4 ms·

Tesla would have been the electric car to buy many years ago, but the well established auto makers have proceduced excellent electric vehicles that outmatch in

Tesla would have been the electric car to buy many years ago, but the well established auto makers have proceduced excellent electric vehicles that outmatch in terms of build quality, features and support. A car is not a joke. It's one of the more expensive purchases in one's life and having confidence in your vehicle is important. Quality, reliability and after care support is what the established automakers do well.

stcredzero 3y ago
excellent electric vehicles that outmatch in terms of build quality, features and support Well, not so much. Some of them get the build quality right. But generally features and specs like efficiency, range, and acceleration lag behind. And in the charging experience Tesla is still leading by a long shot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1TFZuIUviQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1TFZuIUviQ
- Rebelgecko 3y ago
  If I had to rank those features, I'd put build quality way ahead of acceleration. I can't think of a situation where the difference between 0-60 in 3.5 seconds vs 4 seconds actually matters, but build quality impacts the car whenever you're in it. TBH i find it a little concerning that anyone can buy a 4.5 ton car like the Hummer EV that can accelerate to 60mph in 3 seconds and change
  - stcredzero 3y ago
    If I had to rank those features, I'd put build quality way ahead of acceleration The most critical one is the actual charging experience. Tesla is literally in a league of its own, until the NACS switchover gets implemented by the various other manufacturers who have agreed to. The second most critical one is Autopilot/FSD. Even in Beta, FSD is a life-changer / game-changer! Seriously, road trips have gone to basically zero stress and fatigue. Arguments with my wife about driving have also become a thing of the past. Then third, would be the over the air updates. The car poses basically Zero maintenance burden on me, but continually gets better over time. There’s a distorted view of people who don’t own an EV. The reality is different, and it’s one that most people don’t want to go back from, ever!
    - Rebelgecko 3y ago
      Isn't Autopilot basically just adaptive cruise control + lane guidance? I think those features are pretty commoditized now. My non-tesla car does both (although the lane changes are so overly cautious that if I'm in traffic I do it myself). Definitely with you on charging experience + OTA updates though. I imagine the charging experience will mostly be solved in the next few years, but it's disappointing how some (most? All?) legacy car companies still make you go to a service center for patches. Plus, 2015 Teslas still get patches... I can't imagine my car will have any significant changes going forward
      - stcredzero 3y ago
        Isn't Autopilot basically just adaptive cruise control + lane guidance? I haven’t used Autopilot for so long, maybe I shouldn’t comment on it any more, since my info is years out of date at this point. If you think of it in this context, FSD beta is basically the shockingly superior best example of that kind of feature, so long as you remember to hit the “minimal lane changes” button. Which you have remember to do every time. :( (To be fair, it’s not 100% perfect.) But then again, there are basically many occasions, where it just straight up drives me home. FSD is quite a bit more than just adaptive cruise control + lane guidance. Even with the requirement that I need to pay attention, it’s still mostly like being driven around.
    - beej71 3y ago
      > The most critical one is the actual charging experience. This is the one thing holding me back from buying an EV in general.
      - stcredzero 3y ago
        If you have a garage, then just buy a Tesla. Even if you only have 110v, charging at home overnight with a car that needs close to 0 maintenance is a game changer. No visits to the gas station. No oil changes. No smog test. Costs about half as much to “fuel.” No more petroleum and exhaust smells in the garage. Supercharging just works seamlessly. Here in CA, I can go to even somewhat remote places and charge on road trips without much thought.
darknavi 3y ago
I really do love competition but there is still a lot of the experience of driving a Tesla that I prefer. I rented an EV6 and there are so many "misses" in terms of usability that just really annoy me. Things like easily leaving the AC on when getting out of the car (we were in hot Arizona) or being able to unlatch the charging cable while actively charging (you need to shut all of the doors and press unlock on the keyfob which I found after googling). That and Tesla has extremely competitive prices for the Model 3 and Model Y in the US right now. If you're looking at fact sheets (and not preference of company or CEO, which is definitely a valid way to vote with your wallet) Tesla is still extremely competitive.

stcredzero 3y ago

excellent electric vehicles that outmatch in terms of build quality, features and support Well, not so much. Some of them get the build quality right. But generally features and specs like efficiency, range, and acceleration lag behind. And in the charging experience Tesla is still leading by a long shot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1TFZuIUviQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1TFZuIUviQ

Rebelgecko 3y ago
If I had to rank those features, I'd put build quality way ahead of acceleration. I can't think of a situation where the difference between 0-60 in 3.5 seconds vs 4 seconds actually matters, but build quality impacts the car whenever you're in it. TBH i find it a little concerning that anyone can buy a 4.5 ton car like the Hummer EV that can accelerate to 60mph in 3 seconds and change
- stcredzero 3y ago
  If I had to rank those features, I'd put build quality way ahead of acceleration The most critical one is the actual charging experience. Tesla is literally in a league of its own, until the NACS switchover gets implemented by the various other manufacturers who have agreed to. The second most critical one is Autopilot/FSD. Even in Beta, FSD is a life-changer / game-changer! Seriously, road trips have gone to basically zero stress and fatigue. Arguments with my wife about driving have also become a thing of the past. Then third, would be the over the air updates. The car poses basically Zero maintenance burden on me, but continually gets better over time. There’s a distorted view of people who don’t own an EV. The reality is different, and it’s one that most people don’t want to go back from, ever!
  - Rebelgecko 3y ago
    Isn't Autopilot basically just adaptive cruise control + lane guidance? I think those features are pretty commoditized now. My non-tesla car does both (although the lane changes are so overly cautious that if I'm in traffic I do it myself). Definitely with you on charging experience + OTA updates though. I imagine the charging experience will mostly be solved in the next few years, but it's disappointing how some (most? All?) legacy car companies still make you go to a service center for patches. Plus, 2015 Teslas still get patches... I can't imagine my car will have any significant changes going forward
    - stcredzero 3y ago
      Isn't Autopilot basically just adaptive cruise control + lane guidance? I haven’t used Autopilot for so long, maybe I shouldn’t comment on it any more, since my info is years out of date at this point. If you think of it in this context, FSD beta is basically the shockingly superior best example of that kind of feature, so long as you remember to hit the “minimal lane changes” button. Which you have remember to do every time. :( (To be fair, it’s not 100% perfect.) But then again, there are basically many occasions, where it just straight up drives me home. FSD is quite a bit more than just adaptive cruise control + lane guidance. Even with the requirement that I need to pay attention, it’s still mostly like being driven around.
  - beej71 3y ago
    > The most critical one is the actual charging experience. This is the one thing holding me back from buying an EV in general.
    - stcredzero 3y ago
      If you have a garage, then just buy a Tesla. Even if you only have 110v, charging at home overnight with a car that needs close to 0 maintenance is a game changer. No visits to the gas station. No oil changes. No smog test. Costs about half as much to “fuel.” No more petroleum and exhaust smells in the garage. Supercharging just works seamlessly. Here in CA, I can go to even somewhat remote places and charge on road trips without much thought.

darknavi 3y ago

I really do love competition but there is still a lot of the experience of driving a Tesla that I prefer. I rented an EV6 and there are so many "misses" in terms of usability that just really annoy me. Things like easily leaving the AC on when getting out of the car (we were in hot Arizona) or being able to unlatch the charging cable while actively charging (you need to shut all of the doors and press unlock on the keyfob which I found after googling). That and Tesla has extremely competitive prices for the Model 3 and Model Y in the US right now. If you're looking at fact sheets (and not preference of company or CEO, which is definitely a valid way to vote with your wallet) Tesla is still extremely competitive.