Monday, July 12, 2021
Joby Vtol Flies 150 Miles
Sunday, July 11, 2021
Sunday, July 4, 2021
SAFE WALLET Tesla Model 3 Mounting Option
SAFE WALLET
Tesla Model 3
Mounting Option
I recently published this story over on the BulletTrain BulletBlog and I am sharing it here as I think it is on-point. A friend of mine who is a Tesla Model 3 driver and I were recently having a conversation about how to best mount the new BulletTrain SAFE Wallet since we are both testing prototypes. I am testing a SAFE WALLET 12 Pro Max, and he is testing the BulletTrain SAFE Wallet 12 Pro model. We were contemplating if we could figure out a way to mound the SAFE WALLET so it can use a MagSafe mount, that could not only charge, but swivel back and forth from portrait to landscape.
BulletTrain SAFE Wallet 12 Pro Max magnetically attached in Tesla Model 3 Picture Above
I currently drive a Model S and a Model X, and have used two different types of mounts for holding my SAFE WALLET. Originally I used a holding mount with adjustable sides as seen in the photo below. Later on I moved to using a magnetic mount which is much easier, and works great as we have them positioned on the back of both front seas so the passengers in the second row can snap their phone against them and watch video on long drives having rotated their SAFE WALET from portrait to landscape. In all the above mentioned scenarios we use lightning cables to charge the phone.
BulletTrain SAFE Wallet X attached in Tesla Model X Pictured Above
Running Beta version of upcoming BulletTrain Big Clock App
During my experimenting I came across the iPow magnetic car mount that uses a suction cup that attaches to the back of the center screen as seen below.
The image below shows a side view so we can observe how the iPow flexible magnetic arm attaches to the back of the Tesla Model 3 screen. I am fairly certain this will work well with the following Tesla Models which have landscape screens:
• Model 3
• Model Y
• Model S (Later 2021 models)
• Model X (Later 2021 models)
• Cyber Truck (2022)
An important consideration when using this option is you ideally should rest the bottom of the SAFE WALLET on top of the Tesla screen. In this photo I have the iPhone rotated more to the left than the Tesla screen. In the photo below I am showing what it would look like with a black Apple lightning cable plugged into it for charging. This would be idea for watching videos (when parked), or using for Apple or Google Maps while driving. I recently used the Apple Maps App on my iPhone and I as blown away with how great it was!!!!
I watch a lot of YouTube videos (who doesn't!?!! :-) and when one ends you pretty much need to rotate the screen to landscape which is what I am showing below. In order to achieve this I pulled the iPhone slightly toward me, and had the back of the BulletTrain SAFE Wallet touching the Tesla screen to keep it stable for navigating when I touch the screen.
Once I take delivery I will update this story with whatever best solutions I come up with.
Friday, July 2, 2021
My Tesla Model S Long Term Review after 7 Years
With the advent of the all-new refreshed 2021, I was inspired to write this article. I believe the new Tesla Model S Long Range is the best car ever made in history which we see below.
The brand new 2021 Model S is pictured above and we see the timeless exterior design details have not changed very much. That being said, the interior has been completely redesigned and it is beyond AMAZING as seen below.
I have been driving a Tesla Model S P85D for seven years now and thought I would write this article to share my experience over the years. I am not only a highly experienced designer, but I am also a design fanatic of the highest order. I basically, eat, sleep and breath design, so this review offers my design-centric evaluation of the Tesla Model S design language and its evolution.
Back on September 1, 2013, a former employee of mine who went to work for Tesla called me on the phone and said: "Hey Jake! I am driving the new Tesla Model S Signature. Wanna grab some lunch and take it for a test drive?" This was the first time I ever drove a Model S and I was very impressed.
I took the photo above and below on September 1, 2013 of the interior of the Tesla Model S I test drove. Back then the Model S had a feature where you could split the vertical screen into two sections as seen below.
After we drove the 2013 Model S my friend asked, "So do you want to buy a Tesla Model S?" I said, "Nope. It's nice and absolutely fascinating but it's expensive and MUCH less refined than my Lexus LS 460 with about equal performance. Also, the seats are really uncomfortable and un-ergonomic. So I think it's a neat car, but I am not interested. Maybe in the future..."
