In Cyberpunk 2077 there was one that was almost the same!
Moving the conversation over here.
The way I think about this sort of thing is in terms of recharge minimization.
My use case is overwhelmingly in-town driving, so range simply isn’t a meaningful factor. I take a trip that requires a recharge maybe four times per year.
So the question then becomes: how long is the trip, and how many recharges will different EVs require? The answers to those questions are 300 miles (500km) and once. I have to charge my Tesla once at about the 2/3 marker (because the EPA estimated range is nonsense; in the real world it seems my MYP gets about 2/3 of its estimated range), I’ll have to charge another EV probably at about the same spot, maybe a bit sooner. And then I’ll be at my destination. An added 20 or 30 or even 50km of range simply isn’t meaningful for this use case.
So while it’s true that in terms of estimates the Tesla has higher range than other EVs at its price point, I just don’t think that the extra range is particularly relevant. At most the impact on my life is perhaps an extra stop to charge a few times per year.
Anyway, I sparked this conversation by disputing the following:
And I stand by that. If you’re looking for a functional EV with good range and you want to minimize the money you spend, Teslas is a good choice, assuming you qualify for the $7,500 rebate. Otherwise? They’re pretty much outclassed by their competitors on almost every other dimension (comfort, quality, handling, luxury features / gizmos, service).
To take it back to the question of Elon Musk: Tesla’s strategy didn’t seem to anticipate the rise of competing EVs and they seem to be completely floundering. They’ve supposedly shelved the Model 2 so they’re not playing in the sub-40k MSRP space, and from a feature POV pretty much every manufacturer is putting out a more compelling product. The Models 3 and Y feel increasingly dated, and that’s even before you get to the degree that Tesla is has removed tech that’s standard on other vehicles in favor of relying on its janky computer vision solutions. Pretty much every Tesla owner will laugh at how the automatic wipers will activate during completely clear weather, or fail to activate in heavy rain (Teslas are not equipped with moisture sensors; they rely on the dash cam to determine if it’s raining).
Less amusing and more serious is the lack of ultrasonic parking sensors. Telsa replaced these with computer vision in 2022, and subsequently you can find accounts of Tesla owners damaging their vehicle by backing their vehicles into things that the parking system insisted were 20+ inches away. I don’t pay for the advanced “autopilot” features, but I believe the automatic parking and summoning features has been more or less permanently disabled because of the insufficiency of the CV solution. And of course the first time you run into phantom breaking? It will definitely send your heart rate up (while of course putting you at risk of being rear ended).
The Model 3 (and one assumes the forthcoming Model 3) refresh added a few nice features (cooled seats being the biggest), but they’re still well behind comparable EVs in terms of features.
Removal of the radar is more frustrating to me as it better distinguishes cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians.
Incidentally, radar tech is low enough cost that I have one on my bicycle.
I don’t think it’s that they didn’t anticipate it so much as they (or rather Elon) gambled entirely on two things which haven’t panned out: the sufficiency of vision alone (to be fair this has got them surprisingly far) for autonomy; and as a result being able to convert into a robotaxi fleet. Who cares if VW is making cheaper EVs if you have Level 5 autonomy for say 20% more?
… that’s interesting, buy why do you have one on your bicycle?
I’m ready to dump our Model Y for pretty much anything else but my wife likes it a lot. I guess she just needs to try some other cars. I’m super duper not into the dealership negotiation thing, though.
Anyhow, these days I’m pining for a Rivian R3X but I guess I’ll have to wait a bit.
Which leaves aside the question of why on Earth someone would think full autonomy was a goal that could be reached in anything like a reasonable time frame.
Really enjoyed getting to see this a while back. Right in my wheelhouse size wise.
There are more and more Rivians in Austin, I see them regularly now.
Why does Wall Street hate them so much?
Shares are down -33% so far in 2024, but beyond the medium term, it gets even uglier. The stock has fallen by -89.13% since going public on Nov. 9, 2021.
Their long-term existence is anything but assured. They’re a new EV startup and that is fraught with risk. Remember, Tesla almost went bankrupt several times.
But Rivian is getts a lot of attention and some major investments. Hopefully they last long enough to make the R2!
It’s a critical safety device, more important I believe than helmets. It’s called Varia radar by Garmin, have a look.
Well, unless you’re in a city, in which case “There’s a car behind you!” is less useful and more “No shit”.
The picture at the top of that link looks like my old VW Golf! Loved that car, so analogue. Cassette player still.
I keep forgetting to follow up on this but: how does the lease broker stuff work? Just perusing leasehackr and there are what seem like some pretty crazy deals! Like $200 less than I’d expect to pay for things like a BMW i4 or an Audi Q8. What’s the catch? Do I owe the broker a few thousand bucks on top of the lease?
I paid a fee of $260. The broker partnered with the fleet sales manager. I assume they paid him too.
Just ask about whatever deals you’re interested in and get the details for each :-)
To what degree do you think I can take these deals as representative of what I should shoot for locally? I’m in the pacific northwest, and while obviously I could get a car in California and drive it up here, ideally I’d just get one locally if possible.
Copy the details, email every dealer in your state, and see who can match it (or come closest). Make it crystal clear you are never going to appear in their dealership unless they talk pricing over email, and if they won’t do that don’t waste your time – because “come on in and we can talk” is always a bullshit request from someone trying to gain power over the discussion.
No, I think it’s still critical. There is after all a giant asteroid on a collision course with earth, right now.
Radar tech is important, base model Kia Forte has it, Tesla doesn’t.