Elon "About to end range anxiety"

[Saghost]

improved navigation software is not significant enough to 'end range anxiety'. the only end to range anxiety is an enormous amount of more range or a way to recharge the car while driving.

Disagree. Range anxiety is not knowing if you'll have enough power to get to the destination or not. If the car does an accurate job of predicting range, and offers you waypoints for superchargers and estimated charging times at them, there's no anxiety. You still have to stop and charge, but you know when and where and for how long, so there's no anxiety.

I have trouble believing that Tesla came up with a way to magically extend the range of the whole fleet by large amounts with a simple firmware update - and even if they did, it wouldn't eliminate range anxiety, just shift it further away.

I've been talking about a "road trip" firmware update for a while now, and it sounds like Tesla may be about to announce it.
Walter

 

[dmckinstry]

Just a few of my own thoughts:
1) Anything related to supercharger access doesn't affect the entire fleet (at least in a positive manner). It's only a positive effect if you don't already have it.
2) Anything related to supercharger rate doesn't affect range anxiety (only destination arrival time anxiety).

I'd love it if something like a super eco mode could have been developed for existing regular Model S's. But could that be considered an improvement for the newer models that have dual motors? Maybe it is since it hasn't yet been implemented for them.

Of course Firmware 6.1 already indicates that you will need to charge if you're more than the predicted range miles from your destination, and tells you to drive slower if you're close to being just within range of your destination. This is updated during your charging process if your destination is already known.

It would be nice if they have an anemometer in the car, so that you would have an effective air speed indicator to predict range loss due to air resistance. Requires hardware update.

I have nav, so don't know the limitations of the car without it.

 

[apacheguy]

The Roadster owner who stopped at my house last Thursday to charge at 240v/70amps would disagree with you. He found me on PlugShare.

Right. Forgot not all Tesla's have SpC. Honestly, though, I have used Plugshare precisely 0 times in my MS in over two years of ownership.

 

[Stoneymonster]

Just spitballing too: maybe a guarantee that the prediction will be correct or some compensation will be offered?

 

[bp1000]

For me range anxiety is worrying if I have enough charge without having to wait for charge or make lengthy detours.

The cure is to offer more range, the nav intelligence and routing should just be a default function of owning an EV.

If I had tonnes of range I would never worry.

I think a press conference to announce a few intelligent nav features is a bit laughable. A press conference should be an event to show the world a groundbreaking achievement.

 

[nleggatt]

What about a make my destination option. The car knows how much energy is required to get to the destination and doesn't allow you to accelerate or drive faster then x. Ie it forces the energy usage to meet the destination requirements... Not sure how it would work. But it would stop accidentally using too much range early or whatnot and stop the guess work. Input destination and just drive - you'll make it

 

[Trev Page]

I'm still not with you. I didn't typo when I said 40s. The 40 kWh cars currently don't have access to Supercharging unless they upgrade the car to 60 kWh. This could be done, but it's currently a $10K upgrade. If Tesla doesn't upgrade the 40s, the current Superchargers are spaced too far apart for 40s to use them.

In any event, improving Supercharger access to 60 and 40 kWh cars doesn't make me feel like range anxiety has ended.

If they did enable SC access on the 40s and 60s I'd have to move my purchase time frame up a bit. There was a 40 for sale in my area last week but despite the attractive price I'd never buy it because its just too hobbled. No wonder Tesla killed it off.

 

[Saghost]

It would be nice if they have an anemometer in the car, so that you would have an effective air speed indicator to predict range loss due to air resistance. Requires hardware update.

Not necessarily. Obviously a physical anemometer would require new hardware. However, the only reason you'd want one is to predict the aerodynamic drag load - and through the electronics the car knows exactly how much power it is using at any moment as well as the current speed, any acceleration or deceleration that's happening, and the elevation change.

With all that information, it should be fairly easy to determine the current road load (combined rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag,) - and by modeling this and how it changes the car could separate rolling resistance from aero drag - as well as figuring out the current weight from actual acceleration rates and power.

It wouldn't be a terribly hard dynamic model to build, if it is worth the effort. Or they could stick with the current approach of just projecting forward the empirical Wh/mile required with adjustments for elevation changes - which implicitly includes winds.

 

[tomas]

Right, and when elon says entire line, in his mind might mean entire current line. Not 40.