In my opinion, when Tesla launched the first Model S back in June 2012, the Lexus LS 460 was unequivocally, by far and away the best car money could buy. It did 0-60MPH in 5.4 seconds which was good but NOT great. It was relativity smart and had a great Marc Levinson sound system with Bluetooth. Below is a photo of my 2007 Lexus LS 460 I traded in toward my 2015 Tesla Model S:
The interior on my Lexus LS 460 was superb in many ways and Tesla could still learn some things from it including LED roof lights, center and door armrests. Notice the Lexus the door map pockets are are expandable outward to they can hold more if need be. I think the colors of the interior on the 2007 LS 460 are still better than the Tesla. For instance the dash was brown instead of black, and the wood trim was amazing.
Also, the shade of tan was really warm, luxurious and looked great. There was a tremendous amount of refinement with the interior lighting system. For instance, there were cabin lights that would ever so gently light the interior while driving at night so you could see well. Also, the center armrest and door armrests were the absolute most comfortable and luxurious with just the right amount of padding and they both lacked ANY unnecessary goofy visible stitching detail.
Below is a photo of the easily expandable cargo net system in my Lexus LS 460 that was brilliant for holding things like groceries so they would not roll around the trunk. The Tesla Model S Trunk has a sub-trunk that largely serves the same purpose to it might be unnecessary and redundant in the Model S, but a fascinating and innovative feature.
I believe the Lexus LS 460 was the best car money could buy until the advent of the Tesla Model S P85D, which completely clobbered the Lexus. Historically, Mercedes and BMW made the best sedans, until Lexus came along in 1990 and leapfrogged them in the same way Tesla Leapfrogged Lexus in late 2014 with the advent of the Tesla P85D. I believe Tesla has such a huge lead on all other manufactures today, that they will all be relegated to the garbage heap of the auto industry and rightfully so as the failed to act in the best interest of their customers and the environment.
In other words—up until Tesla arrived—ALL cars incorporated heavy-duty planned obsolescence, which was a lame short-term strategy, and now it's simply too late for them catch-up to Tesla. I say, good riddance to bad rubbish...
My Model S P85D
For comparison sake I included images of my configuration I selected on TeslaMotors.com when I ordered my Tesla Model S P85D, which in many ways looked like my Lexus LS 460 I traded-in for it.
On October 10, 2014 I watched Elon Musk's keynote where he introduced the P85D (As seen below), which completely shocked and blew my mind!!! The P85D was the first high-performance all-wheel-drive version of the Tesla Model S and was basically the grandfather of the PLAID Model S.
Before the advent of the Tesla P85D I wanted to own 4 different cars: I wanted
- A Mercedes S-Class Sedan as a business/everyday car.
- A Mercedes SL convertible which I thought looked really cool and featured the hardtop that would fold and retract into the trunk.
- A Range Rover Sport for taking up to the snow and off road.
- A Ferrari convertible as a high-performance sports car, which looked like a million bucks and was a radical exotic sports car.
I also dreamed of having electric versions of these 4 vehicles for all the obvious benefits.
The interesting thing is the Tesla Model S P85D was like all four of those vehicle combined into one car with the tremendous benefit of being electric—One car to rule them all—which was a MVP (Minimum Viable Product). It was a professional sedan with four doors, had an enormous sunroof that was like driving around in a convertible, and it featured 4 wheel drive that handles like a dream in rain & snow due to its super low center of gravity—while having better than Ferrari handling and performance.
Essentially, the Tesla P85D Model S checked everything I wanted in a car including:
- 0-60 in 3.2 Seconds
- Dual Motors
- 4-Wheel Drive
- 250 Miles of Range
- Electric Car
- Super-Comfortable Recaro Racing Seats
- Largest Sunroof ever made
- Super Timeless Design
- Zero Maintenance Vehicle
- Extremely low fuel cost
- Best Looking Car Ever Made with 21' Rims and red brake calipers
- NEVER having to go to another gas station again. When I had my Lexus LS460 I would regularly leave the house and end up late for meetings since I would forget I had to get gas. Once I went electric, I have never left my home without a full (tank) charge.
I went to my local Tesla dealer in Corte Madera, California and test drove this new Ferrari-beater and I instantly fell in love with it. After the test drive the salesman asked me what I thought? I said I loved it and was seriously thinking about buying one.
The salesman could tell I was on the edge and said, "Why don't you come back and drive it again by yourself when you have time. When I showed up he gave me the keys and said enjoy yourself. I took the P85D on a test drive on the old highway 101 road that runs from downtown Corte Madera to Mill Valley which is the most amazing crazy curvy road for test driving a car. I pushed the car really hard all the way down the road and back, which was somewhat tiring as I kept trying to push the P85D to loose its composure, but it refused to concede in ANY way. The P85D was like 'Is that all you got bitch!?!!'
