Will former Prius drivers drive more aggressively in a Model 3?

[T34ME]

and asked myself the following question:

Would I rather all drivers convert to electric vehicles that have good performance like Tesla, including every single bad slow driver, or that all the bad slow drivers stayed in ICE vehicles, such as Prius, Toyota, etc.?

I decided that I'd rather swear at the same bad, slow, dangerous drivers in a Tesla rather than in an ICE, regardless of how bad they are. The one thing is not the same as the other thing.

I ask myself the following question:

Would I rather all drivers convert to electric vehicles that have good performance like Tesla, including every single bad aggressive driver, or that all the bad aggressive drivers stayed in ICE vehicles, such as BMW, Porsche, etc.?

I decided that I'd rather swear at the same bad, aggressive, dangerous drivers in a Tesla rather than in an ICE, regardless of how bad they are. The one thing is not the same as the other thing.

 

[JeffK]

When I am driving the speed limit, I have every right to drive in the left lane when passing trucks without some idiot right on my bumper flashing his light and giving me the finger as he passes me going 20mph over the speed limit. Now that is not only rude but dangerous.

Not in my state was my point... With the new law, the situation you are describing, you'd get the ticket unless you pass the trucks more quickly so that people aren't stuck behind you (regardless of the speed limit). There is an exception to the new law during rush hour.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

And therein lies the problem,"it's MY road and you better get out of MY way." The speed limit is the maximum speed limit, not the minimum speed limit.

You've never driven in the Northeast, have you?

And to flip it on you..... Who are you to enforce the speed limit to others? It's not YOUR road either.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

It's actually stuck doing 2 to 3 mph under the speed lmiit because the Prius' speedometer is a big, centrally-displayed liar. At least that's the case for my 2010. If you put cruise set to PSL at highway speeds you'll be comfortably under the limit, and so you'll end up being passed by other people cruising at the limit.

Our Volt's speedometer matches GPS well.

True. Audi does that too.

 

[Jayc]

OK. File this under "random thoughts." It's been inferred that Tesla expects to get a lot of former Prius owners with the Model 3. My question is this...Do you think they'll drive more aggressively once they get the Model 3? My hunch is "maybe" for a couple of reasons. 1) There's no more "gasoline guilt." Assuming you're getting you're electricity from a green, renewable source (i.e. solar panels), you can floor it without guilt. And 2) It's going to be a LOT more powerful than the Prius, and therefore, more fun-to-drive.

I hope Tesla sells a LOT of Model 3s to Prius owners, AND they finally discover the skinny pedal on the right.

Funny you should mention because I do drive my Prius quite aggressively. Actually, the funny thing is that most TDI and GT racer drivers haven't got a clue what the Prius is capable of on A-roads when floored. Sure its 0-60 figure is insignificant but let me tell you 0-20, 0-30, 0-40 or even 30-50 is comparable with performance cars. I often leave behind wannabe racers in Audis and Beemers with multi-exhausts and noisy engines desperately trying to change gears literary fuming and smoking when they just cannot catch-up with a Prius from standstill. And its great fun you should try it if you have a Prius.

What was the question again

 

[ModelNforNerd]

Funny you should mention because I do drive my Prius quite aggressively. Actually, the funny thing is that most TDI and GT racer drivers haven't got a clue what the Prius is capable of on A-roads when floored. Sure its 0-60 figure is insignificant but let me tell you 0-20, 0-30, 0-40 or even 30-50 is comparable with performance cars. I often leave behind wannabe racers in Audis and Beemers with multi-exhausts and noisy engines desperately trying to change gears literary fuming and smoking when they just cannot catch-up with a Prius from standstill. And its great fun you should try it if you have a Prius.

What was the question again

Which is why I chipped my little 2 Liter Audi.

You might get me 0-30, but once I've spooled the turbo up, 30-140mph is all me. LOL

 

[Saghost]

Not in my state was my point... With the new law, the situation you are describing, you'd get the ticket unless you pass the trucks more quickly so that people aren't stuck behind you (regardless of the speed limit). There is an exception to the new law during rush hour.

