Featured Tesla goes even more Ludicrous

"Good enough" doesn't describe any Tesla vehicle. None of them, at any cost, can do what my '88 Mazda MX-6 can do, much less my 2004 Prius. They'd all be a massive downgrade as far as utility and cost-effectiveness goes.

Think about that - a $100k+ car that can't do what a 28 year old $14k car can still do after 28 years.

 

who drives a car for 30 years? think about it this way, alt fuel vehicles are not ready for prime time. that doesn't mean there is something wrong with them, acceptance and tech advances will go hand in hand. eventually, they will garner more and more of the market, and that will also be helped along by increasing gas prices and government incentives.

i wouldn't buy a bev if it were the only car available to me. i won't even buy one now, because they can't handle my once or twice a week 100+ mile trips. please don't tell me to buy a tesla guys, that would be ludicrous.
but i will look at the bolt and others when they come along, and we have the hycam for long trips. no, i don't want to drive from charging station to charging station. but they work for more and more people each year, and that's a good thing.

heck, we're driving pri. are they the answer? not according to most of the motoring public.

 

Your premise does not support your conclusion.
90% of the time I charge at home.
That doesn't mean the other 10% of the time I can't use the supercharger network, or that doing so is a problem.

I know a number of Tesla owners that take MORE road trips than they used to.
I, personally, have been able to travel anywhere I have wanted to go, or plan to go, using the supercharger network.

And in using these, it has taken me no extra time. Every time, except once, the car had enough range to reach the next supercharger when we returned to the car. That one time we needed a full charge for a 280 mile span, and since then, that span has had another supercharger added, so we would have no wait.

Now, I am not saying it works that way for everyone, or to every location (North Dakota is a good example where there are no SCs).
Likewise, it is disengenious to suggest that the SC doesn't work conveniently for anyone.

 

No, that's not the problem.

 

That is true, your old Mazda can contribute to asthma, and many other respiratory issues. It also can contribute much more to the deaths of our soldiers, the financial detriment of your local economy as well as the national economy.
And while your Mazda likely has not yet killed anyone due to CO poisoning, it could, which the BEVs can't.

So, you are absolutely right, there are a lot of things your 28 year old Mazda can do that a BEV can't.

 

I'm planning two trips next year that I don't think you couldn't make in a Tesla.

One includes the following segment: Flagstaff AZ (Supercharger) - Grand Canyon South Rim - Mesa Verde National Park - Great Sand Dunes National Park - Colorado Springs Colorado (Supercharger). (727 miles).

The other one includes Santa Rosa NM (Supercharger) to Carlsbad Caverns National Park and back. (468 miles)

I took one this year that included two segments in the middle of the US that would have resulted in major diversions and delays (including two extra nights at hotels) if I had taken a Tesla.

 

The "movement" has chosen the wrong path. The correct path is plug-in hybrids, gradually migrating range and the range-extender fuel over time. An all-at-once jump to BEVs is a poor choice.

 

I agree with you. Making PIH more and more efficient is the way to get more $$ on board. If the $$ also pushes EV technology....perfect.

 

I think you should look up the word "niche", which I used to describe current BEVs.

 

"You're right. People that can afford a 6-figure car are so strapped for cash that planning ahead by a couple hours and renting a car is completely out of the question."

What POS short of their chosen instrument would they stoop to rent?

 

Until batteries are 5x better - yes.

 

Same mentality as those who buy big trucks for that 1% of the time they actually use it.

 

Lots of people use lots of definitions for "niche".
Are hybrids a "niche" product by your definition? After all, they are only 3% of the market.
When does a "niche" product become more?

Batteries may need to be 5x better before they work for you.
They are good enough today to work for me and hundreds of thousands of others.
Within two years we will have BEVs for 30-40k with a 200 miles range. These will work for many many more.
Will they work for all? No, but they will work for many

 

Hybrids are not "niche" simply because they are not limited in what they can do, compared to non-hybrids, by their technology. BEVs are.

A $30k-$40k Model 3 might be worth around $10k to me (its cost minus the cost of the other car I'd have to own to do everything the Model 3 cannot). Less than that, actually, because of the insurance and maintenance on the other car.

 

Interesting definition of "niche". Care to flesh that out a bit?
If not, hybrids and all ICE vehicles fit you definition. As they are limited to refueling at gas stations.

I totally get that a BEV doesn't work for you, but a vehicle not working for you does not mean it is "niche".

 

By that logic every sedans ever made is worth 5K to me because now I have to to buy a Sienna to cover things sedans can't do. It's worth even less now that I have buy insurance and maintenance for both cars. Now I have a Sienna sitting in the garage collecting dust that gets less than 2K miles a year.

 

Low reliability? This is Prius Chat, were a lot of folks had to put up with many folks claiming the batteries on the Prius died every few years starting over a decade ago. Now it comes out again in the same old fashion. Just make up something with no backup (other than to claim being a battery expert) or facts. One fact I can bring up is GM's statement that they have not had to replace a Volt battery yet due to degradation.

Chevy Has Had to Replace Zero Degraded Volt Batteries Yet | The News Wheel

Likewise, having owned three Prius's, Toyota has battery reliability established as well.