I was almost exhausted and overwhelmed with pushing the car so hard, but at the end of coming back, a voice in my head said 'Hey, this is the most amazing experience you have ever had driving a car, and like Elon said it's pretty much like having your own roller coaster. Why don't you take it for another lap back and forth, sissy boy!?!!" So that is exactly what I did, but the second time I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY pushed the performance envelope as I was committed to learn the boundaries of what it would take to get the P85D to lose its stately composure.
I pushed it so hard, but no matter what I did it refused to do but drive perfectly. I mean it felt like the car was on rails. After the halfway point coming back I had to pull over and rest as the P85D was making me feel sick. I typically have a REALLY strong stomach, but the Tesla Model S P85D got me to capitulate as the gravity with the 0-60MPH occurred in 3.2 seconds.
When I got back to the Tesla dealership I immediately ordered my favorite car which I still drive today! I took the photo below of my P85D in the San Francisco Marina not so long after I purchased it.
2015 Photo of my Tesla Model S P85D in San Francisco Presidio in front of Sports Basement
For the record my P85D has been maintenance-free beside replacing several sets of tires, and the ONLY real expense I have had was the drivers side automatic door handle stopped working one day and Tesla send out an amazing technician to fix it which cost me $250. Oh, yeah. If you have a challenge with your Tesla, for most things they send out a mobile technician to fix it instead of you HAVING to bring your car in to the repair facility—talk about a smart convenience.
That's right, in 7 years of ownership my total cost maintenance was ZERO and my only repair cost has been $250, which works out to around $35 per year for the life of the vehicle!?!! Also the car has held up really well and largely drives like it did when it was new! Just to be clear, since the car is electric, there is no oil or transmission fluid to change, and no need for a tune-up...Just Tesla constantly updating the operating system and user interface, much like an iPhone.
Driving my Model S P85D really has been like I traveled 50 years into the future and got the best car made and brought it back to drive around today. My P85D Model S is like having my own land speeder (Think Star Wars :-), along with having my own personal roller coaster.
I was so impressed with the Tesla Model S, I took the money I would have paid outright for it and invested it in Tesla stock in the hopes it would potentially pay for the car itself as I was so blown away by Tesla's level of innovation. Fast forward to today and the stock investment far more than paid for this amazing car!!! So the value proposition is kind of like buying a Rolex in that I have never owned a Rolex I haven't sold for more than I paid for it. One thing my Tesla Model S and Rolex watches I have owned have in common is they never cost me a penny and I basically got paid to own them!?!!
After I took delivery of my P85D seven years ago two things really stood out for me: One was how futuristic the car was, but at the same time there were a number of strange details missing I would have expected in such an expensive car ($145K), most of which were luxury refinements. I basically had a gaping laundry list of things I wanted, needed and expected in such and expensive luxury vehicle like air cooled seats and basic details you would find in the cheapest Toyota made like side door map pockets, many of which have FINALLY (Praise the Sweet Lord!!!!!!) made it into the new Model S!!! Yes I waited patiently for 7 years, but it appears like it was very much worth the wait...
On a side note, I believe the primary reason why it took Tesla so long to address and fix these design feature issues in the Model S was because they have been so overwhelmed for years with getting the Model 3, Model Y and Cyber Truck into production. It is a complete miracle—if you think about it—Tesla is still even in business, as they are the ONLY successful American car company to not go out of business over the past 100 years!
When I purchased my P85D there were some serious design oversights, which of course I recognize as I am a hardcore designer, and I brought this to Elon's attention. In Particular, the lack of interior storage struck me as being really strange as Elon had touted to then Governor Shwarzenneger how much storage capacity the Model S had when the rear seats were down. Elon said "It's amazing how much storage the back of the Model S has. You can fit a 55' flat screen TV in the back along with a mountain bike and surfboard—all at the same time!"
When I took delivery of my P85D seven years ago, I was shocked at how little useful storage capacity the car had!?!! I mean I was completely dumfounded! My car had no center storage console, no map storage pockets, and the only place I could store my iPhone and glasses was in the small open bin under the big centered portrait screen as seen below (not my car, but same center console).
So when I would accelerate quickly my phone and sunglasses would shoot out of the opening and crash into the hard plastic center console. I complained to Elon and said, "Essentially, I want storage like in a pair of cargo pants, but you have essentially made a nonsensical pair of pants with no pockets." As a good faith gesture, Tesla gave me a free optional center console which was much better but still it left a lot to be desired. If we compare and contrast the 2015 Model S interior pictured above to the refreshed 2021 Tesla interior seen below it is ab absolute night and day improvement.
