Till we get positive feedback about the spare tire. We might have to rely on the service being provided now.
Good luck with that when you're off-roading. In Death Valley that will cost you about $3k from Miller's Towing and take a considerable amount of time.
>How often have you had to use the spare? Just curious. Well, I've driven various Ford Explores around 300,000 miles and needed my full-size space only ONCE. Having said that, I was happy with all the fuel I spent hauling that thing around. The one time I needed it I was on a "not maintained" dirt road, 15 miles from the nearest pavement, and 50 miles from the nearest town. The road was so rough that by the time I noticed the tire was flat, it was in pieces and so slime or patching wasn't an option. I am really looking forward to getting a Tesla truck, but if there isn't a full-size spare option of some kind . . . I'll buy another vehicle instead. Frank P.S. That isn't to say I didn't have other tire issues in 300,000 of driving. It was just that those all happened in town where AAA was a better option.
I expect the spare tire will be enclosed for aerodynamic reasons. I expect the enclosure will be entirely useable if the tire is not stored, maximizing storage for those not concerned with having a full spare handy (trading weight/risk for range/capacity).
I noticed few months ago a Caterpillar with such tires and similar to the picture below . It was in a new building construction area next to my home. I took a picture of it (my friends thought I was a little geek...) I cannot find my memory card right now, but I will try to post it. I remember also taking the picture of the driver boots, the type allowing walking in the middle of fresh concrete, I think there are called 'Galoshes'.
They have a few different styles in use for equipment and they tend to be pricey. So far all of the applications are slow speed nothing that is doing 60+mph. Having ones that work on a piece of construction equipment or a lawn mower that maxes out at 20mph is a long way from having one that can be used on a car that does 80mph on the freeway. The design has been around for close to a century yet they haven't made it to cars yet. Now they have the added issue of how do you have a tire pressure monitoring system with tires that don't have pressure? I'm betting they didn't put into the requirements for TPMS an option of not having it for tires that don't use pressure. The Tires Of The Future Were Actually Invented In The 1930s I keep hoping they will come out with them soon but I'm not betting on it.
There available for ATV's now.. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Michelin-36384-X-TWEEL-UTV-Airless-Radial-Tire-26x9x14-4-137-Bolt-Pattern/780548146?athcpid=780548146&athpgid=athenaItemPage&athcgid=null&athznid=PWVAV&athieid=v0&athstid=CS004&athguid=1a280492-007-173a192ebe8abf&athancid=null&athena=true
“how do you have a tire pressure monitoring system with tires that don't have pressure?” Same monitoring hardware, without the actual sensor, and with the data transmitter sending a fixed value. Or just turn off the car’s monitoring (probably a setting in your vehicle, certainly a CT menu option).
My hope is that Tesla will have a long list of improvements to be made to the prototype. Let’s see.. steering wheel, side mirrors, spare tire, wench set up, new expandable MCU, just to name a few.
Living in the desert with sharp rocks, on my regular dailies about every 2-3 years, usually a nail or screw, but occasionally the inner liner will get spiderweb like cracks where it didn't flex well enough when going over a rock. With my weekend off-road toy about 2-3 times a year, usually a ripped sidewall. I will usually replace the tires a bit early particularly if they are starting to dry rot, and I don't buy the cheap tires. I will most likely just toss the spare in the bed, or see about a swing out tire carrier for the back.
I don't doubt a spare tyre fits in the vault, but its going to be tight under the bed for space to fit a full size spare behind the rear drive unit and in front of the rear bumper. I really hope it does tho.