Any of you planning to upgrade from Leaf to Model S ?

[evmike]

Yes we will add a Tesla S next year and keep the LEAF.

Then our Lexus hybrid will be the long trip car which doesn't get much use.

I went to the Fremont factory tour and was sold on the car.

I would be interested in a Nissan car with more range but so far Nissan seems to be years away from adding anything like the Tesla S.

 

[TomT]

Nope, not at that price point. It is also a car that is way too big for us. It wouldn't even fit in our garage...

Wondering how many Leaf owners have Model S bookings and whether you plant o upgrade to Model S when it comes out next year.
I'm toying with the idea of reserving one - just in case.

 

[TRONZ]

Not really the S, but I would like a peek at the X. In all honesty though, when we get around to adding a second car, it will almost certainly be a VW JSW TDI. Besides I already have my sights set on our next EV... if Nissan would just quit toying around with us.

 

[Boomer23]

Model S is too large for my tastes, though I think it's really cool. I can fit my family of five in my LEAF, albeit less comfortably than in a Model S, and I don't need all of that size and mass. I'm more interested in a smaller sports EV with lighter weight and good handling.

I have two other problems with the Tesla, and I've seen and sat in one of the Beta models. I have serious concerns with the safety of the driver interface that is all touchscreen using the gigantor LCD in the center dash. I have enough trouble being distracted with my LEAF's nav and its minimal voice commands. I'm convinced that a good many controls in cars need to be easily operable without looking away from the road and with tactile responsiveness. I get that it's cool for a Silicon Valley company to think that they've reinvented the automobile by putting everything on their invented-here linux OS touchscreen and bypassing the multiple supplier and design and fitment problems of a variety of switchgear, but IMHO it's overkill and unsafe. I doubt that it'll make it to production, and the redesigns may delay the car's introduction. Secondly, I have doubts that the actual production cars will be nearly as solid and satisfying as competitive sedans in the same market segment. Tesla has never built a car from scratch before, and the Roadsters had enough problems at delivery to keep Musk up at night. See "Revenge of the Electric Car".

If I'm wrong about all of this, so be it. I'll accept my lack of vision and the faithful can say they told me so. I'd love to see them succeed and Tesla certainly deserves a big thank you from us all for proving the modern EV concept and for showing people like Bob Lutz at GM that Lithium was worth a risk.

 

[stanley]

Is anyone concerned that Tesla batteries are of the telephone type strung together vs the Nissan made battery that is specifically developed from scratch for Ev's

 

[TomT]

Yep! BMW, Ford and others learned this early on when customers bitched that they still wanted basic knobs and controls for functions like radio, climate control and the like.

I have two other problems with the Tesla, and I've seen and sat in one of the Beta models. I have serious concerns with the safety of the driver interface that is all touchscreen using the gigantor LCD in the center dash. I have enough trouble being distracted with my LEAF's nav and its minimal voice commands. I'm convinced that a good many controls in cars need to be easily operable without looking away from the road and with tactile responsiveness.

 

[mitch672]

Is anyone concerned that Tesla batteries are of the telephone type strung together vs the Nissan made battery that is specifically developed from scratch for Ev's

The are are multiple things to be concerned with, one of them is the liquid cooling system required of the Tesla's pack. Even when the vehicle is "parked and off", this liquid cooling system still runs, draining energy from the battery, so the Tesla's need to be connected to the EVSE, even when not in use, as you always have current draining, which also makes it use more energy than an air cooled pack, like in the Leaf.

The other issue is the # of charge cycles their pack can sustain, one of the reasons they have the 200 mile pack on the earlier Roadster is, hardly anyone uses that full charge, so the typical EV driver might go 50 miles, then recharge, so they are only partially cycling the pack. That appears to make the pack "last a long time", when in reality, it still may be a 3-4K cycle pack. And, the replacement pack is not inexpensive (neither are they for the Leaf).

I'm just not sure I trust Tesla, they have a very limited # of Roadsters produced, and nothing else. We'll see how they are doing after a few years of the Model S being out, I am not planning to upgrade to a Model S for the forseeable future, probably would not be before 2015-2016 at the earliest, that will give it time to see how it does in "the real world".

