I test drove a Tesla 3 this morning.

avahifi · « **Reply #480 on:** 1 Jan 2020, 10:37 pm »

Actually Galaxy, my Tesla 3 has a 325 mile battery range right now. I charge it at home from a standard 240V outlet and get up every morning with a full “gas tank” and a warm car.

During my 4000 mile road trip last August I used the great Tesla Supercharging network across much of the country without any stress and saved over $500 in gasoline cost.

No maintenance, no engine noise, auto steer and auto cruise makes long cross country trips easy.

No need to wait five years, with Tesla the future is here now.

yertletheturtle · « **Reply #481 on:** 9 Jan 2020, 04:48 am »

I loved the model 3 ($55k with awd and long range and full self driving promise, NO federal rebates, NO discounts) when I test drove it... ended up getting THREE NEW electric vehicles for the price of ONE model 3. the Tesla offer RANGE and AWD that is unparalleled in EVs but here’s how I got around it:

2018 Nissan Leaf $18k after all rebates and discounts- 150mi range(perfect for my 40mi commute) with ProPilot Assist (as close to Tesla’s Autopilot features as you can get without breaking the bank and I felt that the Autopilot is overhyped when I compared it to propilot.) definitely Tesla is a nicer vehicle but...

2017 VW egolf $16k after all rebates and discounts. 125mi range (perfect for wife’s 15 mi commute)

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PLugin Hybrid EV $23k after rebates and discounts. 25mi EV range and limitless super efficient hybrid system and excellent AWD and the SUV shape and size . My son drives this 6 miles to school and I take it to work if it’s snowing out and we drive it on any longer trips or excursions.

The Teslas offer everything you could want in an EV. By sharing our cars in the family we get everything we want collectively. We have our cake and eat it too! Our whole family can drive Electric 99% of the time and not be limited by range. We charge at nigt $0.02/kWh which means we save $4-5k a year on energy combined. Adding three level 2 chargers cost $2k but I figure that was inevitable if not this year then in 2-3 years... do it now and collect the savings!

I go to the gas station three or four times a year. We had one oil change between us in a year.

DaveC113 · « **Reply #482 on:** 9 Jan 2020, 02:51 pm »

I'm pretty set on a Leaf as an around-town go-cart. Will probably get one a few years old as they depreciate quickly.

The amount of battery and motor in one Tesla M3 could probably power 4 Leafs (Leaves?

), so it's much more efficient in terms of using resources to manufacture and costs are far lower. 150 mile range is enough for just about anything I need.

avahifi · « **Reply #483 on:** 2 Feb 2020, 12:24 pm »

Just got new software upgrade. My Tesla now recognizes and displays stop signs, signal lights, construction cones, trash cans and more.

Much increased vocabulary of voice commands.

Now moves slightly away while passing or being passed by big trucks while in auto steer mode.

It keeps getting better and better.

LesterSleepsIn · « **Reply #484 on:** 2 Feb 2020, 06:35 pm »

Frank, Is there some sort of audio alert for when you’re approaching (or more importantly, running through) a stop sign or traffic light? Or do they just appear as visuals on the monitor screen?

Cheers, Lester

audioengr · « **Reply #485 on:** 2 Feb 2020, 06:46 pm »

Tesla is the NFL choice

https://evannex.com/blogs/news/whos-the-nfls-star-in-the-big-game-tesla?utm_campaign=NFL%20stars%20praise%20Tesla%20before%20the%20big%20game%20%2F%20Flash%20Sale%20%28HXMF2b%29&utm_medium=email&utm_source=All%20Contacts%20for%20Newsletter%20%28Main%20List%20%2B%20Abandoned%20Carts%29&_ke=eyJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJudWdlbnRAZW1waXJpY2FsYXVkaW8uY29tIiwgImtsX2NvbXBhbnlfaWQiOiAiZmI0Ym1NIn0%3D

avahifi · « **Reply #486 on:** 3 Feb 2020, 02:36 am »

Stop signs and signal lights show up on the driving display but my Tesla does not react to them yet. It will show if the lights are green or red. It will avoid trash cans and construction cones.

I have not installed self driving software yet ($7000) so don’t know if cars so equipped do. I think its is still just a visualization display so far. That will probably change soon.

Tesla continues to add functions training the fleet for reliable self driving in the future. How far out, ask Elon.

rkeir · « **Reply #487 on:** 11 Mar 2020, 10:17 pm »

Harry Metcalfe just published a review of the Tesla Model 3 on his youtube channel, "Harry's Garage". Although he concludes that he is not interested in buying one, he would wholeheartedly recommend the Model 3 to anyone who is considering purchasing one. Anyone interested in cars and not familiar with "Harry's Garage" should check his channel out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLcCPsnLlaE

Philistine · « **Reply #488 on:** 13 Mar 2020, 04:41 pm »

Tire Update:
My M3 came with Michelin MXM4 tires, I suspected that they're the weakest link and couldn't wait to replace them as they seemed to give up during high speed cornering. Recently I noticed they started to lose grip during wet weather, so time for them to go! Just replaced them with Michelin Pilot 4S, a summer performance tire I've used with BMW's and been very happy with - In addition it gets highly rated at Tire Rack and other websites. First impression was a slight increase in road noise, the Tesla MXM4 version has sound deadening foam, but the handling has dramatically improved - it feels much safer and has much better grip on fast corners.

FSD Update:
I paid $7k for this, and wished I hadn't - it's unreliable and unsafe, it's like driving with my ex-wife when she's pissed! Anyone thinking of investing in it I would wait until it's proven before throwing money at it, like all IT projects the promise is it's going to be up and running tomorrow and tomorrow never comes.

