tesla motors

[LawBeefaroni]

That is cool. I'm not sure whether the cost + having 50 lb dead weight in the car at all times is worth it for a few miles over an hour charge time in an emergency, tho.

I've wondered why electric vehicles don't all have some form of built-in solar panels for passive energy accumulation.

Cost and maintenance.

[Zaxxon]

That is cool. I'm not sure whether the cost + having 50 lb dead weight in the car at all times is worth it for a few miles over an hour charge time in an emergency, tho.

I've wondered why electric vehicles don't all have some form of built-in solar panels for passive energy accumulation.

Cost and maintenance.

And little benefit, relative to actually driving the car. Think 'power the A/C some of the time,' not 'recharge the car fully.'

[malchior]

That is cool. I'm not sure whether the cost + having 50 lb dead weight in the car at all times is worth it for a few miles over an hour charge time in an emergency, tho.

I've wondered why electric vehicles don't all have some form of built-in solar panels for passive energy accumulation.

Yeah - some car designs have played with it but solar panel density doesn't make it very economical. Most flexible solar panels degrade quickly due to UV. You need to upgrade to CIGS flexible solar panels which are more expensive to avoid that issue. Then you need to add a charge controller into the mix or integrate it into the main charge controller (which could be cost effective) for the car. And you might get 5 miles a day.

[Zaxxon]

That is cool. I'm not sure whether the cost + having 50 lb dead weight in the car at all times is worth it for a few miles over an hour charge time in an emergency, tho.

I've wondered why electric vehicles don't all have some form of built-in solar panels for passive energy accumulation.

Yeah - some car designs have played with it but solar panel density doesn't make it very economical. Most flexible solar panels degrade quickly due to UV. You need to upgrade to CIGS flexible solar panels which are more expensive to avoid that issue. Then you need to add a charge controller into the mix or integrate it into the main charge controller (which could be cost effective) for the car. And you might get 5 miles a day.

...if you park outside all day, and it's sunny, and it's the right season, etc.

Someday we might get to a point where the cost/benefit is worth it, but we're not close as far as I've seen. Cost would have to drop precipitously while panel efficiency rises by a multiple of today's.

[malchior]

Has anyone ever looked into getting a backup portable charger? This is the first one I've noticed actually gave an estimate - it's buried somewhere in the advertisement but it says 5+ miles for Tesla. Not that I've ever come close to such an emergency situation, but the idea that I could hypothetically be in the middle of nowhere and need a charge - then charge this thing (if needed) with solar panels or whatever and be able to charge my car - just seems cool lol. I think I've always had a sci-fi-ish fantasy of a solar powered car, and this is in theory pretty close.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/supe ... rBasePro#/

I just hand-built a custom solar set up to power my gazebo. I have a fridge out there running on it, a projector, sound bar, etc. I also will run my pool robot on it if the sun is shining since...why not. So I just took a look at this because I was curious if I did ok and the math on their retail price doesn't add up to me. I'd be wary of the quality of the set up at this price. It isn't too different from competitors selling at the same price but has a *MONSTER* charge controller in it which should add at least $500 of cost to the setup. So they almost certainly cut quality corners somewhere.

[Paingod]

Most flexible solar panels degrade quickly due to UV. You need to upgrade to CIGS flexible solar panels which are more expensive to avoid that issue. Then you need to add a charge controller into the mix or integrate it into the main charge controller (which could be cost effective) for the car. And you might get 5 miles a day.

I'd be fine with rigid solar panels installed in place of a rear spoiler or fixed into a flattened roof format. The rest of the car can be all aerodynamic and rounded, and I can get 5 free miles per day!

[Holman]

[Paingod]

I'm really not on board with making bots too human in appearance. It's just plain eerie. Some day they'll be using living tissue over metal endoskeleton and then we're all gonna need dogs.

[malchior]

A 150 lb. deadlift? The Tesla bot needs to work on its posterior chain and bulk up a bit.

[Zaxxon]

A 150 lb. deadlift? The Tesla bot needs to work on its posterior chain and bulk up a bit.

[LawBeefaroni]

[coopasonic]

That is cool. I'm not sure whether the cost + having 50 lb dead weight in the car at all times is worth it for a few miles over an hour charge time in an emergency, tho.

I've wondered why electric vehicles don't all have some form of built-in solar panels for passive energy accumulation.

Weight and cost vs the minimal benefit. A car isn't a calculator. It takes a LOT of juice to move 2 tons.