I thought one of the basic legal tenants was that one law cannot compel you to violate another law. The posted speed limit is the law.

 

[Saghost]

Second, driving aggressively in any car lowers the range of a full fuel tank. People generally interested in maximizing fuel consumption will probably continue to drive gingerly, and usually directly in front of me in the left lane when they shouldn't be.

That's what makes this question interesting...

If the putative former Prius driver is plugging in daily at home or work like most EV drivers, they'll always have a "full tank" every day no matter how they drive (unless they have really unusual commuting habits.)

There's no longer an immediate incentive to stretch the tank - the only effect efficiency has is on the display screens and buried in a monthly bill, not visible day to day unless you go looking for it.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

Back to the spirit of the question:

I'm not, and never will be, a Prius driver. I may become prone to driving more conservatively in my Model 3, depending on the purpose of the trip.

If I'm running errands around town, well within range of chargers, and with a mostly full pack, I'm going to be more likely to have fun.

If I'm in "range mode" and headed somewhere on a long trip, AP will likely be on, efficiently moving me towards the next Supercharger.

 

[McRat]

When I am driving the speed limit, I have every right to drive in the left lane when passing trucks without some idiot right on my bumper flashing his light and giving me the finger as he passes me going 20mph over the speed limit. Now that is not only rude but dangerous.

And you have the right to continue through an intersection on a green light when you are pretty sure cross traffic is not going to stop.

Oddly enough, I'd never seen this on a tombstone: "But He Was Right".

Safety would dictate to stay out of the line/lane when the traffic speeds are something you are not able to handle. Think track day.

But drive poorly if you wish. I'm never in such a hurry that I cannot hang out with the trucks in the right lane until it's safe to execute a pass. No need to be ashamed, most people have no idea how to drive an automobile safely.

 

[McRat]

I thought one of the basic legal tenants was that one law cannot compel you to violate another law. The posted speed limit is the law.

Sometime the law and safety are two different concepts. In California, we strive to separate the two as much as possible. It apparently is not permissible to have driving experience and still hold a California Government Office. Or perhaps there is upper IQ on the qualifiers? 55 is probably the IQ limit because I see that number in places it does not belong all the time.

55mph in front of houses with bus stops, but 55 in long straight flat endless desert roads too. 55 for an SUV towing a PWC, and 70 for a motorhome in the same two lanes. Etc, Etc. Our speed limits are based on a Ouija board best I can determine. Or the state is heavily invested in body shops and mortuaries.

 

[daniel]

I thought one of the basic legal tenants was that one law cannot compel you to violate another law. The posted speed limit is the law.

This is correct. Basic decency suggests that if you are unable to pass, because the truck you're trying to pass is going at the speed limit, which you don't want to exceed, then at the first safe opportunity you get back behind it. But laws against obstructing other drivers do not compel you to exceed the speed limit. And even when passing, it is illegal to exceed the limit. People who wish to do so have no legal or moral grounds for complaint.

I am glad I live here in Spokane. I just don't see the kind of nastiness on the roads that some folks are describing above. I do sometimes see people (in all varieties of cars, no preference for Priuses) driving below the speed limit. And I get impatient when I'm stuck behind them. I take a deep breath and remind myself: The speed limit is the maximum speed. Not the minimum speed. (Unless posted as such. When traveling I've occasionally been on roads with posted minimums.) It's nice living in a place where people, by and large, are not jerks.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

And you have the right to continue through an intersection on a green light when you are pretty sure cross traffic is not going to stop.

Oddly enough, I'd never seen this on a tombstone: "But He Was Right".

Safety would dictate to stay out of the line/lane when the traffic speeds are something you are not able to handle. Think track day.

But drive poorly if you wish. I'm never in such a hurry that I cannot hang out with the trucks in the right lane until it's safe to execute a pass. No need to be ashamed, most people have no idea how to drive an automobile safely.

To be fair, he didn't write about the right to overtake, but about not having someone tailgating and flashing to try to force you to move over dangerously, or to speed up your overtaking maneuver.

