Car and Driver-2015 Tesla Model S 70D is The car of the century

[paulkva]

I don't know about irrefutable (that's pretty definitive...), but there's no question that charge time is one of the two major concerns of prospective EV buyers. I believe that when it comes to mass adoption of EVs, charge time (and range) must be addressed...and not just with trade studies and math but at some more rudimentary level that appeals to the not-completely-logical mass market.

I simply tell people who ask about charge time that I never have to wait for my car when charging. Always true for me at home (overnight charging), and nearly always true on my trips (car is typically ready to keep going before the passengers are). Once I tell them where I've driven it, and add a little bit more detail, their eyes typically go wide.

At that point the only charge time argument I can't refute is for those who can't charge at home. Even if they live near a supercharger, it's generally less convenient than gas for them, and I'll concede that point.

 

[MSEV]

"Oh, you gotta take that down to the station to fill it up, AND you gotta pay for that?? And it takes you HOW long standing there holding that handle?? I wouldn't do that."

And you ever get gas on your hand? Or a bit spills on the ground or, worse, on your clothes?
I don't miss that five minutes at all, no sir.

 

[Electroman]

'Car of the century'?

Given that century has just started, that is one serious hyperbole headline.

 

[Ugliest1]

I simply tell people who ask about charge time that I never have to wait for my car when charging. Always true for me at home (overnight charging), and nearly always true on my trips (car is typically ready to keep going before the passengers are).

The part in brackets is very true.

And the other advantage of the "forced wait" is it significantly reduces driver fatigue. I remember in my '20s (so, 1970's?) seeing commercials talking about not just filling and flying, but take a 10-minute break, walk around, etc, so you can "arrive alive". Well... I could never bring myself to do that, it was back on the road in a flash. Ah, youth - more energy than brains. But with the Model S and supercharging (and, perhaps, my age!!), the lower fatigue factor is IMHO a huge advantage. And I'm sure lower fatigue is also because of no ICE vibration, noise or smell, no excess heat bleeding through the front firewall, etc.

 

[tonybelding]

I've got a feeling that they gave away more than they realized with this comment: ". . .and range anxiety will always be a concern for any pure electric. . ."

Yes. It doesn't matter if it goes a thousand miles per charge and recharges in five minutes. Range anxiety "will always be a concern" as long as article writers need something to nitpick and harp upon.

 

[deonb]

"Logging 630 miles and conducting performance tests in this 70D required 14 plug connections versus three or four stops at the pump for the most fuel-thirsty luxury sedan driven the same distance."

Huh??

this silliness:
"To fully embrace any electric car, some lifestyle rearranging is necessary. Spur-of-the-moment trips are unwise. The next plug-in opportunity is always at the forefront of your consciousness. Speeding up when you’re running late may force an unplanned stop for a jolt of juice."

Agree that this is silly.

I need to be able to take off to California / Canada / Idaho at a moment's notice, so I initially used to always charge my battery to 92% - just in case.

Nowadays I just charge to 60%. That's enough for a day's worth of normal around-town driving, and then at a moments notice I can take off and reach a SuperCharger (or worse case a Chademo) in any direction, to go anywhere I want. I don't even have an HPWC.

Yes, Seattle is special, but I expect this to be modus operandi everywhere in the country within the next 2 years.

 

[Ocelot]

Maybe I am alone here (cue the 'yes you are) but gas stations fill up do not bother me that much. Fill up the car grab a lotto ticket, dream of hitting it big, and have a cold drink. In fact if someone had magical powers and said you could either plug your car in everynight and never run out of juice, or not plug your car in and stop for five minutes once a week to fill up your car, (lets say with electricity) I would choose the latter. Not worry about missing pluggin it in (as i often do with my phone, not worrying about at home infrastructure etc) The point hopefully will be mute in five years, when you can charge as fast as you can fill er up.

 

[tdelta1000]

The article was not but there was this every present "you see we told you..." even with this

The next plug-in opportunity is always at the forefront of your consciousness.

 

[daytonatom]

"The big news here is a pair of 257-hp (Tesla’s before-the-transmission rating, the post-gearbox rating is 329 combined horsepower) AC motors " - I always thought there was no gearbox!?

 

[deonb]

Maybe I am alone here (cue the 'yes you are) but gas stations fill up do not bother me that much. Fill up the car grab a lotto ticket, dream of hitting it big, and have a cold drink. In fact if someone had magical powers and said you could either plug your car in everynight and never run out of juice, or not plug your car in and stop for five minutes once a week to fill up your car, (lets say with electricity) I would choose the latter. Not worry about missing pluggin it in (as i often do with my phone, not worrying about at home infrastructure etc) The point hopefully will be mute in five years, when you can charge as fast as you can fill er up.

I would bet you don't own an EV right now... am I wrong?

Let's say I give you an option for that phone that you keep forgetting to charge. e.g. AT&T brings out a phone with a battery that lasts a week, but at the end of every week you have to go to an AT&T store and have them recharge it / battery swap it or whatever. The whole process only takes 5 minutes, but you still have to go there. Does that sound like a great idea to you?


