Official Tesla Model Y Thread

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Some who are concerned about the rear view from the mirror drive with the rear camera displayed. This is easy to do with voice commands: "show rear camera" and "hide rear camera." I find that the wide angle view takes some getting used to since the cars following behind seem farther away than they really are.
 
coleafrado said:
- Networking didn't work, apparently getting satellite maps costs $10/month?
I'm not sure what you mean by "networking didn't work".

However, 2 years ago Tesla switched connectivity (LTE internet access) to two tiers: basic (free) and premium ($10/mo) . Streaming audio, live traffic and satellite maps all come under premium connectivity (https://www.tesla.com/support/connectivity). Depending upon the trim (e.g., Premium Interior or not), new cars get either 30 days or 1 year of premium connectivity for free. But even without it, you should still get live, non-high-altitude maps.

I'm surprised a test drive vehicle didn't have it.
 
palmermd said:
Leaving the Leaf in the rear view. Same thing I did when I switched to Model 3. I agree rear visibility is not great, but front visibility is much better than most any modern car. Rear in most modern cars is not great, and Model 3 is about the same.


Any time you have a fairly flat sloped rear window, especially when combined with a long distance to the rear end and big headrests, you can expect the rear vis to be abysmal. The Hyundai Ionic I sat in was like looking down a small tunnel, and I'd reject it for that reason alone even if I loved everything else about the car. A split rear window in the tailgate like the Prius has is akin to putting a bandaid on a compound fracture.

Being able to see all around the car is critical to safety, and there are many cars with major blindspots now, whether for style, safety (Volt 1 A-pillars) or aerodynamics like the MY or Prius. I'll happily trade some aero to be able to see out of the car. Cameras are great, but eventually they fail and need expensive repair or replacement, and I don't wish to be dependent on them - same goes for various devices to detect cars in blind spots. Or they just may not work in some conditions.

Admittedly, I've been spoiled by the vis out of all my cars, even the '65 Impala SS that my dad passed on to me as my first car, and both my Subie wagons, esp. the Forester's various generations including mine, have been rated at or near the top for driver visibility.

I suspect driver vis was a major issue for my dad when buying a car, although I never heard him mention it. But he drove a truck for a living, and having huge blindspots and being dependent on mirrors and a mental image of where all the cars were around him and what they were doing was second nature to him. I imagine it was very tiring, though, and he saw no reason to put up with it when he didn't have to.

So, whenever I see a new car model I might be interested in with a shallow-sloped rear window or wide pillars, it moves way down my list of potential buys, as the MY did when we saw the first pictures of it.
 
Tom Moloughney @ IEVS:
Tesla Model Y 70 MPH Highway Range Test: How Far Did It Go?


https://insideevs.com/reviews/433010/tesla-model-y-70mph-highway-range-test/


. . . We recently did this same test with a 2019 Tesla Model 3 dual-motor, long-range, and finished up with 290 miles and an excellent efficiency rate of 4.25 mi/kWh (14.6 kWh/100 km). We knew the Model Y wouldn't match the Model 3's efficiency but weren't sure just how close it would get.

We recently posted a Model Y video from InsideEVs contributor Kyle Conner's Out Of Spec Youtube channel. Kyle had a friend of his drive his new Model Y at 70-mph in Arizona with temperatures over 100 degrees to see how far it would go in those conditions. They managed to drive 253 miles with an efficiency rate of 283 Wh/mi. However, it was a little hotter than it was when I did my test and wasn't a round trip, so elevation changes and wind may have played a role in the results.

I managed to do much better in my Model Y range test, finishing up with 275.4 miles and an efficiency rate of 260 Wh/mi (16.1 Wh/10km). I'm sure I could have driven at least a mile further, so I'm going to round up the final result to 276 miles. . . .
 
Tesla cuts Model Y price and cancels standard range version
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/13/tesla-cuts-model-y-price-and-cancels-standard-range-version.html
Tesla cut the price of its newest offering, the Model Y, by $3,000, just four months after starting deliveries to customers. On Sunday, CEO Elon Musk also said the company was cancelling plans to produce a less-expensive standard-range version of the crossover SUV, saying that its expected range of less than 250 miles would be “unacceptably low.”

Now, the lowest-priced Model Y, the long-range all wheel drive version, starts at $49,990, according to Tesla’s website. The standard-range version would have started at $39,000.
Elon claims:
"will offer a LR single motor Y in a few months, which improves affordability, while still keeping the product excellent"
 
I saw my first Y in the wild the other day... and ended up seeing two the same day. A white one at a SuperCharger in CT that we stopped at, and we passed a blue one on the drive home after that. The white one was easy to tell since it was parted next to a white 3. The blue one I almost mistook for a 3; it was the lack of chrome that made me notice the extra height.

I now know 2 people who've bought Ys. Someone at work got one with delivery by the end of this month. My brother-in-law in OR picked his up 3 weeks ago. He had a 2011 LEAF that after 6 years he replaced with a leased Bolt in 2017. The Y came just as the lease was up. He reports his Y had no issues at delivery other than a minor paint defect on the rear bumper.
 
cwerdna said:
Thanks. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a32934240/2020-tesla-model-y-long-range-by-the-numbers/ is formatted better.