 

[yobigd20]

For me range anxiety is worrying if I have enough charge without having to wait for charge or make lengthy detours.

gee, with the new 60kWh limited supercharging rate they are going in the opposite direction of range anxiety fears.

 

[Earlian]

Increasing battery capacity via OTA, while there was a hidden reserve they wanted to test long enough. Just dreaming....

For real: Beckler got it.

 

[pGo]

How about the range mode made standard with OTA and removed that option completely. Tesla may have figured out the longevity of the cells with higher recharge.

Another possibility is SC upgrade along with OTA on cars to allow 135+ KWh charge speed?

 

[sandpiper]

Just a few of my own thoughts:
1) Anything related to supercharger access doesn't affect the entire fleet (at least in a positive manner). It's only a positive effect if you don't already have it.
2) Anything related to supercharger rate doesn't affect range anxiety (only destination arrival time anxiety).

I'd love it if something like a super eco mode could have been developed for existing regular Model S's. But could that be considered an improvement for the newer models that have dual motors? Maybe it is since it hasn't yet been implemented for them.

Of course Firmware 6.1 already indicates that you will need to charge if you're more than the predicted range miles from your destination, and tells you to drive slower if you're close to being just within range of your destination. This is updated during your charging process if your destination is already known.

It would be nice if they have an anemometer in the car, so that you would have an effective air speed indicator to predict range loss due to air resistance. Requires hardware update.

I have nav, so don't know the limitations of the car without it.

I'm hoping it's the cells are actually much higher capacity than advertised, but it took them a couple of years to validate the charge/discharge cycle. Now they're implementing the firmware to release the capacity!

Ok, maybe that's dreaming but I can hope. Honestly, I don't know how they eliminate range anxiety without adding range. More software that tells me that I'll barely make it to the SC if I keep the speed below 80kmh and cross my fingers just isn't going to cut it.

 

[Beckler]

I just realized what it's really going to be. Should you run out of battery power, a Space X rocket comes and lifts the car (w/ you inside) and lands it and your destination. The OTA update is just replacing the 0% charge indicator with a Space X button.

- - - Updated - - -

I'm hoping it's the cells are actually much higher capacity than advertised, but it took them a couple of years to validate the charge/discharge cycle. Now they're implementing the firmware to release the capacity!

Ok, maybe that's dreaming but I can hope.

It's dreaming I'm afraid. 18650/capacity/no. of cells is well understood...

 

[Christopher1]

Higher top speed

 

[iKhalid]

Most of the speculations don't make sense.

We have 4 factors:
1- The news will affect all Model S owners: 40kWh, 60kWh, and 85kWh (Single or "D"uel motor); w/tech and wo/tech.
* Can't be a free access for 40 or 60kWh owners.
* Can't be something related to the navigation.
* Can't be a better supercharging performance (you excluded 40 and 60kWh cars, and this can't help with range anxiety, it helps with waiting time only)
2- Something that can be done through a software update only.
* Can't be an extension to the current battery, or battery swap.

3- Something that is not limited to a geographic location.
* More SC stations all of a sudden worldwide is impossible and has nothing to do with an OTA.

4- It must be big to require a press conference.


With the factors we have, it must be a new optimization to the software that optimizes the battery energy somehow to be able to provide more range on highway driving. They must have discovered something while working on the duel motors.
Looking at it from a software prospective, it could be possible. But I'm sure there are limitations in physics... I don't know...

 

[Mr X]

no such thing exists :biggrin:

 

[boerlin]

I got it: Tim Cooks wish was heard and tesla is integrating Apple Carplay...

But what has it to do with range anxiety?

 

[LetsGoFast]

Most of the speculations don't make sense.

We have 4 factors:
1- The news will affect all Model S owners: 40kWh, 60kWh, and 85kWh (Single or "D"uel motor); w/tech and wo/tech.
* Can't be a free access for 40 or 60kWh owners.
* Can't be something related to the navigation.
* Can't be a better supercharging performance (you excluded 40 and 60kWh cars, and this can't help with range anxiety, it helps with waiting time only)

All Musk said was "affects entire fleet" which does not preclude it requiring tech package. In the space limited contraints of twitter, you can't expect him to parse it that fine.

 

[AudubonB]

Anxiety...
Anxiety......
eliminate anxiety -

Got it! Calling all yoga masters!!!! Jim and Bonnie, where are you? Hint: remember - they both​ just resigned their moderator positions.....hmmm....




And the tires go Omm Ommm Ommmm
And the sandalwood console heats up and emits....