Edit: Oops, I didn't see there was another page, I'l leave it anyway.

[Holman]

I'm really not on board with making bots too human in appearance.

Demand for sexbots will be too huge to refuse.

[Isgrimnur]

[malchior]

One widely reported fire in Texas was widely blamed on the car. However, recovered sentry mode video shows that the fire originated in the garage. The Tesla battery pack is allegedly still mostly intact in this case. The odd thing to me is that in the original article only the front of the car was destroyed by the fire. It doesn't even make sense to blame it on the car.

Edit: Direct link to the videos on the Twitters

[Zaxxon]

Yeah, that one never made sense.

In other news, the Tesla app got a major design refresh this week. Pretty slick, and you can now view Supercharging invoices and buy accessories right from the app. Also, you no longer have to have a specific car selected to use the phone key functionality. That was a big pain point for folks with more than one car.

[Jaymann]

I got my first supercharge yesterday an it was sweet. The app tells you if spots are open. It was $14 for about 130 miles, and took 40 minutes. How does the invoicing work?

[Zaxxon]

I got my first supercharge yesterday an it was sweet. The app tells you if spots are open. It was $14 for about 130 miles, and took 40 minutes. How does the invoicing work?

Goes to your card on file. You can see the invoice either at tesla.com/teslaaccount or in the app (if you have the refreshed app already). The charge display in the car also shows the cost of your last Supercharging session.

[Zaxxon]

I'm digging the updated energy interface.

[raydude]

Arrrrrgh, a rock managed to hit the front windshield just right to make a 8-10" crack in the windshield. I have a Tesla service repair scheduled on Saturday. Apparently, Tesla doesn't have mobile service centers in the DC area so I have to bring it up to the Rockville service center. Tesla also apparently doesn't work with insurance companies, so I have to pay out of pocket and then get the insurance company to pay me back.

Does anybody else have experience with Tesla repair and getting their insurance to pay some of the bill? Just wondering if anyone has had any trouble getting their insurance company to reimburse them. I have Allstate.

[Zaxxon]

I had no problem with a similar issue, using Progressive at the time. FYI, you can also use Safelite, which virtually all insurance companies have deals with. They'll also usually come to you.

[raydude]

I had no problem with a similar issue, using Progressive at the time. FYI, you can also use Safelite, which virtually all insurance companies have deals with. They'll also usually come to you.

Ah ok. I could have gone with Safelite but I was worried because I read that the windshield replacement may also require a recalibration of the forward facing camera, and I didn't know if Safelite had enough expertise to do that bit.

[Zaxxon]

I had no problem with a similar issue, using Progressive at the time. FYI, you can also use Safelite, which virtually all insurance companies have deals with. They'll also usually come to you.

Ah ok. I could have gone with Safelite but I was worried because I read that the windshield replacement may also require a recalibration of the forward facing camera, and I didn't know if Safelite had enough expertise to do that bit.

That used to be the case, but Tesla added a camera calibration button in the menus (somewhere; I forgot where). Unless Safelite really screws the pooch, your worst-case scenario should be pressing that button and driving a bit to let it recalibrate similarly to what it does when you first get a new Tesla.

[malchior]

Full self-driving package uptake low

I'm new to this one but my first big decision that I chewed on when planning to order a Model Y LR was FSD. And I couldn't figure out a way to make it work out. Not in a financial sense but in an early adopter risk sense. At $10K it is just shy of 20% for a Beta feature. It is like early adopter squared. It just makes no sense to me. As discussed the subscription plan allows me to turn it off and on with very little risk. So ultimately the only real risk is the price goes up. Ok...well then I'll still not get it and just drive the car and spruce for it when a big trip comes my way. I'm still scratching my head at the plan here.

[Zaxxon]

Full self-driving package uptake low

I'm new to this one but my first big decision that I chewed on when planning to order a Model Y LR was FSD. And I couldn't figure out a way to make it work out. Not in a financial sense but in an early adopter risk sense. At $10K it is just shy of 20% for a Beta feature. It is like early adopter squared. It just makes no sense to me. And ultimately the only real risk is the price goes up. Ok...well then I'll still not get it and just drive my car. I'm still scratching my head at the plan here.

FWIW, I think it makes absolutely no sense at $10k. Especially now that you can subscribe for a month at a time. The practical benefits right now are Summon, which is cool, Navigate on Autopilot, which is also cool, along with Enhanced Summon (party trick only at present) and city/street stoplight control (same). It was worth it to me at the $3k net cost back in the day, but not at $10k--especially with trade-in values not valuing FSD very highly.

