My experience getting a dedicated EV TOU 2 electric meter with SDGE

[spdrun]

Why is it cool to have your every move uploaded to TSLA’s servers? That sounds like my personal idea of Hell.

I love the idea of a usable electric car, but without the spyware, please.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=spdrun]Why is it cool to have your every move uploaded to TSLA’s servers? That sounds like my personal idea of Hell.

I love the idea of a usable electric car, but without the spyware, please.[/quote]

Well, I’m not thrilled about the NSA being able to go through emails and many other things but it is what it is. LOL.

Of course I need to actually test drive the Model X but I’d say there is a 99% possibility once the Model X comes out next year I’ll be buying one of those as well. So I guess more spyware for me. 😛

Check out this video: http://www.teslamotors.com/modelx

I like Elon’s sense of humor with Model names.

S-E-X

[spdrun]

The good thing is that if battery tech gets sufficiently advanced, I could take any fairly light, aerodynamic classic car, load it up with batteries, add an electric motor and regenerative controller, and have a fun, beautiful car without any spyware.

This being said, there’s probably a way around the nannytracking. I read Nissan Leaf has a removable SIM card. No cardee, no trackee….

[an]

[quote=earlyretirement][quote=spdrun]Why is it cool to have your every move uploaded to TSLA’s servers? That sounds like my personal idea of Hell.

I love the idea of a usable electric car, but without the spyware, please.[/quote]

Well, I’m not thrilled about the NSA being able to go through emails and many other things but it is what it is. LOL.

Of course I need to actually test drive the Model X but I’d say there is a 99% possibility once the Model X comes out next year I’ll be buying one of those as well. So I guess more spyware for me. 😛

Check out this video: http://www.teslamotors.com/modelx

I like Elon’s sense of humor with Model names.

S-E-X[/quote]
Aww, I was hoping the Model X have more battery than the 85kWh one. Considering it’s bigger than the Model S. Would have fit my need perfectly if it came w/ a 150kWh unit. Oh well, I guess I have to wait for gen 2.

[flyer]

[quote=earlyretirement][quote=flyer]Great thread, and very interesting.

We’ve noticed the Tesla’s are also very popular among the film biz people. Since we invest in many projects, and my wife works in the industry, we’re on set often, and have noticed many key players driving them.

As others have mentioned, it should be interesting to see how things develop in the future.[/quote]

Hey flyer! Thanks.

Yeah, they are popular in Hollywood. Also, in the Bay area amongst high tech executives they are VERY popular. About 7 of my friends in the Bay area have just recently taken possession of one here or will in the next few weeks. And I’m sure several more will be ordering in the next few weeks.

It’s totally cool to see something so amazing made right here in the good ole USA and in California no less. This is why I tell people that say silly things like “The USA’s best days are behind it” are totally WRONG.

Our BEST days are ahead of us. This kind of technology makes me really proud to be American and totally excited to see what else comes in the future. When I think of what kind of cars some of us with young kids will be driving it boggles my mind.

Probably by then they will have self driving cars all on electricity that go 800 miles a charge. Exciting, exciting stuff![/quote]

Agree, ER.

It is great to see these innovations developing in the US–and I hope we see more.

At the same time, American made films are making billions of dollars in many foreign
countries–blasting domestic box office receipts out of the water.

Exciting, and lucrative times, indeed!

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=earlyretirement]
Our BEST days are ahead of us. This kind of technology makes me really proud to be American and totally excited to see what else comes in the future. When I think of what kind of cars some of us with young kids will be driving it boggles my mind.

Probably by then they will have self driving cars all on electricity that go 800 miles a charge. Exciting, exciting stuff!

[/quote]

For sure. There is so much to be done in terms of innovation even with technology we currently have. LED lighting, solar, wind, electric vehicles, natural gas vehicles, etc.

Imagine if we replace our fleet of gas guzzlers with efficient cars. We wouldn’t care much about oil from the Middle East anymore.

I’m glad that Tesla is here to add a cool factor so that adults and kids alike think that’s it’s cool to go electric. Not only is it a game changer in terms of technology but also in perception. Let’s face it, automobile purchase decisions are aspirational more than functional.

To kids now, someone who sticks with a hummer is seen as old school and not worthy of respect. I’m curious what your kids think in terms of the environment, from car driving to the food they eat. My friends’ kids are surprisingly knowledgeable even though their parents don’t care much.

I heard a kid speaking up because landscape water was being wasted. That kind of consciousness wasn’t part of my generation growing up.

I replaced all my lights to LED and I’m saving a lot of electricity. They look good and run cool. I love the new focused lighting. I don’t feel bad leaving the lights on so my apartment looks good.

For sure, there is good stuff to feel positive about.

[spdrun]

At the same time, American made films are making billions of dollars in many foreign
countries–blasting domestic box office receipts out of the water.

That’s sad in a way — I’d rather not have the rest of the world become more poisoned with Dumberican unculture than is has already been.

Electric cars: great.
Spreading American poison: no fucking thanks.

