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Im a professional engine mechanic for a small chain of service centers, and this reminds me of the hybrid race and the car manufacturers that had to scramble to

Im a professional engine mechanic for a small chain of service centers, and this reminds me of the hybrid race and the car manufacturers that had to scramble to make up for lost time. The only difference being it wasnt Mercedes and luxury makers, it was consumer giants like Ford. Chevy and Dodge bet boatloads on the american consumers lust for the SUV even if gas hit $5 a gallon, only to find out just how wrong they were in 2008. Few people know this but Hybrid Synergy Drive from Toyota became the de-facto standard in US hybrid systems. every Ford hybrid licenses it, and many Nissan hybrids do as well. Honda developed their own hybrid system but as far as I know it was never licensed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_Synergy_Drive#Patent_issues https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_Synergy_Drive#Patent_is... Now you have the Chevy Volt, which was half of Chevrolet pleading with shareholders and management to embrace electric, and the other half puffing on their cigars and chortling over "battery powered" cars. The result? some kind of design-by-committee plug in hybrid electric with a motor thats a generator? Needless to say the Prius casually crushed it. Finally theres BMW with their i3, but who cares? A p75 will dominate it in terms of both power and range. Many mechanics I know attest that BMW could only bring this to market by building most of the car out of carbon fiber. The glaring fact remains that everyone in the industry is back to 2005 all over again. pulling up their pants and sprinting to keep up all over again with something they all insisted wasnt going anywhere. My apprentice tells me Porsche's Taycan electric will do 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, but again, who cares. a P100 will absolutely embarrass any porsche model gas, or electric, in a sub two second quarter mile with ludicrous speed and still have enough charge to get something at the mcdonalds drivethrough on the way home.

usaphp 8y ago
> Finally theres BMW with their i3, but who cares? A p75 will dominate it in terms of both power and range Tesla p75 starts from $77,500 Bmw i3 starts from $44,000, it’s almost $35,000 more expensive. And you can get a used i3 for $20,000 easily, I doubt there are any Tesla’s in that price range
- rcMgD2BwE72F 8y ago
  Is the $20,000 i3 an EV or a hybrid? If the former, I wouldn't compare it to a Tesla.
  - gsnedders 8y ago
    The cheaper i3s were the pure-electric; it was an extra cost to get the range extender motor (i.e., the series hybrid).
- rconti 8y ago
  You're comparing a full size sedan to a city car. I know the Tesla 3 isn't on sale everywhere, but it's damn near the price of the i3. Ultimately, though, that's missing the point -- the i3 is a city car, the small size is part of the selling point (while also being a drawback). In the price range, the 3 is a more useful car in most places, but the i3 has its niche as well. Hell, there are so many tax credits and rebates here in CA that you can get a new i3 from around $24k. I still opted for the Tesla because the i3 would have very limited range and usefulness as an everyday car, but if you don't mind buying a car that's solely a commuter, it's a great option.
  - usaphp 8y ago
    I was not the one who compared them, op did
throwaway5752 8y ago
I hope you see this reply, because I'm very curious about your opinion on this I have watched from afar as Tesla (wisely, to me) approached the market top down with the S and Roadster. But I'm definitely the type that is very practical as far as vehicles go: get me from point A to point B, do it reliably for a long time (10-15 years with regular maintenance), and hopefully do so for around $25k base. Where do you see the Model 3 vs the Prius (or Bolt? I think I can pick up on your feelings on the Volt) currently, in those terms? My mind is literally blown by some of the 0-60 and quarter mile numbers, but those end up as very low priorities for me when I'm thinking about getting a new vehicle. edit: the technologist in me loves the Tesla platform, but the car buyer in me loves being 4-5 generations into a platform, at least. edit 2: ... so, I have no idea why people are downvoting me. If you did, I'd appreciate some feedback so I can avoid it in the future, but I asked a car question on a car submission in response to a car comment.
- codeulike 8y ago
  Good question. Consider the short range Model 3 vs the longer range Nissan Leaf thats supposed to be coming next year. They will both have similar prices and ranges. Then its the choice between the cool looking, more futuristic car which might have issues vs the more regular, likely more dependable one. I think Tesla are counting on autopilot to differentiate them, but that wont be compelling to everyone.
  - throwaway5752 8y ago
    I can't see how anyone that's spent a minute in an infosec related position could desire autopilot. I am trying closer to the "trying hard to tolerate that it's present" stage.
- HeadsUpHigh 8y ago
  As far as Tesla is concerned I think you should look for the Model Y when that's announced. That's probably going to be much closer to your price range.
  - 8y ago
ericpauley 8y ago
Surely you mean a sub ten second quarter mile? Ignoring acceleration, sub two second would be an average speed of 450mph.

usaphp 8y ago

> Finally theres BMW with their i3, but who cares? A p75 will dominate it in terms of both power and range Tesla p75 starts from $77,500 Bmw i3 starts from $44,000, it’s almost $35,000 more expensive. And you can get a used i3 for $20,000 easily, I doubt there are any Tesla’s in that price range

rcMgD2BwE72F 8y ago
Is the $20,000 i3 an EV or a hybrid? If the former, I wouldn't compare it to a Tesla.
- gsnedders 8y ago
  The cheaper i3s were the pure-electric; it was an extra cost to get the range extender motor (i.e., the series hybrid).
rconti 8y ago
You're comparing a full size sedan to a city car. I know the Tesla 3 isn't on sale everywhere, but it's damn near the price of the i3. Ultimately, though, that's missing the point -- the i3 is a city car, the small size is part of the selling point (while also being a drawback). In the price range, the 3 is a more useful car in most places, but the i3 has its niche as well. Hell, there are so many tax credits and rebates here in CA that you can get a new i3 from around $24k. I still opted for the Tesla because the i3 would have very limited range and usefulness as an everyday car, but if you don't mind buying a car that's solely a commuter, it's a great option.
- usaphp 8y ago
  I was not the one who compared them, op did

throwaway5752 8y ago

I hope you see this reply, because I'm very curious about your opinion on this I have watched from afar as Tesla (wisely, to me) approached the market top down with the S and Roadster. But I'm definitely the type that is very practical as far as vehicles go: get me from point A to point B, do it reliably for a long time (10-15 years with regular maintenance), and hopefully do so for around $25k base. Where do you see the Model 3 vs the Prius (or Bolt? I think I can pick up on your feelings on the Volt) currently, in those terms? My mind is literally blown by some of the 0-60 and quarter mile numbers, but those end up as very low priorities for me when I'm thinking about getting a new vehicle. edit: the technologist in me loves the Tesla platform, but the car buyer in me loves being 4-5 generations into a platform, at least. edit 2: ... so, I have no idea why people are downvoting me. If you did, I'd appreciate some feedback so I can avoid it in the future, but I asked a car question on a car submission in response to a car comment.

codeulike 8y ago
Good question. Consider the short range Model 3 vs the longer range Nissan Leaf thats supposed to be coming next year. They will both have similar prices and ranges. Then its the choice between the cool looking, more futuristic car which might have issues vs the more regular, likely more dependable one. I think Tesla are counting on autopilot to differentiate them, but that wont be compelling to everyone.
- throwaway5752 8y ago
  I can't see how anyone that's spent a minute in an infosec related position could desire autopilot. I am trying closer to the "trying hard to tolerate that it's present" stage.
HeadsUpHigh 8y ago
As far as Tesla is concerned I think you should look for the Model Y when that's announced. That's probably going to be much closer to your price range.
- 8y ago

ericpauley 8y ago

Surely you mean a sub ten second quarter mile? Ignoring acceleration, sub two second would be an average speed of 450mph.