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samcarney
Sam C
View Poll Results: Kill the Creep?
Voters48. You have already voted on this poll
This poll will close on 06-24-2011 at 09:05 PM
Voters48. You have already voted on this poll
This poll will close on 06-24-2011 at 09:05 PM
- We don't need no stinking creep, drop it.
15 31.25% - Nothing creepy about the creep, keep it.
33 68.75%
Creep was designed as a safety feature. Early prototypes did not have the creep and it was really easy to walk away from the car while still on and "in gear."
Worst case scenario goes something like this:
I jump in my Roadster to go down to the farmer's market to pick up ingredients for a nice summer lunch. As I am about to back out of the garage (car in reverse) I realize that I left my wallet on the counter. I jump out of the car to grab it. It will only take a second. The phone rings. Mom wants to talk about dinner plans tomorrow.
While I am talking to mom the kids go out to the garage to vroom, vroom the Tesla. One kid walks behind the car while the other jumps in to pretend to be Speed Racer Daddy. The rest is left to imagination, but it could end poorly for both kids and the car.
With creep you never get to this point. As you jump out of the car to get your wallet the car starts to roll back. Oh yeah, I left it in Reverse. You should switch the car off with this warning and take the keys with you, but even if you don't the car is now much safer than it would have been otherwise. To switch into gear requires depression of the brake pedal while the "shift" is requested. The odds of your kid being big enough to push the brake and hit the correct button, but also not realize the risk, is decreased. And they would have to hit the correct button.
There is no comparison here to an automatic transmission car, and the common conclusion that it was done to make people comfortable with the shift from ICE to electric couldn't be further from the truth, at least in Tesla's case. Tesla's transmission can be compared to a manual with a clutch stuck in the engaged position (though there isn't a clutch in reality). The drive wheels never disconnect from the motor. Shifting gears is really just telling the drive electronics how to supply power. Neutral means no power, not a disconnecting of motor from gears and wheels. The innards and functionality of most automatic transmissions is very different.
Zak
Worst case scenario goes something like this:
I jump in my Roadster to go down to the farmer's market to pick up ingredients for a nice summer lunch. As I am about to back out of the garage (car in reverse) I realize that I left my wallet on the counter. I jump out of the car to grab it. It will only take a second. The phone rings. Mom wants to talk about dinner plans tomorrow.
While I am talking to mom the kids go out to the garage to vroom, vroom the Tesla. One kid walks behind the car while the other jumps in to pretend to be Speed Racer Daddy. The rest is left to imagination, but it could end poorly for both kids and the car.
With creep you never get to this point. As you jump out of the car to get your wallet the car starts to roll back. Oh yeah, I left it in Reverse. You should switch the car off with this warning and take the keys with you, but even if you don't the car is now much safer than it would have been otherwise. To switch into gear requires depression of the brake pedal while the "shift" is requested. The odds of your kid being big enough to push the brake and hit the correct button, but also not realize the risk, is decreased. And they would have to hit the correct button.
There is no comparison here to an automatic transmission car, and the common conclusion that it was done to make people comfortable with the shift from ICE to electric couldn't be further from the truth, at least in Tesla's case. Tesla's transmission can be compared to a manual with a clutch stuck in the engaged position (though there isn't a clutch in reality). The drive wheels never disconnect from the motor. Shifting gears is really just telling the drive electronics how to supply power. Neutral means no power, not a disconnecting of motor from gears and wheels. The innards and functionality of most automatic transmissions is very different.
Zak
Good points, though a pressure switch in the seat that disabled the vehicle and sounded an alarm would take care of the problem. My car still has a mechanical transmission that I can put into neutral even though there is no clutch, so even if I left the car on it wouldn't go anywhere in neutral. Of course I could forget to turn it off and forget to put it in neutral, but I'm not that absent minded and have never done either one. I also don't have kids.
Slackjaw
Member
Zack, if so, we'll also need a picture of you riding one of her horses. Preferably the Sport version.
P.S. I know... "See what we did there?" Total thread hijack. To keep us on track: I voted yes to Creep, and I agree with Zak.
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Man, that was a fun date, and I have another with her on Saturday, and she's also teaching me to ride a little that afternoon. She absolutely loved driving the car but I was a little distracted and completely forgot to take her picture. Her trainer took the car for a drive too... also went nuts over the acceleration. After she rode a couple of the horses and got them all put away, I was driving her back to her car and I made her giggle another 5 or so times racing away from stoplights on the highway and cornering impossibly. She definitely had the Tesla grin, ear-to-ear. Thank you, Elon!
Just to keep my post at least somewhat on topic, I completely understand now why the creep thing is a safety feature.
Just to keep my post at least somewhat on topic, I completely understand now why the creep thing is a safety feature.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Eberhard
Poor guy, started a revolutionary company, had it taken from him, and now being forgotten?
Poor guy, started a revolutionary company, had it taken from him, and now being forgotten?
His now-removed blog is still available here, starting in January of 2008. Pretty interesting stuff.
http://web.archive.org/20080315000000*/http://teslafounders.com
http://web.archive.org/20080315000000*/http://teslafounders.com
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