[earlyretirement]

Definitely I see Tesla pushing the other car makers to speed up their EV’s. Audi has fired their guy that was formally in charge of EV’s. My good friend works at Audi and a sales manager there. He recently went to a national conference and the head executives told the staff their biggest thread in the future is NOT BMW, Mercedes or Lexus. it’s Tesla!

My close friend runs one of the largest dealerships in Southern California and he also said that once the Generation 3’s come out from Tesla it’s going to be interesting. This guy has been in the car business 30 years and he test drove my car last week and was blown away.

I do think kids these days are aware of the environment. My kids are still too young to fully appreciate the green aspects of electric vs. gas but they do recognize and understand no more gas stations with the Model S (except to go rent Red Box movies). Such a GREAT feeling just avoiding gas stations now.

I let my kids plug the car in at the end of the day and they think it’s cool.

I have NO doubt that the future generations of cars will all be impacted by this technology and Tesla. It will be amazing when they can get these batteries up to about 500+ miles or more.

Now that we have the dedicated EV meter from SDGE I think we will definitely go with the Model X. I still need to test drive it but my wife LOVES all that room. We are talking about having another baby next year so we’d welcome the room.

It was funny in that video when they used an Audi Q7 for comparison and showed how little room you have after you fold the 3rd row seat up and it’s true. There is almost NO room at all. But in the Model X wow is there a lot of room.

I’m actually not crazy about those doors because it prevents the use of adding a roof rack. I use the roof rack on my Audi Q7 when we drive to Lake Tahoe so that part doesn’t thrill me but everything else looks great. And I love that it still has the power, speed and performance of the Model S.

Interesting times indeed.

FlyerinHI,

That’s great that you are doing all of those changes. I was thinking about getting the house automated. I already switched out a lot of the lighting to make it more energy efficient. I know a lot of companies have gotten into the home automation space. Do you recommend one over another based on your experience?

[an]

I personally wouldn’t give Tesla the credit of “pushing” the other car makers to speed up their EV. I think the CAFE standard is a much bigger force in pushing car makers to look into other tech. The way I see it is, European are going all in w/ EV while Japanese are going all in w/ Fuel Cell. It will be very interesting to see which technology win out. I’m personally rooting for Fuel Cell due to the speed of fuel up. It’s much easier to pull up into a FC fueling station (like a gas station) and after 5 minutes, you’re back on the road. Both technology uses electric motor to drive the car.

I hope the next model S is as big of a disruption as the current one is. If they can solve the range issue (going 500+ miles per charge), then I’m totally sold. I think you’re giving Tesla too much credit for EV. Model S is not the first all electric. The way I see it is, they take what is done w/ the Nissan Leaf and apply it to a higher end car. Regardless, competition is great. As a gear head and a tech geek, all of this is really exciting. I can’t wait to see which technology win out.

As for the Model X, I think you’ll probably love out it’ll drive. I don’t expect it to drive too much different than the Model S. Just more room. I’m only disappointed that they stuck w/ the 85kWh battery. I love the space design. I actually like the Model X more than the Model S, based on the interior space.

Did you look at all the concept cars from Frankfurt autoshow that’s going on right now? There are A LOT of alternative fuel vehicles, from the cheap low end eGolf to the well over $100k Audi electric sport car. Exciting time is definitely in front of us.

[no_such_reality]

Frankly, I’d love to just double that battery pack and drop a single front drive system in to replace the powertrain on my Honda Odyssey.

The Model S and my Odyssey weigh the same, so not sure how much weight I lose by taking my power train out and how much I gain with those battery packs, but seems like I should be able to push the mileage out to about 400 miles.

Of course, the operative question is, is that 85kw battery pack $10000+ a pop to produce.

If I could turn my $35K touring Odyssey into a $50K EV with 400 miles, it’s a winner.

I guess those gull wing doors kind of serve the same purpose.

[an]

Totally agree with your assessment NSR. Those who buy minivan, electric or not, are totally different driver than those who would consider the Model X. Model X driver probably care more for performance than those who buy an Odyssey. If Honda do what you said and create a $50k EV Odyssey, it might sell pretty well. If they use a smaller motor (don’t need to go so fast, 0-60 in 7 seconds should be sufficient), then a 150kWh battery might get you much further than 400 miles.

Nissan Leaf is a prime example. It uses a 24kWh battery, yet it can get 138 miles on it. So, with the 85kWh battery like the Model S, it would be able to get 488 miles. It does 0-60 in 9.9 seconds though, instead of the 4.4 seconds the Model S does. But some people might prefer range over performance.

Also, the biggest problem that need to be resolved is battery life. Right now, a battery will only hold 70% of the charge after 5-6 years and only 50% of the charge after 10 years. So, for those of us who keep our cars for a very long time (my current car is 9 years old), that would be a huge problem. I think that will drastically affect resale as well.