So I have an interesting addition to this story. It's a review I wrote back in 2014 just after having purchased my P85D Model S which I think offers fascinating historical insight into the advent of the Performance Model S.
My Tesla Model S P85D in early 2015 with YETI SBC 5 Mountain Bike
@ China Camp in Marin County, California
Wanna know what it was like to be Elvis back in the day? Drive a Tesla Model S P85D, and you'll see. You'll suddenly be the King! Strangers will smile at you in awe, and people will randomly scream at you in applause.
It's not Germanic
or Teutonic
—its Bionic
As an American, I always wanted to own an American car, but they were all complete junk. I mean total crap, shit, garbage! Not only does the Tesla Model S not feel like an American car, it does not feel like a European car, or Japanese car. It feels like an Alien car from another dimension or universe. It is otherworldly, and does not feel like it was made anywhere on earth. The reality is that it is a Californian car, or to be specific, a Silicon Valley car, which has very little in common with most American cars.
The difference between the Tesla and gasoline cars is like comparing a Solid State Drive to a spinning disk drive. The spinning drive is loud, and inefficient with way to many moving parts. The solid state drive is completely silent, with no moving parts. It is also much, much faster, and uses much less energy since it is so efficient.
Basically, all gas ICE cars are analog, and the Tesla is purely digital. It’s like the difference between an original Sony Walkman from the 1980s and an iPhone today.
Driving the P85D feels like you are operating in a different dimension. Like everybody else is moving at normal speed, and you are able to move much faster, like you are bionic—like the 6 Million dollar man. The P85D drives like Michael Jordan played basketball.
It’s like the difference between watching TV in 1976 v. watching Apple TV today, in the sense the Apple TV has no commercials with radically increased resolution on a much larger screen.
The P85D is certainly a Wolf in sheeps clothing and makes everything that came before it look like a complete joke.
Global warming and Carbon Monoxide poisoning are a serious issue. Car exhaust gives off serious carbon fumes that are highly toxic and poisonous. If you don’t believe me, park you car in a garage and let it run for an hour while you breath in the exhaust, then tell me you don’t understand what you are pumping into the earths atmosphere every time you drive a car. Then try the same experiment with an electric car, and you won’t notice a thing. Actually, don't conduct this experiment because you would die from the toxic poisoning with the ICE vehicle in the garage.
Why don’t most people notice this? Because out-of-sight-is-out-of-mind. I’ll draw an analogy. If you sleep in a room, underneath a mosquito net which effectively stop a mosquito from entering the net you will be fine and won’t notice the mosquito. If you were to sleep underneath a mosquito net, and place a mosquito inside the net, you will notice for sure the next morning. This is akin to placing yourself in a closed garage with a car running, v. one running outdoors on the road.
The advent of the Model S P85D is so profound! In my opinion future generations will refer to automobile innovation epochs as "Before Tesla & After Tesla."
When someone hears the growl of a Jaguar car behind them, primal instinct kicks in as if a giant jungle cat is about to devour them. When somebody drives by a large growling motorcycle or in a Ferrari 458 Italia, the message they're sending is watch out the king cat is coming through—get out my way. I'm a force to be reckoned with bitches!!!
It's ironic the most super silent, 21st century ninja of automobiles—the Tesla P85D—can outperform the most powerful, loudest, most earthshaking engines. You constantly see men driving down the street in sports cars like Ferrari's and Porsches or on Harley Davidson motorcycles with engines growling really, really loud to show how powerful and masculine they are. With a tesla it's ninja stealth silent—with no growl,—no nothing, yet it'll blow anything else out of the water.
Tesla Model S P85D is completely antithetical to this silly, primitive, obsolete loudness equals performance paradigm. And therein lies its true beauty. In this otherworldly paradigm the library is far more interesting and powerful than the heavy metal concert.
Owning and driving my new P85D feels like I went in a time machine 50 years in the future and brought back a state of the art car from 2055, and am driving it today on the Streets of San Francisco.
Tesla has leapfrogged all their competition the same way that Toyota did with the introduction of the Lexus LS 400 back in the early 1990s.
My single favorite benefit of owning an electric Tesla is I NEVER have to go to a gas station ever again and I don't ever need to do time-wasting oil changes–ever! When I had a gas car, I would often be running late for a meeting and look down and realize I was low on gas and had to stop and waste 5-10 minutes refilling in a gas station while breathing in toxic petrol fumes. Those days are now thankfully gone. When I leave home everyday now, I leave with a full tank so I never have to worry about going to a gas station ever again.
