> > trying to be a fast car but only really good for 0-60 in a straight line
> LOL. I sense hurt feelings.
A Model S weighs something like 4700lbs, depending on battery? I suppose it depends on one's definition of "fast car", but I personally consider more than straight line performance, and lighter cars have a distinct advantage. I agree with Lotus's Colin Chapman: "performance through low weight".
Because OBD-2 is a standard with an entire ecosystem built around it.
> 2. Safety. It is the safest vehicle on the road. Period. Because there is no engine block slamming in your face during a front-end collision.
That is an advantage (also, it's on the heavy side and mass helps a lot) and it certainly tests well in crashes. IIHS statistics for injury and medical payments don't however support your statement that it is the "safest vehicle on the road". Porsche's 911 and Boxster have lower Personal Injury Claim frequencies (and the Boxster doesn't even have a roof!).
> 4. No oil changes. No transmission failures. Fewer moving parts = less maintenance needed.
There might be less maintenance needed on some of the drivetrain leading to a more convenient service interval, but there still is maintenance (tires, brakes, brake fluid, HVAC, battery, suspension, steering, etc.) to be done, and the longer service interval might make it more likely for problems to increase in severity before they're noticed. It's kind of a moot point, modern cars have overall excellent reliability on the drivetrain; luxury cars tend to have problems with the electrical system and associated accessories, especially after the lease period is up, and Tesla is no different.
> 5. American designed, American built, no $$$ going to questionable oil interests.
Overall design and final assembly, perhaps, but are you saying that the subsystem vendors are American too, to some degree larger than other manufacturers?
> 10. Supercharger network. Free juice all over the country and beyond. Fills up in 20-30 min.
It's not free, it's incorporated into the cost of the purchase.
Hah, yeah, it's hard to draw deep inferences from that data. They (IIHS) do have limited death statistics broken down by model, and Porsche is never near the upper end. The data is actually pretty interesting to pour over: you see some obvious trends (do not drive a small car) and some weird outliers (Nissan Titan has an usually high death rate for a pickup).
> A Model S weighs something like 4700lbs, depending on battery? I suppose it depends on one's definition of "fast car"
What? Fast means fast. The Model S goes fast. It has better performance than cars it competes with, like BMW 5/7 series, etc.
Is it the fastest car? No. And why would it need to be? It's a luxury sedan, not a race car.
> Because OBD-2 is a standard with an entire ecosystem built around it.
It's an absolutely horrible standard and that entire ecosystem should die. Every car should have an open API that is easily accessible using any computer, rather than specialized equipment.
> IIHS statistics for injury and medical payments don't however support your statement that it is the "safest vehicle on the road".
Has anyone actually ever died in a Tesla? I believe one person did.
That was a couple of months ago. He was hit by a dump truck.
> luxury cars tend to have problems with the electrical system and associated accessories, especially after the lease period is up, and Tesla is no different.
I'll give you that one.
> but are you saying that the subsystem vendors are American too, to some degree larger than other manufacturers?
Yes. Because Elon Musk is pulling a Henry Ford. They're more vertically integrated than any other car company. I'm not sure that's a good thing ... but it does support my point.
> It's not free, it's incorporated into the cost of the purchase.
Well, yeah. Someone has to pay for it to get built and to maintain it. It's free in the sense that I don't have to explicitly pay for it. It's just included and I can use it as much as I want.
The Model S and Model X are excellent cars. Not perfect, but excellent. There's a reason they're eating up the entire luxury market.
> Every car should have an open API that is easily accessible using any computer, rather than specialized equipment.
This is the excellent statement but coupled with the threat of being kicked off the warranty (which means no repairs whatsoever since no independent shops) and being assaulted by lawyers with charges of industrial espionage if you veer a little to the left or to the right does not exactly make it a model citizen. Hacking culture is all about doing things manufacturer did not think of. Yes, sometimes that can lead to screw-ups, including ones worthy of voiding the warranty, but so far it seems like Tesla is in full "besieged castle" mode, and even docs you mention are unofficial - which means a) they could change anytime and b) you could be charged with espionage for using it anyway.
