Tesla Model S

Sitec

So I took the Tesla Model S for a drive yesterday. Such an amazing car! It really is at the pinnacle of car technology and is gorgeous looking in the flesh.
It drives very well for a car that weighs 2.2 tonnes as the batteries are mounted low in the chassis. The steering has great weight and the feel can be adjusted to suit the driver. The power delivery is unlike any car I’ve ever driven, with an ICE you can be waiting for the engine to hit the “sweet spot”, the powertrain on this car is always there with the torque arriving instantaneously to shove you back in the seat. There’s a satisfying Sci-Fi like whine from the motors when you floor it. Very moreish! This is the 70D version which has 330bhp and a 0-60 time of 5.2 seconds.
The interior is really impressive. There’s a huge iPad like display in the centre console as well as a display where analogue dials are usually found. The seats are very supportive and have lots of adjustability.
The self-drive feature is unbelievable; the car drove itself for 7 km’s before I took over coming to traffic lights. It’s such a weird feeling.
I would absolutely love one of these but @ 100,000e it’s going to take a long time!

toadfly

This car is my dream, the Leaf is just not the same!

nokia69

toadfly wrote: »

This car is my dream, the Leaf is just not the same!

As far I can see it only has two down sides, its too big IMO, and too expensive

The model 3 will be far better IMO

bear1

Realistically what would be the total range possible?

nokia69

bear1 wrote: »

Realistically what would be the total range possible?

All depends on which battery you have and how fast you drive, the 60Kwh battery might get close to 200 miles, but they no longer sell that version

The 90D would get 270 miles, and the 100Kwh battery which is on the way should be good for 300 miles

Sh1tbag OToole

I never liked the look of that massive display they put in it

Zcott

There's one driving around Belfast and I'm very jealous.

monkeysnapper

Where's mad lad??

Agggh shes a great looking car, I'd love one .

Sh1tbag OToole

LIGHTNING wrote: »

I love them but can you explain this? Its a car filled with laptop batteries and a few electric motors. It couldn't be any less of pinnacle of car technology if it tried. Car manufacturers were doing this in the 1890's albeit not to the same comfort levels!

The new Bugatti Chiron is the pinnacle of car tech. Its engine is out of this world.

http://jalopnik.com/the-incredible-tech-in-the-new-bugatti-chiron-the-worl-1761998342

Just 1 electric motor I think. Its a pity they discontinued the roadster, that seemed like a more minimalist and fun car. Touch screens, self drive and a plush interior are a bit boring. I suppose "the market" demands gadgets and there's only a limited amount of people looking to buy a sports car

nokia69

LIGHTNING wrote: »

I love them but can you explain this? Its a car filled with laptop batteries and a few electric motors. It couldn't be any less of pinnacle of car technology if it tried. Car manufacturers were doing this in the 1890's albeit not to the same comfort levels!

rubbish, there was nothing like the Model S back in the 1890s

nokia69

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

Just 1 electric motor I think. Its a pity they discontinued the roadster, that seemed like a more minimalist and fun car. Touch screens, self drive and a plush interior are a bit boring. I suppose "the market" demands gadgets and there's only a limited amount of people looking to buy a sports car

There is next gen Roadster in the works, will have crazy performance and a 4 or 500 mile range

Sh1tbag OToole

nokia69 wrote: »

rubbish, there was nothing like the Model S back in the 1890s

There was some electric car in the 1890's but it was square and boxy and not very fast. It did have longer-lasting batteries though, I think they started one of them a few years back and the 100+ year old batteries still worked. Its a pity all the research has gone on improving lithium batteries which nearly always seem to be limited to about 1,000 cycles (2,000 for lithium phosphate)

Sitec

LIGHTNING wrote: »

I love them but can you explain this? Its a car filled with laptop batteries and a few electric motors. It couldn't be any less of pinnacle of car technology if it tried. Car manufacturers were doing this in the 1890's albeit not to the same comfort levels!

The new Bugatti Chiron is the pinnacle of car tech. Its engine is out of this world.

http://jalopnik.com/the-incredible-tech-in-the-new-bugatti-chiron-the-worl-1761998342

The car updates itself over the air. New features are added throughout the life of the car for free.
Autopilot: the car can literally drive itself. The ECU manages inputs from cameras, GPS and radar and outputs functions to the steering, accelerator and brakes.
Summon: The car can park itself in tight spots.