The P85D features amazing fuel economy of 89 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent!!! This means that if I normally pay $4 for a gallon of gas to go 20 miles, with electric I can travel the same 89 miles for less than a $1!!!!
Tesla is both a car company and a tech company and it’s almost like you are flying instead of driving..The P85D Model S is stealth quiet, like the scene in the Godfather part 3, where Andy Garcia slowly drives the limo from the Atlantic City hotel meeting out of the parking garage...
To the Batmobile Robin!
Turbines to full thrust
A Real Batmobile
The P85D has lightning fast reflexes, like Bruce Lee (seemingly Superhuman, but real) and feels like you are getting in the cockpit of a jet-fighter, or a Star Wars X-Wing. The P85D has magical performance, yet it's super easy to drive.
I remember when I saw the first Spider Man movie, thinking, 'Wow, it would be so cool to have some super-human traits that nobody else has, and that is how the P85D feels, but it is real. It makes you feel like you are driving some kind of magical science-fiction rocketship, but it is real..."
The P85D features a single speed gearbox and the Tesla vehicle has something like only 10 moving parts and four of those are window lifts and a sunroof open-close mechanism. The Tesla has an AC induction motor with no brushes which equates to very little wear. As a result, Tesla's require far less maintenance due to their lack of moving parts.
Compare that with a standard ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicle that has over 2000 moving parts with its cams, cranks, pistons, multi-speed gearbox, valves, belts, etc. The supreme irony is ICE vehicle manufactures have their engineers figure out how to make parts that are likely to fail just after the warranty period so they can sell you replacement parts and service which is a form of planned obsolescence and is a crime against humanity.
Also, if somebody hits you in a Tesla, the Tesla Skateboard structure is like somebody driving into a brick wall...
Here is are bullet points for great features:
- Perfect 50/50 weight distribution because of battery packs.
- Sublime, Low key, kind of anonymous look, that is always silent. (Wolf in Sheep's clothing)
- Elegant, Aerodynamic looking car, with very low drag coefficient.
- Cool Rear Side Mirrors.
- Pop-out aerodynamic door handles that disappear into car, are super elegant and cool.
- Black glass roof panel provides interior ambience, and looks really cool.
- Features enormous cargo capacity with Hatchback, rear fold-down seats, and front trunk.
- Can install EchoHitch for only $160 if Rack n Road installs it.
- The Tesla S is basically an iPhone 6 Plus, since it can be so highly customized, unlike any other car made.
- Radical space-saving design, just like the BulletTrain SAFE Wallet. With motor between the wheels, there is no need for a driveshaft, fuel tank, or transmission. This gives the car a flat floor, and makes for massive storage ability.
- Can drive 7 people, with 2 kids seats in the back…
- Only 3 moving parts (AC induction motor invented by Nicolas Tesla). Nearly 3 times more efficient than a combustion engine. Rear motor connects directly to the rear wheels and does not need a transmission. The entire drive unit is smaller than a golf bag…
- Instant torque, like turning on a light switch…
- No toxic fumes in the garage, or anywhere else.
- Zero Emission, Zero Noise, Zero Fumes, Zero Dirt, Zero Heat, Zero Gasoline, Super Clean and Super Quiet.
- As much a computer as it is a car.
- First American Car I have ever considered owning. If you think about this for second, it is really profound that this car is made in the USA. You have always wanted an American car, but really this is a California car.
- Chicks obviously dig it. I had a woman follow me and flirt with me just admiring the P85D.
- Very Cool, in a Back To The Future, 1980s, progressive kind of way. Very Beverly Hills. Very iPhone-like.
- Super GQ
- Has a Steve McQueen-like energy!!!
- Upcoming blind spot indicator is amazing!!!
I could not be more exited and it will be interesting to see how the P85D holds up...
Looking in The Rear View Mirror
So if we fast forward 7 years later to today, my P85D has been maintenance free and my only expense was replacing the drivers door handle for $250. Also, I have gone through several sets of 21" tires, and I realized soon after I started driving the Model S P85D that I should have saved $5,000 and gone with the 19 inch wheels. If I had done that and invested the $5,000 savings in Tesla stock today it would be worth around $30,000. Not to mention I would have saved another $1500 or so on new wheel cost.
Original Pro Con List for P85D
If you've made it this far in the article, you are probably a bit OCD like me :-) As a designer, I tend to pay a tremendous amount of attention to analytical information. I went digging through my personal archives and am sharing for the first time my Pro-Con list for how I decided to replace my Flagship Lexus LS 460 with a Tesla Model S P85D.
Let me begin by saying I have always been on a quest for the best with everything in my life—especially with a car. Back in 2014 I had been driving a Lexus LS 460 which at the time was the best car made. That was until the advent of the Tesla P85D. Below are screen shots I got from the configurator on Tesla.com that I used to build/choose my P85D.
I put together the following Pro/Con list after first test driving the P85D:
- Most Revolutionary Car In History!!!! Reinvention of the Automobile. Disruptive Technology. Game changer.
- It really is like owning a REAL Bat-mobile…Very James Bond.
- Extremely Competent & Supremely confident car...
- Very Stealth looking.
- Ultra Modern Looks.
- Ultra Modern State-of-the-Art-Design: Tesla is THE Brand.
- Environmentally Great: Made in Northern California (Profound).
- Great for BulletTrain image. CEO Drives Tesla.
- Bold declarative statement. (Forward Thinking)
- Very Good Looking. Handsome!
- Silicon Valley Status Symbol. It’s like “You have arrived."
- Very high-end Northern California mindset.
- If the Lexus LS 460 was the car for smart people, the Tesla is for Super-Smart people.
- In many ways it’s like a the Lexus LS of the 21st century. Lexus dropped the innovation ball and Tesla picked it up!?!!
- 2 Trunks. Rear Hatchback and Frunk.
- Pairs with iPhone for Music!!! + Killer Address Book and iPhone integration. + Calendar Integration
- Can be Opened and Started with iPhone!!!!
- Elon Musk and Tesla keep publishing firmware updates to keep everything state-of-the-art.
- Most thoughtful car design, perhaps in history.
- Has really great curves, like a good-looking woman. At the same time it is really sculpted and masculine.
- No more gas stations, or gas expenses.
- Free Electricity for life.
- No Maintenance.
- Super-Clean and uncluttered interior. No Buttons, like an iPhone 6 Plus. Like Magic.
- Can Drive in carpool lanes.
- Super Safe. (Safest car made)
- 97% Lightweight Aluminum Body (Strong power to weight ratio, which helps increase performance, rigidity and range).
- Super fast (0-60 in 3.1 is a dream!)
- 4-Wheel Drive (Squaw Valley Lodge Dream) No Chains in Tahoe.
- Handles like a dream. It is like it is on rails.
- Amazing Handling due to battery compartment/low center of gravity.
- Incredible ceramic Brembo brakes.
- Amazing resales value/low depreciation?
- Made in USA
- Amazing warranty. 4 Year, 50,000 mile.
- Save time from not having to go to gas stations
- Huge LED LDC Display with Browser.
This car could really kind of simplify your life. Particularly if:
1. You can get it now instead of waiting a year to get the Mercedes S-Class.
2. If it also replaces an SL Mercedes. I think that after having 0-60 in 3.2, it would be hard to drive anything else. So basically, it is a true Sports Car, Sedan and 4WD all-in-one, and with the huge sunroof, it is kind of like having a convertible. Also, with the huge hatchback, it is like having an SUV, as far as cargo capacity. Plus if you get it now, you don’t have to wait anymore for an SL and S-Class…and it would be less than half as much money.
3. If you really think about it, the Tesla is low like a sports car, but also offers a sedan, so it is the best of both worlds in one.
Compared to LS 460
- Better turning radius than Lexus
- Lexus weights 4244 pounds and Tesla weights 4633 pounds.
- Length: Lexus 198. Tesla 196.
- Width: Lexus 73.8. Tesla 77.3
- Height: Lexus 4ft 10.1 in, Tesla 4ft 8.5 in.
- Max Cargo Space: Lexus 18 cubic feet. Tesla 26.3 cubic feet.
- Max Cargo Capacity: Lexus 18cu feet. Tesla 63.4 cu feet.
- Wheel Base: Lexus 116.9. Tesla 116.5 in.
- Ground Clearance: Lexus 6.1, Tesla 6in.
- Front Head Room: Lexus 38in, Tesla 38.8in.
- Drag Coefficient: Lexus .26cd, Tesla .24cd. Con
- No air-conditioned seats, so you perspire
- Seats are not as comfortable as on LS, but they are made by Recaro and are very supportive with excellent lumbar support.
- Arm ledge and Arm rest are hard and NOT comfortable or luxurious like in the Lexus.
- Arm rest has stitching on top of it, and can move back and forth by mistake when you have your elbow on it.