[no_such_reality]

Well, my current 2012 Odyssey has a 7.3 second 0-60 time, gets a combined 25MPG and runs about 30MPG on long highway runs, ie. Phoenix. I know the Sienna is a 7.7 0-60. Mini-vans aren’t the dogs they used to be. But I agree, just double up the 60KW battery pack may be enough.

Not sure who their target market is on the Model-X, it’s twice the cost of the vast majority of performance SUVs, so they must be targeting that very small BMW X5 M & Mercedes AMGs that tilt in at roughly $100K.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=AN]I personally wouldn’t give Tesla the credit of “pushing” the other car makers to speed up their EV. I think the CAFE standard is a much bigger force in pushing car makers to look into other tech. The way I see it is, European are going all in w/ EV while Japanese are going all in w/ Fuel Cell. It will be very interesting to see which technology win out. I’m personally rooting for Fuel Cell due to the speed of fuel up. It’s much easier to pull up into a FC fueling station (like a gas station) and after 5 minutes, you’re back on the road. Both technology uses electric motor to drive the car.

I hope the next model S is as big of a disruption as the current one is. If they can solve the range issue (going 500+ miles per charge), then I’m totally sold. I think you’re giving Tesla too much credit for EV. Model S is not the first all electric. The way I see it is, they take what is done w/ the Nissan Leaf and apply it to a higher end car. Regardless, competition is great. As a gear head and a tech geek, all of this is really exciting. I can’t wait to see which technology win out.

As for the Model X, I think you’ll probably love out it’ll drive. I don’t expect it to drive too much different than the Model S. Just more room. I’m only disappointed that they stuck w/ the 85kWh battery. I love the space design. I actually like the Model X more than the Model S, based on the interior space.

Did you look at all the concept cars from Frankfurt autoshow that’s going on right now? There are A LOT of alternative fuel vehicles, from the cheap low end eGolf to the well over $100k Audi electric sport car. Exciting time is definitely in front of us.[/quote]

Well, I’m not sure if Tesla gets the credit or not but unless I’m mistaken, EV’s before Tesla were really ugly and the performance was nothing comparable. So whoever takes the credit, that doesn’t really matter to me. Ha, ha.

I know Tesla isn’t the first all electric vehicle. It’s just the first really awesome EV that looks great and performs well. As far as I’m concerned the Leaf, Volt and Prius are really ugly. I wouldn’t take one free if you gave it to me.

I definitely don’t see fuel vehicles going away anywhere anytime soon. There will be room for both to coexist along with probably other alternative fuel/energy vehicles.

Definitely I’m sure we’ll love the Model X. I know several people that already put deposits down sight unseen but I’m not the type of guy that can buy something without seeing and test driving it first. But as mentioned, I’m 99% sure I’ll probably buy one once they come out.

I agree it’s disappointing it has the same battery. I was hoping that there would be a faster increase in the battery technology but for our use, it is typically fine. We rarely take road trips but probably will more now that we have the Tesla.

I’m taking the first longer distance trip on Wednesday up to LA for a business trip and back the same day. I’ll hit the Supercharger in Hawthorne and post about it here.

No, I didn’t look at any concept cars. Honestly, I’m not a “car guy”. It is a testament to Tesla that they could get me to spend $125,000+ on a car. I’m not that type of guy typically.

Today, I just got back from taking my car in to the service. As mentioned earlier, I complained about the rear lock latch so they will fix that. Also, I had some paint imperfections and there was a small scratch on the hood of the car.

They gave me another loaner P85 to use until mine is done. They told me they will probably have to repaint the entire hood which will take several days. I told them to take their time.

One thing I also like is they just emailed me within 5 minutes after driving of their lot a list of everything they will do. They included all the service bulletin fixes even stuff I didn’t complain about.

Something else I noticed is they are wise because they limited the ability to go over 80 MPH in it. I know some have complained about the lack of privacy with the tracking but as a father of two young kids……it will be great to take advantage of this when my kids are driving. Also, being able to limit how fast their car can go probably can’t hurt either. LOL.

I agree whether you are an EV, alternative fuel or all around car nut…. the future will be amazing and exciting. I never in a million years thought I’d drop as much money on cars as I did with the Model S and getting the Model X next year.

[an]

[quote=no_such_reality]Well, my current 2012 Odyssey has a 7.3 second 0-60 time, gets a combined 25MPG and runs about 30MPG on long highway runs, ie. Phoenix. I know the Sienna is a 7.7 0-60. Mini-vans aren’t the dogs they used to be. But I agree, just double up the 60KW battery pack may be enough.

Not sure who their target market is on the Model-X, it’s twice the cost of the vast majority of performance SUVs, so they must be targeting that very small BMW X5 M & Mercedes AMGs that tilt in at roughly $100K.[/quote]
I’m pretty sure that’s exactly the market they’re targeting. It’s easier to make money from those people than the market the Leaf is targeting. Smart business on their part.

[FlyerInHi]

The Tesla is an aspirational purchase more than anything.

There is no point in comparing to mass market cars.

I think tesla is a paradigm shift because it’s an awesome car and opinion leaders are with it.

[Author]

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