3 ms·

"You're only focusing on the "electric car" part. By all accounts, the rest of the car is an amazing package, even without the electric motor. I think the quest

by rsync 14y ago

"You're only focusing on the "electric car" part. By all accounts, the rest of the car is an amazing package, even without the electric motor. I think the question is why was Tesla able to push the Model S so far ahead of the current industry in those other respects?" This cannot be overstated. I don't like a lot of the Tesla S design - both interior and exterior. Further, my use case(s) don't necessarily lend themselves perfectly to an electric car. But the Tesla has a third row with five-point child harness seats built fucking in[1]. This feature alone changes my life. The existing auto industry answer to carseats and children in general ranges from "makes me want to kill myself to insert/remove carseat" to "merely makes me want to kill others". How much of the rest of a Model S is like this ? Apparently the shocks/suspension are[2]. [1] Optional. [2] http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/track-tests/2012-tesla-model-s-signature-performance-suspension-walkaround.html http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/track-tests/2012-tesla-mo...

calinet6 14y ago
It's worth nothing that the only reason they're able to add that feature is because they don't need space for a gas engine and the associated tanks and parts.
- bch 14y ago
  I joke about this to myself, but my 1972 VW Type 3 (eg: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1966_Volkswagen_1600_Squareback.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1966_Volkswagen_1600_Squar...) actually has a lot of similarities with the Tesla; 1) [X] no radiator 2) [X] grill-less front end (see also (1)) 3) [X] smooth underbody 4) [X] "frunk" (front trunk) 5) [X] storage in rear, in addition to frunk. I guess the point is, in some ways, we've been "living in the future" for a long time; it's just that we haven't been marketed-to enough to realize it. Tesla is interesting to me, and I'm not trying to diminish what they've accomplished, but at least some of the little things that "fell out" of the design that people seem to impressed by are 50 years old. It's just interesting, that's all. ====== Interesting fact: 1968 VW Type 3 is the first volume produced auto to ship electronic fuel injection. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_air-cooled_engine#Type_1:_1.1.E2.80.931.6_litres http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_air-cooled_engine#Ty...)
corresation 14y ago
Give it a few years and a few lawsuits and Tesla will have a solution that makes you want to "kill yourself" as well. This is a bit like PayPal versus other payment vendors (what an appropriate example!) -- it's easy for other payment vendors to talk big when they're at a small scale or dealing only in a niche, but once they're generalists those ideals tend to fall apart. Rear-facing seats are illegal in many areas, for one, leading to export issues. The second is that anything dealing with children is a legal nightmare in general, and faces by far the most regulatory scrutiny: Having four young children, I've gone through probably half-a-dozen child-seat recall issues for various relatively minor things. Integrate that in the vehicle and you suddenly have a major corporate liability. Tesla is an amazing company, but as they grow they will get the layers of protection that every other company eventually gains (e.g. "the most we'll do are some frame-anchored LATCH anchors that we are forced to install by the government...").

by rsync 14y ago

calinet6 14y ago

It's worth nothing that the only reason they're able to add that feature is because they don't need space for a gas engine and the associated tanks and parts.

bch 14y ago
I joke about this to myself, but my 1972 VW Type 3 (eg: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1966_Volkswagen_1600_Squareback.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1966_Volkswagen_1600_Squar...) actually has a lot of similarities with the Tesla; 1) [X] no radiator 2) [X] grill-less front end (see also (1)) 3) [X] smooth underbody 4) [X] "frunk" (front trunk) 5) [X] storage in rear, in addition to frunk. I guess the point is, in some ways, we've been "living in the future" for a long time; it's just that we haven't been marketed-to enough to realize it. Tesla is interesting to me, and I'm not trying to diminish what they've accomplished, but at least some of the little things that "fell out" of the design that people seem to impressed by are 50 years old. It's just interesting, that's all. ====== Interesting fact: 1968 VW Type 3 is the first volume produced auto to ship electronic fuel injection. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_air-cooled_engine#Type_1:_1.1.E2.80.931.6_litres http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_air-cooled_engine#Ty...)

corresation 14y ago

Give it a few years and a few lawsuits and Tesla will have a solution that makes you want to "kill yourself" as well. This is a bit like PayPal versus other payment vendors (what an appropriate example!) -- it's easy for other payment vendors to talk big when they're at a small scale or dealing only in a niche, but once they're generalists those ideals tend to fall apart. Rear-facing seats are illegal in many areas, for one, leading to export issues. The second is that anything dealing with children is a legal nightmare in general, and faces by far the most regulatory scrutiny: Having four young children, I've gone through probably half-a-dozen child-seat recall issues for various relatively minor things. Integrate that in the vehicle and you suddenly have a major corporate liability. Tesla is an amazing company, but as they grow they will get the layers of protection that every other company eventually gains (e.g. "the most we'll do are some frame-anchored LATCH anchors that we are forced to install by the government...").