As a non-speeder I'm wary of overtaking trucks because of the extra duration, which is often exacerbated by their driving with load (slow down uphill, speed up downhill). But I go ahead and do it as long as I don't see fast traffic approaching. The simple rule to me is: do not make other drivers hit their brakes. Addendum: watch out for the impatient and oblivious.

But I live in an area with low traffic density. At high density I'd just hang out in the right lane with the trucks.

 

[McRat]

To be fair, he didn't write about the right to overtake, but about not having someone tailgating and flashing to try to force you to move over dangerously, or to speed up your overtaking maneuver.

As a non-speeder I'm wary of overtaking trucks because of the extra duration, which is often exacerbated by their driving with load (slow down uphill, speed up downhill). But I go ahead and do it as long as I don't see fast traffic approaching. The simple rule to me is: do not make other drivers hit their brakes. Addendum: watch out for the impatient and oblivious.

But I live in an area with low traffic density. At high density I'd just hang out in the right lane with the trucks.

To me it sounded like he believes it is wise to deliberately impede drivers on a roadway. If the fast lane is going 80 mph, and you don't believe 80 mph is safe, then why would you drive in the fast lane? Does he think that forcing the 80 mph drivers into the right lanes is hysterical to watch? I'm the idiot he's trying to kill in the right 'slow' lanes. Personally, I see it as a real d'ck move since I'm never in the left unless passing, and then only briefly. Which actually is the law. Slower Traffic Stay Right is 50 states AFAIK; I've driven in most. I tease Californians and Floridians but Hawaii hands down are the worst drivers even though they are slowest drivers in the US.

Driving slow does not necessarily make you a good driver in a multi-driver environment. It's never safer to be slower than the speed of traffic flow on busy streets, and when you find yourself uncomfortable with that concept is the day you should hand in your DL voluntarily.

 

[bro1999]

You can take a Prius driver out of a Prius, but you can't take the Prius out of Prius driver. If that makes any sense.

 

[EinSV]

Not in my state was my point... With the new law, the situation you are describing, you'd get the ticket unless you pass the trucks more quickly so that people aren't stuck behind you (regardless of the speed limit). There is an exception to the new law during rush hour.

Props to Indiana. California (and other states where the left lane is now the "slow" lane) really should adopt this law. Traffic would flow much more smoothly and efficiently, and stress on the road for both slower and faster drivers would be far lower.

 

[McRat]

You can take a Prius driver out of a Prius, but you can't take the Prius out of Prius driver. If that makes any sense.

Most drivers want travel appliances. While Prius/Corolla/Camry drivers are all in that basic family set, the Prius is in a subgroup. They want to be noticed as being 'green' and willing to spend the extra money to achieve that look in an appliance. Corollas are actually more financially responsible as are Camrys.

This is where I think Toyota failed on the new Prius. It might be ugly, but it doesn't scream Eco much.

 

[bro1999]

Most drivers want travel appliances. While Prius/Corolla/Camry drivers are all in that basic family set, the Prius is in a subgroup. They want to be noticed as being 'green' and willing to spend the extra money to achieve that look in an appliance. Corollas are actually more financially responsible as are Camrys.

This is where I think Toyota failed on the new Prius. It might be ugly, but it doesn't scream Eco much.

As I am currently driving a rental Corolla while my Bolt is in the shop, I've come to the realization on how ugly the whole Toyota lineup is....not just the Prius. The Corolla (which I actually thought was OK looking before) now has Mirai design features, so automatically it looks like a turd.

I think the best looking Toyota is actually the Rav4, which says volumes.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

Props to Indiana. California (and other states where the left lane is now the "slow" lane) really should adopt this law. Traffic would flow much more smoothly and efficiently, and stress on the road for both slower and faster drivers would be far lower.

Some of modern society's worst monsters are those that get out into the left lane and pace themselves alongside the big trucks, making a rolling roadblock.

 

[JeffK]

Some of modern society's worst monsters are those that get out into the left lane and pace themselves alongside the big trucks, making a rolling roadblock.

This aggravates me more than anything!