1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Featured Brand-new Tesla Model 3 strands doctor in freeway's left lane with 139 mi left on guess-o-meter

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Gokhan, Oct 16, 2022.

  1. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    45,024
    16,242
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' actor said Tesla 'lost a customer' after his car was stuck in a parking garage for days after his key fob broke - Autoblog

    My question is, why does he need wifi? Does he not have a data plan with his phone?

    A "weatherstripping" problem is lightly saying it. :LOL:
     
  2. John321

    John321 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2018
    1,285
    1,276
    0
    Location:
    Kentucky
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    #42 John321, Oct 19, 2022
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2022
    Gokhan likes this.
  3. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2008
    4,959
    1,950
    0
    Location:
    Paramount CA
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    It sounds like you can't wait to trade in your Tesla Model 3 for a Sony–Honda in spring 2026.
     
  4. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2006
    22,447
    11,760
    0
    Location:
    eastern Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    California also has policies against new natural gas and nuclear plants, or at least public sentiment against them. New efficient NG in the state could help with the rates. It would cut costs of keeping older plants running.

    Tied to that is the policy favoring renewable energy. A good thing, but it does come with higher costs, as the state doesn't 100% capacity for such for all times. Which means buying on the open market for electricity that is more limited in availability. Grid storage will help, but it ain't free. My bit about the car was about this push for green energy being too fast, and leading to higher costs. Maybe I'm equating Ca's too optimistic predictions for hydrogen infrastructure with the state's entire energy policy though.

    I should have included general higher costs of the state with the tax comment.

    Corruption and plain stupidity are a factor for other states' electric rates and grid issues. The Nevada utilities effectively got home solar banned.
     
  5. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,557
    10,324
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    bwilson4web and John321 like this.
  6. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2005
    27,663
    15,663
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    upload_2022-10-19_17-15-33.jpeg

    Looks like my $0.129 / kWh is off or perhaps the fixed connection cost. Close enough for my budget planning.

    Bob Wilson
     
  7. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2009
    13,602
    4,136
    0
    Location:
    Austin, TX, USA
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    N/A
    Looks like bob missed a decimal place ;)

    Why are California rates so high? The PUC and mismanagement of the 3 big corporate utilities. SCE botched maintenance on a nuclear power plant, and is passing that cost of shutdown to consumers. PGE through poor maintenance of transmission lines has caused awful fires. Their customers are paying for them, although I would think the PUC would let them die and let others take over. The Texas PUC is awful and Didn't require changes because they were really working for the utilities. Rates here are not high, but I expect more power outages on the next weather event. It would probably add only a fraction of a penny to electricity costs here, but ...
     
    Gokhan likes this.
  8. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2005
    27,663
    15,663
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Fat fingered an extra “0”. sorry.

    Bob Wilson
     
    Gokhan and austingreen like this.
  9. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2009
    13,602
    4,136
    0
    Location:
    Austin, TX, USA
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    N/A
    I wasn't sure at first, but TXU has a rate plan solar days and free nights that simply has a delivery charge between 8 pm and 6 am for non municipal utility Texas customers. How can they do that? They have coal power plants that they need to run at night. It costs them about $0.01/kwh to keep them running, and if they shut them down they can't make money during the day. Texas residential electricity bills are dominated by ac. If they can get you to cool your house down at night then allow it to warm up, then it helps the grid. They overcharge for the solar during the day which is there profit, but its still much cheaper than California electricity, I think its currently $0.159/kwh plus around $10/month fixed charge. Free coal electricity at night, and 50% more expensive solar during the day.
     
  10. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2008
    4,959
    1,950
    0
    Location:
    Paramount CA
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    fuzzy1 and Tideland Prius like this.
  11. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2005
    20,174
    8,353
    54
    Location:
    Montana & Nashville, TN
    Vehicle:
    2018 Chevy Volt
    Model:
    Premium
    OH - the irony. You have a Cali governor who mandates electric cars for a state that has the least amount of affordabe electricity for its users - never mind it's pathetically flimsy, under repaired & unreliable electric infrastructure. You voted the political party you wanted - and then you pay the consequences.
    .
     
    #51 hill, Oct 19, 2022
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2022
  12. dbstoo

    dbstoo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2012
    1,365
    732
    0
    Location:
    Near Silicon Valley
    Vehicle:
    2024 Prius Prime
    Model:
    XSE Premium
    I've worked for a few of California's regulated utilities. I had an "inside view" for a while. While the CPUC approved prices are pretty wacky, the service standards (as of 15 years ago) were quite rigorous. The infrastructure for power and telecommunications is, in general, pretty good. There are standards and rules for just about every aspect of running the plant. The average worker is quite conscientious.

    People tend to look at the disasters like the San Bruno fire as if the current workers were at fault. The reality is that the faulty weld that caused that particular gas leak was made a generation ago by a contractor who did not follow standards.

    (simplified) The San Onofre nuclear plant was taken off line to rebuild the heat exchanger, but the contractor used the wrong alloy of stainless steel tubing. It leaked. There were no external clues that the exchanger was rebuilt incorrectly. By the time it was discovered, it would have taken a complete rebuild of the cooling system to fix. Again, someone did not follow published standards.