Once 'real' FSD is here, maybe, but that could be years. My plan is to subscribe for a month on long road trips if I want it. Even if that $200/mo price rises, I could subscribe on and off several times and never approach the 'full' price.

[coopasonic]

Yeah, I also got it when it was MUCH cheaper and would never pay 10k for what we have now and likely for the final product. What you get for free is good enough. I would miss Nav On Autopilot, but not $10k miss it.

Does the basic package not include the basic summon? I might miss that a bit too.

[Zaxxon]

Yeah, I also got it when it was MUCH cheaper and would never pay 10k for what we have now and likely for the final product. What you get for free is good enough. I would miss Nav On Autopilot, but not $10k miss it.

Does the basic package not include the basic summon? I might miss that a bit too.

It does not.

Scuttlebutt is that they are going to bring back Enhanced Autopilot as a $4k (ish) package, which would get everything that's available now (but not the FSD product, whenever it comes). That's something I'd consider on the other car (which currently has just the freebie AP). When you have EAP, the price to subscribe to FSD is also cut in half ($99 vs $199/mo), so might be worth it to me for the summons, NoA, etc.

[coopasonic]

Last night around 9pm as I was driving home my three year old model 3 told me the 12v battery needed to be replaced. When I got home a little after 9, I opened up the app and scheduled mobile service for this morning. I parked my car in the driveway this morning and around 9am mobile service showed up, topped up my tire pressure, did some service bulletin for the ball joints, replaced the 9v battery and in 20 minutes messages me all done, no cost, have a good day.

[TheMix]

12v battery

...

9v battery

Ooops.

[coopasonic]

9v battery, 9am, whatever

[Zaxxon]

Last night around 9pm as I was driving home my three year old model 3 told me the 12v battery needed to be replaced. When I got home a little after 9, I opened up the app and scheduled mobile service for this morning. I parked my car in the driveway this morning and around 9am mobile service showed up, topped up my tire pressure, did some service bulletin for the ball joints, replaced the 9v battery and in 20 minutes messages me all done, no cost, have a good day.

Hopefully your fingers will recover from all the work it took to schedule that.

[raydude]

Last night around 9pm as I was driving home my three year old model 3 told me the 12v battery needed to be replaced. When I got home a little after 9, I opened up the app and scheduled mobile service for this morning. I parked my car in the driveway this morning and around 9am mobile service showed up, topped up my tire pressure, did some service bulletin for the ball joints, replaced the 9v battery and in 20 minutes messages me all done, no cost, have a good day.

Hopefully your fingers will recover from all the work it took to schedule that.

I wonder what the deciding factors are in whether one gets mobile service. I have a feeling that for the DC Metro area we're expected to just go to one of the service centers in MD or VA, which is weird since I expect we have a fairly large number of Tesla owners.

[Zaxxon]

I wonder what the deciding factors are in whether one gets mobile service. I have a feeling that for the DC Metro area we're expected to just go to one of the service centers in MD or VA, which is weird since I expect we have a fairly large number of Tesla owners.

I wonder whether your area just doesn't yet have a sufficient mobile service fleet. Out here, the deciding factor tends to be 'can this service be done by mobile?' If yes, then you get mobile.

It's much cheaper for Tesla to have the bulk of simple service requests done via mobile, especially in metro areas with large #s of owners such that the mobile techs can be kept pretty busy (as opposed to traveling hours to each appointment). Fewer service locations needed, fewer expensive bays at the locations that are needed, etc.

[Jaymann]

Last night around 9pm as I was driving home my three year old model 3 told me the 12v battery needed to be replaced. When I got home a little after 9, I opened up the app and scheduled mobile service for this morning. I parked my car in the driveway this morning and around 9am mobile service showed up, topped up my tire pressure, did some service bulletin for the ball joints, replaced the 12v battery and in 20 minutes messages me all done, no cost, have a good day.

So there is a 12v battery in addition to the main battery? Where is it, and why is it needed?

[Paingod]

I got my first supercharge yesterday an it was sweet. The app tells you if spots are open. It was $14 for about 130 miles, and took 40 minutes. How does the invoicing work?

That's like if I paid $3.23 per gallon for gas in my car. I was under the impression electric was supposed to save on fuel costs - or is that just the a supercharger tax?

[Isgrimnur]

Like buying groceries at the convenience store.

