To be fair, the most recent official number announced by Tesla was "around 20,000". The 28,000 is an unofficial tally that does not take into account reservations that have already been canceled. We may be at about 21,000 active reservations by now, but it's not significantly higher than that.
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You don't want to put skis or bikes on the roof of an SUV anyway - besides all that, it's just a PITA to get them up there. Anyone who's done it will agree that a hitch mount rack is the way to go w/ an SUV
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I came dangerously close to being "that guy" who drives into the garage with a roof full of bicycles. The only thing that saved me was my friend jumping up and down and screaming at me on the lawn.
Merrill
Merrill
The only stuff I want to carry would be ski's and bikes and the hitch is perfect for that. I will have a small dump trailer for my yard work.
sub
Active Member
I am that guy, I have a landcruiser and use to put bikes on the roof. I learned at home that once bikes were up there I would remove the garage door opener and put it in the center console as a reminder. However, the overhang at the drive through ATM doesn't need an opener. I was distracted talking with a friend and I ripped the bike right off the roof.
I know of many others that have accomplished this feat as well, usually at home.
There are some inaccuracies in his story but he does raise a few good points. With shaped skis that are used these days it is easy to fit them inside the car - not like the old days when you had skis that were 200cm or more so skis shouldn't be an issue. The superchargers that I have used required you to back in. So if you have a trailer won't you have to unhitch it first before charging? I am not a tralier person but isn't that a bit of a PITA? And even a bike rack on the trailer hitch may make it difficult to plug your car into a supercharger - I had to back right into a snowbank last year at the Woodstock, ON supercharger to be able to charge as the cable wasn't very long. A trailer hitch mounted bike rack that extends the length of your car buy a couple of feet could also cause the same problem.
And I also agree that the gull wing doors may not be optimal when there is a lot of snow - if you don't clear it all off you run the risk of the snow dumping into your car. I love my Model S but there are a few things that show that the designers don't have much experience with snow - like the concave design of the sensor under the nose cone that fills up with slush very quickly - they should have put a convex lens instead.
And I also agree that the gull wing doors may not be optimal when there is a lot of snow - if you don't clear it all off you run the risk of the snow dumping into your car. I love my Model S but there are a few things that show that the designers don't have much experience with snow - like the concave design of the sensor under the nose cone that fills up with slush very quickly - they should have put a convex lens instead.
One commenter discovered that the writer carries a short position in Tesla stock. So no surprise he trying to do a hit piece.
My assumption is that most who use trailers rather than a hitch mounted rack will use something similar to a Sylvansport, which is easier use than anything mounted on the roof. I doubt many will be towing 2500 kg trailers (Those are a pain to connect and disconnect.)
While I'm a MS owner and don't see a Model X in my future, I have noticed a trend on a couple of SC sites that allow a Tesla to pull in, and head on through (such as when towing a trailer). The Supercharger sites in Petaluma, CA and Rocklin, CA (co-located at the Service Center0 have these type of charging slots. Just begging for a Model X towing a trailer?
Scotty
Scotty
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
Yep. I already have a Sylvansport GO trailer sitting in my driveway. It's had two summers of use and will be perfect behind my X.
My informal polling here in the DFW area for the last month or so since summer started, yielded exactly zero SUVs comparable to X form factor having anything on the roof. With every lakes and rivers over flowing one would think there will be a sea of canoes in roof tops. Nothing, nada.
But having said that, the gull wing design on X seems to be a self-inflicted distraction that has the potential to derail the X. Not that it will, but the X would be successful even without those fancy potentially-troublesome gimmicks.
Door handles-gate will be a walk in the park compared to what the gull-wing doors is going to throw up. Of course my speculation.
But having said that, the gull wing design on X seems to be a self-inflicted distraction that has the potential to derail the X. Not that it will, but the X would be successful even without those fancy potentially-troublesome gimmicks.
Door handles-gate will be a walk in the park compared to what the gull-wing doors is going to throw up. Of course my speculation.
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FlatSix911
Porsche 918 Hybrid
The referenced article is total crap. (to put it more politely - misguided)
The target market for the model X is not concerned with the roof rack issues.
Tons of storage space inside and lots of options for the rear hitch accessories.
The target market for the model X is not concerned with the roof rack issues.
Tons of storage space inside and lots of options for the rear hitch accessories.
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Yeah, problem using a SC with a trailer will more likely be the length of SC cords - they are short and require a car backed up pretty well to them. Few more feet away and the MX is screwed with current ones.
mknox
Well-Known Member
I've seen a few of those "nose in" stalls. Usually one or two in a bank of 8. To me, they seem more for folks who just can't back into spots, because all the ones I've seen would have any attached trailer blocking either the aisle way or adjacent Supercharger stalls.
I have been repeatedly startled by how many people's attention is drawn to the Model S by the door handles, and by how many people are impressed by the door handles.
I think they're silly myself, but they turn out to have been a *brilliant* marketing technique. I expect the wing doors will end up having the same effect.
Remember, Tesla isn't spending money on advertising. But having a *gimmick* or two in each car is a form of word-of-mouth marketing, and apparently a very successful one.
Gimmicks do get people's attention - both positive and negative. We recently saw the note from consumer reports on how their new P85D was undrivable - thanks to those eye-candy handles, which was then picked up by every oil-funded outfit. Sure that was an exaggeration, but that's what you get for gimmicks.
Given that bringing an EV SUV with 200+ mile range is a monumental challenge in itself, is the distraction and all the extra engineering challenges and delays on Gull wings necessary?
If they work as expected - all power to Mr.Musk. If not then a very high portion of their engineering and service and PR resources will be consumed by this one item. Battling drive train issues is one thing - inevitable in an advanced 3.2s EV. But battling door issues will bring derision and ridicule.
Given that bringing an EV SUV with 200+ mile range is a monumental challenge in itself, is the distraction and all the extra engineering challenges and delays on Gull wings necessary?
If they work as expected - all power to Mr.Musk. If not then a very high portion of their engineering and service and PR resources will be consumed by this one item. Battling drive train issues is one thing - inevitable in an advanced 3.2s EV. But battling door issues will bring derision and ridicule.
BTW: It seems Tesla has learned the lesson for Model 3, making the non-gimmick version first. Or so we expect from recent comments.
Then again, gimmicks may have been more necessary in 2012-2013 for Tesla - than they will be in 2017.
Still, I'm thrilled someone for a change brings the bold concepts to life. Kudos to Tesla for that. Whether or not it was wise... Maybe not.
Then again, gimmicks may have been more necessary in 2012-2013 for Tesla - than they will be in 2017.
Still, I'm thrilled someone for a change brings the bold concepts to life. Kudos to Tesla for that. Whether or not it was wise... Maybe not.
The handles help aerodynamics without compromising utility. It's a reliability issue that makes people call them a gimmick.
Contrast with the falcon wing doors, which people criticize because they provide little benefit over sliding doors, while removing the ability to use a roof rack and, potentially, causing more snow and rain to enter the vehicle.
MrBoylan
Member
Sliding doors scream minivan. Meanwhile the falcon doors are dead sexy and a big reason why I waited for the X instead of getting an S.
Krugerrand
Meow
Actually, the point of the falcon wing doors is to greatly improve ingress/egress. So they too have a real purpose and function just as the handles always did regardless that some want to label them otherwise.
