TerryB Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 As these stories are written work on improving performance through software and battery technology continues. Each week improvements are announced in range gains as engineers find ways to fix the bumps going forward. Do you know the design of the hubcaps on a Model 3 contributed to a 10% gain in range? If the problems you highlighted were insurmountable I would think the whole cab idea would not even be on the table. If you would like more info, https://ww.electrek.co/2018/12/20/tesla-taxi-rides-amsterdam-airport/ For 34 years I worked in Displays Engineering for RCA, the founding father of color TV. I was in the color picture tube division. When the flat screen TVs hit the market with its extraordinary high prices and poor performance our leadership said they were not a threat and they will never catch on. Well, in December of 2006 I was one of ten people who shut down the Engineering headquarters. The flat screen people overcame every problem and price point issue we found. That clearly demonstrated to me the so called experts in why something will never be adopted don’t always know how a product will catch on. My famous why bother statement was cell phones with camera, internet service and texting. I said a phone is a phone, who needs all that extra stuff? Yep Steve Jobs did not listen to me and Apple and the rest of the manufacturer are enjoying our adaptation to their products. Lesson learned! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vila Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 (edited) I remember those vehicles, my son used to play with them. One minute it is a car or truck and with a few twists it be comes a super hero. Designed by kids from the Transformer generation. Edited November 24, 2019 by Vila (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 Everthing today is in advertising NewSpeak. First we had fake wood, then fake wheels, fake scoops, etc. Now we have not-very-armored glass (well the ball did not go through...) and pseudo track day cars. So why not pseudo trucks and pseudo-taxis that look the part but lack something essential. How many still look for that girl "somewhere west of Laramie" ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 If you fast forward to near the end of the following video you will see that this teslas owner lost 42% of his range.. This is just one of MANY videos that illustrate the range loss of Tesla vehicles in COLD weather. hence my suggestion that at the very least, one needs a backup battery pack. thus added costs........... a long time in destroying the gas automobile. Terry, in mentioning RCA, I believe Owens Corning in NY produced the majority of tubes for RCA. If you read the story on Owens Corning, it is absolutely remarkable at how agile they were at changing to meet the needs of the public in their 150 yr or so yrs in business. always flexible and agile and able to stay on top............. not so sure what they are doing these days? maybe making glass for Tesla............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 I’m not saying there are no cold weather issues, what I’m saying is technology will continue to address them, including software controls to minimize the effect. Software has been an incredible tool to make improvements. Do you know who Thomas Selfridge is? He was the first airplane passenger killed when Orville Wright was demonstrating airplanes to the US government all happening in front of the President and military leaders of our country. Today that would be argued on the internet as the reason everyone who told the Wright Brothers travel by airplanes was an impossible dream and air travel by the masses would never happen. I enjoy joy reading your collective comments and hopefully you appreciate my insight on a product designed and built in the good old USA, not Japan, Korea or China. It’s not a perfect product nor is my POS Dodge minivan that has more issues than any Tesla I’ve ever read about. The first Studebakers were electric as the company was not convinced gas engines were up to the task. Seems that idea changed as time and improvements to the gasoline engine came along. We will see how this technology plays out in our lifetime. Right now I’m enjoying the look into the future in between discussions of transportation from days gone by. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 How come it is taboo to talk about "NEW" cars on this site unless it is about Tesla's? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 4 minutes ago, John348 said: How come it is taboo to talk about "NEW" cars on this site unless it is about Tesla's? Most of the comments are negative and hearsay. That's what "they" like. Need a new one of these. Brand, spanking new and they wouldn't like it. Holidays are coming up. This has to be familiar to some. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 27 minutes ago, John348 said: How come it is taboo to talk about "NEW" cars on this site unless it is about Tesla's? I gave up wondering, guess the ANTIQUE part of the hobby doesn't matter to many. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 1 hour ago, 1937hd45 said: I gave up wondering, guess the ANTIQUE part of the hobby doesn't matter to many. Bob Consider these “annoying commercials” while watching the main program. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 1 hour ago, 1937hd45 said: I gave up wondering, guess the ANTIQUE part of the hobby doesn't matter to many. Bob Bob, You had even made several posts on this thread, so....... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ply33 Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 3 hours ago, mercer09 said: . . . If you read the story on Owens Corning, it is absolutely remarkable at how agile they were at changing to meet the needs of the public in their 150 yr or so yrs in business. always flexible and agile and able to stay on top............. not so sure what they are doing these days? maybe making glass for Tesla............. I am sure Owens Corning has a huge array of products but one that comes to mind for me is the "gorilla glass" used in cellphones. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 Without getting too far off topic, Corning Glass was a prime supplier to RCA, then the combined Owens-Corning and eventually Japan and Korean companies. RCA also made their own glass in Circleville OH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike6024 Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 Owens-Corning makes Corelle Dinnerware.. Good stuff, get some. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locomobile Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 Musk sure saved a lot of money on body forming dies with this one :).. That thing could be built with a press brake and a pop rivet gun. The armored glass is for the pedestrians throwing things at it. Musk is the modern equivalent of PT Barnum, I'll bet he snickers every time he makes some brash claim and a bunch of people agree with him. -Ron 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, John348 said: How come it is taboo to talk about "NEW" cars on this site unless it is about Tesla's? Speaking purely for myself, it's because new vehicles have become irrelevant to my life. My transport needs are met with a very cheap ,basic, offshore car. If I need a new car within the next 5 years or so I will just buy a used, very low mileage example of what I already own, and expect an easy further 10 years of use out of it. By then I will be 70+ and may not even need a car. They sold tens of thousands of them and even very clean low mileage examples are extremely cheap these days. New cars that I consider interesting have two glaring faults , cost, and local traffic law enforcement. It is my personal mental image of the lowest level of hades to have a modern high performance car and be facing roadside seizure every time I use even 2/3 of it's performance potential. As I mentioned earlier, 7600 instant seizure's and counting locally this year. These guy's mean business. So a very cheap everyday transport box and a track use , cheap as I could find in 3 years of looking ,late 1970's Lola. Plus an old Ford F150 hand me down from my late father for when I need to pull a trailer. And a few vintage car projects to keep me busy. The only reason I comment on electrics is the glaring annoyance of the Govt. picking my tax payers pocket to give hefty incentives on otherwise very expensive electric cars. The average subsidising the wealthy as far as I am concerned. Retired so if the description does not start with " cheap " I am out. Greg in Canada Edited November 24, 2019 by 1912Staver (see edit history) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike6024 Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 One think he said that interested me is that It's ready to race Baja. That I'd like to see. That race is going on now actually. http://racer.com/2019/11/24/baja-1000-with-rossi-and-honda-day-3-hash-up/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 1 hour ago, mike6024 said: One think he said that interested me is that It's ready to race Baja. That I'd like to see. That race is going on now actually. http://racer.com/2019/11/24/baja-1000-with-rossi-and-honda-day-3-hash-up/ That would be one way for him to prove it to the skeptics. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 Might mention one old car that was royally panned when new but would fit in quite well today 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 1 hour ago, auburnseeker said: That would be one way for him to prove it to the skeptics. Baja 1000, sounds like a two battery event. Bob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 (edited) 25 minutes ago, 1937hd45 said: Baja 1000, sounds like a two battery event. Bob Or just strap a diesel generator in the back and keep going. Then you would be able to spot it easy with the big black cloud above it. Edited November 25, 2019 by auburnseeker (see edit history) 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Or just needs to be paced by a directed energy support vehicle. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike6024 Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Tesla stock was $240 in September and now it is $340. The truck provided much of that boost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 (edited) Hard to believe the truck could provide that kind of boost, especially since the on camera fail of the glass unless it just brought his name to the top of investors interest. Was the jump in the stock in the last week or has it been climbing all along? Edited November 26, 2019 by auburnseeker (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WQ59B Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Yeah- it wasn't the truck. Dow is up just about 2,000 points since Sept 3rd. Tesla rode the wave like most other stocks. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 3 hours ago, auburnseeker said: Hard to believe the truck could provide that kind of boost, especially since the on camera fail of the glass unless it just brought his name to the top of investors interest. Was the jump in the stock in the last week or haw it been climbing all along. I read over the weekend in the NY Post that they took over 100,000 orders for it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 30 minutes ago, John348 said: I read over the weekend in the NY Post that they took over 100,000 orders for it More than 140,000. It’s a $100 deposit that is refundable if you change your mind. That is a whole bunch of money to use interest free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike6024 Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 Some people credit some stock movement due to anticipation of the truck and the pre-orders. And some not so much. So it's a matter of opinion I suppose. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Kingsley Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 Regardless of it's design curiousity, and the inherent problems with range and whatnot, if it was just $100 I'd buy one too. At that price you could have multiples and recharge one while driving the other. Personally, I love most every car, old or new. I realize this is a forum based on cars' ages, but every car will qualify eventually. I prefer to gain knowledge when I can, however I can, not wait until an arbitrary time period had elapsed. This is a newly adopted philosophy but it seems to fit me quite well. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MochetVelo Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 I thought side windows were supposed to use tempered glass so they would shatter, but the Tesla truck appears to use safety glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 2 hours ago, Billy Kingsley said: Regardless of it's design curiousity, and the inherent problems with range and whatnot, if it was just $100 I'd buy one too. At that price you could have multiples and recharge one while driving the other. Personally, I love most every car, old or new. I realize this is a forum based on cars' ages, but every car will qualify eventually. I prefer to gain knowledge when I can, however I can, not wait until an arbitrary time period had elapsed. This is a newly adopted philosophy but it seems to fit me quite well. Very well said Billy! 1 hour ago, MochetVelo said: I thought side windows were supposed to use tempered glass so they would shatter, but the Tesla truck appears to use safety glass. There is a minimum AS rating for glass, I am sure it will be DOT compliant to be on the road Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 2 hours ago, Billy Kingsley said: I realize this is a forum based on cars' ages, but every car will qualify eventually. Even if the acceptable age is written in the bylaws it's gonna be hard for some to choke down. I think it's a form of arrogance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 The contractor I worked for before I retired exclusively worked in Manhattan, if these "trucks" had more space for material he would have ordered at least 10, for all I know he might have. Anyone ever try to find a gas station in Manhattan? but there are plenty of charging stations. He had employed 5- 2 man crews installing charging areas in older parking garages, hotels and apartment houses with parking for the past few years. We were not the only contractor doing this work all over NYC 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30DodgePanel Posted November 26, 2019 Author Share Posted November 26, 2019 (edited) On 11/23/2019 at 2:34 PM, WQ59B said: This is easily the ugliest abomination since the '56 Sir Vival or the '58 Aurora. Although I agree the one released was hideous, at least the artist rendition (below) had some attractive lines and would seem more marketable to most consumers in todays market. After all, when you put it up against other performers in it's class, it does appear to be encouraging, but how much of that is conflation... Will they make a move towards the artist's work eventually ? Only time will tell... Still (even if it was attractive), other factors are driving our opinions and as Rusty and others have stated.. the circus act and the fact taxpayers subsidized it are what turns most of us off. We can all agree to disagree but a publicity stunt that fails this horribly will always be a memory that we as consumers will base part of our decision on (and yes the ugliness was part of the unveiling). The one question that the pioneers answered that Musk in his ideology hasn't is: Is there a need...? All climate and political discussions aside, the obvious answer is no. At least not a need for it as there was in the turn of the century to improve everyone's lives, saved money and time. It's simply a personal decision at this point in history to own gas or electric and in most cases with valid arguments for both sides. An equal playing field for subsidizes would be nice though....(one can dream). Edited November 26, 2019 by 30DodgePanel (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryankazmer Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 Side windows can be tempered (the usual) or laminated glass. Laminated is used in a few instances as enhanced break-in protection. The Automotive side of Owens-Corning was the "O" in LOF glass - Libby-Owens-Ford. The company became part of British Pilkington (the suppliers of "Triplex" laminated glass), which is in turn now part of Nippon Sheet Glass 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 (edited) Padgett makes a good point about the Pontiac Aztek. The problem is that the Tesla vehicle isn't just ugly...it's the kind of ugly that I could've come up with when I was 8 years old. It reminds me of the Pinewood Derby car (back in Cub Scouts) where you felt really sorry for the kid who made it, because he obviously couldn't find an adult male to help him with the project. I guess I feel bad that Elon Musk couldn't find an adult male to help him build that truck. Edited November 26, 2019 by JamesR (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 To me it isn't a car/truck, it is an amalgamation of at least 8 different styling cues including Kendig-It door handles. Not sure why it needs that big squarish pseudo not-grille & have a feeling there is going to be a lot of rear lift "at speed" (might have a governor like the Abrams tank). Of course to have world-wide appeal it needs a LWMMG mount. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike6024 Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 The triangular shape has a connection to video game coding. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 What triangular shape. It is not "the shape of things to come" (qualifies for AACA, one just showed up a Cars and Coffee here). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike6024 Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 (edited) The roof line is triangular. Edited November 26, 2019 by mike6024 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheezestaak2000 Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 , hopeing fiat never tries to build a rocket and launch one of their cars into orbit, not sure my roof is strong enough. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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