One year for ownership:
Still love it, it's quiet, fun to drive, no more gas station visits, Supercharging network is reliable and quick, stereo is amazing (less background noise also helps)....the problem is I'm now spoilt, I can't go back to an ICE ever again!

OzarkTom · « **Reply #489 on:** 6 Sep 2020, 02:45 pm »

Tesla-A 70 year battery?

https://humansarefree.com/2020/09/tesla-is-about-to-unveil-a-million-mile-battery-or-over-70-years-of-driving.html

dolsey01 · « **Reply #490 on:** 8 Sep 2020, 03:25 pm »

Check out EV West's YouTube Channel for all the very cool builds they are doing with Tesla drive components.

https://www.youtube.com/c/EVWest

Saw them on Mike Brewer's World of Cars, here's a short version of the episode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-WpI-W5vqo

charmerci · « **Reply #491 on:** 8 Sep 2020, 03:57 pm »

Lucid Motors is coming out with an amazing car this spring.

avahifi · « **Reply #492 on:** 18 Sep 2020, 10:16 pm »

In case you didn’t know, Tesla is building three new huge factories right now. One in Texas north of Austin, another near Berlin, Germany, and a third Phase 2 huge addition to their already operating one in China.

Amateur drone pilots are documenting all the amazingly fast and enormous process with over flights every day.

Go to utube and search for Tesla Texas, Tesla Berlin, and Tesla China and watch what is happening,

The first China Tesla plant went from a watermelon farm to new Model 3 cars rolling out in less then a year,

By the way, the standard sound system in my Model 3 is pretty amazing too. Just say “play God bless the USA” and instant music.

avahifi · « **Reply #493 on:** 22 Oct 2020, 03:30 pm »

Tesla full self driving software goes up $2000 on Monday.

They just released an all new complete rewrite of the software with level 4 full self driving software to a limited number of Tesla owners. This means your Tesla can drive you almost anywhere with minimal driver intervention.

Screen shots and comments from lucky early users show it is all new and day and night better than previously. This motivated me to go ahead and buy the full upgrade before the price goes up again.

You can see clips of its operation on U-Tube by searching for Tesla self driving.

Everyone with the full self driving option (now quite limited) will get the new version before the end of the year. It puts Tesla 5 years ahead again.

Can’t wait!

whopnyc · « **Reply #494 on:** 22 Oct 2020, 06:25 pm »

Let me know if you notice any difference besides visual in the autopilot. I have EAP but didn't feel the need to upgrade for $5000 since EAP and autopilot were identical. The upgrade to HW3 from 2.5 that's necessary hopefully makes autopilot more stable and predictable. Enjoy your new FSD!!!

WGH · « **Reply #495 on:** 22 Oct 2020, 06:52 pm »

Quote from: avahifi on 22 Oct 2020, 03:30 pm

This means your Tesla can drive you almost anywhere with minimal driver intervention.

How about zero driver intervention? I have tried to convince friends to take the 2 hour drive to Phoenix from Tucson to try out the service but no takers so far.

Waymo is opening its fully driverless service to the general public in Phoenix
https://blog.waymo.com/2020/10/waymo-is-opening-its-fully-driverless.html

"Beginning today, October 8, we’re excited to open up our fully driverless offering to Waymo One riders. Members of the public service can now take friends and family along on their rides and share their experience with the world. We’ll start with those who are already a part of Waymo One and, over the next several weeks, welcome more people directly into the service through our app (available on Google Play and the App Store). In the near term, 100% of our rides will be fully driverless."

Oct. 14, 2020 - JJRicks video of riding in a driverless Waymo, it looks like a science fiction movie.
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/waymo-self-driving-van-phoenix-youtube/

DaveC113 · « **Reply #496 on:** 22 Oct 2020, 07:16 pm »

It looks like GM and others will compete with Tesla pretty soon. The new Escalade is amazing, tech and features makes Tesla seem like an economy car. While it's not an EV, the Hummer e-truck is, and is already sold out it's 1st year of production. GM's driverless tech is likely going to be better too.

DaveC113 · « **Reply #497 on:** 22 Oct 2020, 07:16 pm »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faSX3-ObA2A

avahifi · « **Reply #498 on:** 22 Oct 2020, 07:44 pm »

The new beta 40.8.1 software upgrade does provide full self driving. As it is level 4, the driver must keep hand on the steering wheel to intervene if necessary. It is designed to take you from here to there in city traffic or on open rural roads with no excuses. Nothing else even close.

It is light years better then version it replaces. It deals with objects in 3D plus time, recognizes and predicts paths of other objects, does not need mapped routes like Wymo.

Several videos posted on U-Tube already of early users in action.

I checked out the giant Caddy infomercial noted above. Large barge stuffed fulla toys but no computer brains, you still gotta herd that beast down the road and buy gasoline. I wonder how much training Caddy mechanics need in able to fix all the stuff inside.

Philistine · « **Reply #499 on:** 22 Oct 2020, 09:31 pm »

I bought Autopilot and FSD when I originally bought my Model 3, FSD works great on the highway - the combination's too scary for me on regular roads so hopefully the new re-write will be the step change that's being promised. I've got a neighbor who runs an automotive self driving software team, a huge advantage Tesla have is the neural network and no other manufacturer has anything close to it, and this is just a single significant handicap for other manufacturers. This puts them 5 years ahead of anyone else, so any thoughts about Ford/GM/Chrysler having FSD anytime soon just isn't going to happen.