Tesla Fans

[Ssaygmo]

I like Tesla. I like Rivian. I like lucid. I like Porsche. I like high tech and fast cars and trucks of all kinds. What gets me is Tesla is constantly pushing the envelope and improving things. Rivian has spent so long getting to production, I feel like their inverter/motor tech is already outdated. 4 motors are great, and 800hp was a great spec when it was announced 4 years ago. Now that lucid is making 650hp per motor in a drive unit that only weighs 150lbs, and Tesla has at the 400hp per motor tri motor model S already in production and shipping to customers, 200hp per motor feels outdated and I'm actually wondering if they will meet acceleration targets due to power/weight ratio.

I'm a LE holder and waiting with baited breath to see some efficiency and performance figures when they finally starts shipping.

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[CommodoreAmiga]

Well, I've seen everything, now. People are complaining that a 850+ hp less-than-full-size truck that does 0-60 in 3 seconds and tows 11,000 lbs "may not be powerful enough".

 

[SoCal Rob]

I like Tesla. I like Rivian. I like lucid. I like Porsche. I like high tech and fast cars and trucks of all kinds. What gets me is Tesla is constantly pushing the envelope and improving things. Rivian has spent so long getting to production, I feel like their inverter/motor tech is already outdated. 4 motors are great, and 800hp was a great spec when it was announced 4 years ago. Now that lucid is making 650hp per motor in a drive unit that only weighs 150lbs, and Tesla has at the 400hp per motor tri motor model S already in production and shipping to customers, 200hp per motor feels outdated and I'm actually wondering if they will meet acceleration targets due to power/weight ratio.

I'm a LE holder and waiting with baited breath to see some efficiency and performance figures when they finally starts shipping.

I love cars, in general, too. If all you want is the fastest accelerating vehicle, then a truck or SUV probably isn’t ideal. To me, the acceleration of Rivian R1 vehicles is the icing on the cake. For my needs the form factor and off road capabilities are the cake.

When looking at trucks, the Ford F-150 Lightning is appealing to me… until I look at the suspension. When looking at SUVs, there isn’t anything near production which compares to the utility and size of the R1S. The Tesla Model X has a height adjustable suspension, but the shape and rear doors kill any pretense of utility for us. The Hummer is just too big and heavy for the kind of trails we drive while being unable to fit a third row of seating.

From my perspective, when they start deliveries Rivian will produce a practical, 3 row, off road capable SUV which will also have the best acceleration of any BEV SUV which can do what it does. Other than 3 rows of seating, you can say the same thing about the Rivian pickup.

 

[Big_Ike]

Me too. Unfortunately, I also like straws...

 

[Autolycus]

Me too. Unfortunately, I also like straws...

Good news, you can enjoy both: https://www.kleankanteen.com/collections/straws

 

[Big_Ike]

Good news, you can enjoy both: https://www.kleankanteen.com/collections/straws

Literally have a drawer full of reusable straws!

 

[DuckTruck]

From a local broadcast in Portland:

 

[Lobstahz]

Tesla has, what I'd classify, as a number of different factions of its supporters. In the lead up to the Model 3 launch/ramp up in 2017-2018 there was such a wide and varied assortment of folks on the Tesla Motors Club forums.

Tesla had somehow managed to collect :
* Eco-concious utilitarians, which is the nice way to say hippies, that were primarily there for non-ICE mobility with more efficiency and range being their most important motivators. The "I would drive a soulless efficient blob from A->B without a moments hesitation" folks. Who mostly came from Pruises
* Tech - People enamored with having a big screen and a lack of physical buttons and the ability to play games on your car's infotainment
* Performance - Straight line acceleration and cornering.
* Autopilot - I separate this from the rest of "tech" as its a large and very very vocal part of their coalition. Anyways ... these folks seem to love being part of the grand autopilot experiment and are willing beta testers
* Luxury - Quiet, convenient and prestige. These tenants didn't hold long as Tesla has terrible sound deadening, thankfully EVs have very very minimal service needs, but service overall has degraded very rapidly since the Model 3 launch, and in certain geographies Tesla's are as common as Camrys.

There are undoubtedly others, but I have to stop my ~rant~ list at some point

Personally I'm an eco-concious, luxury, performance combo and there are competitors coming that are very interesting, yet not quite arrived yet. Naturally the R1S and the Q4 etron (or hopefully Q5 etron on their new 800v platform as a 2023 model) from Audi are the ones I have my eye on.

Not all Tesla supporters are the same, but their most fanatical supporters also happen to be their loudest. Not a new phenomenon, just another example of it in another area

 

[ajdelange]

...but service overall has degraded very rapidly since the Model 3 launch,

Is that the case in the Boston area? Around DC it seems to have gotten better.

 

[DuckTruck]

Peashooter,

I use that line all the time! Some friends remember it from the local news and get it. Others have no idea and give me the same thousand-yard stare the kid has down cold. I don't know if that feed led you to Tosh's interview with the turtle-lover, but it is funny. Caution: Not exactly family-friendly language. Proceed at your own risk! ?

 

[Lobstahz]

Is that the case in the Boston area? Around DC it seems to have gotten better.

Thankfully I've only needed to take it in a total of 3 times over 3 years (I do my tire rotations at home) and 2 of those were in the first 2 months. The 3rd time I drove it to down to RI to get serviced as it would have been a month or longer to get service around Boston. On the first 2 visits in 2018 I got a Model S loaner, for the 3rd in RI they offered Uber credits ... I just waited in the lobby.

Not a great experience, but not terrible overall. I certainly heard a lot worse on the forums/Reddit so I count myself lucky.

 

[Adamtbest]

I currently do not own an EV, but I want to. For me I'd like to see all EVs do well. I looked at researched them all. I picked the dual motor Cybertruck based on needs and price point.

 

[E.S.]

I picked the dual motor Cybertruck based on needs and price point.

Curious why you chose the dual-motor option. In an ironic twist, I'm eagerly waiting on 2022 to see the dual-motor R1 series will perform and how the different battery pack sizes will affect them (also to mention the introduction of their smaller {105 kwh was it?} battery pack.

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