Strange car syndrome? Just everything feels heavy/clunky, touchy gas. The repair place is under new management, and seem cut-throat and disorganized compared to the old owners, the world marches on. Meh, maybe just need more coffee.
Ok but there was only one other hybrid on market in 2002 and maybe 3 or 4 others in 2006, Altima, Escape and Camry iirc,
+ the (late july 2005) 2006, our AWD Lexus SUV, the RX-400h followed by the hiHy a few months later. Their bugs were way less in quantity than the 2004 Prius, because most of the similar tech stuff was dialed in by then, except for the throttle pedal of course. .
They're fine. But when you're used to the quieter EV, the Corolla is a bit harsher in terms of the driving experience as the engine (even though it's the same one as ours) sounds a bit buzzy when paired with the CVT. It's still pretty good value and gets ridiculously good mpg.
Off topic but I am booked to rent Model S tomorrow, just for one day as kinda pricey. Through turo.com I talked to the owner today, confirm it will be charged up. Before talking to him, was big concern that it will be charged up for me. Like any other battery powered device gotta keep charged up or plug it in and stay tethered like my phone is at the moment. I hope the Model S is totally awesome. BTW news reporting now 2 locations in CA to sit in Model 3. One in Palo Alto near Stanford shopping center (no test drives yet wah)
I have not read every post in this thread but just glanced through several on a random basis. With regards to the Model 3, many posts are based on assumption, presumption, speculation, inaccurate information, and false conclusions. Model 3 rollout was based on a brilliant strategy to deliver first production cars, produced on a new assembly line with new robots, in the following general manner: employees first current owners/previous owners non-owners Elon knew that first production cars would have some teething problems and he wanted them to go to employees (who are paying full price for the car, no discounts) so that problems could be addressed immediately. The same goes for owners. As of today, Tesla is still working through the list of employees and owners. No non-owners have received their cars yet, including me. The first cars have had some fit and finish problems but those problems have been eliminated by tweaking the robots and fit and finish is equal to or better than BMW,Audi, Porsche, or MBZ. I have seen two model 3 in the flesh and fit and finish is way better than on my Prius. Here are the problems I see that need to be resolved. The Smartphone access to the car ha proven to be problematic. Key card access works perfectly, but the smartphone protocol has been plagued by inconsistent dependability. Some smartphones work and some don't, it depends on the OS. If two smartphones are on the same account, they seem to conflict with each other in terms of app functionality. Tesla is aware of the problem and are tweaking the software in the app, so I think this problem will be resolved very shortly. The UI (User Interface) is still in beta form and not all the promised features are fully functional. For example, rain sensitive wipers and scheduled charging were not functional on the first production cars. Those features are now functional through over the air updates. OA updates are being added on a weekly basis and I expect that by the time I get my car (about 3 months), it will be fully functional. On long trips, an EV will take longer to get from point A to point B. Charging is not the problem. Tesla has plenty of chargers to eliminate range anxiety - Supercharger system, destination chargers, and third party Chademo and CSS chargers. The problem is you have to stop every 2 to 3 hours to charge for 30 minutes. Whereas an ICE vehicle has to stop every 2 to 3 hours for 15 minutes at a gas station. Over a long trip, that minor difference in time can add up. Tesla is resolving this problem with new battery technology and larger battery packs and high power super charger stations. The new Gen II Roadster will have 600 mile range. A refresh of the Model S is expected mid year with >400 mile range. New high power superchargers will provide 80/90% charge in <15 minutes. These strategies will make traveling faster in a Tesla than in an ICE vehicles a reality. However, it is going to take 2 or 3 years for the plan to be fully implemented. 4. The model 3 will not have 'free" supercharger access, you will have to pay for the use. This is not a problem for those who can charge at home, but for those who live in apartments or condominiums with management that doesn't see the value in providing those facilities, it IS a problem. The good news is that as more and more EV acceptance becomes commonplace, this type of residential living is rapidly providing on-site charging as an incentive to attract residents For those of you are waiting for one of the legacy automakers (American, European, or Asian) to make a "Tesla killer," you are going to have a very long wait. What has been produced so far are concept cars that are 3 to 5 years away from production but will not have all the Tesla advantages like range and price point, because Tesla is constantly improving their cars. The legacy automakers are like skeet shooters, shooting 5 feet behind a moving target. And then there is Tesla's ace in the hole, a worldwide Supercharger network that is currently fully functional. It will take legacy automakers, working in concert, years to match the current market saturation of the Supercharger system. And Tesla is building more of them at a breakneck speed. All of us should be excited to view first hand, the evolution of personal transportation into the future with EV's powered by the sun.................because the FUTURE is now!
Um, er, uhh, .... just keeping ramping up Model 3 production like, a lot. And at some point, make some profits.
Who, me? Test drive in a model 3? Can't test drive model 3 at Tesla store. Haven't seen any model 3 on turo.com in this area yet. No hurry. The old 23 mpg dog should keep going for years to come.
Oh they are much more specific than that. This is from memory, so feel free to correct me if you have a source. In one of Tesla’s recent quarterly reports, Musk mentioned that at about 5000/week production, the will be either profitable or 20% profit margin. Yes, big difference but even taking the worse case, ‘profitable’, it gives us a yardstick. Current expectations are 5000/week by the end of 2nd quarter.
Tesla would be profitable right now if it weren't dumping money into building Gigafactory, Supercharger network, and innovation. Tesla makes money on each Model S/3/X they build but that is going into infrastructure. Elon has a vision for the future and he realizes that building a solid foundation is the basis for implementing that vision. Some have predicted that Tesla will show profit on its bottom line by the end of 2018. Stay tuned. Really? I know people in NorCal who have rented a 3 on Turo for $150 for 24 hours.
that's a nice crystal ball prediction of a history that didn't happen, & everyone loves a great after-the-fact armchair quarterback ... but saying "this is how it would have been" actually fails to account for the fact if no nationwide infrastructure had begun being built, many of us owners would have never even considered buying one in the 1st place. Come to one of our meet & greets & ask owners for yourself. One thing about the Tesla Kool-Aid drinkers that keeps them so positive is that the heavy investment shows way more commitment than say - GM, that builds a decent electric car, but doesn't want to foot 100's of million$ towards infrastructure that it's car needs, in order for long distance trip traveler's to more easily do long trips. .
I guess I didn't make myself clear, my bad, let me try again. The Model S/3/X are priced so that they are profitable on each one sold unlike the Bolt where GM is losing $7000 on each one sold or the Fiat 500e that is losing about $15,000 on each one. I want to thank all you owners for making the Model 3 a reality for me. Without you it would not be possible. @hill do you have a 3 on reservation? I would love to see it when you get it! As far as drinking Kool Aid............GUILTY and I am having lot lot more fun than the tea totalers at the party.
Toyota deserves major kudos too because they were a major cash source for tesla in the early 2000's as well as cash for building the genII Rav - which uses the same motor/cooling/controller as teslas. The only reason it's not as fast as a Tesla is because it's controller isn't programmed the same. & yes - we're on the 3 list. btw - the OC groups' Model 3 owner will bring it to this Saturdays' meetup at the Bru restaurant,on El Toro in Lake Forest - the 27th ~ 9am if anyone wants a gander. .
Dang, I can't make it because I am preparing for a one month trip out of country. I think that is probably Dennis' car. I dare @orenji to show up and be prepared to be wowed! As a CA owner, I think you should be getting your car next month?
