Test drive: Tesla Model S

[afty]

Tesla came to my work today and were giving test drives of the Model S.  I got to drive a top-of-the-line model (big battery, 400 hp motor) for about 5 minutes on city streets.  Some quick impressions:

- Torque!  You could floor the car at 10 mph, and it would immediately go.  No waiting for the engine to get into its powerband.  And it's fast.  I wish I could have driven it on the highway to see how it feels at higher speeds.
- Quiet!  When you do floor the car, there's no engine noise.  It's weird.  It's like driving an extremely fast golf cart.
- Surprisingly good handling! It's a very heavy car (I believe around 4500 lbs.), but it doesn't drive like it.  The battery is below the floor, which makes for a very low center of gravity.  I wouldn't call it tossable, but it's pretty fun.
- Lots of nice techy touches.  For example, when you use voice control to tell it to play a song, and it will go to Slacker radio and play the song if it is not available locally on your phone/iPod.  The whole center console is a giant touchscreen, probably about the size of 3 iPads.  It seems to be running some flavor of Android.

I thought it was very cool.  I could see buying one, though I'm probably too conservative to buy v1.0 of such a unique car.

[Laconian]

v1.0 of the entire manufacturer, really. The Roadster doesn't count because the volumes were so low and there was so much sharing with Lotus. I think it's cool to see other people buy into it, and they are SUPERB looking cars (better than Astons, even!), but I'm going to stick with loudly detonating liquid dinosaurs for several more years until prices drop and the kinks get worked out.

I am looking forward to my first drive of a Model S, whenever that is. I know who owns them, but since I'm not very close to those people, it would be weird if I asked.

[red_shift]

 

Mine is expected 1st week of April.

I re-finalized my order with 60kwh battery to save around 200 lbs, and added air suspension to help it arrive faster by a month or so. (They are building air suspensions first)

Will post pictures then.

Regarding high speed performance, it feels solid, like a German luxury car. Except when you try to pass other cars at 70 mph. Then, it feels like the DMC from Back to the Future! There is a bit of road noise at speed,( not more than other luxury cars) though I was test driving the noisier 21" tires.

[Laconian]

What color is it, again?

I think every single Model S I've seen has been black. Maybe they should've been called the Model T.

[GoCougs]

It's a good looking car to be sure. The LED driving lights are a bit overwrought though. 

[red_shift]

Mine will be dark blue with grey leather.

I happen to think the LED tail lights are a bit overwrought as well, like some of the other other cars on the road today.

I do tolerate the smoother flowing eyebrows as compared to the garish individual LED clusters used on, say a Lexus IS, or an Audi.

I hate all eyebrows, angel eyes and other 'form does not follow function' type accoutrements.

Model T eh? Funny, yesterday, as I was passing the Tesla factory on my way home, I was remarking to my wife: what a terribly boring name, 'Model S'...then it dawned on me, that may be Elon wanted comparisons with the Model T....

[TurboDan]

I saw my first one on the road yesterday. It looked absolutely stunning! 

[afty]

I like the fact that it's a hatchback.  There's a lot of usable room in the hatch, and there's even a small front trunk. It's very practical.

[Morris Minor]

I'm intrigued by the Model S: love the looks, love the idea, love the small size & simplicity of electric traction. But all those tens of thousands of batteries which need so much coddling...

[Raza]

I used to have an electric car too.  I think it's in some box with my old toys. 

[red_shift]

Morris, the battery management is done by the software and the heating and cooling systems inside the car. So all you have to do is make sure to plug it in every night, if you can. In colder climes, yes, there is a drainage of power if you don't plug in, because the batteries have to be kept slightly 'warm' and that takes some energy. It is estimated that not more than 15% range is lost on very cold nights and not being plugged in.

Also, when the battery is cold, even though it might have more charge, it is difficult to get the electrons out. So the range drops steeply. However, if you let the car warm the batteries up for say 20 minutes by plugging into a 110v outlet even, those electrons start to come out faster, the range goes up steeply! (Coz those electrons were always there, you see) some people have started with 20 miles range on a cold morning, only to see their range go up after they started driving, to 70, 80 miles which is more than they started with.


For sure, there is a learning period, but in the age of Internet, information is always available at your finger tips (and directions to nearest charger in case you need)

[red_shift]

I used to have an electric car too.  I think it's in some box with my old toys. 

