-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Model S range and interior update imminent?
- Thread starter Thorbjorn
- Start date
-
- Tags
- Model S Tesla Inc.
- Status
Not that we have heard.
Elon has said that they will release updates/improvements as they are ready, they won't wait to bundle them all up at once. So this is no surprise at all to me.
GoBlue88
Member
This interior refresh will very likely get me to finally upgrade my MS 85 Classic.
boonedocks
MS LR Blk/Blk 19”
In the famous words or Elon ....SOON...LOL LOL LOL.
This thread will probably say imminent and be 250 pages long before then....
mkspeedr
Member
I sure hope they bring back the carbon fiber dash or piano black. I am not a fan of the wood. Same goes for the 3 but the 3 has become the new prius so I hope the imminent refresh is actually imminent this time.
In the past I've considered John to be a bit unfair to Tesla and somewhat uninformed regarding BEVs in general. He's a tad on the conservative side over the whole.
In this video though, he's quite sharp on the mark. If you disagree, just keep this video and post it in 5 years so see how wrong he really was. How many million RoboTaxis will there be on the road by then?
Last edited:
Since the interior hasn't been refreshed yet, we just bought the carbon fiber trim pieces on TMC and were able to install everything ourselves for about $350.
I don't believe the robo-taxi claims because I think Elon is over estimating what his programmers can deliver and he's underestimating what regulators are going to do after the programmers complete their job. But I don't think that means Tesla is going bankrupt.
Almost every car maker is working on autonomous tech, as well as some independent companies. It's considered the "next big thing". Tesla is ahead of everyone else in delivering hardware to the world. There are more Tesla's with most of the hardware needed out there and any other car company, but nobody has delivered on the software yet. Consumer Reports rated what companies had at the end of last year and Tesla was #2 in performance quality. Though there were only 4 systems tested (GM, Tesla, Nissan, and Volvo), they liked GM's system better.
Tesla is in a tight race for autonomous tech and they may not win there. Though they might win there. The race has a ways to go and Tesla is ahead in some ways, but behind in others.
There is another couple of areas where Tesla is clearly ahead of the pack. Their battery tech is probably the best in the business, and they clearly are the only player with enough battery supply to mass produce EVs and their price per KWH is below all of the competition except possibly some Chinese makers with very inferior batteries. Tesla is also ahead of the pack in over the air updates and EV performance.
Yesterday on my way back home I drove past the local Ford dealer. We get flyers from them from time to time with those "scratch off for savings" special events and prizes. I went to one several years ago just to see what it was about. But it got me thinking about the deep rift between Ford's entire line-up and my 3 years old Model S. I looked up some numbers last night just for entertainment. The only production Fords ever built with a short enough 0-60 time to beat my standard S 90D in a drag race are some editions of the Ford GT and some special edition Mustangs. And the S 100DL would smoke those.
According to the EPA, the best efficiency Ford ever made was the 2018 Ford Focus electric which had an MPGe of 85 or something in that ballpark. The worst Tesla rated (Model X) is in the 90s, and the newest S 100D is 111. Most Model 3 versions tested are even higher MPGe. The Ford Focus electric isn't even available anymore. Their only electrified cars are some Fusion hybrids that give up cargo space for batteries and accelerate like slugs on opiods.
As for cargo space, they make nothing with acceleration above about 8 0-60 with better than mid-30s MPG that can carry as much cargo as a Model S.
As a car, a Model S built 3 years ago on a design introduced in 2012 is a vastly better car than anything Ford has produced in all that time. There are Ford vehicles that are better in one area or another. A Transit Van crushes the Model S in cargo space, but it's hardly going to get onto the freeway anywhere as quick nor is it going to be anywhere near as energy efficient.
All that is beside any benefits from the autonomous driving capabilities. My AP1 Tesla has better autonomous driving capabilities than any Ford in production today.
Ford is a big company with deeper pockets for R&D. According to reports, Ford has announced they are targeting an autonomous system available by 2021, but details are still sketchy. Ford might be spending more per year on autonomous R&D than Tesla, but I doubt they will be the big winners in the end.
Things are terrible at Tesla until you look at what the competition is offering. Tesla is way out ahead in many areas. The one thing the competition has going for them is they are all bigger with more room for error. Every mistake hurts Tesla more than similar mistakes by the competition because of size.
Uncle Paul
Well-Known Member
Tesla struggles because it is the one doing all the heavy lifting. They showed the world the purity of li-Ion cells, the wisdom of placing the battery as low as possible for better safety and handling, with the side benefit of providing best in the world safety. They proved the dual motor concept for AWD systems seamlessly integrated with each other through a central computer.
They proved the value of OTA updates, larger center mounted displays and reduction of buttons on the dash.
