So, a good time to revisit this thread I think, we've had Teslas on the road for a little while now and can maek some resonaed judgements.
First of all, does anyone on here own one? Your experiences would be great.
Secondly, range was always the sticking point, but there seem to be a decent amount of superchargers knocking about now, so longer trips look feasible, as well as trips within Switzerland to anywhere I would want to go I think.
We'll be getting a new car soon and Tesla is seriously coming into the equation - some obvious benefits are the low running cost, relatively low insurance for a car of its ilk, no road tax (Kt ZH) and the prices seem to have dropped sharply after the EUR/CHF realignment (80-90k for a 6-18 month old model on Autoscout24.ch as opposed to 95-105 a while back) - although I guess many cars have dropped in value since then too, so this isn't necessarily a Tesla only benefit.
What are people's current thoughts, any opinions changed, or reinforced?
If you primarily do short journeys and on the regular long journeys you take the supercharging points are accessible - and you can allow the charging time - then YES they seem like a good idea.
My personal preference is a range extender type vehicle - I particularly like the Volvo-esque GEOFF - but realistically the likes of the Fisker (company defunct but "new" ones now 1/2 price) and Cadillac ELR (due here in 2016 sometime) are "better" options at the moment.
In theory - I'd want a car that can do around 80km on fully electric mode (IE work and back - 50km - but range is always a little questionable); and then 40l for fuel for power generation.
Consider a range extender as the nicotine patch to the automobile!
in real world tests they all still fail on there claimed range, and battery life, how many charge cycles can they take before you have to replace them??
The only thing I really dislike about these kind of cars is the people who buy them, if you think you're saving the planet by buying one then you're an idiot and need a slap, if you're going into it eyes wide open then fair enough
Jeez I remember saying it's rubbish, but I would have to take this back.
Having driven my neighbours' model S about a month ago, it's actually quite a nice car. Still somewhat lacks that wow factor for me even though it's pretty darn fast! But they are certainly not as bad as I once thought they were.
I particularly like the computer system inside and all the potential it offers, I also like the auto pilot system and the fact that one day this car will be one of the first to be driving around by itself.
I love the technology aspect and all the rest of it, but as a car it still doesn't appeal to me. Maybe they can design one that's a little bit more exciting, it's just bit boring for a 100k car.
And "range extenders" are even worse. There's absolutely zero environmental point in a hybrid (it's actually negative), beyond inflating your own ego.
But, I do like the model S, and more so the D, even though they do have a feel of having been a bit rushed through the details. Not sure I would buy one yet, especially a used one - battery cycles is a major concern, in spite of Tesla's 8 year/200k km battery warranty
Nice car, quick, very spacious, good design (it's more European than American)
Range of 400km is good, but if you're hot and turn on aircon, it's down to 300km and if your cold and turn the heating on, down to 300km also.
Not possible to do a Zrh-Gva-Zrh without re-charging and do i want to hang around some highway service station for 30 mins re charging on what is effectively a short journey. Sure i could have a coffee, but i've already done that in my meeting in Geneva, where it may or may not be possible to recharge depending on where i can park......
As the guru said, good for short journeys only, and at this price i would want something with a bit more range/flexibility
Good points one and all, thank you, addressing the most significant ones...
I guess if I have no need to drive to Geneva (you have my sympathies if you do) or similar ranges on any kind of regular basis, this isn't too much of an issue. Most places I would want to go, Flims/Laax/Obersaxen, Berner Oberland, Metzingen are either doable in one charge and/or have a charger on the way, so no extra hassle to top up when needed I guess. Also, there wouldn't be any time pressure for meetings etc etc, so 20mins spent having a coffee wouldn't be a problem.
Environmentally, I suppose if the electric you charge it up with is renewable, you might have some claim to eco benefits, likewise the zero emissions, but of course the process of making the car and shipping it hither and thither isn't massively eco friendly overall.
In the event we are able to switch to cleanly generated electricity and the takeup of electric cars extends to beyond enthusiasts, that will of course make a decent difference, still a ways off however.
Hybrid/electric cars leave me cold. They cost more, depreciate faster, don't save the planet and limit you journeys to 300miles - and I bet the last few miles are anxious ones.
One day all vehicles will be electric, but not until battery/fuel cell technology makes a quantum leap...
A colleague of mine was seriously looking at getting a Tesla S. He was put off by comments about the range from a friend who has one.
One thing is that the charging rate drops off exponentially, so the first 50 or 100 miles worth of charge is quite quick, but the last 50 or 100 is much slower. You basically can't hope to get more than about a three-quarters charge at a charging station. Cold weather also reduces the capacity significantly, apparently.
That is true Jern, the thing that kills regular batteries (i.e. laptop) is the final 10% charge, if forced in at the normal rate, it damages the battery over time. Tesla prevents this from happening by slowly charging the last ~10% of the battery (i think nearer 20% actually), so a supercharger doesn't help much there, but if left plugged in overnight will safely top up back to 100%.
I would assume that steep terrain also reduces the range.
Probably cheaper and faster in the end to buy a GA+bike GA and use those as a means of transport. Any time-savings of the car vs. the train-schedule will be off-set by charging-breaks ;-)
It's a nice car and I envy everybody who can afford one - but it lacks a certain flexibility (and the range) that one commonly associates with a car.
So, maybe it's not a car in the traditional sense.
More of a personal transportation vehicle like the Segway ;-)
I guess we might have to wait for Apple to solve this problem.
Yes and No. An acquaintance of mine has one, and his stipulation was he needed to be able to get to his apartment in Davos (from S. Zurich) and back on one charge - Tesla were confident that was fine and lent him one for the weekend so he could test it.
I think by the time he got to the car park at the top (or however high up into Davos you can go with a car) he was a bit worried as he was down at 50%, but after he'd driven back downhill, the car's regenerative braking had him back up at 60% by the time he got to the bottom of the mountain (Sargans I think he said).!
quite a few devices now charge to only 80% to protect the battery. on some you can override, but if you do this the maximum capacity would be reduced to 80% quite quickly anyway.
Persistent rumour has it that Apple is waiting for Tesla to solve this problem, before buying them out -- supposedly for $60-70 billion (or "pocket change", as Apple calls it).