Special Circumstances

Bugatti Chiron is saudi-chav to the max no matter what engine you put in it though. There's houses in rathkeale with more class than it.

Sitec

Quick video of the Tesla parking with nobody behind the wheel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co5JeTecLBA

jsd1004

nokia69 wrote: »

As far I can see it only has two down sides, its too big IMO, and too expensive

The model 3 will be far better IMO

What is not to like about these. M5 beating performance without the bills. No clutches, dpfs, oil, filters,plugs, smelly clattery diesel. Skip the environmental credentials these are serious performance cars. As a petrol head I fear for the future of ICE. On a side note there is a youtube vid of an I3 whipping a M4 off the line.

Special Circumstances

Teslas spooked the feck outta me a few times in the states, bad enough looking the wrong way before crossing without these silent yokes coming round a corner.

Maybe they could have some external speakers with a simulated dumper truck sound to ease people here into the whole thing?

jsd1004

Special Circumstances wrote: »

Teslas spooked the feck outta me a few times in the states, bad enough looking the wrong way before crossing without these silent yokes coming round a corner.

Maybe they could have some external speakers with a simulated dumper truck sound to ease people here into the whole thing?

I think cyclists should have the same.

nokia69

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Learn some motoring history then come back to us

go on then give me a list of electric cars from 1890 that had a 250+ mile range and did 0 to 60 in under 3 seconds

I won't hold my breath

listermint

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Learn some motoring history then come back to us

Tbh your being burned on this one. To claim the technology in the Tesla isn't stand out is just plain silly.

nokia69

jsd1004 wrote: »

What is not to like about these. M5 beating performance without the bills. No clutches, dpfs, oil, filters,plugs, smelly clattery diesel. Skip the environmental credentials these are serious performance cars. As a petrol head I fear for the future of ICE. On a side note there is a youtube vid of an I3 whipping a M4 off the line.

I do like the car, there can't be many bigger Tesla fans than me, I have been watching them from day one, I remember downloading videos of the T-Zero on a 56K modem

The Model S/X are great cars but they are on the large side for me, the Model 3 would suit me better, and of course the price will be better too

Don't fear for the future of ICE, it will be around for a while yet, it will of course end up as a minority interest, a bit like steam engines and horses

nokia69

Cars have been the same since 1890 LOL

ba_barabus

listermint wrote: »

Tbh your being burned on this one. To claim the technology in the Tesla isn't stand out is just plain silly.

I don't think he claimed that. It's old ideas being reinvented. Electric cars were pretty successful until the ear 1920s

I for one fully approve of this after being in one of the Tesla Taxis in Amsterdam. They're awesome

listermint

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Dont agree:

The car updates itself over the air. New features are added throughout the life of the car for free

Over the air is nothing really amazing. Plenty of devices do it. May be new for cars but its not exactly earth shattering. You can get an ECU update for a regular car if you really wanted.


Autopilot: the car can literally drive itself. The ECU manages inputs from cameras, GPS and radar and outputs functions to the steering, accelerator and brakes.

If I recall Tesla specifically states not to let the car drive full automated.Lane departure+Radar controller cruise control is nothing new. Mates car has it albeit not to the same level.

Summon: The car can park itself in tight spots -

You can get that on Hyundai

For the record I am big fan of them and I would love one myself but I dislike the massive circlejerk people have over it.

Did I post any of that ?

Am I circle jerking ?

I am mocking your claim that there isn't stand out technology in the Tesla and making an incredible claim comparing it to the 1890s

What circle jerk is there in that?

You are making a show of yourself here as you may have a distaste for evs.


It's like an anti EV circle jerk.

Lol

listermint

ba_barabus wrote: »

I don't think he claimed that. It's old ideas being reinvented. Electric cars were pretty successful until the ear 1920s

I for one fully approve of this after being in one of the Tesla Taxis in Amsterdam. They're awesome

I read what he wrote then I read it again to make sure it sounded as stupid the second time as it did the first time.

ba_barabus

nokia69 wrote: »

Cars have been the same since 1890 LOL

The basic elements have been the same. Strip away the ****e stuck to a modern car and you're left with an internal combustion engine or electric power pack just like the earliest of cars.

