Australian Model 3 Highland experiences, tips, tricks

[Jules22]

However if you compare the BYD Seal with the Model 3, the Model 3 travels circa 25% further on the same energy, based on the test results, and these are directly comparable vehicles. That’s a significant difference IMHO.

Indeed, obviously as with any set of statistics, you need to look at what it's showing. Plenty of other comparable Mid-Size Sedans that were supposed Model 3 killers fall well below the Model 3. Even if you put the Model S in there which looks to be in the 3.5-3.6 range, it's still impressive compared to the comparable sized vehicles.

The real point here is the fact that Tesla are achieving comparable ranges with their 'competition' (despite some of these vehicles being significantly more expensive) while using battery packs that are significantly smaller and more efficient.

 

[dronus]

Couple of new players. I'd probably avoid buying the first of something.

Interesting that Toyota has an EV, are they falling on their Hydrogen/Petrol swords?

2024 Subaru Solterra - AWD, All-Electric SUV | Subaru Australia

Book a test drive of the all-new all-electric SUV, Subaru Solterra. Capable at its core, the Subaru Solterra is everything Australia loves about Subaru.

www.subaru.com.au

https://www.toyota.com.au/bz4x-ev

 

[Jules22]

Interesting that Toyota has an EV, are they falling on their Hydrogen/Petrol swords?

Toyota seem to be all over the place, always have a revolutionary EV battery just about to be released, then talk about EV's being dead, then Hydrogen, then a new ICE engine that's going to be revolutionary, etc etc. I think they've just lost the plot personally.

 

[dronus]

Couple of new players. I'd probably avoid buying the first of something.

Interesting that Toyota has an EV, are they falling on their Hydrogen/Petrol swords?

2024 Subaru Solterra - AWD, All-Electric SUV | Subaru Australia

Book a test drive of the all-new all-electric SUV, Subaru Solterra. Capable at its core, the Subaru Solterra is everything Australia loves about Subaru.

www.subaru.com.au

https://www.toyota.com.au/bz4x-ev

And why would you call a car bz4x-ev ??? Is this like when they first brought out the prius and deliberately made it so ugly that no one would buy it, thus giving them a "no one wants hybrid/ev, sales are too low" line? I hope not and that they have learnt from their mistakes.

 

[dronus]

Toyota seem to be all over the place, always have a revolutionary EV battery just about to be released, then talk about EV's being dead, then Hydrogen, then a new ICE engine that's going to be revolutionary, etc etc. I think they've just lost the plot personally.

Im assuming they rely heavily on their baked on "ruh ruh ruh landcruiser tough" and taxis/soccer mum clientele and cant see the forest from the trees.

 

[Jules22]

Im assuming they rely heavily on their baked on "ruh ruh ruh landcruiser tough" and taxis/soccer mum clientele and cant see the forest from the trees.

I think the real issue there is there is a conflict between the CEO and chairman (former CEO and grandson of the founder) with both having different views on EV/ICE/H2 etc. Haven't delved into it too deeply but that is my basic understanding and explains why there seems to be disconnects between various statements.

 

[Riasta]

If this goes through, this will really change the market in AU

Strict new-car emissions standards coming to Australia from 2025, utes and 4WDs among hardest hit

Tougher standards for tailpipe emissions from new petrol and diesel vehicles are due to roll out in Australia starting in 2025.

www.drive.com.au

 

[dronus]

If this goes through, this will really change the market in AU

Strict new-car emissions standards coming to Australia from 2025, utes and 4WDs among hardest hit

Tougher standards for tailpipe emissions from new petrol and diesel vehicles are due to roll out in Australia starting in 2025.

www.drive.com.au

I'm surprised with those numbers they haven't mandated wearing masks and staying 1.5m away from running vehicles and some kind of vaccination against it...

ohh wait..

Maybe instead of taxing EV owners, tax those people driving around in their big 4WD utes with mud terrain tyres towing their ski boats that cause more damage to the road than an EV ever will...

 

[dronus]

I think the real issue there is there is a conflict between the CEO and chairman (former CEO and grandson of the founder) with both having different views on EV/ICE/H2 etc. Haven't delved into it too deeply but that is my basic understanding and explains why there seems to be disconnects between various statements.

And people call Elon crazy for his vision of sustainable and affordable transport.

Its interesting how the public sentiment can be swayed by the media, even when it makes no sense if you leave the emotion at the door

 

[Jules22]

Its interesting how the public sentiment can be swayed by the media,

100% most people are just sheep being herded by whoever has the loudest voice.

 

[dronus]

100% most people are just sheep being herded by whoever has the loudest voice.

Dronus Story Time

A friend of mine was in the market for a new car a couple of years ago.

He was telling me how the most popular cars are HiLux, Ranger and various SUVs.

As the HiLux won car of that year (on a website sponsored by Toyota) he decided that this was the car for him. This was pre-covid so he went down to the local Toyota stealership and bought a fancy new blue SR5 Hilux.

A few days later he brought it home and i noticed it parked out the front. I stopped by to say hi and check it out. It looked like any other hilux but i faked interest. especially in regards to the revolutionary cup holders.

I asked him why it was parked out the front (it was like 45deg that day) and he said it wont fit under his garage rollerdoor, but not to worry as he is getting quotes to get that raised. Onkaparinga council have a blanket ban on adding any structure forward of the front of your existing building, no matter how far away from the boundary you are, and this caught him off guard.

