Recent content by TimV

I was down at Santana Row over the weekend celebrating my birthday having dinner at Fogo de Chao and we happened to swing by the Tesla store there. The new front end on the Model S looks great! As much as I liked the Model S before and Tesla in general, I always thought that the faux grill was...

Never heard of the Tour of California?

The drive train of the Tesla is simple enough such that the components (motor, gear reducer, transaxles) are likely designed to last the life of the car. That doesn't mean that there won't ever be a failure. It does mean that they won't require any regular maintenance such as timing belt...

If the sales ratio is really that much in favor of the AWD (20:1 or more), then the RWD may not last long at all. All I'm saying is that the RWD version allows Tesla to more easily achieve the entry level price point of $35,000. Personally, I think a lot of Model 3 customers will be more price...

Having a RWD entry level Model 3 will likely drive up the ASP. Those people that want AWD are probably also willing to pay for it. Why give something away when you can make it an option and get another $3-5K?

Why would Tesla have alpha level units of the Model 3 a full two years before it is supposed to be produced? I would imagine they are currently deep in the design phase of Model 3. Alpha units won't be made for quite a while.

I Googled it, and as it applies to Tesla, you're wrong. The only reason FWD ICE cars are more efficient is because there is less mass associated with the drive train. On a Tesla, the motor is placed directly between the wheels, so the advantage simply isn't there. Also, there is exactly 0%...

Actually, you are wrong. The regen energy comes from the motors. They act as generators when the car is decelerating. That's why the dual drive is more efficient. It can recover energy from both axles, not just the rear.

The Model E will definitely be capable of Supercharging. Whether it is built in to the standard price of the car or available as a $2K option remains to be seen. However, there is no way that the Model E will be excluded from the Supercharger network. That would make absolutely zero sense.

The Model E will be RWD. Make no mistake about it. This car is already known to be a direct competitor to the 3-series and it's ilk. The driving dynamics of a FWD drive car in that segment will be unacceptable. I honestly can't believe we're actually having this discussion. The only reason...

When did you move here from LA?

Why would FWD have a lower cost than RWD? I think it would be more. FWD requires CV joints on the drive shafts. RWD does not. Otherwise the layout is (or can be) identical.

This all sounds pretty likely with the exception of the last comment on build quality and possibly options. I realize that the early numbers of the Model S had some issues. I would imagine in three or more years after ramping up both Model S and Model X production, the Model E will hit the...