The real future or futuristic tech is hydrogen power and fuel cells. Now that is new.

listermint

ba_barabus wrote: »

The basic elements have been the same. Strip away the ****e stuck to a modern car and you're left with an internal combustion engine or electric power pack just like the earliest of cars.

Sure we should stop making improvements in cars then feck it. Why bother.

nokia69

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Yup that's exactly what I said. Nice work detective

I though you were leaving the thread :rolleyes:

ba_barabus

listermint wrote: »

Sure we should stop making improvements in cars then feck it. Why bother.

See the part of my post I edited in. The newest untried tech which would be new is hydrogen

nokia69

ba_barabus wrote: »

The basic elements have been the same. Strip away the ****e stuck to a modern car and you're left with an internal combustion engine or electric power pack just like the earliest of cars.

you could argue that, but IMO the first true cars as we know them emerged around the time of the model T, most efforts before that were horseless carriages, it took a while for the designers to think beyond the horse

ba_barabus wrote: »

The real future or futuristic tech is hydrogen power and fuel cells. Now that is new.

Nope fool cells are a scam, nothing more, you need to dig a little deeper

ba_barabus

nokia69 wrote: »

Nope fool cells are a scam, nothing more, you need to dig a little deeper

I have abs I fail to see how it's a scam.

A fuel provided by a limited resource such as petrol, diesel or depending how it's generated, electricity sees like a bit of an energy dead end.

As for the rest of the post obviously some kind of tech will win out eventually but if it's brought back in the future it doesn't make it new, it's still old tech. Think betamax if someone found a practical use for it in today's world. It was better than vhs at the time but lost out and faded away. Who knows it might be of use in the future but it'll still be an old idea like electric cars are.

In case anyone thinks I'm anti electric or Tesla I'm not. I think they're amazing.

Sitec

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Dont agree:

The car updates itself over the air. New features are added throughout the life of the car for free

Over the air is nothing really amazing. Plenty of devices do it. May be new for cars but its not exactly earth shattering. You can get an ECU update for a regular car if you really wanted.


Autopilot: the car can literally drive itself. The ECU manages inputs from cameras, GPS and radar and outputs functions to the steering, accelerator and brakes.

If I recall Tesla specifically states not to let the car drive full automated.Lane departure+Radar controller cruise control is nothing new. Mates car has it albeit not to the same level.

Summon: The car can park itself in tight spots -

You can get that on Hyundai

For the record I am big fan of them and I would love one myself but I dislike the massive circlejerk people have over it.

Have you driven a Model S?
The power delivery is simply amazing. Instantaneous horsepower and torque. This car is at the pinnacle of automotive technology for that alone. I can understand you think the autopilot and summons features are gimmicks.; the Bugatti you mentioned will drink petrol like George Best did ale and is not at all comparable to this car (how much is a Chiron?). Tesla are developing the SuperCharger network in Ireland which means free power (the EV charger network in Ireland is one of the best in the world). I'd have a Model S over a diesel S Class, A8 or XF any day.

listermint

ba_barabus wrote: »

I have abs I fail to see how it's a scam.

A fuel provided by a limited resource such as petrol, diesel or depending how it's generated, electricity sees like a bit of an energy dead end.

As for the rest of the post obviously some kind of tech will win out eventually but if it's brought back in the future it doesn't make it new, it's still old tech. Think betamax if someone found a practical use for it in today's world. It was better than vhs at the time but lost out and faded away. Who knows it might be of use in the future but it'll still be an old idea like electric cars are.

In case anyone thinks I'm anti electric or Tesla I'm not. I think they're amazing.

Yes electric vehicles seem like a bit of a dead end... When you can create electricity via renewables like Copenhagen which is what places like Dublin should aspire to.

Ireland needs to heavily invest in the sector it will be fertile ground for future proofing an entire jobs sector.

With interest rates as they are today the government should be gung ho on such industries

ba_barabus

listermint wrote: »

Yes electric vehicles seem like a bit of a dead end... When you can create electricity via renewables like Copenhagen which is what places like Dublin should aspire to.

Ireland needs to heavily invest in the sector it will be fertile ground for future proofing an entire jobs sector.

With interest rates as they are today the government should be gung ho on such industries

I can't agree with that post more. I do think we have a chance with renewable resources and electric vehicles being a dead end will be determined by what happens with the battery tech.

nokia69

ba_barabus wrote: »

I have abs I fail to see how it's a scam.

