Tesla Model III

Did anyone plop down the $1k deposit for one? Yup, I did! In the roughly 3 days they've been available for preorder, there are over 260k deposits put down.

Electric cars, up to the point before Tesla, were essentially crap and looked like total crap! There was not single model among all the companies out there that even remotely grabbed my attention. The Model III is a HUGE game changer and all the other manufacturers have to be thinking real hard about the direction they're going with their models. It's like their engineers and designers went completely brain dead when it came to electric vehicles.

The Model III is stunning looking! 0-60 in under 6 seconds for the base $35k model and minimum 215 miles per charge. Options take those specs higher of course.

Tesla-Model-3-on-stage-in-red-1.jpg
No excuses!
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Comments

  • Conradicles
    Conradicles Posts: 6,010
    That car is a game changer!
  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,860
    edited April 2016
    That car is a game changer!

    I don't think we even know how true this statement is. We could see car giants fold under this type of pressure. They might have to actually engineer something different for a change. I think if it was a high performance hybrid, it would own the market.
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  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,860
    The missing engineering feat that stops the sweeping change is the lack of a 10 minute quick charge for the next 200 miles. I would pay $20 at a quick shop for a 10 minute charge. I currently do that for 12 gallons of fuel.
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  • MrBuhl
    MrBuhl Posts: 2,419
    Congrats - that is a sweet vehicle - certainly makes one think, it would be perfect for my DC commuting!
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  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,042
    I'm not an expert with batteries or anything but I always thought the faster you charge a battery the worse it is for it?
    afterburnt wrote: »
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  • maximillian
    maximillian Posts: 2,142
    There was the idea of robotic battery change stations that changed the entire battery system. That would be a 10 minute charge and there would be no concern over battery life. Wish that idea would become more popular.
  • Strong Bad
    Strong Bad Posts: 4,276
    Tesla has VERY aggressive plans for rolling out more Supercharge Stations around the world. By the time the first Model III is delivered, they will have doubled that number to about 10,000, with most of that in the US. Then you have the Destination Charge stations that will more than quadruple to around 15k. Eventually, most hotels will have these charge stations for guests to use for free.

    The Supercharge Stations will take a drained Model S battery to 80% in 40 minutes, then 100% in 75 minutes. The regular charge stations obviously are of lower power and take longer.

    The way they have it right now, I could drive from Maryland to California, along specific main routes, and not have to pay a penny for fuel. Charging at any station is FREE for the life of the car. The building I work in has two regular charge stations in the parking lot.

    The car itself comes with a lifetime data plan that provides GPS and other data stuff from Tesla. The car will monitor your battery life and let you know where the nearest charging station is and when you need to head there.

    In my opinion, it's quite awesome what they're doing! They're kicking the industry right where it needs it!

    Tesla Superchargers
    No excuses!
  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,722
    We ordered one in hopes that we'll have more stations here by the time it arrives
  • MrBuhl
    MrBuhl Posts: 2,419
    Our hotel company is installing Tesla charging stations at many of our hotels in the DC area. It's surprising how many chargers are already out there on the East Coast.

    https://www.teslamotors.com/findus#/bounds/38.8984469,-77.0198991,38.890467,-77.033649?search=supercharger,destination charger,&name=20004
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  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,124
    We have 2 Cracker Barrell diners in our area and both have EV stations
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    My wife & I live nowhere to a good approximation -- but there's a multibay Tesla charging station in a nearby shopping center not 10 min from here... and there are plenty of Teslas 'round here, too. Actually, more than a few Volts and Leafs (Leaves?) as well.

    As owners of a purpose-built fairly green home with photovoltaics and solar water preheat on the roof (and an aging Ford Escape 4WD hybrid with over 240,000 miles on it) we'd buy a Model 3 in a heartbeat -- but we, unfortunately, need something with more ground clearance about half of the year.

    16600422308_f341115e97_b.jpgDSC_0266 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,708
    At only 215 miles between sitting around twiddling your thumbs, it's no game changer.
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    She looks sharp on the outside, but word has it the fit and finish isn't any better than the model s, which didn't live up to the price point. Reliability issues that plagued the model s hopefully have been addressed in the model 3.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    I thought the current Teslas got pretty good marks for fit 'n' finish at least as delivered, brand-new fresh.

    That said, I am certainly leery of the reliability of an utterly new model of car from a largely untested automaker, though.