[Zaxxon]

Last night around 9pm as I was driving home my three year old model 3 told me the 12v battery needed to be replaced. When I got home a little after 9, I opened up the app and scheduled mobile service for this morning. I parked my car in the driveway this morning and around 9am mobile service showed up, topped up my tire pressure, did some service bulletin for the ball joints, replaced the 12v battery and in 20 minutes messages me all done, no cost, have a good day.

So there is a 12v battery in addition to the main battery? Where is it, and why is it needed?

Most ancillary things (lights, etc) run off of the 12V. Tesla moved to lithium 12V batteries in the new S/X, and they've talked of moving off of 12V entirely in the future. To this point, it's been due to the fact that the entire industry of ancillary hardware has run off of 12V. Now that Tesla is large enough, they are looking to nuke that in favor of a higher-voltage accessory batt, as it's an obvious weakness for a car with dozens of kWh to be able to be taken out by a tiny accessory battery dying.

Like buying groceries at the convenience store.

Yes, this. Charging at home in most places will be cheaper than gasoline. Charging via Superchargers (or any other fast-charging provider) will cost more than at home.

[stessier]

Like buying groceries at the convenience store.

Yes, this. Charging at home in most places will be cheaper than gasoline. Charging via Superchargers (or any other fast-charging provider) will cost more than at home.

I've only charged my Bolt at home except for two occasions just to see what Level 3 charging was like. I've kept records of every charging session after the first 1000 miles because I'm an engineer and a bit unhinged. I tracked the amount of energy the car said it used, the amount that I delivered to it (I always charge to the same level), the miles traveled, the cost of electricity, and the cost of gas on the day I charged. I can then calculate my driving efficiency, the charging efficiency, and my fuel savings. Since I replaced a car that got 40 mpg, that is what I'm comparing against. If you replaced something that had worse mileage, the savings would be bigger.

So, over 43,835 miles, I've spent $1,249.37 on electricity. For that 40mpg ICE vehicle, it would have cost $2,230.65 for a savings of $981.26. My lifetime driving has been 4.65 miles/kWh. When you factor in the losses from charging, it drops it to 4.30 miles/kWh.

[Jaymann]

Like buying groceries at the convenience store.

Yes, this. Charging at home in most places will be cheaper than gasoline. Charging via Superchargers (or any other fast-charging provider) will cost more than at home.

I've only charged my Bolt at home except for two occasions just to see what Level 3 charging was like. I've kept records of every charging session after the first 1000 miles because I'm an engineer and a bit unhinged. I tracked the amount of energy the car said it used, the amount that I delivered to it (I always charge to the same level), the miles traveled, the cost of electricity, and the cost of gas on the day I charged. I can then calculate my driving efficiency, the charging efficiency, and my fuel savings. Since I replaced a car that got 40 mpg, that is what I'm comparing against. If you replaced something that had worse mileage, the savings would be bigger.

So, over 43,835 miles, I've spent $1,249.37 on electricity. For that 40mpg ICE vehicle, it would have cost $2,230.65 for a savings of $981.26. My lifetime driving has been 4.65 miles/kWh. When you factor in the losses from charging, it drops it to 4.30 miles/kWh.

So while the fuel savings are not astronomical, you also need to factor in the low maintenance cost. And, most importantly, YOU GET TO DRIVE A FRICKING ELECTRIC CAR!

[Zaxxon]

Like buying groceries at the convenience store.

Yes, this. Charging at home in most places will be cheaper than gasoline. Charging via Superchargers (or any other fast-charging provider) will cost more than at home.

I've only charged my Bolt at home except for two occasions just to see what Level 3 charging was like. I've kept records of every charging session after the first 1000 miles because I'm an engineer and a bit unhinged. I tracked the amount of energy the car said it used, the amount that I delivered to it (I always charge to the same level), the miles traveled, the cost of electricity, and the cost of gas on the day I charged. I can then calculate my driving efficiency, the charging efficiency, and my fuel savings. Since I replaced a car that got 40 mpg, that is what I'm comparing against. If you replaced something that had worse mileage, the savings would be bigger.

So, over 43,835 miles, I've spent $1,249.37 on electricity. For that 40mpg ICE vehicle, it would have cost $2,230.65 for a savings of $981.26. My lifetime driving has been 4.65 miles/kWh. When you factor in the losses from charging, it drops it to 4.30 miles/kWh.

So while the fuel savings are not astronomical, you also need to factor in the low maintenance cost. And, most importantly, YOU GET TO DRIVE A FRICKING ELECTRIC CAR!