They showed the world that if you want to make battery cars, you also need to make the batteries for them. Need to have control of that essential ingredient.
Showed the value of a single speed transmission, regenerative braking, precise traction control, anti sway when towing, and for powering safely out of a curve.
In those and many other ways they are showing the worlds manufacturers an optimum way to convert their vehicle from the polluting gassers to much cleaner and more efficient electric power.
They proved the value of OTA updates, larger center mounted displays and reduction of buttons on the dash.
They showed the world that if you want to make battery cars, you also need to make the batteries for them. Need to have control of that essential ingredient.
Showed the value of a single speed transmission, regenerative braking, precise traction control, anti sway when towing, and for powering safely out of a curve.
In those and many other ways they are showing the worlds manufacturers an optimum way to convert their vehicle from the polluting gassers to much cleaner and more efficient electric power.
I agree with just about the entire list, except most if not all hybrids were doing regen braking before Tesla came along. I also think a lot of other manufacturers have had a fairly good grip on traction control for the last 10 years or so. But generally Tesla has advanced car technology in a lot of areas.
At this point the only areas where other manufacturers have better vehicles than Tesla are areas where Tesla doesn't have an option yet. If you want to do off roading, there is no Tesla option. Similarly if you need a truck, there is no Tesla option today, though that will change in the next few years.
But compare the Model 3 to all other similarly sized sedans. Many definitely beat it on initial purchase price and range. And many have interiors that offer pros for at least some potential car buyers, but on efficiency and power it beats everyone and it beats many on cargo space too. On overall cost of ownership, it beats all but the cheapest competitors.
boonedocks
MS LR Blk/Blk 19”
With an update just happening "raven" and the retooling took several weeks as no S & X's were being delivered, I don't think they would shut down S & X production again in just a couple of months. MY BET is that they don't do an interior refresh until they are closer to actually having autonomous driving on the near horizon. (Mid-Late 2020 at earliest)
On a positive note when that time nears then it will be "Imminent" and this tread will be 250 pages long and 3 years old....
On a positive note when that time nears then it will be "Imminent" and this tread will be 250 pages long and 3 years old....
S/X with FSD would be a nice feature to have for owners but renting their fancy car out as unmanned taxi...not sure that's cost efficient. Lots of depreciation and you can charge triple what a Model 3 operator charges and expect good demand.With an update just happening "raven" and the retooling took several weeks as no S & X's were being delivered, I don't think they would shut down S & X production again in just a couple of months. MY BET is that they don't do an interior refresh until they are closer to actually having autonomous driving on the near horizon. (Mid-Late 2020 at earliest)
On a positive note when that time nears then it will be "Imminent" and this tread will be 250 pages long and 3 years old....
Volvo XC90 didn’t change much for over a decade IIRC. And forget about the G Wagon
Good point.
boonedocks
MS LR Blk/Blk 19”
MarkS22
Member
With an update just happening "raven" and the retooling took several weeks as no S & X's were being delivered, I don't think they would shut down S & X production again in just a couple of months. MY BET is that they don't do an interior refresh until they are closer to actually having autonomous driving on the near horizon. (Mid-Late 2020 at earliest)
On a positive note when that time nears then it will be "Imminent" and this tread will be 250 pages long and 3 years old....
All signs point to at least an interior refresh in the next four to six months. If they don't pull that off, the S/X and demand is in serious jeopardy. They have always launched changed "when ready" and never waited because they just retooled. In fact, they have a history of staggering major changes. Maybe the P85D was the only major multiple feature upgrade (AP and Dual Motor introduced at once.) This retooling was for the drivetrain and motor replacement, which would be a different part of the line than the interior. No need for them to waste any of the existing efforts.
mkspeedr
Member
My hope for the new interior refresh has been crushed by the carbon fiber dash return. I was convinced it would not be back until the refresh. Now I am sure this thread will never die.
CraZ8
Member
True but you have to remember that the exterior is also getting tweaked again with a new rear bumper, new lights ( same shape in the nacelles in both front and rear) new active aero on rear which amounts to about as big a refresh as in 2016 for the exterior. This on a car that was not really advertised or known to the general public in decent numbers till really2014. So the design in my mind is only about 6 years old with one major refresh under its belt and another one coming up that has a drivetrain change this month and exterior / interior changes in 3 months. This on one of the already prettiest full sized sedans out there. So I can see another 3 years before a total makeover. In conjunction to those pointing out about the longevity of the aforementioned Volvo or G wagon How many years did GM keep the 1968 corvette body style going as it was wildly popular at least til the last couple years? Yes till1982 when the 1984 came out. So there is plenty of precedent to go by
- Status