Thoughts on Tesla (and other fully-electric vehicles)

[peter12]

I've heard Teslas run nice as a personal vehicle, but I'm not sure how they can keep up the illusion of being a real company for much longer.

[accord1999]

Originally Posted by you&me

I read the summary, but the bolded above doesn't make any sense, even in the context of lower European usage; 8.5 years of driving in N. America would, on average, be over 170,000km... Sign me up for the ICE car I can drive for 170k without needing anything...

It's also hard to determine whether they're referring to mechanical repair, or cosmetic repair from collision damage.

My interpretation is that they are considering anything other than scheduled maintenance; accidents/collisions or broken parts or other faults that cause the vehicle to not operate properly.

[FacePaint]

We bought a used 2016 Nissan Leaf from the used EV shop in Calgary as it was more affordable. It has up to 195km range depending on usage. We mainly use it for in city driving but have taken it to Canmore. It's been mentioned but car has fast acceleration and is really quiet, as you'd expect. It's nice not having to make a run to the gas station.

We have Solar panels so try to charge it during the day so we'll see what things look like come winter. We only use a level one charger but are considering purchasing a level 2 for the house depending how it does during winter.

The folks at EV Calgary were great. They don't have Tesla but might be cool to book a test drive and chat with them if you're considering.

[81MC]

The leaf is actually pretty rad. And with an actual manufacturer/dealer base, you probably won't find its unrepairable 10 years down the road.

I do wonder, is fuel costs the primary driver behind a decision like a tesla? Environmental? Status? Because I can't really wrap my head around just how much driving someone would need to do to make a model3 a better choice than a Mazda/Honda/Chevy/etc equivalent. I would really like to see a real and honest environamental assessment of a tesla vs. other when the entire lifecycle is factored in.

I love the notion, but considering how places like to get their electricity, I would actually rather burn a small amount of gasoline to get around. While every bit counts, passengers vehicles account for such a small percentage of GHG emissions, I'm not convinced a family sedan is the most appropriate place to be looking.
I also by and large think Elon Musk and his fanboys are goofballs, so I'm a bit jaded. Don't talk about environmental stewardship and then plan on sending pleasure trips to space for a profit.

[zamler]

I don't think jaded would be the correct term. If you're honestly interested in the carbon footprint versus a gas burner watch this.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by 81MC

The leaf is actually pretty rad. And with an actual manufacturer/dealer base, you probably won't find its unrepairable 10 years down the road.

I do wonder, is fuel costs the primary driver behind a decision like a tesla? Environmental? Status? Because I can't really wrap my head around just how much driving someone would need to do to make a model3 a better choice than a Mazda/Honda/Chevy/etc equivalent. I would really like to see a real and honest environamental assessment of a tesla vs. other when the entire lifecycle is factored in.

I love the notion, but considering how places like to get their electricity, I would actually rather burn a small amount of gasoline to get around. While every bit counts, passengers vehicles account for such a small percentage of GHG emissions, I'm not convinced a family sedan is the most appropriate place to be looking.
I also by and large think Elon Musk and his fanboys are goofballs, so I'm a bit jaded. Don't talk about environmental stewardship and then plan on sending pleasure trips to space for a profit.

Most people who buy a Tesla are really adopters of new technology. I'm sure environmentalism plays into it, no doubt. But if you wanted to maximize impact, you wouldn't likely be driving at all. It's a cool car with lots of cool features.

With regards to lifecycle and environmental impact regardless of where the electricity comes from, both appear to be superior with electric cars (admittedly it's early, and hard to compare).

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by peter12

I've heard Teslas run nice as a personal vehicle, but I'm not sure how they can keep up the illusion of being a real company for much longer.

How long have you been saying this? At least 5 years now?