[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

It is powered by an Nvidia Tegra processor. I have never seen the map lag by even half a second.

With a Tegra chip, user interface lag should be a thing of the past.

I did not follow what you meant by the frame less windows not touching the body. They are supported by rubber window seals?

Can't say I am a big fan of that interior. While the screen may do everything you need, to have to go through an electronic system to open your glove box can get a little inconvenient. That is my personal take.

I salute Elon Musk's efforts and his electric car journey so far. Ten years on and there is not a single car out there to take on Tesla. I don't find other manufacturers even trying to replicate what Tesla are doing. In terms of innovation, Tesla are at another level. When the Semi rolls out, it will redefine long distance trucking.

The other good thing about the USA is that there is supporting infrastructure for a car like this. EV charging points are plenty.

Do keep one IC based car in your garage. Just to keep some engine oil flowing through your veins. Thanks for sharing.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

I did not follow what you meant by the frame less windows not touching the body. They are supported by rubber window seals?
Can't say I am a big fan of that interior. While the screen may do everything you need, to have to go through an electronic system to open your glove box can get a little inconvenient.

The windows have a big overlap on the trim. Probably designed to have a tight seal and eliminate wind noise. After opening the door these windows roll down a couple inches automatically, and roll up when you close the door. If there was a metal frame around the door window, they probably would not have needed such a design.

Yeah, the interior is so different, that it does not click with every one. The glovebox is one touch away in the driver mode. The screen changes automatically based on context. After you stop the engine, the hood/trunk open options are right there. There are no buttons, but the right ones seem to be right in front of our eyes when we need it. You cant ask your kid to go get something from the glovebox.
I do see your point. They will ask for your smartphone to be able to do that. Then they are going to touch your screen with their greasy hands. They may also get distracted and start touching a ton of unrelated things.

Another thing about simplicity/things eliminated. Pressing the brake pedal harder/way in - engages the Hold (sort of parking brake). Pressing the gas pedal releases it automatically. There is no hand brake/parking brake that you may forget.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

I salute Elon Musk's efforts and his electric car journey so far

My rooftop solar system is from Solar City. Personally, I have still not come around to be ok with all of his talk. I like their end products, but not a big fan of all the hyping and all the talk/posturing - things like "My goal is to make humans an interplanetary species" ( I think he said something like that).

[RoadGlide]

Wow! Congrats on the Model 3! It is truly a car that shows us a glimpse of what the future might seem like. I guess you are lucky to get your hands on it with all the news of the delays. How is the general build quality of the car? There have been issues with the quality control of Teslas so I would like to know your opinion on it.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

After opening the door these windows roll down a couple inches automatically, and roll up when you close the door. I like their end products, but not a big fan of all the hyping and all the talk/posturing - things like "My goal is to make humans an interplanetary species"

I guess the seal is so good that the door probably won't shut without lowering the window a little.

I tend to ignore his comments to the likes of what you mentioned or anything that sounds Area 51 type.

For me, the highlight of their electric cars is the range. Remains unmatched to anything on sale today. The Nissan Leaf can barely do 150km. Tesla were doing almost 500km a long time ago. This matches what you would ideally achieve with a IC engine so there is no question or doubt over range anxiety.

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

My goal is to make humans an interplanetary species.

The very fact that you are driving an electric vehicle that can travel 500km in a single charge puts you and me in different galaxies; and therefore Musk wasn't exactly off the mark in his comments. Had the car (can we even use that word?) been in black, I would have felt that I am reading from the script of the next MIB movie .

That said, it was interesting reading your review; and frankly, a bit scary too. I am all for electric mobility, but sans the baggage of Artificial/Autonomous intelligence. And given my predilection for going for that missing brake pedal even while sitting on the passenger seat, I might never feel comfortable letting the car drive itself!

How long do you have to charge the batteries and how often are you expected to replace them? Also, would request you to pen a few words on the fuel expenses vis-à-vis fossil fuelled cars.

Congrats and happy mobility .

[sudev]

That's sexy.

Reading the post was like reading sci-fi novel.

Waiting for the videos and longer term experience.

Have you tested the pedal to medal take off yet? How's the "handling"?

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

That said, it was interesting reading your review; and frankly, a bit scary too. I am all for electric mobility, but sans the baggage of Artificial/Autonomous intelligence. And given my predilection for going for that missing brake pedal even while sitting on the passenger seat, I might never feel comfortable letting the car drive itself!

How long do you have to charge the batteries and how often are you expected to replace them? Also, would request you to pen a few words on the fuel expenses vis-à-vis fossil fuelled cars.

Congrats and happy mobility .

Thanks! The possibility of TM3 being capable of level 5 autonomy is hype. Right now what is enabled is, level 2. Needs driver to hold the steering every minute, else it will beep and get disabled. I dont blame you for being scared. I was screaming and freaking out on the first day. I had to watch it do its thing on an empty road that snaked around to gain confidence. Surprisingly it is able to stay perfectly in the center of the lane at night as well. My confidence in enabling it has only increased gradually.

It does have a brake pedal, what is missing is the handbrake/emergency brake.

Charging depends on what you have at home. I have a NEMA 14-50 outlet that charges at the rate of 30 miles per hour. I can use the app to program the charging to start at midnight 12.00am. The utility companies have the lowest price per kWh after mid night. I drive around 200miles per week, and charging on a weekend after mid night should typically do it. It is 14c to 25c per kWh. The utility companies are playing lots of games with variable pricing. They do not like customers like me with solar panels, who do not pay anything for electricity. Last year they paid me $26 (in total for the year). I can write a lot about the economics of this, but I will save that for another day.