Bet you miss it!

[SJ_GTI]

I plan on keeping my current car for quite a while (another 5-6 years if possible). Would love to get something like this as my next car. Curious to see how far the tech improves between now and then. Its already very impressive, but I am still a bit gun shy with electric cars.

[Raza]

Bet you miss it!

I do.  But my new place will have hardwood floors, so I can dorifto!

[ChrisV]

I plan on keeping my current car for quite a while (another 5-6 years if possible). Would love to get something like this as my next car. Curious to see how far the tech improves between now and then. Its already very impressive, but I am still a bit gun shy with electric cars.

That's why I only dipped my toes into the EV world with the Volt, so I still have a gas generator for longer trips or to save the EV mode for around town use. I'm hoping that the Tesla S improves a bit in the next three years so that I can maybe replace the Volt with one at that time.

I love driving aorund on pure electric power, and  have only bought 3 gallons of gas in teh entire time I've had the car (and the last two weeks have been entirely done on electric power)

[MrH]

One thing Tesla definitely got right is that screen and user interface.  That thing is SLICK!  It is incredibly intuitive, smooth, quick, simple.  Blew my mind away the first time I used one, and every time since I walk away thinking how far everyone else is behind them on that aspect.

[TurboDan]

I would need more range as a cushion before I'd consider buying one, but I really like this car a lot. There are certain days when I do drive more than the Model S's range, which would be a massive issue for me. Perhaps as battery tech improves this will be solved.

Alternatively, the current range would be just fine if they could come up with a rapid way (under 15 minutes, let's say) of recharging.

[Laconian]

The 500v supercharger system can replenish a lot of range in 30min

[Raza]

The 500v supercharger system can replenish a lot of range in 30min

How long does it take to fill a gas tank again?

EVs are a meaningless distraction from truly moving forward.

[Secret Chimp]

How long does it take to fill a gas tank again?

EVs are a meaningless distraction from truly moving forward.

For long-distance travel, maybe, but most people don't drive more than 40-50 miles in a day, if that.

[ChrisV]

How long does it take to fill a gas tank again?

EVs are a meaningless distraction from truly moving forward.

When I stopped to buy gas in Jersey going up to CT it took a half hour in the Mustang just to get through the line and get up to the pumps.

If you plan your trips, make it charge while having a potty/lunch break on a longer trip. it's just not that bad especially of the trip is already going to be 6 hours long (about 300 miles) If youre going farther than the car's range (over 300 miles) you need a break anyhow.

[GoCougs]

How long does it take to fill a gas tank again?

EVs are a meaningless distraction from truly moving forward.

I couldn't agree more. What if GM took all that Volt development $$$ and spent it on rolling out direct injection to all engines? The sum total of value (increased MPG, decreased environmental impact) would be ginormously more beneficial than selling Volts.

There is so much more efficiency left in the ICE and cars in general it's long since not been comical. EVs distract from true value creation, and pretty much only serve to attract the favor of government (without which they wouldn't exist mostly).

[Raza]

I couldn't agree more. What if GM took all that Volt development $$$ and spent it on rolling out direct injection to all engines? The sum total of value (increased MPG, decreased environmental impact) would be ginormously more beneficial than selling Volts.

There is so much more efficiency left in the ICE and cars in general it's long since not been comical. EVs distract from true value creation, and pretty much only serve to attract the favor of government (without which they wouldn't exist mostly).

Funny; you agree with the sentiment, but we have different views on the Volt.  I don't even consider the Volt and EV, I consider it the zenith of hybrid technology/implementation.  I don't know enough about engines to say how much could be gained with current ICEs, but when you talk about post-fossil fuels, efficiency now delays that eventuality, but I don't understand why zero emission, abundant fuel engines aren't even being talked about anymore; fuel cells should be our future.

Or synthetic gasoline.  I feel like that could work.  We can clone sheep, genetically modify foods for longer growing seasons, and artificially create diamonds; why can't we synthesize gasoline? 

[ChrisV]

There is so much more efficiency left in the ICE and cars in general it's long since not been comical. EVs distract from true value creation, and pretty much only serve to attract the favor of government (without which they wouldn't exist mostly).

So why was the EV1 done before, and why did GM start the Volt project back in the reign of Bush II? Not for government handouts, but because the writing is on the wall. Oil is going to be harder and harder to get out of the ground, and more expensive to get out of the ground. We don't need to be tied to middle eastern dictators for our fuel requirements. But, the general public is too addicted to cheap oil. Government created the cheap fuel mess in the US, too, BTW.

I'd rather be prepared before it becomes too late rather than waiting until it's too late and then trying to adapt and overcome. We dont need more and better ways of using up oil for transportation.

Not too long ago, electric cars looked like these:





Now you have Volts and Teslas and cars that are real cars, not tiny penalty boxes on wheels. And EV can be fun:



Yes, charging them takes a bit at this moment, but for the majority of drivers, in the majority of situations, even that is a non-issue. I've gone all month in my Volt on pure electricity and I've never had to recharge on the fly. Chrging it every day gives me a "full tank" every morning, and it's no more onerous (or time consuming) than charging a phone.

Government bets on tech all the time to get it off the ground. We're discussing this using the result of one of those bets. I'd rather have the government doing that than paying for welfare babies, I can tell you that much.

[Raza]

When I stopped to buy gas in Jersey going up to CT it took a half hour in the Mustang just to get through the line and get up to the pumps.

If you plan your trips, make it charge while having a potty/lunch break on a longer trip. it's just not that bad especially of the trip is already going to be 6 hours long (about 300 miles) If youre going farther than the car's range (over 300 miles) you need a break anyhow.

I've done 10 hour trips without stopping for anything but peeing.  A full EV can take up to 8 hours to charge; I can't say I've ever taken 8 hours to eat lunch. 

But I'm talking about full EVs, not hybrids like your Volt. 

[ChrisV]

Or synthetic gasoline.  I feel like that could work.  We can clone sheep, genetically modify foods for longer growing seasons, and artificially create diamonds; why can't we synthesize gasoline? 

We can, using switchgrass. And it could be grown in large amounts in places where the governement already subsidizes crops NOT to be grown.

The only issue is still one of tailpipe emissions and CO2. Burning hydrocarbons is still bad, even if they are synthetic ones.

And fuel cells are a non-starter. It takes more energy to create hydrogen than you get out of it in a fuel cell. MUCH more. It's a better enegy storage device than a battery as yet for quick refueling, but the real change will come with super capacitors that can be charged quickly and let their energy out slowly and last conciserably longer On the order of decades). Tesla's already working on that as are others (like NASA, speaking of government betting on tech). Supercapacitors could be cheaper and easier to recycle than batteries, and could be retrofitted into existing electric cars that already have battery packs.

[ChrisV]

I've done 10 hour trips without stopping for anything but peeing.  A full EV can take up to 8 hours to charge; I can't say I've ever taken 8 hours to eat lunch. 

I drove across the country in 6 days, driving 8 hours a day. The group of 6 teslas did it in the same amount of time, charging as they went. For long trips you simply plan slightly differently, but it's no more difficult than planning ANY long distance trip.

And 10 hours without stopping is a bit too long to really be doing, 8 hours per shift is supposed to be the most you should do. I've done 17 hours in 3 shifts (I drove the first 6 hours, my wife drove the second 6 hours and I drove the last 5). Were we in a Tesla along a route that has the superchargers, we would have just stopped for a half hour at each charge point and rested. At 17 hours, another hour or so of rest won't break you. it really won't.

But again, if you regularly take those kind of trips (and I doubt you actually do that regularly) then an EV isn't for you, any more than a Leaf isn't for me. You buy the right tool for the job, just like you wouldn't buy an S2000 to tow a 4 horse trailer or an F350 to autocross with.

[Raza]

So why was the EV1 done before, and why did GM start the Volt project back in the reign of Bush II? Not for government handouts, but because the writing is on the wall. Oil is going to be harder and harder to get out of the ground, and more expensive to get out of the ground. We don't need to be tied to middle eastern dictators for our fuel requirements. But, the general public is too addicted to cheap oil. Government created the cheap fuel mess in the US, too, BTW.

I'd rather be prepared before it becomes too late rather than waiting until it's too late and then trying to adapt and overcome. We dont need more and better ways of using up oil for transportation.

