Tesla Model S Police Car's Battery Ran Dry During High Speed Chase

cmy330go

F1nut wrote: »

Stopping for 30 minutes to charge would be a major issue for me. I can be in and out of a gas station in about 5 minutes.

Unless you're taking road-trips on a very regular basis, you're likely to more than make up for the time difference in the fact that you're never going to gas stations, and you're topping off every night at home. Also you're never dealing with oil changes, and other maintenance appointments.

F1nut

I don't drive back and forth to the same location every day like a lot of people and with the traffic issues around here a gas vehicle is the best choice.

tonyb

F1nut wrote: »

Stopping for 30 minutes to charge would be a major issue for me. I can be in and out of a gas station in about 5 minutes.

F1nut wrote: »

Stopping for 30 minutes to charge would be a major issue for me. I can be in and out of a gas station in about 5 minutes.

Only if you don't have to go inside for anything. Everytime I go inside, seems I get behind big Bertha....with a 2 litre of pop in one hand, arms full of chips and candy bars....and of course, a wick card. Then wants to argue the chips were on sale for 79 cents instead of 99 cents.

tonyb

cmy330go wrote: »

F1nut wrote: »

Stopping for 30 minutes to charge would be a major issue for me. I can be in and out of a gas station in about 5 minutes.

Unless you're taking road-trips on a very regular basis, you're likely to more than make up for the time difference in the fact that you're never going to gas stations, and you're topping off every night at home. Also you're never dealing with oil changes, and other maintenance appointments.

That's assuming ones destination is always home. For many it isn't. A road trip can be to a friends house, a hotel, vacation rental, a fairground or festival, concert, college, etc. Chargers may or may not be at any of those locations, then what ?

I know....there's an app to tell you the nearest one. What if that app says the nearest one is 20 miles in the opposite direction you want to go. Now you've wasted even more time. What if you drive that 20 miles out of your way, get to the charger at xyz station, and it's out of order ? Then you have to chase down another ?

Uhh...no thanks. If it floats your boat and needs though, rock it.

verb

IMO, electric vehicles are good for regular commuters. Same path, every day, day in and day out. They almost require it. I know a lot of drivers that prescribe their travels outside of the daily commute. They calculate the distance, weather (AC or Heat required), traffic conditions, etc.

What fun is that? Nothing like the freedom of spontaneity! Let's go Honey! Where? Ok! Ugh the place is closed. Ok let's do this! And so on!

They do get the best parking spots though. Another reason for my disdain! Oh no, calm down Verb, as I have many parking lot stories about those "entitled" electric vehicle drivers!

Sure the technology is improving. Will it get there eventually? Time will tell for sure, as many companies, including my own, are frantically developing electric vehicles.

But, what is interesting to me, and part of why I'm not an adopter, is that it forces lifestyle changes. I am the only one (except of course the Mrs has heavy influence) that will determine how my lifestyle changes. I do not want any technology, or any infrastructure, et. al., to hinder my freedom.

I want to have the ability to go anywhere, anytime. Electric vehicles today, do not enable that.

cmy330go

I guess it's human nature, but many have this amazing ability to concoct a million hypothetical situations in which an EV is not the ideal choice, and therefore conclude that EVs are stupid. Yet the few that stop to think about what the majority of their driving really is, and look at it with a less prejudice, and open mind, often come to find out that they would be happier with it.

Now I'll openly admit that my situation was totally different. Over 4 years ago I bought a Model S basically because it's silly quick, and I thought it would be interesting to own. I also at any given time have more cars than I need (it's an addiction) so I had the luxury of not caring if it wasn't that useful. I had no idea it would end up being my goto car 95% of the time. Hence the reason we just added a second one to the garage.

I now clearly see that for the vast majority of 1st world dwellers, EVs will become the preferred mode of transportation.

Sure, there are those where it doesn't fit. But the number of people going off half-cocked about how EVs are a joke, are just making fools of themselves.

charley95

Gotta admit, they are stupid fast and a blast to drive. How does service work when you live miles from a service center? Living in the middle of Illinois I've wondered what people do if the car craps out and needs service. Closest service from me is Chicago or St Louis. Is it true the consumer cannot buy parts from Tesla? Overall what's your opinion of the quality and service since you own them?

Kex

Our current vehicles are:

• 25 years, 225K miles
• 13 years, 135K miles
• 12 years, 85K miles

We have no plans to change any of them at the moment, but when we do, it will almost certainly be electric.

1. Cannot wait to never have to frequent a gas station again.
2. Can charge at home or at a hotel over 90% of the time.
3. Can charge during a 30 minute coffee break the rest of the time.

