Technically Tesla doesn't do model years. They make upgrades when they make upgrades. Most of them are quiet, and aren't announced. For example, they started shipping Model Ses with LTE last year, before that it was 3G. They never announced it, a guy who just got his brand new Model S announced "Hey! I got LTE!" here on the board. Only the big changes, newer batteries, dual motors, etc get announced, only when they're ready.
Tesla is constantly changing their models. Don't worry about it, enjoy your 85 it's wonderful.
There will be a bigger battery, the only question is how much, and when most likely it will be either 100 or 105, and probably a few years away. I think that anyone who believes discontinuing the 85 was to "make room" for a bigger pack is sorely mistaken. The odd part isn't the discontinuation of the 85, it's that it took so long to do so after introducing the 90. My only thought is that they must have had some supply contracts they had to fill before ditching it, otherwise it would have been gone within a couple of months of introducing the 90. (just long enough to use up any inventory)
Sure they will, but you'd be stupid to do so.
Sorry, they'll age like cars. My last car was 20 years old when I sold it, and the engine was running fine, all the trim panels rattled, the speakers were blown, the sunroof only worked half the time, the upholstery was worn, the air conditioning was shot, there was play in the steering, there were scratches in the paint, some of the chrome strips were peeling off, the audio system played cassettes, and it didn't have airbags, let alone any active safety features, heck the back seat centre had only a lap belt! None of this stuff would be any different on an EV. Cars wear out, and are superceded with better technology.
I totally agree. I wouldn't be surprised if the motor lasts 2 or 3 million KM's before the bearings start whining and "getting annoying". By then, it may be cheaper to source a newer/used motor, and unlike an ICE, the swap is probably quick and easy to do. In Vancouver, I know places that would swap a JDM Honda engine for $300 labor. It took me 10 hours to do that my first/last time. The Tesla would probably be a couple hours for an amateur like me and 30 minutes for a pro that does it all the time. We already know how quick/easy a battery swap can be. I really look forward to seeing how this all unfolds over the next decade or two.
How often do cars get taken off the road because the ENGINE died? it's extremely rare. cars fall apart first. The Tesla will be the same, how long the motor lasts is irrelevant, nobody will want to drive it long before that.
Uhh, I'd say most 15+ year old cars are taken off the road because of exactly that! The cost of repairs was more expensive than the entire car is even worth. Resale value is undoubtedly driven mostly by psychology (people expect to pay roughly 10% less for a year older car), but at a certain point, say 10 years, that stops and it starts to become all about the powertrain (e.g., the resale value of a 2005 and 2006 vehicle is pretty similar) -- and that's with the internal combustion engine, which lasts 200,000 to 500,000 KM depending on manufacturer, which most 10 year old cars are into. Near the end of life, the reliability is horrible, fuel economy is horrible (and getting worse at an ever increasing rate as it starts to burn more oil), and it all has to do with the ICE. How can you possibly argue that switching to a power train that lasts 10 times longer wouldn't change things?
