Reuters: "Tesla readies revamped Model 3 with project 'Highland' -sources" [projected 3rd quarter 2023]

[cousin_IT]

I see your use case for sure as a consumer. and I’m sure many agree with you. I’m just not sure T sees it the same. If time loss is the issue, wouldn’t they rather you upgrade a model and pay for the higher range? Hence…get the premium S if you want to ‘buy’ yourself the luxury of less stops?

SChargers are growing ever still in locations so I imagine that’s also on the ‘profit model’ agenda and eventually will result in less and less ‘dead zones’ or area off the beaten path.

Are you saying T would rather everyone charge 30-80 % and get on their way? Ie. Max out the amount of kw/hour and charge more? I was under the impression it makes not diff to Tesla if one charges 40-70% or 60-90% in terms of $/kw. The only $ premium being for super fast DC when one comes in at 20-30%. I could be mistaken.

To your 3rd point: Both Tesla and me want the same: Short stops at a high charge. I am faster and they generate a higher revenue/hour. So yes I think Tesla wants everybody to fast charge and be on their way.

To your first point: The bigger the battery, the bigger the high charge window which, as you said, is a personal choice. However I don’t see the S as premium: it lags behind compared to the tech developments of the 3 and Y and the S and X served their purpose. They will drop them as soon as they’re no longer profitable. As a manufacturing company they want mass and scale, not premium. So my next car will be a M3. More value for money (especially in Europe where US-made cars are still taxed an additional 10%)

 

[Devils son]

in 4 years I'll trade up to something with a solid-state pack that gets 800+ mile range

Wanna bet?

 

[Destiny1701]

To your 3rd point: Both Tesla and me want the same: Short stops at a high charge. I am faster and they generate a higher revenue/hour. So yes I think Tesla wants everybody to fast charge and be on their way.

To your first point: The bigger the battery, the bigger the high charge window which, as you said, is a personal choice. However I don’t see the S as premium: it lags behind compared to the tech developments of the 3 and Y and the S and X served their purpose. They will drop them as soon as they’re no longer profitable. As a manufacturing company they want mass and scale, not premium. So my next car will be a M3. More value for money (especially in Europe where US-made cars are still taxed an additional 10%)

Not sure the lags at all buddy
Auto gear, adaptive susp, haptic buttons/yoke, noise cancelling, suede alcatera everywhere, auto open/close doors (X) , swivel screens, rear screen, rear wireless chargers, tri motor /carbon sleeve…the list goes on…

It’s more a matter of lifecycle of the S/X Vs the 3/Y than one particular model falling behind.

Agreed mass production keeps the company going …but not sure they’ll drop the premium products altogether They make profit in the higher ends or they would not continue. Particularly the plaid models where its identical body/features to the LR and only one additional motor. Many S X owners (myself included) consider a 3/Y as a secondary or alternate vehicle. If not for the former, the brand loyalty wouldn’t build.

And…EM loves his S 3 X Y line up…enuf said lol

 

[pdx_m3s]

This thread has gone off the rails.

 

[ucmndd]

I largely follow your argument but for longer commutes the time loss of recharging adds up

What do you define as a “long” commute? Mine is 150 miles round trip, which is pretty extreme by anyone’s measure. In 7 years of driving a Tesla to accomplish this task I’ve “lost” precisely zero minutes to recharging time. The car recharges while I sleep or work.

 

[canasion35]

Not sure the lags at all buddy
Auto gear, adaptive susp, haptic buttons/yoke, noise cancelling, suede alcatera everywhere, auto open/close doors (X) , swivel screens, rear screen, rear wireless chargers, tri motor /carbon sleeve…the list goes on…

It’s more a matter of lifecycle of the S/X Vs the 3/Y than one particular model falling behind.

Agreed mass production keeps the company going …but not sure they’ll drop the premium products altogether They make profit in the higher ends or they would not continue. Particularly the plaid models where its identical body/features to the LR and only one additional motor. Many S X owners (myself included) consider a 3/Y as a secondary or alternate vehicle. If not for the former, the brand loyalty wouldn’t build.

And…EM loves his S 3 X Y line up…enuf said lol

I think he was referring to S/X battery tech lagging behind the 3/Y.

 

[ucmndd]

I think he was referring to S/X battery tech lagging behind the 3/Y.

What exactly are you defining as “lagging”?

Edit: I realize this isn’t your statement, it’s @cousin_IT ’s, so tagging him for clarification.

 

[jabloomf1230]

Wanna bet?

Safe bet. People want to apply Moore's law to every conceivable technology. Semiconductors followed the "law" more or less via continued miniaturization. The efficiency of batteries and solar cells are limited by chemistry. That's why there was such a big response to the room temperature superconductor claims. Without big breakthroughs, the present battery tech is going to persist for a while.

 

[Devils son]

Safe bet. People want to apply Moore's law to every conceivable technology. Semiconductors followed the "law" more or less via continued miniaturization. The efficiency of batteries and solar cells are limited by chemistry. That's why there was such a big response to the room temperature superconductor claims. Without big breakthroughs, the present battery tech is going to persist for a while.

I like bets that are safe (for me).

 

[cousin_IT]

What do you define as a “long” commute? Mine is 150 miles round trip, which is pretty extreme by anyone’s measure. In 7 years of driving a Tesla to accomplish this task I’ve “lost” precisely zero minutes to recharging time. The car recharges while I sleep or work.