- Expensive
- No Sunglass Holder [Can put sunglasses in optional center console]
- Dinky Sunshades without lights (seem cheap) -Insurance could be much more expensive because of 0-60 in 3.2 seconds.
- No center console for storage. (must pay extra).
- First gen, lacks some refinement. What if they come out with CarPlay from Apple, or new batteries that last twice as long? [I think the bottom line on this issue, is that in 3-5 years, you can always trade it in for whatever takes its place. Even if you had to get stuck with it for life, it would be a great car]
- Might be a little more dangerous, since it is so fast. But it is very easy to control and drive.
- Range anxiety?
- Shitty Browser.
- Is missing Luxury. I want the padded armrest, and massager seats. Could and should be more comfortable.
- Financial Info: -$132K? $122 after Federal Tax Credit of $7500 and California Incentive of $2500.
- Loan is $1,816 per month with a down payment of $3,828.
- Lease is $1,925 per month, which is weird that it is more than loan?
- Registration, which would be around $18,000!!!!!
- Comes with 4 year, 50,000 mile warranty, and 8 year, unlimited warranty on battery and drive unit.
- Dual charger cost $1500 extra.
- Recharge.com + Plugshare.com
- It takes 4.5 hours with the supercharger.
- A standard 240v 50amps dedicated. takes 9 hours to charge with that .9 hours for standard 240. 4.5 hours for 120.
- 110 takes 3-4 miles of charge per hour plugged in. 91 hours to fully charge the car.
- Phone runs over 3G
- Federal Tax Credit applies in the year you take delivery.
- California gives you a check for $2500.
- Feedback@Tesla.com will offer you insight on why the seats are not air conditioned, and if it is coming.
- 3G Data is free and included for maps for 4 years. Maps, software updates. Surfing. Internet Radio.
- If you charge from 11pm to 5am, so it could cost $5 to charge the car. If you contact PGE, and get a separate meter, you can get special EV rates. Peak rates are around $10 per full charge.
- Is next generation cruise control.
- $2500 for rear end seat, not retrofittable.
- 5.4 out of 5 from National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
- Built with Aerospace design. Cast and aluminum extrusion makes it so safe.
- A machine that tested it got broken when trying to crush the Tesla.
- Is it 50/50 balance. It does on the P85D.
- Air Suspension? Can raise the car up and down.
- Only 4 Tesla vehicles have been stolen to date.
- With the app you can see who is driving the car, and where it is located, and speed.
- Car can be pinged by wifi.
- 43 to 50% buyback after 3 years.
- $1500 for dual charger, if you want to add it later it cost $3600
- Twin chargers only work at home, and charge at home twice as fast, but no faster on the Tesla Superchargers.
- The have chargers every 120 miles on the 101 and most roads.
- Will have supercharges in Corte Madera.
- Slacker is like Pandora. Included for first years.
- Brakes last forever due to the regenerative braking which creates very little wear.
- Has hill holding feature with brakes…
- 89MPG equivalent.
- Lithium Ion Batteries are used in the Tesla.
- The Batteries are DC, and the motor is AC (alternating current)
- Uses Mercedes gear shift selector, turning signal stalk, wipers control, cruise control, windshield wiper control,
- Very Simple Car…
Thursday, July 1, 2021
Tesla are the SAFEST CARS EVER Made.
Safest Cars Ever Made
It is a fact that the Tesla Model S, 3, X & Y models are the safest cars every made in history. When the National Highway & Transportation Association (NHTA) tested the Model S for what it took to get it to roll over, no mater what they tried they could NOT get it to role over which was the first vehicle in their testing history they could not get to roll over. This was due to the Model S having such an unusually low center of gravity.
So the NHTA decided they would subject the Tesla Model S to the crush test which basically works like a garbage compactor, but the Model S was so strong it ended up breaking the NHTA crush testing machine. This is because the Model S uses special bolts and aerospace construction techniques including cast and aluminum extrusion developed by Elon Musk's SPACE X which makes it remarkably strong and safe.
So why exactly are all Tesla models so much safer than any other cars ever made? It has much to do with the Tesla Chassis structure which is commonly referred to as The Skateboard which is pictured below. The image below is of the all-new Model S Plaid Skateboard. The large rectangular portion of the skateboard is essentially stronger than a brick wall in the sense it features somewhere around Seven Thousand 18650 batteries sandwiched between reinforced aluminum panels.
If an accident occurs and a car jackknifes the Tesla, meaning it hits it from the side, the car that hits the Tesla can't go through it and will essentially bounce off it. Contrast this with a standard ICE vehicle which has a week chassis structure that is made up of a hollow chassis and if it gets hit from the side, the car hitting it can basically go through and T-Bone it as we see in the photos below of the vehicle famous Author David Halberstam was killed in.
David was sitting in the front passenger seat on April 23, 2007 as the Toyota Corolla was driving thought Menlo Park in California, on his way to Mountain View to talk with legendary NFL Quarterback, Frank Gifford when his car was hit from the side when a graduate student from Berkely made a left turn from a controlled lane, against a red light. David died immediately of internal injuries at the scene. I understand this is gruesome but my point is if the identical accident impact occurred today and the offending car hit ANY Tesla, the very likely outcome would be the passenger would not suffer any damage beyond perhaps whiplash.
The recent photo below shows a Tesla Model 3 that drove off a cliff and all 4 passengers fortunately were able to climb out of the car and walk away uninjured. Tesla and Elon Musk take safety VERY SERIOUSLY. I remember in the old days Volvo had a reputation for making the Safest cars. Today, Tesla has surpassed Volvo by a long-shot in safety, and everything else for that matter. If you think Tesla's are expensive, safety is one of the great reasons why they are and isn't your life/health or the life of your loved ones worth it?
I saw a recent Tesla Patent Application that features an even newer more innovative crumple zone construction that is mind-blowing so it is great to know that Tesla is not resting on its laurels when it comes to safety.
Congratulations if you made it to the end of this article. In the future I might update it but for now I am very impressed with the all-new Model S and can't wait to purchase one...
Sunday, May 9, 2021
Thursday, April 15, 2021
All Electric New Mercedes S-Class EQS Delivered Stillborn
All Electric
New Mercedes S-Class EQS
'Dead-on-Arrival'
Many people have been talking about how the competition is coming to crush Tesla. To date, every potential competitor failed miserably including the Jaguar, iPace along with so many others. In my opinion the company that posed the greatest threat was Mercedes-Benz. Back in October of 2019 I published a story on RolexMagazine.com about the upcoming 'Super-Cool' Mercedes-Benz EQS. We see the Mercedes EQS "Concept Car" as it was presented two years ago and it was AMAZING looking!!!!!
Today, Mercedes finally unveiled the new EQS production prototype and it could not be more disappointing as seen below. I can't even begin to put into works how disappointing the final design is. It NEVER ceases to amaze me how many companies show off a cool concept then deliver something terrible. I think if the production Mercedes looked identical to the concept it would have given the Tesla Models S a run for its money, but instead Mercedes failed terribly and looks like a Ford Taurus had a baby with the original EQS Concept car!?!!
WTF Mercedes !?!!
The new 2021 Plaid Tesla Model S is pictured below, which is largely based upon a 9 year old Model S design that received a facelift and wider hips and it is beyond timeless.
MKBHD posted this review of the interior of the new Mercedes EQS interior. Mercedes showcased the car initially with camouflage on the front and rear of the car which was a stupid waste of everybody's time, but after seeing is without the camo I now see why...
The Mercedes 'S Class' used to be the defacto car of wealthy leaders until the Tesla Model S came along and started radically capturing market share from Mercedes. In other words, people who used to drive Mercedes S Class models stopped buying them and bought switched to purchasing Tesla Model S. So the Mercedes EQS is designed to compete squarely against the Tesla Model S, and I think Mercedes failed miserably. Why? Mercedes copied MANY elements from the Tesla Model S, but in my opinion made it WAY TOO COMPLICATED, with WAY to many buttons and options as you will see in the video below:
Mercedes failure to genuinely innovate and simplify is making the former nameplate to continue to become passé. In my opinion as a designer, Mercedes needs to quickly transition and streamline the brand into the EV space and quickly exit the ICE business. Also, Mercedes needs to get rid of AMG, and having rice rockets is super cheesy. Just like Tesla's Model S, Mercedes S Class should offer one vehicle that has all the features, with two or three different levels of battery and performance. NOT eight zillion different options that confuse customers to death...
Thursday, February 11, 2021
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
ZooX Fully Autonomous All-Electric Vehicle Built for Riders, Not Drivers
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Tesla Battery Day
Tesla Battery Day
I have been saying for some time now that Tesla has the entire automotive industry in check-mate, and after having watched Tesla's Battery Day I am even more certain of this fact.
Friday, July 24, 2020
Tesla's 2020 Q2 Earning Call End Game For All Other Car Companies
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