BTW, that's the second Mod Y review I've read that says the steering's too quick. 2 turns lock-to-lock for a top-heavy CUV makes no sense: 2.5 - 3 would seem to be more reasonable.
 
LeftieBiker said:
I'll bet it uses the same steering rack as the Model 3.


That's the implication. It's apparently the same turns lock to lock. The reviews I've read indicate it's okay for the lower and more agile 3, but not the Y. I'll try to find the other review that mentioned it. It wasn't on one of the usual sites, and I don't recall where it was.

Edit: I take it back, it was ABG:
One performance caveat. I love quick steering racks, but the Tesla’s is just too quick for a family-friendly SUV, at two full revolutions from lock-to-lock. Especially at rocketing speeds, the Model Y will overshoot your steering target if you’re not careful, requiring extra concentration to place accurately in its lane. Knowing Tesla, that issue could be fixed with the flip of an over-the-air software switch — another area where legacy automakers are still playing catch-up.


https://www-autoblog-com.cdn.amppro...log.com/2020/07/23/tesla-model-y-first-drive/


I don't see how an over the air update could change the steering ratio. They might be able to adjust the assist. He also writes:

The steering transmits precious little road feel, but you quickly learn to trust the Model Y, which can corner at speeds that will confound the typical SUV family.


He may be willing to trust it, but I hate cars with steering like that - I almost rolled my dad's '87 Legend once while cruising down the freeway (I was drifting into microsleep, jerked awake, made a quick tug to get it back centered in the lane and felt it start to go up on two wheels. After recovering it I got off at the next exit to nap). The cause of the near roll was its quick steering, over assistance and lack of feel and feedback. Never would have happened in a car with better steering qualities, not that that excuses me from continuing to drive while that tired. It was a salutary lesson, and I've never done so since.

Those elements of driving dynamics rank very high with me when choosing a car. I want be able to feel what's happening at the wheels, especially when driving on snow and ice. I normally drive fingertips-only in those conditions, just so I can feel as early as possible when the tires are losing adhesion. But you've got to have steering with good feel and feedback to do that.
 
LeftieBiker said:
I'll bet it uses the same steering rack as the Model 3.

Remember that most all vehicles presently are "drive-by-wire", which means that there's no mechanical connection from the steering
wheel to the steering rack. The system uses an ECU to drive a motor with feedback to control the ratio. This can provide for various
steering ratios, e.g. a sport mode.
 
GRA said:
BTW, that's the second Mod Y review I've read that says the steering's too quick. 2 turns lock-to-lock for a top-heavy CUV makes no sense: 2.5 - 3 would seem to be more reasonable.
CUVs may be top-heavy in general but with the battery under the floor that isn't the case for most EVs, especially Teslas. The higher seating position may make drivers used to regular top-heavy CUVs feel uncomfortable but once they get used to the very low CG they may become accustomed to the flat EV handling on curves.
 
lorenfb said:
LeftieBiker said:
I'll bet it uses the same steering rack as the Model 3.

Remember that most all vehicles presently are "drive-by-wire", which means that there's no mechanical connection from the steering
wheel to the steering rack. The system uses an ECU to drive a motor with feedback to control the ratio. This can provide for various
steering ratios, e.g. a sport mode.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drive_by_wire#Steer_by_wire
The first production vehicle to implement this was the Infiniti Q50., but after negative comments they retrofitted the traditional hydraulic steering.

Is there any production car today that is steer by wire?
 
Hmmm. Not sure. Open the hood and inspect the firewall. Do you see any mechanical linkage running back to the steering wheel like in cars of old?

In the case of our SL+, I can't tell, as there's plastic cladding around *something* in line with the steering and above the steering rack. I'm guessing that's where the power steering motor lives, and it could be mechanically linked back to the steering wheel.

In the case of my 2015 Q5, color me skeptical. Again there is cladding around that area, but the top of the front strut is in line with the steering wheel axis and positioned aft of the axle, putting it very much in the way of any mechanical linkage from what I can see.

-b
 
Drive by wire means 'accelerator pedal to speed control' to me, not steering or braking or anything else. I'd be surprised if any production cars don't have a direct mechanical link between the steering wheel and the tie rod ends. I'd also be surprised if there were any that didn't have a direct hydraulic link between the brake pedal and the calipers.
 
The easiest way to check would be to turn the steering wheel with the car completely Off. There should be enough play in the steering lock to feel if you are turning a mechanical system or not. I too would be surprised to find a 'steer by wire' system.
 
goldbrick said:
Drive by wire means 'accelerator pedal to speed control' to me, not steering or braking or anything else. I'd be surprised if any production cars don't have a direct mechanical link between the steering wheel and the tie rod ends. I'd also be surprised if there were any that didn't have a direct hydraulic link between the brake pedal and the calipers.

Each has his own basic meaning. The key point is what Tesla does, i.e. typically minimizing mechanical systems and maximizing firmware control.
 
Back
Top