No matter from any angle, individuals are definitely not so-called car fans. However, living in Canada as a country on wheels, I have to deal with cars every day for 9 years after I got my driver’s license. In total, more than 100,000 kilometers of “old drivers” have been driven. In addition, compared with reasonable prices, friends and neighbors, various brands and models also have contacts, so that for the overall knowledge of the car, especially from a practical point of view, how should it be able to reach the entry-level level. However, for the overall understanding of new energy vehicles, that is, hybrids, fuel cells, and EVs, I believe that they cannot be said to be experts, and their knowledge is not bad. Mainly stems from the long-term focus on new energy vehicles since purchasing the first car in 2009: Prius. First of all, I am personally not an environmentalist. As a right, I have publicly criticized Elon on Twitter for withdrawing from the Trump Advisory Board after Trump announced the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. And I oppose any government to promote new energy or electric vehicles by force. I believe that the free market is the only way to verify the pros and cons of technology, and people have the right to choose what they think is the best.
On this premise, I will explain from the perspectives of performance, safety, economy, practicality, comfort, etc., why I choose Tesla and why the EV represented by Tesla will be the future of cars.
Performance articles
In fact, I don’t need to elaborate too much on performance. Most people’s reports on Tesla in the mainstream media focus on performance.
Whether it is the Drag Race of the Model S P90D and P100D, which is currently the sole production car, or the actual acceleration experience of 0-100KM in Ludicrous mode in 2.3 seconds, there is no doubt. Not to mention the just-introduced Roadster 2.0 which broke the second-second performance. But in terms of performance, one thing that is ignored in these reports is the linear acceleration characteristic peculiar to EV.
Due to the high torque of the electric motor and the unique relationship between torque and speed, the EV’s unique non-stop linear acceleration during acceleration is a completely different driving experience than traditional cars that require continuous gear shifting and inevitable setbacks, at least for For me, this smoothness is a revolutionary improvement in the driving experience.
As far as the Model X 75D I bought, it is currently the slowest of the current Tesla models. The Model S 75D is slightly lighter in weight and its performance is slightly higher than the Model X 75D. However, even the slowest model can provide 0-100 KM acceleration performance of 4.9 seconds, which is the first-line level compared with the traditional SUV.
Economic
When it comes to economy, many people may find it ridiculous. Because most people only see the price of the car, but if the purchase price of the car, the use cost and maintenance cost are combined. Tesla is probably the cheapest luxury model in its class.
Even in North America where I live, models like the Q7 and X5 do not have high domestic emissions taxes. The Model X 75D is more than CAD 10,000 more expensive than the Q7 and X5 with the same configuration. However, the annual fuel cost is calculated at 15,000 kilometers. Saves $ 2,500 a year on fuel.
In addition, there is still the annual cost of oil change, air filtration, etc. There is no coolant, gearbox oil replacement, and brakes because of the motor stall, which has at least twice the life of ordinary cars. This is reflected even in my ordinary Prius. My Prius has a mileage of more than 100,000 kilometers in 9 years, and has not yet changed the brakes. I believe that Tesla has a greater economic advantage in terms of domestic prices.
There is also the lowest premium in Tesla’s car at the same price. Because the premium is mainly determined by the car’s active security and anti-theft. Tesla has the best proactive security and is almost impossible to steal because it is always connected. A few weeks ago it was reported that someone had stolen a Tesla, but the owner contacted the police and stopped him within 20 minutes. Take my car as an example, the annual premium is nearly half lower than that of a traditional car at the same price.
All in all, the actual expenditure of the Tesla Model X is lower than that of the BMW X5 and Audi Q7 after 10 years of operation.
Safety
The safety behavior of EVs represented by Tesla is unmatched by traditional cars, which is determined by the unique structure of EVs. In terms of safety scores, the U.S. official NHTSA has evaluated Tesla’s Model S first and Model X second highest among all models. This security is mainly reflected in three aspects:
- The main structure is firm. This can be reflected in the collision test in any direction of Tesla. If you are interested, you can search for related videos. Especially side collisions. Because the battery pack is the strongest and tightest part of the overall structure, and the battery pack is located below the main structure, it does not matter where the collision point is. The battery pack can provide the greatest protection for the overall structure of the car. And there is enough space in front of the focus to absorb energy, reducing the damage to the front row personnel.
- Low center of gravity. Because the highest density of the entire vehicle is the battery pack located at the site, the low center of gravity provides high stability, minimizing the possibility of rollover. Especially in terms of relatively high SUVs. Tesla’s Model X is the first SUV in the US NHTSA history to give a 5-star rating.
- Active safety features. Although Pre-collision Protection is not a unique feature of EV or Tesla, because Tesla’s Autopilot function has more sensors, it can detect the situation ahead of the car. If you are interested, you can go to Youtube to search for related videos. Many times when the front car collides with the car in front of it, the system will alarm to remind the deceleration. As a driver, it is difficult to predict these situations with the naked eye.
