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This is a good point, but you also have to assume that people who drive cars that cost more than a modest house are probably not overly concerned about the cost

This is a good point, but you also have to assume that people who drive cars that cost more than a modest house are probably not overly concerned about the cost of gasoline. Even if it were a car attainable by normal middle-class drivers, I believe most people would rather be confident that they can reach their destination safely than fret over a hundred bucks of gasoline (and a tow costs at least $75). Maybe the moral of the story is that all Tesla owners doing long-range driving should invest in a AAA membership for the inevitable occasion when the battery jumps down to -22% before reaching the next charging station.

greglindahl 11y ago
It's likely that no Tesla owners have AAA, because the car comes with roadside service, including towing. I know people on HN love to discuss things they aren't personally familiar with, but this is really getting out of hand!
- cookiecaper 11y ago
  It was a quip. Relax. It doesn't really matter if they get included roadside service or not, since they'll still have to sit around, wait for a tow truck to show up and rescue them from the middle of nowhere, ride in the truck's cab or possibly have to get a separate taxi to wherever the car is being towed, and wait to get charged. This has to happen whether one uses Tesla, AAA, or any other entity (including themselves) to coordinate the tow. It doesn't materially change the argument.
- jack-r-abbit 11y ago
  > It's likely that no Tesla owners have AAA, because the car comes with roadside service, including towing. That assumes the Tesla is that person's only car. I own 3 cars and have AAA. If I bought a Tesla I would still have at least one additional car. (Simply because my wife needs a car at the same time I do so we are pretty much a 2+ car family.) I would still have AAA.
mikeash 11y ago
That doesn't happen. There's a trip energy graph which shows your projected remaining charge when you reach your destination, and compares it with the actual usage. Energy use is strongly dependent on speed, so if you find yourself using more than projected, you can slow down a bit (5MPH is generally plenty) and get back on track. If you use more than expected you can see this happening with plenty of time to spare and take appropriate actions without any worries. One of the nice things about an electric car is that the measure of remaining capacity is really accurate. In a typical gas car, anything below ~50 miles of range is basically a crapshoot. In an electric car, if it says you can make it 5 more miles, that might actually be 4, or 6, but it won't be zero. I don't know what happened with the author, but given the total lack of discussion of the trip energy use graph in the article, I suspect he was not using all the tools available to him and misinterpreted something. That's not to make excuses for Tesla; they seriously need to improve their trip planner to stop being so stupid. However, if you take five minutes to familiarize yourself with the car and the tools it provides you, then there is no worry about the battery suddenly jumping to -22% and leaving you stranded. It's certainly not an "inevitable occasion."

greglindahl 11y ago

It's likely that no Tesla owners have AAA, because the car comes with roadside service, including towing. I know people on HN love to discuss things they aren't personally familiar with, but this is really getting out of hand!

cookiecaper 11y ago
It was a quip. Relax. It doesn't really matter if they get included roadside service or not, since they'll still have to sit around, wait for a tow truck to show up and rescue them from the middle of nowhere, ride in the truck's cab or possibly have to get a separate taxi to wherever the car is being towed, and wait to get charged. This has to happen whether one uses Tesla, AAA, or any other entity (including themselves) to coordinate the tow. It doesn't materially change the argument.
jack-r-abbit 11y ago
> It's likely that no Tesla owners have AAA, because the car comes with roadside service, including towing. That assumes the Tesla is that person's only car. I own 3 cars and have AAA. If I bought a Tesla I would still have at least one additional car. (Simply because my wife needs a car at the same time I do so we are pretty much a 2+ car family.) I would still have AAA.

mikeash 11y ago

That doesn't happen. There's a trip energy graph which shows your projected remaining charge when you reach your destination, and compares it with the actual usage. Energy use is strongly dependent on speed, so if you find yourself using more than projected, you can slow down a bit (5MPH is generally plenty) and get back on track. If you use more than expected you can see this happening with plenty of time to spare and take appropriate actions without any worries. One of the nice things about an electric car is that the measure of remaining capacity is really accurate. In a typical gas car, anything below ~50 miles of range is basically a crapshoot. In an electric car, if it says you can make it 5 more miles, that might actually be 4, or 6, but it won't be zero. I don't know what happened with the author, but given the total lack of discussion of the trip energy use graph in the article, I suspect he was not using all the tools available to him and misinterpreted something. That's not to make excuses for Tesla; they seriously need to improve their trip planner to stop being so stupid. However, if you take five minutes to familiarize yourself with the car and the tools it provides you, then there is no worry about the battery suddenly jumping to -22% and leaving you stranded. It's certainly not an "inevitable occasion."