Tesla (Renamed)(Tesla semi/Roadster)

[Deddly]

It does look good. I personally prefer the style of the model X front though, and I'm not sure about the console screen sticking out like that.

Honestly though, wonderful car and cheaper than a Leaf.

Edited April 1, 2016 by Deddly

[Spaceception]

Just now, Deddly said:

It does look good. I personally prefer the style of the model X front though, and I'm not sure about the screen sticking out like that.

Honestly though, wonderful car and cheaper than a Leaf.

And more than double the mileage

[Spaceception]

 

[Robotengineer]

It's good looking, but it looks like an EV. The Model S doesn't really look like an EV, it just looks like a great car. Not that I don't like the 3, it just doesn't have the aesthetic I was hoping for.

[Streetwind]

1 hour ago, Deddly said:

It does look good. I personally prefer the style of the model X front though, and I'm not sure about the console screen sticking out like that.

Well, keep in mind that Tesla is not officially advertising with any sort of interior shot. You can search, there are none - all pictures we have are from the reveal event's camera float-around, or from the attendees getting their first rides.

That's important to remember, because Tesla already presented a car before that had such a stick-out middle display: the Model X. And in the end, when the final models rolled off the assembly line into customer hands, the interior looked completely different, with the screen inset much like in the Model S.

So in light of this, I would say: pay no attention to the interior at all at this time. It's extremely likely that it will not be sold like this, but rather will be changed and finalized closer to the vehicle's prodution start.

 

My takeaways from the reveal:
- Autonomous driving features are included in the base price, as opposed to being a pricey option like they are right now with the S. That's a giant plus, because being forced to pass on them just because the car was already at the borderline of what someone could afford would be such a humongous letdown. Also shows that Elon Musk is once again willing to put his money where his mouth is, following his statements that he fully subscribes to rapid and widespread rollout of self-driving technology within just a short few years.
- Supercharger access is included in the base price as well. Woot!
- The roof is a single continuous glass sheet, front hood to rear end. This worries me somewhat... as someone who commutes 20,000 kilometers a year, I've needed three windshield repairs in five years already, all due to foreign object impacts while driving. Two were simple in-place fixes, but one also required replacing the entire windshield because the impact was too close to the edge (making it impossible to fix in-place). Thankfully windshield impact damage is covered almost entirely by insurance, but the entire roof? I do wonder what replacing that would cost... and how long it would take at the service center.
- I call BS on Elon's claim of the Model 3 having the biggest cargo capacity of any car for the price. Any sedan, perhaps. I doubt it can fold away the rear seats quite as efficiently to form a cavernous trunk as my €8,000 hatchback does...
- ...which, by the way, also has the Model 3 beat in visibility. All the Teslas have giant... booty, if you know what I mean, and this one is no exception. Okay, who knows how much cameras it has, but I know that after being so used to pretty much 360 degrees glass around me, I'd be uncomfortable driving something which pulls the hull so high beyond the driver's window that you can see nothing but sky.

So, it has some good points, and some not so good ones... curses. I'm no closer to being able to decide whether I want to go for it or not than I was before. =/  I guess I'll just have to go for an actual test drive in 2-3 years or so.

 

Edited April 1, 2016 by Streetwind

[Spaceception]

Just now, Streetwind said:

- The roof is a single continuous glass sheet, front hood to rear end. This worries me somewhat... as someone who commutes 20,000 kilometers a year, I've needed three windshield repairs in five years already, all due to foreign object impacts while driving. Two were simple in-place fixes, but one also required replacing the entire windshield because the impact was too close to the edge (making it impossible to fix in-place). Thankfully windshield impact damage is covered almost entirely by insurance, but the entire roof? I do wonder what replacing that would cost... and how long it would take at the service center.

Are you talking about service centers in general, or Tesla's service center?

Just now, Robotengineer said:

It's good looking, but it looks like an EV. The Model S doesn't really look like an EV, it just looks like a great car. Not that I don't like the 3, it just doesn't have the aesthetic I was hoping for.

I still want it though. Badly.

[Streetwind]

3 minutes ago, Spaceception said:

Are you talking about service centers in general, or Tesla's service center?

I would expect that, due to the sheer size and weight of that thing, and the custom-tailoring to one single car model, you'll need special equipment to handle it safely. So I would therefore expect that any such replacements will only be possible at a Tesla service center, not a general glass repair garage.

I may be wrong, but this is my prediction

Edited April 1, 2016 by Streetwind

[ToukieToucan]

The Tesla model 3 has a range of 345 km, can go from 0 to 100 kmph in 6 seconds, 5 star safety rating, an autopilot and starting at 35,000 USD.

So far there are 613 charging stations which are mostly located in America and Europa and in 2016 the amount of stations will be doubled.

Site here: https://www.teslamotors.com/model3/

Do you think this is the push electric cars needed to become mainstream?

[cantab]

If it does go for $35,000 then that's not too much above average price. However "average price" means it's too expensive for about half the population.