Not too long ago, electric cars looked like these:





Now you have Volts and Teslas and cars that are real cars, not tiny penalty boxes on wheels. And EV can be fun:



Yes, charging them takes a bit at this moment, but for the majority of drivers, in the majority of situations, even that is a non-issue. I've gone all month in my Volt on pure electricity and I've never had to recharge on the fly. Chrging it every day gives me a "full tank" every morning, and it's no more onerous (or time consuming) than charging a phone.

Government bets on tech all the time to get it off the ground. We're discussing this using the result of one of those bets. I'd rather have the government doing that than paying for welfare babies, I can tell you that much.

The real problem isn't the time it takes to charge, it's charging at all. 

An EV is not practical for millions of drivers.  Not because they drive more than 40 miles at a clip, but because they don't have a place to charge it.  Take me, for example.  Upstanding Citizen Raza.  I drive 26 miles to work and 26 miles back.  Perfect candidate for an EV, right?  Well, like hundreds of thousands of other people, I live in an apartment--an apartment that has no charging stations in the garage.  And then when I get to work, there's no place to charge my car here, either.  So, provided I buy the car fully charged at my apartment and then drive to work, I'm still grinding I-95 to a halt somewhere near the airport because my battery died.  And on my way home too.  Damn.  I guess my dinner's going to be cold. 

And then there are the other hundreds of thousands of people that live in an apartment without a garage at all and park on the street, like animals.  How are they supposed to charge their cars?

Sure, you could argue that charging stations should be added to company parking lots and apartment buildings, and even one on every parking meter.  But who is going to pay for all that?  And that's not even evaluating whether they're a net negative, net positive, or even with impact to the environment.

EVs will never be the future. 

[Raza]

I drove across the country in 6 days, driving 8 hours a day. The group of 6 teslas did it in the same amount of time, charging as they went. For long trips you simply plan slightly differently, but it's no more difficult than planning ANY long distance trip.

And 10 hours without stopping is a bit too long to really be doing, 8 hours per shift is supposed to be the most you should do. I've done 17 hours in 3 shifts (I drove the first 6 hours, my wife drove the second 6 hours and I drove the last 5). Were we in a Tesla along a route that has the superchargers, we would have just stopped for a half hour at each charge point and rested. At 17 hours, another hour or so of rest won't break you. it really won't.

But again, if you regularly take those kind of trips (and I doubt you actually do that regularly) then an EV isn't for you, any more than a Leaf isn't for me. You buy the right tool for the job, just like you wouldn't buy an S2000 to tow a 4 horse trailer or an F350 to autocross with.

I didn't not stop, I stopped three times to pee, have a smoke, and/or fuel up. 

My argument wasn't that I shouldn't buy an EV; I know I shouldn't and I would never argue the point.  I'm not even arguing that long trips can't be done in EVs.  But my other post outlines why EVs are not appropriate for the vast majority of people.

[MrH]

Funny; you agree with the sentiment, but we have different views on the Volt.  I don't even consider the Volt and EV, I consider it the zenith of hybrid technology/implementation.  I don't know enough about engines to say how much could be gained with current ICEs, but when you talk about post-fossil fuels, efficiency now delays that eventuality, but I don't understand why zero emission, abundant fuel engines aren't even being talked about anymore; fuel cells should be our future.

Or synthetic gasoline.  I feel like that could work.  We can clone sheep, genetically modify foods for longer growing seasons, and artificially create diamonds; why can't we synthesize gasoline? 

Fuel cells are an energy storage method.  NOT a source.  Making pure hydrogen is energy intensive.  How do you get the energy to make the hydrogen?  Mostly by burning fossil fuels.

Again, you can synthesize gasoline I'm pretty sure, but it's also energy intensive.  Where are you going to get the energy to do it?  Well, we get most of our energy from burning fossil fuels still.

We need cheaper ways of getting the energy to begin with.  Wind farms and solar panels haven't really made financial sense yet.  Fossil fuels are plentiful (for the time being at least) and cheap to use for energy.

When the green wieners complain about fossil fuels, but also don't want nuclear power, I just cringe.  They just want to throw money at concepts, thinking if you throw enough money at an idea, it will work.  The free market will end up deciding the winner, and it will advance much faster than any government funding can push it.  When there's money to be made, innovation happens.