There are a few guys hacking away at Tesla cars. I would definitely describe the relationship between them and Tesla as tense and there was even some drama recently over the weekend. It's definitely not where I would like things to be, but out of all the car companies, I think Tesla is the most open to this sort of thing.
> What? Fast means fast. The Model S goes fast. It has better performance than cars it competes with, like BMW 5/7 series, etc.
It goes fast in a straight line, perhaps better than it's competitors. It's also portly compared to some of it's competitors, and not as nimble. Fast in a straight line is boring.
> It's an absolutely horrible standard and that entire ecosystem should die. Every car should have an open API that is easily accessible using any computer, rather than specialized equipment.
OBD-2 certainly has its warts, but it's an interoperable industry standard. I have a hard time believing that an OBD-3 or a legacy-free de novo interoperable standard would be any less wart-free. Some warts come from interoperability compromises, some from the industrial constraints, some from the bureaucracy. I'll take an interoperable standard over any proprietary API, no matter how nice that API might be.
> Has anyone actually ever died in a Tesla? I believe one person did.
> Yes. Because Elon Musk is pulling a Henry Ford. They're more vertically integrated than any other car company. I'm not sure that's a good thing ... but it does support my point.
I don't see any basis for your claim that Tesla is more vertically integrated than any other car company, and I don't buy it. A DDG search pulled up this short list of Tesla subsystem vendors, and there are plenty that are obviously not 'Murican: http://moneymorning.com/2014/05/08/tesla-suppliers-list-thes...
> Well, yeah. Someone has to pay for it to get built and to maintain it. It's free in the sense that I don't have to explicitly pay for it. It's just included and I can use it as much as I want.
A DDG search showed that some earlier Model S had a $2000 option to gain access to the Supercharger network, so that would seem to be a good estimate for the cost. The Monroney above shows it as "included", which I would say counts as explicit even though the price isn't transparent.
> The Model S and Model X are excellent cars. Not perfect, but excellent. There's a reason they're eating up the entire luxury market.
They certainly have a dedicated fanbase that should be the envy of any car company, and I understand why they are popular as peppy urban people movers. I personally find them soulless, but Tesla drivers would probably find the cars I enjoy to be vulgar and uncomfortable :)
As to the "eating up the entire market" article, my criticism there is that the other luxury marques have a more diverse product line with considerable overlap. Saying that the Model S is the single best selling car model in that grouping isn't informative if the cohort who would consider a Model S are buying a mixture of BMW models.
> LOL. I sense hurt feelings.
A Model S weighs something like 4700lbs, depending on battery? I suppose it depends on one's definition of "fast car", but I personally consider more than straight line performance, and lighter cars have a distinct advantage. I agree with Lotus's Colin Chapman: "performance through low weight".
> > no OBD-2 port as another poster pointed out
> Why would it need an OBD-2 port when it has an API? http://docs.timdorr.apiary.io/#
Because OBD-2 is a standard with an entire ecosystem built around it.
> 2. Safety. It is the safest vehicle on the road. Period. Because there is no engine block slamming in your face during a front-end collision.
That is an advantage (also, it's on the heavy side and mass helps a lot) and it certainly tests well in crashes. IIHS statistics for injury and medical payments don't however support your statement that it is the "safest vehicle on the road". Porsche's 911 and Boxster have lower Personal Injury Claim frequencies (and the Boxster doesn't even have a roof!).
> 4. No oil changes. No transmission failures. Fewer moving parts = less maintenance needed.
There might be less maintenance needed on some of the drivetrain leading to a more convenient service interval, but there still is maintenance (tires, brakes, brake fluid, HVAC, battery, suspension, steering, etc.) to be done, and the longer service interval might make it more likely for problems to increase in severity before they're noticed. It's kind of a moot point, modern cars have overall excellent reliability on the drivetrain; luxury cars tend to have problems with the electrical system and associated accessories, especially after the lease period is up, and Tesla is no different.
> 5. American designed, American built, no $$$ going to questionable oil interests.
Overall design and final assembly, perhaps, but are you saying that the subsystem vendors are American too, to some degree larger than other manufacturers?
> 10. Supercharger network. Free juice all over the country and beyond. Fills up in 20-30 min.
It's not free, it's incorporated into the cost of the purchase.