Electric cars won't really be mainstream until I can go to my local second-hand car salesman and get one for a few grand.

[Slam_Jones]

13 minutes ago, cantab said:

If it does go for $35,000 then that's not too much above average price. However "average price" means it's too expensive for about half the population.

Electric cars won't really be mainstream until I can go to my local second-hand car salesman and get one for a few grand.

Assuming the batteries last that long / are affordable enough to replace an old one at second-hand-car prices.

Personally, I think for most of the population, electric cars, much like virtual reality, are seen as a delightful toy for the wealthy, that is only just beginning to be affordable for (upper)-middle class.  I don't expect them to be commonplace anytime soon.

But hey, I'm a bit of a pessimist, and I've been wrong before!

Edited April 2, 2016 by Slam_Jones

[Spaceception]

Just now, ToukieToucan said:

The Tesla model 3 has a range of 345 km, can go from 0 to 100 kmph in 6 seconds, 5 star safety rating, an autopilot and starting at 35,000 USD.

So far there are 613 charging stations which are mostly located in America and Europa and in 2016 the amount of stations will be doubled.

Site here: https://www.teslamotors.com/model3/

Do you think this is the push electric cars needed to become mainstream?

 

[Frybert]

Similar threads merged.

[Bill Phil]

Weird. It's cost isn't much more than the average...

[Deddly]

@Bill Phil, that's why people queued for hours outside the stores to be amongst the first in line to preorder it. 250,000 reservations and climbing.

[Bill Phil]

1 hour ago, Deddly said:

@Bill Phil, that's why people queued for hours outside the stores to be amongst the first in line to preorder it. 250,000 reservations and climbing.

I wonder if they can produce that many...

Anyhow, I think that "Electron" would be a great name for anelectric car, if any entrepreneurs are here.

[Spaceception]

I'm putting up another poll; would you rather buy a Bolt or Model 3?

[StrandedonEarth]

1 hour ago, Spaceception said:

I'm putting up another poll; would you rather buy a Bolt or Model 3?

A Bolt? or did you mean a Chevy Volt? I guess I'd buy a Volt if only so that I'm not reliant on finding a charging station on a road trip. Although for day-to-day use I could get away with 120V charging at home and if needed at work (if the Model 3  supports 120V slow-charging).

. 

[Deddly]

They actually have a Bolt as well. 

[Robotengineer]

2 hours ago, Spaceception said:

I'm putting up another poll; would you rather buy a Bolt or Model 3?

Model 3 all the way. The Bolt, (and Volt) are ugly knockoffs. It seems wrong for the companies who said EV's aren't very feasible to start making EV's after Tesla shows that they are feasible.

[Deddly]

I predict that in a forum such as this with a reasonably high population of thinking people who appreciate good technology over a brand name, your poll will be quickly filled with people who would choose the Tesla. Around the same price for a far more advanced vehicle, it's a no brainer.

[Spaceception]

Just now, StrandedonEarth said:

A Bolt? or did you mean a Chevy Volt? I guess I'd buy a Volt if only so that I'm not reliant on finding a charging station on a road trip. Although for day-to-day use I could get away with 120V charging at home and if needed at work (if the Model 3  supports 120V slow-charging).

. 

No, I mean Bolt. It's all electric, and has a similar range/price.

Edited April 3, 2016 by Spaceception

[Spaceception]

This brings up some good points, but are there counter points that make the negatives positives?

http://dailycaller.com/2016/04/03/tech-study-elon-musks-tesla-is-not-as-green-as-once-believed/

Maybe these batteries could solve some of the problems;

 

Edited April 3, 2016 by Spaceception

[StrandedonEarth]

27 minutes ago, Spaceception said:

No, I mean Bolt. It's all electric, and has a similar range/price.

Ah, ok, one of these

http://www.chevrolet.ca/bolt-ev-electric-vehicle.html

Looks like it's based on the Spark. I think I'd prefer a Tesla Model 3

[Deddly]

@Spaceception, honestly, that article contains so much misinformation that I can't bring myself to read it all because it is so blatantly biased. Nor  can I motivate myself to bring up all the counterarguments here that have been argued in so many other places. Long story short: no, electric cars are not pollution neutral when you count the entire production process and the various charging methods used around the world, but they are a great deal more environmentally friendly than regular cars that run on combustion engines when taking into consideration the life-expectancy of the vehicle. Yes, lithium takes a lot to extract and to make into batteries, but it is also completely recyclable.

[Spaceception]

Here's some awesome numbers on the model 3;

Per year, best selling cars like the Accord or Altima sell about 300,000 cars per year.

The Model 3 got presales totaling more than 276,000 in 2 days.

Now, many people will likely drop their deposits and get a refund if the car doesn't show up on time, but most of them will stay patient, even still it'll be A LOT of presales.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2016/04/04/the-car-industry-has-never-witnessed-what-tesla-is-about-to-go-through/