Longer drives are routed through the Tesla Supercharger network. 80% charge in 20/30 minutes. The car even tells you how many stalls are vacant, and what facilities are available at the charger station. (like restaurant, toilets, etc). For Model S this is free for life. For TM3, I will need to pay. Instead of comparing just fuel costs, comparing TCO may make more sense.
http://teslapedia.org/model-s/tesla-...-s-vs-ice-car/

Originally Posted by sudev

Have you tested the pedal to medal take off yet? How's the "handling"?

Approximately within legal limits, yes. I am used to hearing engine rev, as the car picks up speed. Here, I only feel pressure on the back and the chest. Trees whizzing by faster, and the speedo showing 60 in no time. It is unreal, and hard to explain. Tesla Model S has the ludicrous mode where it is a lot more crazy. For the Model 3 a software update with the Ludicrous mode is still awaited. Elon has talked about this and a few other updates such as complete control with voice commands, & summon mode. (He has also promised living on Mars). We will see when we get there But it is cool to see your car get better even after it is a year old.

[Comrade]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

It is powered by an Nvidia Tegra processor.

Minor correction. Media Control Units (MCU) in All Model 3s (and all S and X after Feb 2018) are powered by Intel's Gordon Peak BMP and Apollo Lake SoC. This MCU is ages ahead of old Tegra MCU, and the Intel platform is the primary reason for zero lag. Tegra MCUs are known for little lag in rendering maps, scrolling through USB menus etc.

This should not be confused with Nvidia GPGPU platform for AP 2.0 hardware (S and X) and AP 2.5 hardware (3).

[snan]

Thanks for the review and congrats for holding faith. I have never been in M3. But been in X and man, its a different experience indeed. Tesla still is the best battery manufacturer and that is probably going to be the crux of their strategy. I doubt they can produce enough to meet demand anytime soon - which clearly will give the traditionals like BMW and Merc a great way in. I love Tesla and I even love some of the sci fi statements Elon makes. After-all, dreaming big to solve seemingly insurmountable problems is what has made him the man he is.

[maddy42]

Originally Posted by snan

Thanks for the review and congrats for holding faith. I have never been in M3. But been in X and man, its a different experience indeed. Tesla still is the best battery manufacturer and that is probably going to be the crux of their strategy. I doubt they can produce enough to meet demand anytime soon - which clearly will give the traditionals like BMW and Merc a great way in. I love Tesla and I even love some of the sci fi statements Elon makes. After-all, dreaming big to solve seemingly insurmountable problems is what has made him the man he is.

With all their issues with making cars Tesla already holds the 1, 3 and 4th position in the US on monthly EV and plug in hybrid sales. If thats not something the Big 3 of detroit, the japs and the europeans need to be fearful about, i dont know what should. Do note the Teslas are more expensive then their competitors, but still beats(chevy) them. I do agree with too many new ideas getting Elon and team sidetracked, but what they have achieved is incredible to say the least!

The link below has a pictorial representation.
https://insideevs.com/monthly-plug-in-sales-scorecard/

Maddy

[GutsyGibbon]

Here is a spreadsheet with good graphs of the total production of Model3. Link

The big ramp up is happening now. Among the half a million people who have reserved, there are some who will wait for the base $35k car, and there are some who are waiting for the all wheel drive performance version. But, people I know who are getting the invites, are all going ahead with the configuration. There are 5 TM3s at work, in our parking lot. These are people who stood in the line on Day 1 or people who reserved online on day 1. People who reserved their TM3 on the 3rd day are still waiting. By the end of 2018, these graphs for EV sales will look very different.

[ninjatalli]

Maybe not the right thread but a few (noob) questions - to the OP as well as the rest

1. What's the risk of the Tesla's core system failing (like any technical setup)? Does the car have a offline / manual workaround with limited functionality?

2. What's the risk of virus attacks (again like any technical setup); if not today, then in the near future?

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Maybe not the right thread but a few (noob) questions - to the OP as well as the rest

1. What's the risk of the Tesla's core system failing (like any technical setup)? Does the car have a offline / manual workaround with limited functionality?

2. What's the risk of virus attacks (again like any technical setup); if not today, then in the near future?

Not sure what the core system is here. You can restart/reset the console/system without loss of power, or brakes. (While driving). The LTE connection is used for maps, streaming music, and firmware updates. You can continue to drive without these. (Offline). There is a card to get in if the Bluetooth connection from the phone fails. There are YouTube videos of people driving TM3 further than the last mile to see how gradually it stalls. There are a ton of warnings to pull over. Other than that, it is an electric car like any other, motor strapped to a big battery.

Yes, any connected system can be hacked and is prone to attacks. It's only a matter of time till that happens. An agile company handles such attacks well and responds with fixes quickly.

[prince0407]

Congratulation on your new acquisition GutsyGibbon. It's been probably the most talked about car worldwide in last 6 months or so. You have been one lucky guy to have laid your hands on this elusive drive. While the manual intervention has been removed to a great extent, it seems to have come at a cost. The cost of a not-so-appealing interior. Looking at the pictures, it's safe to say that M3 doesn't exhibit luxury inside. Also, may take some time to get used to the screen commands. It's a monster machine though.

Wish you many happy mile munching- both coastal and cross-country.

Cheers!!
Pratyush

[MaheshY1]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

Not sure why you felt this way about this one.

My bad. Could be a result of a software update. Initial Model 3 reviews were my source on this one.