My commute is 400 km (or 250 miles) which I can't do with my current MS. My main concern is longer trips such as my 2400 km trip through Europe. If the SuC density is high all is well (2 hour drive, 25 min charge) but as the density decreases (looking at you Spain, Portugal and Italy) charging times are 40+ min at least which eats away.

What exactly are you defining as “lagging”?

Edit: I realize this isn’t your statement, it’s @cousin_IT ’s, so tagging him for clarification.

I think he was referring to S/X battery tech lagging behind the 3/Y.

The battery tech as well as the chassis are my biggest concerns. I was not impressed with the overall finish of the MS Plaid when I saw it in the showroom. The panel gaps are still identical to the MS I currently have.

This thread has gone off the rails.

Apologies

 

[R.P.E.]

This thread has gone off the rails.

It hasn’t actually. (Your comment doesn’t contribute to anything, though.) But this thread actually does discuss a lot of intricacies of battery, technology and efficiency, improvements in terms of handling dynamics, range, code, ect. I mean, have you sifted through all 58 pages? Because I have. And there’s a lot of great information on here.

 

[pdx_m3s]

It hasn’t actually. (Your comment doesn’t contribute to anything, though.) But this thread actually does discuss a lot of intricacies of battery, technology and efficiency, improvements in terms of handling dynamics, range, code, ect. I mean, have you sifted through all 58 pages? Because I have. And there’s a lot of great information on here.

There were pages of discussion completely unrelated to Project Highland around things like needing 750 miles of range and 5 minute charging, etc. Agree that yes, this thread has a lot of good info. I've been following it on and off from the beginning.

 

[Kevy Baby]

I could point to several example types that are repeatedly found here, but If I do that, it will likely considered being "unwelcoming" or something as an official statement, even though this isnt a moderator comment.

Exactly why I could never be a moderator (not that anyone has or ever will ask). I often do not envy your role.

And nothing more I hate than a column shifter

A three-on-the-tree? I drove one MANY moons ago. Hated it

This thread has gone off the rails.

Ah, such is the nature of long (and sometimes short) threads on the internet. TMC is actually not that bad: if you want real madness, read Disney boards. I remember once a thread longer than this one debating TRASH CANS.

 

[kpanda17]

Highlands parking
They are bulking up the count in Shanghai

 

[al-capone]

Most buyers buy the M3 for daily duty and the 275 miles range is more than adequate. Hence the single thing that will decide if highland will be a hit is the price. It better be way cheaper than the current $40k sticker on the RWD. Hope Elon is reading this. The average Tesla M3 buyer does not give a rats f**k about fsd, battery chemistry, summon, future robo taxi value appreciation nonsense etc.. Finally, if it qualifies for the full fed $7.5k rebate that will be the icing on the cake..

 

[FreqFlyer]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1694147535277801619

 

[FreqFlyer]

A few more renders

https://twitter.com/x/status/1694090489408913574

 

[Bouba]

If those designs are real, I quite like them...they have avoided the temptation to put a grill (why a grilless face upsets so many ice drivers I will never understand)...it’s a nice smiley face

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

Those are all renders, as evidenced by the tight panel gaps.

And it's not "ice drivers", it's Elon who created this awful fake grille trend. Before him, EVs like the GM EV1 and Nissan Leaf had reasonably styled front ends. I'd even argue that most of the best looking cars in history have been grille-less - Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Corvette, McLaren, Model S gen2, Acura NSX, Pantera, Vector, DeLorean, and any good-looking Lotus.

But Elon appears to have a consistent strategy of tarnishing an otherwise nice looking car by slapping some dopey fake grille on it and then fixing the styling a few years later by removing the dumbassery. And the fools at Mustang and Mercedes think this is a good plan to copy! "Ice drivers" meanwhile, are wondering what the hell is wrong with all of us.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Those are all renders, as evidenced by the tight panel gaps.

And it's not "ice drivers", it's Elon who created this awful fake grille trend. Before him, EVs like the GM EV1 and Nissan Leaf had reasonably styled front ends. I'd even argue that most of the best looking cars in history have been grille-less - Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Corvette, McLaren, Model S gen2, Acura NSX, Pantera, Vector, DeLorean, and any good-looking Lotus.

It very much is ICE drivers! Fake grills were not invented by Elon, automakers have been adding fake grills since before EVs were mainstream (you will notice them if you look closely at ICE cars, they have blanked out grills too!)

From a quick google, here's some articles about fake grilles in the industry. Notice no mention of Tesla or Elon!
No Fixed Abode: Triumph of the Grille
Look How Grilles Have Grown Since The 1990s | Carscoops

It's basically a car design element that gives a car a "face" which many car owners prefer (most of them being "ICE drivers" of course). When the Model 3 was unveiled, I saw memes along the lines of this image:

3 Lame Things About the Tesla Model 3

But Elon appears to have a consistent strategy of tarnishing an otherwise nice looking car by slapping some dopey fake grille on it and then fixing the styling a few years later by removing the dumbassery. And the fools at Mustang and Mercedes think this is a good plan to copy! "Ice drivers" meanwhile, are wondering what the hell is wrong with all of us.

The Model S was the only Tesla model that had a fake grille. Even the Model X didn't get one when the production version came around (even though concept had it, when it might have made sense for corporate design continuity). As such, I'm not entirely sure where your "consistent strategy" comes from.