    (Simplified) PG&E is being sued for starting forest fires based on circumstantial evidence. A fire started by a lightning strike 1/4 mile from the nearest power line was blamed on PG&E and they paid huge amounts in reparations because they could not prove that it was not their lines. California juries are allowed to find guilt based on circumstantial evidence and the one with deep pockets often pays the most. Lightning does not have pockets. :(
     
  13. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2005
    27,663
    15,663
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Found on another web forum:

    The company recently delivered the new Lucid Grand Air Touring model. The vehicle was a dream in terms of comfort and performance. However the car went into an EMERGENCY SHUT DOWN mode during a thunderstorm. The Car coasted to a stop, shut down completely and then rebooted. It restarted briefly which allowed me to move it out of the middle of the road. After turning the vehicle off and calling customer service, it refused to restart and had to be towed. The engineers think it was a software problem but a battery module had to be replaced. I am curious to know if other EV owners have experienced similar problems with their vehicles. The car was great but I don't know if I can trust it.

    Fecal matter happens.

    Bob Wilson
     
    Gokhan likes this.
  14. Zythryn

    Zythryn Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2008
    6,310
    4,300
    1
    Location:
    Minnesota
    Vehicle:
    Other Electric Vehicle
    Model:
    N/A
    My rate is around $0.14/kWh. However, my cost is about $0.015/kWh due to solar panels.
    A number of people in our area have TOU plans which bring their rates between $0.06/kWh and $0.09/kWh, typically between 9pm and 9am.

    Minnesota has a very, good PUC and decent public input.
     
    #54 Zythryn, Oct 20, 2022
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2022
  15. 3PriusMike

    3PriusMike Prius owner since 2000, Tesla M3 2018

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2009
    3,028
    2,369
    0
    Location:
    Silicon Valley
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    What you say is probably true.

    But it is also a proven fact that people with negative experience tend to post about their problems in public forums a lot more often than the fact that everything about the product they bought worked OK and met expectations.

    Understanding Negativity Bias | Merchant Maverick

    Mike
     
    hill, Trollbait and Zythryn like this.
  16. 3PriusMike

    3PriusMike Prius owner since 2000, Tesla M3 2018

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2009
    3,028
    2,369
    0
    Location:
    Silicon Valley
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Tesla have several ways to unlock them:
    1. Use phone and the Bluetooth connection to the car recognizes your phone
    2. Use an optional key fob
    3. Use the key card (commonly used for a valet key as well) This is NFC
    4. Use phone app to unlock the car from anywhere. This requires WiFi or cell connection for the phone and Wifi or "cell connection to the car"
    5. Tesla HQ or service can unlock the car the same as #4

    Options #4 and #5 can be a problem if the car is inside a parking garage and there is no cell signal and no WiFi
    This is why everyone gets the key card.

    Mike
     
    Tideland Prius likes this.
  17. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2009
    13,602
    4,136
    0
    Location:
    Austin, TX, USA
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    N/A
    No but it is the fault of the utility. Who hired the contractor? Who should be inspecting infrastruture periodically. If it was "just one" fire, then sure mistakes happen, but it is systemic.
    Many Californians still ‘trapped’ years after PG&E fires. Has the company improved safety? | PBS NewsHour.

    Utility hired bad contractor. It cost the rate payers a lot of money. It is not the first screw up by the company, but the PUC lets the publically traded company apply the losses of their mismanagement to the customers.

    See the news story above. Do you think the state of california inspectors framed PG&E for the Camp Fire and the Dixie fire? Trees fall, and contractors that don't mitigate hired by the utility to inspect and clear away dangerous trees, screwed up. I guess that PG&E can't possibly be responsable.
    California finds PG&E equipment responsible for massive Dixie Fire

    We have gone quite off topic, but the big utilities have sever management problems in california. The PUC seems quite comfortable with the mismanagement and high electricity prices.
     
  18. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    45,024
    16,242
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Thanks for the breakdown, Mike!
     
  19. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2008
    4,959
    1,950
    0
    Location:
    Paramount CA
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    Do you actually find that that Tesla's automation features help with age-related driving-skills loss? From what I've been reading, Tesla's autopilot is scary at best and potentially lethal when left on its own.

    Do you use the autopilot a lot? Does it make you more or less nervous? I tend to get more nervous when I activate LTA with radar cruise control on Prius Prime.

    Honest review please.
     
  20. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2005
    27,663
    15,663
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    I paid an extra $2,000 for Autopilot in 2019. Today it is standard.

    It took three weeks for me learn and trust it. But I grew up with farm relatives whose truck and tractor steering was more a suggestion and braking looked for a rise to drive up. Autopilot is a lot like those ancient farm vehicles until you figure it out.

    Sometimes I had to snatch the wheel but over subsequent releases, these were fixed. For example, there was one intersecting cross street that the car would steer at the passenger side, corner curb. That was nearly two years ago but no longer does it do this. But Autopilot paid for itself two months after buying the car.

    Planning a weekend visit, I had forgotten to pack my CPAP machine which for a couple of skipped nights, no problem. But my wife had a medical problem that lasted a week. I camped out in her hospital room but no CPAP! Untreated sleep apnea leads to unplanned micro sleep events.

    On the way home, I had five at 8:30 AM that my wife recognized. The car stayed in lane on dynamic cruise control. The passenger side shoulder descended 10 ft into fields with power poles along the fence. Autopilot saved us from a potentially severe, one car accident.

    Autopilot has a ‘learning curve’ that sad to say, some will never learn but loudly complain about. But if you approach it as a new system to test and learn, it is a life saver. Younger drivers who grew up playing games will master it almost instantly.

    Bob Wilson

    ps. I also bought Full Self Driving and it is even more fun … in spite of bugs also seen with Autopilot.