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> Another measure is per-passenger MPG(e) A bus now looks a whole lot better, and a full Model S with jump-seats is more efficient than a full leaf in terms of
by SeanLuke 14y ago
> Another measure is per-passenger MPG(e) A bus now looks a whole lot better, and a full Model S with jump-seats is more efficient than a full leaf in terms of per-passenger MPGe.
All very true, but still very weaselly IMHO. Since the Leaf hauls five passengers, what you're really saying is that the Model S is acceptably efficient only if you're always carrying six passengers. I'm willing to bet that, assuming your Model S even has the child jump-seats in the back, this is probably well less than 10% of the use cases for the kinds of people buying this car.
And of course it's true that an ICE is less efficient than an electric motor. That's not what was claimed. What was claimed was that "any electric car will be more energy efficient than one using an internal combustion engine", that is, dismissing the Volt and C-Max.
I'm not saying that Tesla shouldn't have done what they did: they were very smart in developing a competitor to the BMW 7-series. The long range is smart, and the lack of an ICE backup is smart, and the high-end market is smart. It was the right decision to make. But it is nonetheless still fair to say that the Model S isn't a particularly efficient car in comparison to its electric and plug-in hybrid competition.
- aidenn0 14y agoThe main point was the Model S could easily be just as thermodynamically efficient as the Leaf. On a side note, I can't fit my family of 5 in a Leaf since kids have to be in a car-seat until age 8, and fitting 3 car-seats in the backseat of a Leaf is a no-go.