Because its just not going to work, and almost any honest engineer/scientist would agree, i suspect most car companies are just milking R&D money from foolish governments

The less people know about fool cells the more they think they have some kind of future powering cars

ba_barabus

nokia69 wrote: »

Because its just not going to work, and almost any honest engineer/scientist would agree, i suspect most car companies are just milking R&D money from foolish governments

The less people know about fool cells the more they think they have some kind of future powering cars

You do realise that after over 100 years of research and investment in battery technology hasn't created an electric battery with a range which is acceptable. In fact you do realise Honda and Toyota both have hydrogen cars on the road with ranges of over 300 km right now and that Toyota has committed to creating a hydrogen range of cars over the next 10 years.

nokia69

ba_barabus wrote: »

You do realise that after over 100 years of research and investment in battery technology hasn't created an electric battery with a range which is acceptable. In fact you do realise Honda and Toyota both have hydrogen cars on the road with ranges of over 300 km right now and that Toyota has committed to creating a hydrogen range of cars over the next 10 years.

Fuel cells are not new either, well over 100 years old

I'm well aware of the Toyota and Honda efforts, in fact I love the Toyota Mirai, I want to see a fool cell car fail in public and it looks to me that the Mirai will be that car

The range of the Model S/X would seem to be good enough for many people, in fact the range of the Leaf and the i3 would seem to be good enough for many people

BTW the range of the Marai is not as good as Toyota claim, most people can only get a 50% fill up at the Hydrogen station, so its little better than a 30Kwh Nissan Leaf

TheRealMadmix

electric cars were one of the first cars however OIL lobbyists realised how much money is in the oil and ICE cars so they destroyed EVs market... battery technology is so far behind because of OIL lobbyists and lack of money for research (it is changing now)...

currently biggest OIL lobbyists are running ICE CARS promo campaign, someone must be losing a lot of money. (Koch Brothers). Over next few years range of EVs will increase dramatically and then there is no single reason to invest into ice car.

I drove EV once and since then, every time I smell petrol and rev the engine, I feel sick.

Sh1tbag OToole

TheRealMadmix wrote: »

electric cars were one of the first cars however OIL lobbyists realised how much money is in the oil and ICE cars so they destroyed EVs market... battery technology is so far behind because of OIL lobbyists and lack of money for research (it is changing now)...

currently biggest OIL lobbyists are running ICE CARS promo campaign, someone must be losing a lot of money. (Koch Brothers). Over next few years range of EVs will increase dramatically and then there is no single reason to invest into ice car.

I drove EV once and since then, every time I smell petrol and rev the engine, I feel sick.

We never did see large-format NiMH batteries thanks to the f*ckers who bought Cobasys

nokia69

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

We never did see large-format NiMH batteries thanks to the f*ckers who bought Cobasys

Ded_Zebra

Love the Model S. Saw loads of them in Norway. I hope to own one one day.

The only think I'm not really wild on is the big touch screen. The problem I have with the touch screen is that it isn't tactile, you have to actually look at it to make sure you're pressing the right thing. In a car with buttons you learn where the buttons are by feel so you don't have to look away from the road if you don't want to.

rebel.ranter

Ded_Zebra wrote: »

Love the Model S. Saw loads of them in Norway. I hope to own one one day.

The only think I'm not really wild on is the big touch screen. The problem I have with the touch screen is that it isn't tactile, you have to actually look at it to make sure you're pressing the right thing. In a car with buttons you learn where the buttons are by feel so you don't have to look away from the road if you don't want to.

I have voice control for most of the controls (heating, radio, navigation, communication, etc.) in my 2007 car right now, the system is far from perfect but it does work and that is at least 10 year old technology. The technology in the Tela is bang up to date so I would expect that voice control is vastly superior meaning knowing where the buttons are will be less of a problem.

With the potential for daily software "over the air" updates improvements in all areas are infinitely easier to implement. To me the only downside is that the car will go the way of the iPhone. By that I mean the hardware will not be able to keep up with the software updates and eventually you'll have to swap out the car as will not function properly.