Practicality
The most common misconception about EVs is that EVs are inconvenient to use because charging takes half an hour to an hour. However, with sufficient mileage, the majority of use cases will not encounter this problem.
I don’t know if there is a similar study in China. Some studies in the United States have shown that the average daily mileage of people is less than 40 miles, and 95% of one-way journeys are less than 40 miles. The current mainstream EV journeys are all over 200 miles. In other words, the current EV mileage can meet the daily needs of most people.
So the next question is: how to solve the problem of long-distance travel? This problem is currently only addressed by Tesla. Tesla has established a Supercharger network covering 1050 charging stations and more than 7,500 charging poles covering major regions of the world over 5 years. This network is not only the largest, but also the only one. And it is planned to double this number within 18 months.
How strong is Tesla in this regard? Some time ago, the major European car brands jointly planned to reach 200 charging outlets covering Europe by 2020.
Supercharger’s current charging speed is about 270 kilometers in 30 minutes. In other words, with my Model X 75D, as the shortest Tesla mileage model, I was fully charged before departure. If I took a 30-minute break and rushed again, I could drive 380 + 270 = 650 kilometers a day. If I rest for an hour, I can reach a distance of nearly 800 kilometers. I do n’t know how many people are running for thousands of miles. For me, it ’s my rhythm to drive 3 hours in a row and rest for more than half an hour. I can basically keep driving at this rhythm.
For example: the long-distance route that I am familiar with over the years: from Montreal to Toronto, the whole distance is 550 kilometers. I usually take a break at half the time. If I travel with my child, the rest time will be more than half an hour. This actual situation is no problem for my Model X 75, don’t forget, this is the shortest trip model of Tesla at present.
Tesla built its own Supercharger network at a density of about 300 kilometers. After solving these problems, you will find that in most cases, EV is more convenient to use than traditional cars. You don’t need to go to the gas station for refueling, which can save a lot of time. Some people have calculated that with the frequency of refueling once every two weeks, the time required for each refueling is at least 20 minutes (including the time for you to go to and from the gas station, queuing at the station and operating the gas), then 520 minutes a year. If it is an EV, all it takes is to park in its own parking space and plug it in. The whole process takes less than 30 seconds. Of course, this condition is difficult to achieve in China, but this is caused by the domestic environment, but I believe that one day, sooner or later, as long as you can park anywhere, you can charge it.
Comfort
Tesla’s comfort comes from the technology it carries. Tesla brings the revolution of traditional cars from the perspective of in-car systems to the iPhone.
Tesla is the first car manufacturer to guarantee that all vehicles will always be connected via a mobile phone network on its entire model, and provides regular firmware updates. Imagination alone cannot understand what practical benefits these two points can bring.
As I said before, Tesla’s car is almost impossible to steal, and real-time positioning can quickly find the car. In addition, traditional cars can achieve remote control such as preheating / cooling in advance, but the remote control distance is determined by the key signal. And Tesla is a remote control without any distance limitation.
In addition, the fully digital human-machine interface and scalable architecture provide unlimited possibilities. Not only can the details be extreme, such as the rendering model representing the car in the system and the state of the car itself are 100% corresponding, which can reflect you in real time. The state of each car’s lights, doors, etc. 360-degree radar can detect the distance alarm for any angle obstacle. And can be accurate to centimeters, directly display the distance and the shape of the obstacle to the driver.
If you use GPS to locate a location, the system will automatically calculate the remaining power when you arrive. If it is beyond the range of the car, the system will automatically help you calculate how to charge to the middle Supercharger. And there are rumors that Tesla may gradually open the third-party App market in the future. The reason why this has not been done is mainly that on the one hand Tesla feels that the user base is not enough, on the other hand Tesla is currently converting the platform, and the current Model S / X is based on nVidia’s in-vehicle system will switch to the Intel platform in the future.
There is Autopilot, which is still the most advanced autonomous driving system on the market. And I have no doubt that Tesla will first achieve Level 4 unmanned driving through a system upgrade next year.
At present, all autonomous driving systems are based on Deep Learning image recognition technology. The core of this technology is to continuously improve the recognition rate and decision-making optimization through the continuous iteration of judgment algorithms through big data. Tesla has been here at least two years earlier than any other manufacturer, because every vehicle I mentioned earlier is connected to the central server of Tesla. Although Tesla’s current autonomous driving function does not open the Level 4 function, each Tesla is now continuously collecting data, and the iteration has been ongoing. This amount of data is currently at the level of 10 billion miles. Some time ago someone hacked Tesla’s system to view the data generated by the system and found a lot of relevant evidence. At present, there are about 150,000 cars equipped with Autopilot 2.0 system on the road. After the large-scale shipment of Model 3 next year, it may reach the level of 300,000. Compared with other manufacturers, only the top models can be equipped with functions. Tesla’s advantage is definitely a ride.
For Model X, the rear wing door is not just a way of loading. It is much more convenient for people to get on and off, and for parents like us to help their children secure the safety seat than traditional doors.