It might take some planning for the dozen or fewer days where we drive up to 800 miles in a day, but as was pointed out: charging up to 100% is not necessary, and for those trips, we prefer to fly and hire instead anyway.

It will be interesting to see how the capacity at charging stations gets managed as the technology becomes more popular, including for non-Tesla vehicles.

motorhead43026

See many Tesla model 3s here on the west side of Columbus OH the last couple years. There is a Walmart about 4 miles up the road where one corner of the parking lot, 9 new charging stations were just installed.

I guess it's safe to say Tesla has gone mainstream.

mhardy6647

There're more than a couple Tesla X kickin' around here... I do like watchin' the rear doors open & close.

F1nut

If anything I'd say diesel power rules around here.

mhardy6647

Only one Diesel in our (extended) family -- it's very capable and tons (literally) of fun to drive.

tractorin by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

charley95

We had a green protest here a few days ago. Some local guys with their jacked up diesel pick ups paid the protesters a visit.

Kex

Buying an electric vehicle is not just about being green. Because of the huge torque, different driving style, and lower maintenance requirements, they're just a smart choice for many.

charley95

Not knocking them here but, I wonder about long term reliability. Guess they haven't been around long enough to prove so. Neighbor has an 01 Camry pushing 280k and still driving daily.

Viking64

mhardy6647 wrote: »

Only one Diesel in our (extended) family -- it's very capable and tons (literally) of fun to drive.

There's only one diesel in our extended family: My cousin Louise.

As far as "tons"? Well....yes. As far as that last part? I'll never know.

cmy330go

charley95 wrote: »

Gotta admit, they are stupid fast and a blast to drive. How does service work when you live miles from a service center? Living in the middle of Illinois I've wondered what people do if the car craps out and needs service. Closest service from me is Chicago or St Louis. Is it true the consumer cannot buy parts from Tesla? Overall what's your opinion of the quality and service since you own them?

In the case of Tesla ownership, it may actually be better to not be close to a service center. In my case all but one repair has been done at my house. In areas away from large cities they have "ranger techs" that will fix your car when & where is convenient with you. I've owned numerous brands of cars, and for the last 15 years it's been mostly high-end brands, and I can honestly say that Tesla has by far provided the best service experience. Perfect? Of course not. But without a doubt the best.

tonyb

cmy330go wrote: »

charley95 wrote: »

Gotta admit, they are stupid fast and a blast to drive. How does service work when you live miles from a service center? Living in the middle of Illinois I've wondered what people do if the car craps out and needs service. Closest service from me is Chicago or St Louis. Is it true the consumer cannot buy parts from Tesla? Overall what's your opinion of the quality and service since you own them?

In the case of Tesla ownership, it may actually be better to not be close to a service center. In my case all but one repair has been done at my house. In areas away from large cities they have "ranger techs" that will fix your car when & where is convenient with you. I've owned numerous brands of cars, and for the last 15 years it's been mostly high-end brands, and I can honestly say that Tesla has by far provided the best service experience. Perfect? Of course not. But without a doubt the best.

That's providing one is even available. You have to set up an appointment. Again, time is the value here. Driveway mechanics need not apply.

Tesla's still have to have maintenance, tires, front end, axles, suspension, engines alone are not the only things on a car that need maintenance.

How about you get in an accident ? Shop has to be Tesla approved and parts may not be so quick to come. Then there's insurance, which is going to be a tad more than a regular car.

Pluses and minuses to everything, but just like SACD, it's a niche market. If it works for you, roll with it, but as something that can be applied to the masses, still not the answer.

Kex

charley95 wrote: »

Not knocking them here but, I wonder about long term reliability. Guess they haven't been around long enough to prove so. Neighbor has an 01 Camry pushing 280k and still driving daily.

The Model S has been around since 2012, so if reliability issues were prevalent, we’d probably know by now. That’s still only nine years, but...

IIRC, the powertrain and battery warranty is eight years with unlimited mileage.

kevhed72

Weird....I just a guy stranded on the side if the road walking with a gas tank. I wonder if certain areas actually have mobile EV charging services...because, what do people do when this happens?

tonyb

Be interesting to see what these repairs would cost out of warranty to the powertrain. Tesla does have good battery life, well beyond what most keep their cars for. Depending on the model, it can be 200k-500k miles before a battery actually has to be replaced. If they do, your looking at 5-7k roughly.

Lets say your Tesla is out of warranty, you get in an accident and the batteries are toast. Would insurance cover that ? Or simply write it off as totaled ? I don't know, just asking.

cmy330go

tonyb wrote: »

That's providing one is even available. You have to set up an appointment. Again, time is the value here. Driveway mechanics need not apply.

Tesla's still have to have maintenance, tires, front end, axles, suspension, engines alone are not the only things on a car that need maintenance.

