Tesla Model S

Sitec · 11-03-2016 11:14pm

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 · 11-03-2016 11:15pm

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 · 11-03-2016 11:17pm

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 · 11-03-2016 11:19pm

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 · 11-03-2016 11:24pm

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 · 11-03-2016 11:32pm

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 · 11-03-2016 11:48pm

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 · 11-03-2016 11:55pm

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 · 12-03-2016 12:19am

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

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

Ded_Zebra · 12-03-2016 12:56am

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 · 12-03-2016 8:24am

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 · 12-03-2016 10:23am

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 · 12-03-2016 3:13pm

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 · 22-03-2016 1:16am

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 · 22-03-2016 8:55pm

The future is electric

HandsomeDan · 22-03-2016 10:02pm

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 · 22-03-2016 11:06pm

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 · 22-03-2016 11:47pm

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 · 23-03-2016 12:30pm

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 · 23-03-2016 1:08pm

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.

HandsomeDan · 23-03-2016 2:31pm

ba_barabus wrote: »

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

Whoever said it was? That its an old idea doesn't make its realisation any less significant. What exactly was the point being made? As someone else stated fuel cells are also a 100 year old idea. Does that make fc cars passe?

frozenfrozen · 23-03-2016 2:54pm

It's just batteries and electric motors, which are definitely old hat. 60k worth of batteries and a reasonably nice leather interior with a big laggy touch screen at the centrepiece. Hardly the pinnacle of car technology. that's the point which was being made

*pulled the 60k figure out of my hole

ba_barabus · 23-03-2016 3:22pm

HandsomeDan wrote: »

What exactly was the point being made

That the poster was saying this is cutting edge stuff. Whats your point in dragging up a 2 week old discussion that everybody else had moved on from?

ba_barabus · 23-03-2016 3:24pm

frozenfrozen wrote: »

It's just batteries and electric motors, which are definitely old hat. 60k worth of batteries and a reasonably nice leather interior with a big laggy touch screen at the centrepiece. Hardly the pinnacle of car technology. that's the point which was being made

Yep, pretty much.

HandsomeDan · 23-03-2016 3:46pm

ba_barabus wrote: »

That the poster was saying this is cutting edge stuff. Whats your point in dragging up a 2 week old discussion that everybody else had moved on from?

I was banned the last couple of weeks.

Point still remains electrics cars on our road as an every day thing is still new and we shouldn't be so quick to down play the decades of technological advances that made this possible.

ba_barabus · 23-03-2016 3:56pm

HandsomeDan wrote: »

I was banned the last couple of weeks.

Point still remains electrics cars on our road as an every day thing is still new and we shouldn't be so quick to down play the decades of technological advances that made this possible.

Time to move on then. No point resurrecting arguments that you missed out on.

If you took the 2 minutes it required to read the thread complete you'd see nobody was running down the tech. I for one fully approve, it's just not a new idea and the advances have realistically been slow.

HandsomeDan · 23-03-2016 4:05pm

ba_barabus wrote: »

Time to move on then. No point resurrecting arguments that you missed out on.

If you took the 2 minutes it required to read the thread complete you'd see nobody was running down the tech. I for one fully approve, it's just not a new idea and the advances realistically been slow.

Almost nothing is a new idea. rather novel uses or refinments of exiting ideas. And yes advances are slow. the tesla tech is hardly uniqye in that regard.

ba_barabus · 23-03-2016 4:19pm

HandsomeDan wrote: »

Almost nothing is a new idea. rather novel uses or refinments of exiting ideas. And yes advances are slow. the tesla tech is hardly uniqye in that regard.

Glad that you've come full circle and agreed with what posters had said earlier

And lovely to see the Mark Twain reference in your post, even if it was intentional

HandsomeDan · 23-03-2016 6:50pm

ba_barabus wrote: »

Glad that you've come full circle and agreed with what posters had said earlier

And lovely to see the Mark Twain reference in your post, even if it was intentional

I didn't, but by all means continue being a condescending prick.

Mod: Banned

ba_barabus · 23-03-2016 7:22pm

HandsomeDan wrote: »

I didn't, but by all means continue being a condescending prick.

I can see you taking another holiday.

I'm lost however as to what I've done to upset you so much however that you'd resort to name calling.

Tesla Model S

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