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Tesla Model X

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mdsalemi:
The Tesla model X is Tesla's answer to an entry in the SUV or crossover market.

https://www.tesla.com/modelx

When our local MBCA section had a tech even recently at our local tuner/independent, Motorwerks

https://www.motorwerksgroup.com

there was a Tesla model X in for crash repair. What happened is that at a stop, the driver was hit in the front right at about 5 MPH.

Alarmingly, and expensively, all the airbags in the Tesla went off. In a nod to unbelievably poor design (think Elon Musk is a genius? Maybe he should send all his trash into space...) the airbags in the seat burst the leather, by design, thus destroying completely the seats. So,two completely new front leather seats were required. The fit and finish on this car is like a Chrysler/Dodge circa "the dark days". There were lot of parts shortages, ongoing. The crash happened (keep reminding yourself that this was 5MPH) back in late July, and here it is mid November, and the car is still in pieces waiting on parts. Once all the parts have arrived (except those with airbags) and put together, the car has to be flatbedded to the nearest dealer, in Cleveland for installation and testing of the airbags. Total bill will be well over $10,000. Remember, 5MPH.

It is OK to say "if this is our future I want no part of it". The consensus from those who are taking the car apart to put it back together is that it is poorly made and poorly engineered.

UJJ:
Thanks for sharing Michael, alarming story.

Jack Jones:
Mike,

Very interesting story and this does not surprise me in the least. I have been asked many times about my opinion of the Tesla brand and it has been and still is that it is the flavor of the week for the people that want everyone to know how green they are. When it comes down to it, the major auto manufactures can and do build a better product and will be around long after Tesla is gone.

Jack   

MikeSimon:

--- Quote from: Jack Jones on November 28, 2018, 16:41:54 ---Mike,

Very interesting story and this does not surprise me in the least. I have been asked many times about my opinion of the Tesla brand and it has been and still is that it is the flavor of the week for the people that want everyone to know how green they are. When it comes down to it, the major auto manufactures can and do build a better product and will be around long after Tesla is gone.

Jack

--- End quote ---

Jack: Truer words could not be spoken!
My personal opinion is, that Elon Musk's greatest talent is, to bilk investors and people with fat wallets out of their money!
One of these days, it will all come together and he will disappear or end up in jail..


On the E-car craze in general: Any idea why most of these electric vehicles run in SoCal (besides the fact that there is an overproportionate amount of rich residents..)?
--- The worst way to make heat is through electricity. A couple of years before I retired, our company worked on an alternative (to R134) a/c system.
The advantage of our approach was, it could run in reverse and be used as a heat pump. In order to demonstrate the advantage, we experimented with a Nissan Leaf and a Chevrolet (forgot the model name). The operating range of these things when using the (electrically powered) heater system dropped from 120 to 35 miles......

mdsalemi:

--- Quote from: MikeSimon on November 28, 2018, 19:15:08 ---Any idea why most of these electric vehicles run in SoCal

--- End quote ---

I'll tell you why, exactly: it's the elephant in the room that nobody talks about. I had TWO PEV plug-in hybrid Ford Fusions. As long as it's 72 degrees (or say between 65 and 75) and you don't need any heat or a/c, you are OK. As soon as you need climate control those batteries drain faster than a water tank shot up with a .50 caliber machine gun. Nobody talks about it, nobody at all. Where do you get that temperature range consistently? SoCal! What a surprise!

Further to that drain, the batteries themselves are like humans: they work best ONLY when they are between that same temperature range of human comfort. There was an auxiliary battery heater in the Ford to heat the batteries. Where does that power come from? The batteries! When our battery heater failed, and no part was available, our car was not drivable for a month...because the car could not heat the batteries. Nobody talks about that. Nobody.

A great example of batteries and temperature is what happened today. My iPhone 6S, a few years old, has the original battery in it. It was at 100% when I removed it from the charger yesterday morning. I spent about an hour checking some things on line, and reading the morning paper. When I was done, it was at 90%. My battery health monitor indicates that the battery is at about 85% of new capacity. I placed the phone in my pocket, went outside in 27 degree weather, and returned 45 minutes later. Without any active use or screen use, the battery was at 53%, falling from 90%. The temperature of the phone was 52 degrees in my pocket. While the battery didn't rise above 53%, it held at 53% for the rest of the day, as I took photos, and used the phone. iPhones don't have battery heaters...

I lived with those Ford Fusion PEV Hybrids as a two year, low-cost experiment. They were $40,000+ MSRP each, tricked out cars, for $200 a month, how could I say no? But sure glad they were leased and turned in! Even sold the Level II charger for about as much as I paid for it.

Airbags are only supposed to go off in a head-on collision. Airbags that destroy costly leather seats are just bad design. God only knows how that one collision will tilt the cost of insuring a Model X across the board.

The panel gaps showed unbelievable variation, signs of poor engineering and manufacturing...

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