And about worrying about missing pluggin. I know some people like to use the analogy that they forget to charge their phones, so how can they ever be expected to remember to charge their cars...

It's really not the same. Your phone is mobile throughout the night, and you have to remember to go fetch it to plug it in. You also lose some usability of the phone when you plug it in, thereby inherently disincentivizing you to keep it plugged in at all times. A car doesn't work like that. A more accurate analogy is that forgetting to plug in your car after you get home is like forgetting to close your garage door after you get home. How often does that happen for you?

Case and point... my car is plugged in right now. My phone isn't. Thanks for reminding me!

 

[mknox]

Let's say I give you an option for that phone that you keep forgetting to charge. e.g. AT&T brings out a phone with a battery that lasts a week, but at the end of every week you have to go to an AT&T store and have them recharge it / battery swap it or whatever. The whole process only takes 5 minutes, but you still have to go there. Does that sound like a great idea to you?

Hah! That's a great analogy! I was actually thinking that getting gas every once in a while isn't that bad (still take my wife's car over for gas now and then) until you put it this way!

 

[Mookuh]

Another interesting experiment would be to offer people driving gas cars the option to wait 40 minutes and recieve their fuel for free afterwards (or really, more like 15-25 minutes, if you don't need the 80% charge) opposed to the option of filling up in 5 minutes at the usual cost.

My gut feeling is that a sizeable amount of people would suddenly decide that the wait isn't that bad, they can do other stuff meanwhile, and free fuel is great!

 

[deonb]

Another interesting experiment would be to offer people driving gas cars the option to wait 40 minutes and recieve their fuel for free afterwards (or really, more like 15-25 minutes, if you don't need the 80% charge) opposed to the option of filling up in 5 minutes at the usual cost.

My gut feeling is that a sizeable amount of people would suddenly decide that the wait isn't that bad, they can do other stuff meanwhile, and free fuel is great!

People already do that at Costco, just to get it $1 cheaper...

 

[Mookuh]

People already do that at Costco, just to get it $1 cheaper...

There's your argument, then

 

[Doug_G]

"The big news here is a pair of 257-hp (Tesla’s before-the-transmission rating, the post-gearbox rating is 329 combined horsepower) AC motors " - I always thought there was no gearbox!?

There is a reduction gearbox. It just doesn't have any shifter - there's only one ratio.

 

[Mayhemm]

An okay article, which while effusive in its praise of the 70S, contained this silliness:

"To fully embrace any electric car, some lifestyle rearranging is necessary. Spur-of-the-moment trips are unwise. The next plug-in opportunity is always at the forefront of your consciousness. Speeding up when you’re running late may force an unplanned stop for a jolt of juice."

It is simply wrong to say that a spontaneous trip is "unwise". Charge the car every night and it's ready to go.
To say that one is always worrying about where to plug in is a gross exaggeration. The only time I think about where I am going to charge is when I am considering a trip that takes me far away from a Supercharger. So that is a few times a year, and I have always found charging solutions.
And to say that speeding up during a trip may result in a unplanned charging stop is also an exaggeration. It might possibly happen but with the current navigation software it is easy to avoid that situation.

I don't know, they outlined my experience quite well. Of course, I'm a fringe case and should not be presented as the norm, which was their only real crime, IMO.

 

[Robert.Boston]

Those of us that actually get winter doubly appreciate not having to fill up at gas stations. Standing at a gas pump at 0°F and 20mph winds for five minutes to refuel my wife's BMW is not on my list of favorite things.

Widespread EV adoption will follow EV infrastructure. Elon said sales in the northeast could be more robust. I agree: fill out the Supercharging network up here and sales will follow. When I'm on the "SuperCharger Highway" I barely think about where to charge. Other places? Long distance travel off the SuperCharger Highway is still more of a challenge than a typical driver wants to deal with.

 

[MSEV]

Those of us that actually get winter doubly appreciate not having to fill up at gas stations. Standing at a gas pump at 0°F and 20mph winds for five minutes to refuel my wife's BMW is not on my list of favorite things.

Widespread EV adoption will follow EV infrastructure. Elon said sales in the northeast could be more robust. I agree: fill out the Supercharging network up here and sales will follow. When I'm on the "SuperCharger Highway" I barely think about where to charge. Other places? Long distance travel off the SuperCharger Highway is still more of a challenge than a typical driver wants to deal with.

Very much agree, living in an area that doesn't have enough SupCs for me and potential buyers (I believe). But it is changing, a SupC is 30 min away, in a year or so the local interstate will have SupCs, the Model X will be hot, hot, hot, and the Model 3 will be way cool with 10s of thousands of orders. A bright future, with things getting better and better for Tesla/Ev owners and potential owners.

 

[GSP]

'Car of the century'?

Given that century has just started, that is one serious hyperbole headline.

It is, isn't it?

And, it very well may be correct.

I wish we could get back together in 2101 and discuss the car of the 21st century. That would be so fun and interesting, if it were only possible.

GSP

 

[bxr140]

It is, isn't it?

And, it very well may be correct.

I'm willing to entertain the notion that they're really saying its car of the century thus far, but I have a hard time understanding how the 70D beat out the 85D.