The way society interacts with cars is changing whether we like it or not. There is a move away from car ownership, people are entering usage contracts in various guises like PCP financing, GoCar, extended rentals, Uber and the like. The emotional connection with the car is starting to die out too, driverless cars are just the start of this, we are at one of those crossroads in time. The Tesla is bridging the two worlds, trying to blend the emotion with the technology, they must be commended for that.

The big screen is alien to us right now but the next generation of up and coming drivers all live their lives through social media and technology, that screen will be the most important part of the car to them. It's a strange world we are evolving to, but then again the guys with the horses and carts probably thought the world was going to end when the internal combustion engine arrived!

bear1

The driverless car in my opinion is downright stupid.
I just cannot see the reasoning behind it. I would not feel safe just sitting there and letting the car do the work.
I imagine people who will buy them are the people who couldn't care about driving but I cant see enthusiasts buying one.
I don't like screen in the tesla either, too gimmicky and I wonder how much the repair would be if it broke.

TheRealMadmix

bear1 wrote: »

The driverless car in my opinion is downright stupid.
I just cannot see the reasoning behind it. I would not feel safe just sitting there and letting the car do the work.
I imagine people who will buy them are the people who couldn't care about driving but I cant see enthusiasts buying one.
I don't like screen in the tesla either, too gimmicky and I wonder how much the repair would be if it broke.

I bet even hardest enthusiast will be more than happy to use self driving in the Dublin morning traffic

Third_Echelon

The Tesla HQ is around the corner from my office, so I get to see the engineers driving around the area testing the cars... I have to say, they look class.

They are the latest gadget to have in the Silicon Valley area. Every office car park has a line of them charging in the charge spots. There is a Tesla 'store' close-by where you can sit in the various models, play around with it. The interior is very impressive.

I got an uber back from my Christmas party a few months ago and to my delight, it turned out to be a Tesla S. The owner was good craic and I was asking him about the performance, bhp, torque etc... and he absolutely floored it. The instant hit of power was unbelievable! I've never felt anything as instantly powerful as that. Thankfully I had my seatbelt on! :-)

Average price is US$ 80 K, so a good bit out of my price range, but I would love to have one... Definitely the future!

nokia69

The future is electric

HandsomeDan

The lads claiming engine and battery technology hasn't progressed in terms last 100 years...

You could fill a library with advantancea in ice alone and still only be scratching the surface.

What's most remarkable about tesla is how new they are and the impact they've had. That's the US for you though, youre not penalised for thinking big. Over here we can't even ask people to pay for metered water...

RedorDead

bear1 wrote: »

The driverless car in my opinion is downright stupid.
I just cannot see the reasoning behind it. I would not feel safe just sitting there and letting the car do the work.
I imagine people who will buy them are the people who couldn't care about driving but I cant see enthusiasts buying one.
I don't like screen in the tesla either, too gimmicky and I wonder how much the repair would be if it broke.

What a silly statement. I'm no EV advocate but test drove the S in Clontarf this month for work research and the autopilot mode is simply amazing. I didnt touch the steering wheel or accelerator for 4-5km. And not on motorway either - through winding clontarf suburbia.

The S in general is so impressive. Nice interior, massive boot, unreal acceleration and all with 350km + range. 105k landed means it will remain rare here though.

nokia69

I understand people who don't want a driverless car, and 90%+ of the time I agree with them, it depends on the car but plenty of people like driving, in a great car on the right road its a pleasure

but on the other hand I can see an advantage to driverless cars, for example I like few pints in pubs that can only be reached by car, but its a hassle getting a taxi or a lift home, for things like this or a boring commute a driverless car is perfect

no more drink driving problems, its a while away but whats not to like

Water John

Herself could apply her make up in the morning while on the way to work.
But then, some do that already.
I'd better be careful that, I don't have a Raymond Moore moment.

Driverless is a brilliant idea. Could work or relax and really enjoy the trip and view.

ba_barabus

HandsomeDan wrote: »

The lads claiming engine and battery technology hasn't progressed in terms last 100 years...

I think it's pretty clear people were suggesting that a battery powered car was far from a new idea

I genuinely can't see the law in Ireland being changed to allow you to drink and "drive" in an autonomous vehicle.............it's already got that one covered from my reading of the law by saying you cannot drive

under the influence of an intoxicant to such a degree that you could not properly control the vehicle

. I'd imagine that especially applies to vehicles that have manual controls.