How about you get in an accident ? Shop has to be Tesla approved and parts may not be so quick to come. Then there's insurance, which is going to be a tad more than a regular car.

Pluses and minuses to everything, but just like SACD, it's a niche market. If it works for you, roll with it, but as something that can be applied to the masses, still not the answer.

cmy330go wrote: »

I guess it's human nature, but many have this amazing ability to concoct a million hypothetical situations in which an EV is not the ideal choice, and therefore conclude that EVs are stupid. Yet the few that stop to think about what the majority of their driving really is, and look at it with a less prejudice, and open mind, often come to find out that they would be happier with it.

Now I'll openly admit that my situation was totally different. Over 4 years ago I bought a Model S basically because it's silly quick, and I thought it would be interesting to own. I also at any given time have more cars than I need (it's an addiction) so I had the luxury of not caring if it wasn't that useful. I had no idea it would end up being my goto car 95% of the time. Hence the reason we just added a second one to the garage.

I now clearly see that for the vast majority of 1st world dwellers, EVs will become the preferred mode of transportation.

Sure, there are those where it doesn't fit. But the number of people going off half-cocked about how EVs are a joke, are just making fools of themselves.

Since I was apparently too subtle yesterday.

WLDock

The game has changed with many EV's having a 220-370 mile range on a charge. There are some luxury SUV's and Sports cars with 11-17 mpg that only get about 270-300 miles on a tank of gar. Think Lambo Urus 12-17 mpg, MB G65 11-13 mpg. Heck some like to stop every 2-3 Hrs anyway just to get out and stretch when talking long trips.

Years ago, I remember talking to a guy that traveled from MI to FL no problem in his Tesla. So, I'm sure the charge station network is much more dense these days. Plus there are many out there with good range that are much much cheaper than the top dog long range big battery Tesla Model S.

Tesla Model 3 Long Range- 310 mile /charge - $47,900
Hyundai Kona Electric - 258 miles / charge - $36,450
Kia Niro Electric - 239 mile / charge - $36,600
Chevy Bolt EV - 238 miles / chrarge - $ 36,620
Nissan Leaf Plus - 226 miles / charge - $37,000
Tesla Model 3 Base - 220 mile/ charge - $35,000

Still, EV's are not for everyone.

lightman1

I bought a Prius....
Still can't find my nards....

Bunnies!

pitdogg2

kevhed72 wrote: »

Weird....I just a guy stranded on the side if the road walking with a gas tank. I wonder if certain areas actually have mobile EV charging services...because, what do people do when this happens?

Well from what I seen on a TV show if you run them dead or allow them to sit and completely discharge that can "brick" the battery. The guy on TV was buying bricked Tesla's and taking the battery and breaking it down to the cells to get them to take a charge. They must of had 100 donor carcasses to get parts from. One guy had not used his Tesla for some reason or another in a few years in his neglect the battery had dropped below 2% or something along those lines and it refused to take a charge
and at that point was considered scrap. According to the program Tesla will only replace whole battery packs at a substantial sum of money. It is really a huge undertaking to take the whole battery pack out but this guy does it and then tickles the part of the battery that needs it to allow the battery to then take a charge. None of this is cheap by any means but I guess it is much cheaper than a whole new battery.

Willow

I think we'd get one eventually. But I'll wait for the prices to come down a bit. Just don't want to spend the cash on a tesla x. 99% of the time we go the same way to the same places.

mhardy6647

tonyb wrote: »

cmy330go wrote: »

charley95 wrote: »

Gotta admit, they are stupid fast and a blast to drive. How does service work when you live miles from a service center? Living in the middle of Illinois I've wondered what people do if the car craps out and needs service. Closest service from me is Chicago or St Louis. Is it true the consumer cannot buy parts from Tesla? Overall what's your opinion of the quality and service since you own them?

In the case of Tesla ownership, it may actually be better to not be close to a service center. In my case all but one repair has been done at my house. In areas away from large cities they have "ranger techs" that will fix your car when & where is convenient with you. I've owned numerous brands of cars, and for the last 15 years it's been mostly high-end brands, and I can honestly say that Tesla has by far provided the best service experience. Perfect? Of course not. But without a doubt the best.

That's providing one is even available. You have to set up an appointment. Again, time is the value here. Driveway mechanics need not apply.

Tesla's still have to have maintenance, tires, front end, axles, suspension, engines alone are not the only things on a car that need maintenance.

How about you get in an accident ? Shop has to be Tesla approved and parts may not be so quick to come. Then there's insurance, which is going to be a tad more than a regular car.

Pluses and minuses to everything, but just like SACD, it's a niche market. If it works for you, roll with it, but as something that can be applied to the masses, still not the answer.