    Of course, one cannot beat the torque available from electric motors (which produce maximal torque at or near stall). Lots of low-end grunt, which I presume is the reason they use 'em for motive power in Diesel-electric locomotives.

    but...

    That "refueling" aspect of the electrics is definitely non-optimal, at least for the current crop of consumers. 200-mile range, I think, we could manage (given that we're retired and don't really commute per se any more), but I am sure it would be tedious for many drivers.

    The issue of energy density of a fuel or energy storage medium (kcal per kg of mass, so to speak) for even lithium ion batteries is the big challenge, IMO, for electric cars. The best fuel extant in that regard must (still) be kerosene/Diesel oil. Remember that the first stage F-1 rocket motors in the Saturn V that took "us" to the Moon ran on kerosene/LOx!

    I am perpetually amused by the development of "innovative, revolutionary" battery cell technology. As best I understand it, the thermodynamic constraints of electrochemistry are pretty much a brick wall in terms of how much potential energy one's ever gonna be able to pack into a kg of electrochemical cell(s) in a battery.

    Given the above, the Volt's hybrid platform (still) seems like the best-case way to implement electric power in an automobile to me. An electric car with a reasonable amount (both in terms of mass and energy storage capacity) of battery capacity on board, with a small, constant-speed, really efficient gas or Diesel motor on board to charge batteries en route, and the ability to do 'greener' but more leisurely charge-ups from the grid or from local photovoltaic (or wind generated, or whatever) electricity.

    Sorry for the monograph :-P
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    I dunno Mark, some have compared the fit and finish of the model S to a Ford escort. Consumer reports dropped the model s from it's recommendations over reliability issues. That's on a more expensive Tesla, a cheaper one I have to question their ability to have fixed those issues.

    Maybe they have too, I dunno, time will tell though.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    edited April 2016
    aww... I remember the ol' Escorts rather fondly ;- )

    EDIT: In seriousness, Tesla has (from my fairly uninformed perspective) does have one thing going in its favor: they do have an actual automotive manufacturing facility (the erstwhile NUMMI plant in Fremont, CA). That's pretty well unprecedented, I think, for upstart start-up auto manufacture wannabees.
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    To Tesla's credit, I think they have a nice design, something other than the boxy look of a Prius or Nissan. For that coinage though, they need interiors that rival Mercedes's, Audi, BMW''s.....imho. The inside has to coincide with the stellar outside look and keep the quality of fit and finish.

    I know 35k is an entry point, add a few options and your at 45k easily. Taxes and fee's push you over the 50k mark. At that level, you expect certain things, aside from a bit of luxury, reliability. They have yet to prove themselves in that regard.
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  • lightman1
    lightman1 Posts: 10,776
    From here on out, when someone goes into a diatribe about the mechanics of something. We will call Hardying up a thread. :D
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    lol, he already "Hardying up'ed " the lawnmower thread, radio thread. I'm waiting for the dash button thread to get equal treatment. :)
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  • motorhead43026
    motorhead43026 Posts: 3,892
    You will never convince the hydrocarbon sniffers that there is anything good about electric cars, period. If they were cavemen, they would think fire was a passing fad....lol.
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    You will never convince the hydrocarbon sniffers that there is anything good about electric cars, period. If they were cavemen, they would think fire was a passing fad....lol.

    Not true, they just don't fit every lifestyle. If it works for you, rock on. Nuthin' wrong with us carbon sniffers either. ;)
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,722
    Two things...

    First, when it's an active goal (and to be fair we don't know if it is with Tesla), reliability is generally going to be better on a mass produced vehicle like the 3 vs something like the s which probably never reached enough volume to hit critical mass for reliability. That's not always the case, but generally speaking most manufacturing guys would agree.

    Two, and I've said this before on other products, people need to buy this 'less than perfect' first version of the car for there to be a second version that is better. Keep in mind that the first cars to come out over 100 years ago were largely crap and actually less effective than the other modes of transportation at the time. But people bought them and continued buying them and writhin a few generations they were somet4hing loosely resembling what we have today.

    Is the model 3 as big a deal as the original car? It's not, but it's one of the most important things to happen in that industry since then. Even though this car isn't perfect and won't fit everyone's needs it IS a game changer in that it brings that kind of functionality at a reasonable price point. If successful, this car will do two things long term - it will generate enough volume that we get more stations out on the road AND it will eventually result in better technology which means cars that will be able to charge faster and go further on a charge that will eventually be down at the $20k price point.