Anyway, fast forward a couple of weeks and i see him down at the local woolworths. Its still in the mid 40's and he is loading his kids in the back seats, and his shopping trolleys of groceries into the tray. He did not look very happy.

I did what any good friend would do and followed him home. Stopping at the front of his house just to admire the washing machine effect his groceries had gone thru rolling around in the tray. Ice cream mixed with cat food, YUM!

Fast forward another 3 months or so and the HiLux is gone. Replaced by a Toyota 7 seat SUV of some sort. I caught up with him and asked why he bought that car... "its the most popular SUV in that segment" was the reply. The dealership had bought the Hilux off him "For a good price" and recommended the SUV.

 

[Vostok]

The real point here is the fact that Tesla are achieving comparable ranges with their 'competition' (despite some of these vehicles being significantly more expensive) while using battery packs that are significantly smaller and more efficient.

This, among other things, is why it was always delusional for the legacy carmakers to think they could “crush Tesla at a whim” and at a time of their choosing, as if a BEV was only a tiny tweak to their existing product design and manufacturing skills.

Of course, this never was the case, as the legacies are now discovering. First, they didn’t really try to pivot to BEVs until the horse had already bolted. Then, they discovered making good BEVs is much, much harder than they ever realised, and a whole suite of new skills are required that they didn’t have. And finally, because they didn’t have 10 years of learned experience under their belt making and optimising BEV design and production, their products were generally inferior to competitor products on important metrics, and they couldn’t make them at a profit.

It’s a textbook case of disruption of an established industry.

 

[Vostok]

Toyota seem to be all over the place, always have a revolutionary EV battery just about to be released, then talk about EV's being dead, then Hydrogen, then a new ICE engine that's going to be revolutionary, etc etc. I think they've just lost the plot personally.

Toyota can’t help themselves. Even when launching their appallingly-named “Bz4x” they continue to trash-talk EVs.

This all creates the impression that Toyota has been dragged kicking and screaming into the BEV world, that they don’t really want to do it (but… but… but…. Hydrogen!!!), and those governments with fuel efficiency standards (i.e. every major country except for Australia and Russia) are forcing their hand.

At the launch of the Bz4X, AAP reported that Sean Hanley, Toyota’s head of sales in Australia, said that while the Bz4x would be “the foundation of Toyota’s electrification strategy” Toyota would need more time to reduce emissions from the rest of its fleet to meet Australia’s proposed fuel-efficiency rules.

You wonder how Toyota copes in the rest of the world where fuel efficiency standards have existed for decades.

 

[dronus]

You wonder how Toyota copes in the rest of the world where fuel efficiency standards have existed for decades.

I suspect they are getting high on their own supply

 

[jeevas123]

It's funny, I still constantly see comments saying it's "impossible" to use on roundabouts and "dangerous" despite having a video of it being clearly neither of those after only two days of ownership.

99% of those making those comments haven't even done a test drive though, the rest mostly have just done a quick drive or two.

Only one or two negative comments from actual highland owners, while most owners comment thats ranging from that they either got used to it very easily and quickly to that they now actually prefer the buttons and would never go back to stalks.

It's definitely a massive fear of change issue.

Frankly speaking, After my 500+km of driving I didn't find the stalks as a show stopper of any sort. Yes in very weird steering positions I am skipping switching indicators which I wouldn't have if there were stalks. But it is not really a value add as those cases where when the vehicle is exiting a mall or similar situations I am not conveying lot of usable information to guy following with such quick indicator switching, but that I am unlearning and relearning a muscle memory effect. Compare that to how some people with their merc/bmw/audis etc still drive in this country in multilane traffic as if they don't know what an indicator is!!!.

This weekend I went for a test drive of all BYD cars including Dolphin. They are really good tech-wise and reliabilty-wise to match the clunky 10 year old aging tech in a toyoto camry or yaris or any other legacy automaker models which they can easily replace and are very reliable also. But once you are used to the finesse of something like a tesla it is almost impossible to like any other car including the premium ones like Mercs and BMWs atleast at this point in time.

 

[meloccom]

And why would you call a car bz4x-ev ??? Is this like when they first brought out the prius and deliberately made it so ugly that no one would buy it, thus giving them a "no one wants hybrid/ev, sales are too low" line? I hope not and that they have learnt from their mistakes.

BZ = Beyond Zero, 4X as in looks like it’s a capable 4WD but isn’t really.

 

[jeevas123]

So tempted to pull the trigger on the nothing2 phone but it looks like it doesnt support UWB anyway?

Not sure how updated this list is:

And also not sure when Tesla Android app will be updated to support UWB. But I don't know how different the experience will be compared to the Bluetooth Key.

 

[dronus]

Not sure how updated this list is:

View attachment 1024296

And also not sure when Tesla Android app will be updated to support UWB. But I don't know how different the experience will be compared to the Bluetooth Key.

yeah i saw that list and its also the same list of phones im trying to avoid hahaha

Telsa app does support UWB now, i had the update a few weeks ago. Working on my iphone14 pro.

 

[dronus]

Need to add some panels and a battery to this picture….

View attachment 1024071

hey @Jules22 if i take the aerocaps off my wheels do you reakon this page in my app will update to reflect the change?


Just Kidding!

 

[Vostok]

BZ = Beyond Zero

Toyota needs to get to zero first before it can contemplate beyond zero…