Automobiles were a niche market just a bit over a century ago.
Just sayin'.

mhardy6647

FWIW, even the profoundly low-tech NiMH battery pack in Mrs. H's 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid lasted 11 years and 246,000 miles without a whimper.

That vehicle's downfall was electrochemical, but it wasn't the battery -- it was rust.

Dang redox reactions.

025a by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

The little bit of rust visible just in front of and above the rear wheel was the tip of the iceberg.

tonyb

cmy330go wrote: »

tonyb wrote: »

That's providing one is even available. You have to set up an appointment. Again, time is the value here. Driveway mechanics need not apply.

Tesla's still have to have maintenance, tires, front end, axles, suspension, engines alone are not the only things on a car that need maintenance.

How about you get in an accident ? Shop has to be Tesla approved and parts may not be so quick to come. Then there's insurance, which is going to be a tad more than a regular car.

Pluses and minuses to everything, but just like SACD, it's a niche market. If it works for you, roll with it, but as something that can be applied to the masses, still not the answer.

cmy330go wrote: »

I guess it's human nature, but many have this amazing ability to concoct a million hypothetical situations in which an EV is not the ideal choice, and therefore conclude that EVs are stupid. Yet the few that stop to think about what the majority of their driving really is, and look at it with a less prejudice, and open mind, often come to find out that they would be happier with it.

Now I'll openly admit that my situation was totally different. Over 4 years ago I bought a Model S basically because it's silly quick, and I thought it would be interesting to own. I also at any given time have more cars than I need (it's an addiction) so I had the luxury of not caring if it wasn't that useful. I had no idea it would end up being my goto car 95% of the time. Hence the reason we just added a second one to the garage.

I now clearly see that for the vast majority of 1st world dwellers, EVs will become the preferred mode of transportation.

Sure, there are those where it doesn't fit. But the number of people going off half-cocked about how EVs are a joke, are just making fools of themselves.

Since I was apparently too subtle yesterday.

Which I chose to ignore, because you obviously missed the part where I said if it works for you, roll with it. Your veiled insults hide your ability to have a civil conversation.

Things I brought up are not hypothetical, it's reality. Most take for granted the things a gas car offers, until it's not there anymore. The questions I asked, still not answered, nor things addressed I brought up like accidents, insurance, parts, time. I don't consider accidents a "hypothetical situation". I don't consider power outages hypothetical either. Ask anyone who lives along a coast how long their power can be out after a hefty storm.

I get you like your Tesla, cool...like I said if it works for you, roll with it, but it isn't the answer for everyone.

...and btw, I never said they where a joke or stupid. Because I questioned certain things you assumed that. Sorry you got bu-tt hurt by me asking questions or pointing out areas where it may not work for others. They where never pointed at you directly, more so the industry as a whole.

tonyb

mhardy6647 wrote: »

tonyb wrote: »

cmy330go wrote: »

charley95 wrote: »

Gotta admit, they are stupid fast and a blast to drive. How does service work when you live miles from a service center? Living in the middle of Illinois I've wondered what people do if the car craps out and needs service. Closest service from me is Chicago or St Louis. Is it true the consumer cannot buy parts from Tesla? Overall what's your opinion of the quality and service since you own them?

In the case of Tesla ownership, it may actually be better to not be close to a service center. In my case all but one repair has been done at my house. In areas away from large cities they have "ranger techs" that will fix your car when & where is convenient with you. I've owned numerous brands of cars, and for the last 15 years it's been mostly high-end brands, and I can honestly say that Tesla has by far provided the best service experience. Perfect? Of course not. But without a doubt the best.

That's providing one is even available. You have to set up an appointment. Again, time is the value here. Driveway mechanics need not apply.

Tesla's still have to have maintenance, tires, front end, axles, suspension, engines alone are not the only things on a car that need maintenance.

How about you get in an accident ? Shop has to be Tesla approved and parts may not be so quick to come. Then there's insurance, which is going to be a tad more than a regular car.

Pluses and minuses to everything, but just like SACD, it's a niche market. If it works for you, roll with it, but as something that can be applied to the masses, still not the answer.

Automobiles were a niche market just a bit over a century ago.
Just sayin'.

If you go back further, so were people. Everything that's new is a niche market. Products need staying power, need to be applicable to mass amounts of people. That's why SACD failed, it wasn't applicable to mass amounts of people. Streaming audio is, which is why it's seeing such success.

The demand has to be there as well, I don't see electric cars as being in demand, or applicable to mass amounts of people.....so it remains in the niche market, in my view anyway. Doesn't mean it isn't applicable to some, or in demand in certain parts of the country. That's the great thing about our country, we can have variety, and all technologies can co-exist.