    Elon Musk actually wrote something 10 years ago where he laid out the business plan for Tesla and it's neat how all that has come to fruition.
  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited April 2016
    lightman1 wrote: »
    From here on out, when someone goes into a diatribe about the mechanics of something. We will call Hardying up a thread. :D

    That's funny. But really, do we ever have enough technical discussion on this site? Probably not (I've been watching the Leonard Susskind lectures on String Theory and the Math still eludes me at points, no, actually at certain strings). And to add to the 215 mile limitation I give you the Tesla Tower-wireless charging! Who needs stinking charging stations! Is Mr. Musk listening? lol

    http://www.damninteresting.com/teslas-tower-of-power/

    and let's NOT forget about The Tesla Society (because I can google all day long!).

    http://www.teslasociety.com/tesla_tower.htm
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    The look of the car reminds me a bit of Porsche Boxter in the front and quite a bit of the new Jag XE that is about to be launched in the U.S... Needs supercharged v6 or turbo-intercooled i4 before it gets my attention though. These battery powered cars do more damage to the planet over their life cycle than a properly maintained gas powered car does.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    edited April 2016
    broadcast high-ish frequency power is such a bad idea on so many levels...

    Van-de-Graaff-generator.jpg

    Yeah, yeah, the Van de Graff generator produces static electricity (HV DC) -- but with a 'Tesla coil', you won't need to physically touch the generator; all of the world's hair'll be standin' on end!

    :- )

    TeslaLabLightening.jpg

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  • ZLTFUL
    ZLTFUL Posts: 5,640
    As soon as it can tow a 16ft enclosed trailer 500 miles on a charge at interstate speeds, I will get excited. Unfortunately, none of the EV companies are really targeting the largest fuel consumers.
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  • Moose68Bash
    Moose68Bash Posts: 3,842
    tonyb wrote: »
    You will never convince the hydrocarbon sniffers that there is anything good about electric cars, period. If they were cavemen, they would think fire was a passing fad....lol.

    Not true, they just don't fit every lifestyle. If it works for you, rock on. Nuthin' wrong with us carbon sniffers either. ;)

    I put most of the miles on our two vehicles in driving between our home in New Hampshire and the homes of my daughter and mother in law in New Jersey. The distance to my daughter's home is 270 miles, and the distance to my mother in law's is 310 miles.

    When I can make the 310-miles drive non-stop in a Tesla, I'm in.

    If as @mhardy6647 says, the physics of battery technology are limited to a capacity that yields approximately the present range for the Tesla, then the most likely solution to the range limitation is an on-board charging system. However, that adds weight, complexity and cost.

    With respect to fit and finish: I've purchased Lexus vehicles, and only Lexus vehicles for over 25 years. The reasons I'm willing to pay the premium prices for them are reliability, durability, fit-and-finish, and service.

    If Tesla can solve their range problem and achieve overall quality that is competitive with Lexus, they'll get my business -- not that they care. However, I bet there are a lot of consumer like me out there.

    I would live to get off 100% dependency on fossil fuels. Of course, that begs the question: How is the electricity generated that is used to charge the vehicles?

    And, I should add, while the electricity at the Tesla charging stations is billed as "free," nothing is free. Somebody somewhere is paying the bill. It may well be Tesla's 'loss-leader" for the present, but it can't go on forever. The more Teslas there are out there to take advantage of it, the more costly the program becomes. Sooner or later, users will have to pay the bill.
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited April 2016
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    broadcast high-ish frequency power is such a bad idea on so many levels...

    Van-de-Graaff-generator.jpg

    Yeah, yeah, the Van de Graff generator produces static electricity (HV DC) -- but with a 'Tesla coil', you won't need to physically touch the generator; all of the world's hair'll be standin' on end!

    :- )

    TeslaLabLightening.jpg

    Now that is certainly the last word. lol
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    edited April 2016
    Remember the Toyota PR campaign where they used a Tundra to pull a Space Shuttle?

    2012-toyota-tundra-towing-endeavour-left-side.jpg

    Nissan's golden opportunity -- maybe a Leaf pullin' a Boeing 787 Dreamliner (fire extinguishers close by, just in case one of them there lithium ion batteries decides to melt down)... or maybe a Leaf pullin' the Brits' pride and joy, Boaty McBoatface, when she launches.

    PS I have (als) tried urgin' Mrs H to consider a used Lexus hybrid SUV when her Escape gives up the (NiCd) ghost (or rusts away, whichever comes first, and it might be close!).

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