buying the tesla supercharger for their own network, I suspect because not only is it reliable but it’s also able to communicate its status to a central network
Edited by Hans_Gruber on Tuesday 14th November 09:35
Personally, I'd not do a 4hr drive without a coffee stop anyway so it's no inconvenience.
LivLL said:
You would also need to set off full and arrive almost completely empty. Plus not be able to go anywhere once you arrive without first finding some charging locally.
As the other poster said, full to empty runs aren’t the way think about it. Sure if you have home charging set off full but stop when you need to and not at the behest of the car.
Put enough in to make the stop not onerous but will leave you with enough to go where you need to at your destination and be able to drive for another charge on the journey home.
No use hypermiling all the way just to arrive on 1% to find you can’t charge at your grannies 10th floor council flat for example.
They do need a bit of planning but not much.
still getting my head round this one, in other words I'm still using it like a petrol car - that said I'm find that I do like it. The cabin is very light and spacious though I have found the 'fastback' shape a little limiting if carrying 4 passengers and (too much As the other poster said, full to empty runs aren’t the way think about it. Sure if you have home charging set off full but stop when you need to and not at the behest of the car.
Put enough in to make the stop not onerous but will leave you with enough to go where you need to at your destination and be able to drive for another charge on the journey home.
No use hypermiling all the way just to arrive on 1% to find you can’t charge at your grannies 10th floor council flat for example.
They do need a bit of planning but not much.
!!) luggage. All that said the USP for Tesla is still their charging network - it's what drew us in in January over the Ionic5 (which I preferred TBH) and looking at charging issues these days still makes a differenceGassing Station | Tesla | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff