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Any Tesla owners?

Random8145

Registered User
Would only buy one personally if I had a secondary ICE vehicle to serve as a backup in the event of say having to get out of dodge, so-to-speak, due to a natural disaster or whatnot. Also I do not like the use of the touchscreen for everything, I like physical buttons and dials for the major functions. I also do not like the Formula One steering wheel certain of the Teslas have or the pop-up door handles which can freeze over. Otherwise though, from what I have read, they are huge fun to drive because of the quietness and instant torque and also great due to the lack of maintenance.

One thing you absolutely should do is research the hell out of the vehicle, like go onto some Tesla forums and ask if there are any specific problems you should be aware of, how they do in winter, etc...
 
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Random8145

Registered User
If the electricity goes out, so do the gas pumps.
That is true, but an ICE will usually have a longer range (usually 400 miles at least), and can have even more if say a pickup truck with an auxiliary fuel tank. And if you have an outside shed, you can store some additional fuel.
 

ea6bflyr

Working Class Bum
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Would only buy one personally if I had a secondary ICE vehicle to serve as a backup in the event of say having to get out of dodge, so-to-speak, due to a natural disaster or whatnot. Also I do not like the use of the touchscreen for everything, I like physical buttons and dials for the major functions. I also do not like the Formula One steering wheel certain of the Teslas have or the pop-up door handles which can freeze over. Otherwise though, from what I have read, they are huge fun to drive because of the quietness and instant torque and also great due to the lack of maintenance.

One thing you absolutely should do is research the hell out of the vehicle, like go onto some Tesla forums and ask if there are any specific problems you should be aware of, how they do in winter, etc...
There’s always this option. ??
1675024641688.jpeg
 

sevenhelmet

Low calorie attack from the Heartland
pilot
It is rather telling that a company called “Blink” makes a gasoline generator you carry in your EV trunk for an emergency power source!
Could you not just carry a standard 2000w inverter generator? It would take a while to charge, but it’s better than nothing.

The flying club here recently acquired a Pipstrel electric airplane. I’m looking forward to adding it to my logbook. Should be interesting and different. Not planning any long cross countries, however.
 

gparks1989

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Wife drives a Tesla Y. We decided to lease it to try out EVs and we’re hooked. She was hesitant to give up her ICE VW Beetle but is now all but demanding we do so.

I personally dislike driving and hate being reliant upon a car for commuting, but the Y is a genuine pleasure to drive. Super smooth and very quiet (I.e. almost no road noise). The layout feels very modern and the car is super spacious (the back floorboard is all flat which makes pax sitting area feel very big. It also works well as an SUV and handles all of my Home Depot/garden center errands well. Also buying and servicing the car is one of its greatest strong suits. Order online and/or test drive in person. Nobody works on commission so no pushy lot attendants. Everything for service is done through the phone. It’s fantastic.

EV infrastructure is growing rapidly, and even a medium size city like St. Louis has a ton of charging stations as well as super chargers. Most of our driving (and that of other Americans) is well within the range offerings of EVs. Installing a 220V charger at your home is easy and makes the logistics absolutely dummy proof.

On the cons, the car can be pretty buggy and there are a ton of frequent updates. We’ve had issues with cameras and cruise control (which is dependent on the cameras). Curb rash is also a problem, which is annoying because we have the black rims which tell on us frequently. I think the build quality is good, but I don’t have a sharp eye for cars so it probably doesn’t stack up against a Porsche. But it’s also the cheaper version of their car. Battery life takes a noticeable hit in the cold weather, so something to be aware of.

As we move to a second EV, I’m going to shop around. Tesla’s biggest accomplishment was getting other laggards to adopt EVs. Lots of cool offerings out there (I personally really like the Mach E, which surprised me because most modern muscle cars look tacky). But the purchase and service experience may be the thing that keeps us in a Tesla.
 

gparks1989

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
The flying club here recently acquired a Pipstrel electric airplane. I’m looking forward to adding it to my logbook. Should be interesting and different. Not planning any long cross countries, however.

Very cool. Do they have real world info on operating performance? I’ve only seen the glossy brochure.
 

MIDNJAC

is clara ship
pilot
Buy one and move to Seattle, but just know that you will also have to buy the wife a very specific set of cool shoes/boots (I think they might be Chelseas, but made by a very specific brand?) if you want to make friends. Don't be a plebe and buy Patagonias......thats not cool with the socal transplants anymore. With that Tesla, you just bought a ticket to their stupid "keeping up with the joneses" that they try to subtly conceal. God, Californians, especially fake Washingtonian Californians, are a cancer. Tell me you are a douchebag without telling me you are a douchebag in your uninventive Sprinter van/social media starter kit. The one reason we will never consider moving south. I don't even want to share air with them. They are a disgrace to the PNW; we knew this in my home state of OR, 30 years ago. Sorry WA
 
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sevenhelmet

Low calorie attack from the Heartland
pilot
Very cool. Do they have real world info on operating performance? I’ve only seen the glossy brochure.

I'm sure we do, but I haven't seen anything comprehensive yet. Average flight is ~30m in length, so its limitations as a trainer are self-evident. I have been told the cold weather limits are very restrictive; the battery cooling system works TOO well at cold temps, so the batteries can't warm up enough to provide full efficiency. Similar to the Teslas out there, power and range suffer in the cold. IIRC, the current cold operational limit is 32F, which is pretty limiting this time of year in the Midwest. Pipistrel is working to expand that limit, for obvious reasons.
 

wink

War Hoover NFO.
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
If the electricity goes out, so do the gas pumps.
You can fill the tank of a Ford F-150 with a mechanical pump a hell of a lot faster then you will charge a Tesla with any variety of mechanical electricity generator. I can imagine a time when that would be important, but can't say I can imagine it actually happening anytime soon.
h396156.jpg
Mechanical pumps were used into the 1940s at gas stations around the country. All of my uncle's farms had mechanical pumps for fueling tractors and other implements. Temporary portable mechanical pumps can be set up in minutes.
 
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