 

[keydiver]

I'm considering it, but still haven't put down a deposit. I actually have a friend waiting in line for my hand-me-down Leaf in 2013. But, that's not because I consider the Leaf to be an inferior car, or it won't meet my range needs, but there are quite a few occasions where I need to comfortably fit 5 adults.

 

[evnow]

Is anyone concerned that Tesla batteries are of the telephone type strung together vs the Nissan made battery that is specifically developed from scratch for Ev's

Lease. One word for all battery related uncertainties.

But at this point, I think Tesla has proven that their battery tech using consumer type Li batteries work well.

 

[evnow]

I have serious concerns with the safety of the driver interface that is all touchscreen using the gigantor LCD in the center dash. I have enough trouble being distracted with my LEAF's nav and its minimal voice commands. I'm convinced that a good many controls in cars need to be easily operable without looking away from the road and with tactile responsiveness.

Interesting. Even with Leaf I've to look to operate any of th buttons - except for the track change lever on the steering wheel.

I think the way to do this would be with a combination of steering wheel buttons & voice command. Voice recognition technology is now mature enough to be able to easily do most of the basic operations without touching a button.

 

[shay]

I think Model S is a nice looking car though I have only seen it in videos and still pictures. It is way too big for my tastes and very expensive. As others have said, you can have two Leafs for the price of one Model S. You would also be without dealer support in Texas as well.

 

[GPowers]

... I have serious concerns with the safety of the driver interface that is all touchscreen using the gigantor LCD in the center dash. I have enough trouble being distracted with my LEAF's nav and its minimal voice commands. I'm convinced that a good many controls in cars need to be easily operable without looking away from the road and with tactile responsiveness. I get that it's cool for a Silicon Valley company to think that they've reinvented the automobile by putting everything on their invented-here linux OS touchscreen and bypassing the multiple supplier and design and fitment problems of a variety of switchgear, but IMHO it's overkill and unsafe. I doubt that it'll make it to production, and the redesigns may delay the car's introduction.

Read somewhere of a company that is developing a way to make a flat screen have a tactile feel, that is software generated.

 

[chris1howell]

I reserved one back in 2009, my sequince number is just over 1000. can't really afford it but I have been saving for a while now so hopefully I can make it happen...

 

[evnow]

When I was browsing PC, it baffled me that half the people who have reserved a PIP are getting the advanced trim for $40K ! Model S for $10k more sounds like a steal :lol:

 

[Herm]

When I was browsing PC, it baffled me that half the people who have reserved a PIP are getting the advanced trim for $40K ! Model S for $10k more sounds like a steal :lol:

or a Volt.. these people must have a severe case of GM-phobia

 

[Herm]

Is anyone concerned that Tesla batteries are of the telephone type strung together vs the Nissan made battery that is specifically developed from scratch for Ev's

one advantage of using laptop cells is that you will ALWAYS be able to get that pack rebuilt, even 50 years from now.

 

[evnow]

one advantage of using laptop cells is that you will ALWAYS be able to get that pack rebuilt, even 50 years from now.

The main advantages are price & density. That is why Tesla chose them instead of prismatic automotive batteries. But the flip side is that Tesla had to build a complex system for management.

 

[GPowers]

When I was browsing PC, it baffled me that half the people who have reserved a PIP are getting the advanced trim for $40K ! Model S for $10k more sounds like a steal :lol:

I'am missing something, I do not understand the short hand PC and PIP?

Is there a post somewhere that list all the abbreviations?

 

[mitch672]

When I was browsing PC, it baffled me that half the people who have reserved a PIP are getting the advanced trim for $40K ! Model S for $10k more sounds like a steal :lol:

I'am missing something, I do not understand the short hand PC and PIP?

Is there a post somewhere that list all the abbreviations?

PC = PriusChat, in particular this subforum: http://priuschat.com/forums/toyota-prius-plug-in/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
PiP = Plug in Prius, a new 2012 model with a max 15 mile EV range, $32 base, $40K loaded

 

[AP1]

I am. I'm parking it right between my Bentley and Ferrari. :lol: