Tesla Model 3 motor issues

[Deleted User 1874]

Why is it that so much reliance is made on 0-60 times.

In the real world we do not do acceleration runs (much, just the odd TLGP start).

Its the on the move acceleration that matters and that is something a decent EV should excel at.

It's just a simple metric everyone is used to comparing for whatever historic reason. EVs are great when it comes to on the move acceleration with their instant response. Overtaking has never been so effortless without the downshifts and drivetrain inertia. For me the best thing about driving an EV is the torque and throttle response. No comparable ICE I've driven really comes close in those respects and certainly not without serious gas guzzling credentials!

[Deleted User 1874]

Why is it that so much reliance is made on 0-60 times.

Don't most people want some metric that measures of the performance of the car in a single value? Personally I'd rather see 30-70 quoted as it dispenses with all the heroics of launch control etc, but it seems to be so rarely measured in reviews nowadays and typically isn't revealed by the manufacturer.

Agreed. 30-70 mph would be the perfect metric for real world driving, maybe with a 3rd gear start to make it even more relevant to the daily grind. The one thing in-gear incremental acceleration figures tend to mask are delays in kick down downshifts, which can be quite significant and the main reason I preferred driving my PDK 911 in manual mode most of the time. It was just too slow in responding to a kick-down even in Sport mode and Sport+ was intolerable for everyday use revving the nuts off it constantly and banging into each gear like a chav.

[Deleted User 1874]

Its Tesla being cheap,

I’m not sure I’d call the announced base price of €58000 cheap!

That is the point Mike.

Tesla are probably saving no more than a few hundred dollars on their choice of electric motor for the rear assembly compared to the much more modern and efficient motor fitted up front in the P versions and still charging a premium price for non premium systems.

It would make far more sense to design the whole of the Tesla range around the same rear motor, gearbox and drive system then to go the route of conventional manufacturers where the assemblies are different for each model and the variants within.

Eg
Macan, 5 different engine versions hence so much more complicated in design, compliance and manufacturing route.

Actually if you follow the video, it's the cheaper motor that is actually more efficient. The induction motor used on the front of the P version Model 3 is arguably more responsive, but LESS efficient. AFAIK the rear motors are identical on all Model 3 variants. There isn't any hard evidence to suggest that the rear motor choice was made entirely on a cost basis, but cost would obviously have been a factor, along with the all important efficiency. All we have here are a few subjective comments about the response of the mid-range Model 3 feeling a bit slow compared to the this guy's personal expectation. My take on it was that with a quoted 0-60 time of 5.6 sec it would feel brisk but not stunningly fast, while the P model with a 0-60 time of 3.3 sec speaks for itself as the guy is obviously enjoying in the video!

[Deleted User 1874]

Whether I take delivery is probably going to be about flipping I’m afraid. If the market means I can flip the car then I will do so, otherwise I will probably get my deposit back. RHD Tesla deliveries are not going to be until H2 19 at the earliest and competition is increasing by the month.

In the US the wait hasn’t been so bad but I think it will end up being 4 years between order and delivery and that’s probably going to be too long for Tesla to compete.

That’s what happens when, lacking automotive manufacturing experience, you create a vehicle that may be electronically sophisticated but is technically complicated to build.

At least they've built more than 100,000 Model 3s at this point compared to literally nothing comparable from the "experienced" manufacturers. I'm in the market for a Model 3P as a second car and would love to see some serious competition from the likes of Porsche, Merc, Audi, VW, BMW etc, but there is nothing only concept cars and promises. The Taycan would make an interesting alternative to a Model S, but even that still seems ages away from sitting on any UK driveway.

[Dandock]

Whether I take delivery is probably going to be about flipping I’m afraid. If the market means I can flip the car then I will do so, otherwise I will probably get my deposit back. RHD Tesla deliveries are not going to be until H2 19 at the earliest and competition is increasing by the month.

In the US the wait hasn’t been so bad but I think it will end up being 4 years between order and delivery and that’s probably going to be too long for Tesla to compete.

That’s what happens when, lacking automotive manufacturing experience, you create a vehicle that may be electronically sophisticated but is technically complicated to build.

At least they've built more than 100,000 Model 3s at this point...

But have they actually turned a significant profit?

[Virage11]

I had the misfortune of seeing a model 3 on the road in Florida...it just looked like someone had crossed an S with an X, shrunk it a little, and then tried to make it even more bland...it was truly woeful. At least the X is unique with it size and falcon doors. Why can't designs be more interesting...like Polestar or Honda's upcoming Urban EV.

[Deleted User 1874]

That’s what happens when, lacking automotive manufacturing experience, you create a vehicle that may be electronically sophisticated but is technically complicated to build.

At least they've built more than 100,000 Model 3s at this point...

But have they actually turned a significant profit?

They turned a profit in the last quarter of 2018, which quietened down the short sellers a fair bit. But they are still battling to pay for all the new infrastructure associated with starting up a relatively large scale manufacturing business from scratch. I would say their unit profit on each EV sold is better than all the other legacy manufacturers who are probably making unit losses on their EV sales to get into the game.

[Deleted User 1874]

I had the misfortune of seeing a model 3 on the road in Florida...it just looked like someone had crossed an S with an X, shrunk it a little, and then tried to make it even more bland...it was truly woeful. At least the X is unique with it size and falcon doors. Why can't designs be more interesting...like Polestar or Honda's upcoming Urban EV.

With a car like the Model 3, practicality is more important than making it look "different". The Polestar doesn't look very practical to me and the Honda just looks like a toy, which might be fun if that's all you need. I quite like how the BMW i3 looks a bit quirky, but I was never going to buy one with 2 growing kids in tow. I agree the Model 3 does look like a shrunken X/S cross, but that's fine by me as I like both. I don't think it was ever meant to be some kind of fashion statement.

[CharlesElliott]

I don’t need an alternative - if we kept it it would replace my wife’s A5 but she isn’t amazingly keen on it anyway. I do quite fancy a VW Up! GTI so might try one of those (and probably less than half the cost of the Model 3).

[Deleted User 1874]

I don’t need an alternative - if we kept it it would replace my wife’s A5 but she isn’t amazingly keen on it anyway. I do quite fancy a VW Up! GTI so might try one of those (and probably less than half the cost of the Model 3).

That's fair enough, it was just your comment about competition increasing by the month, which I'm not seeing at all. Maybe by 2020 or 2022 there might be something directly comparable to a Model 3, but I'm not seeing any available EV this year that would rival a Model 3, especially in P spec. So on that basis I think I'll probably end up getting one this year and then see if there's anything else to tempt me out of it in another 3 or 4 years time. Same basic strategy I had buying the Model X last year.