Gone Electric... Xav's Tesla thread

[vrskeith]

On ‎09‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 11:04, Xavier said:

A month or so ago, I was toying with the idea of starting up a new business selling mains leads and a rather clever modular approach enabling people to charge their cars whilst abroad with suitably made adaptors for the countries they were visiting.

I eventually launched the site and have taken in a load more orders than I had anticipated. So it's good, although certainly keeping me busy for now.

I did have the fun of unloading a 100kg H07RN-F 5G6 cable drum from the boot of the car on my own. Nice challenge, although I'm feeling the effects now!

https://www.xavelec.co.uk if you're curious

Good luck with your business initiative.

Saw  this in Autoar today but It is a growing market.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/tesla-model-s-60-and-60d-killed-due-low-sales

Is the idea expandable to other manufacturers of EV ?

[Ryeman]

For every problem there's always an opportunity.

Do Europe, the U.S. and Asia have their own plug standards or does each brand have its own?.

[Croat]

Finaly this week end I had a chance to see Tesla model X in person!

[Ryeman]

Apparently Tesla's market value is higher than Ford now and after only ten years.

Edited 4 April, 2017 by Ryeman
Not GM

[Xavier]

On 25/03/2017 at 12:14, Ryeman said:

For every problem there's always an opportunity.

Do Europe, the U.S. and Asia have their own plug standards or does each brand have its own?.

As far as the sockets on the cars are concerned, there are three main types in Europe (four if you include rapid DC CHAdeMO charging). The socket on US Tesla care are different because they don't have three phase power.

Over here, Type 1 sockets used on leaf and some others are single phase only. Type 2 supports 3 phase power.

The complication in Europe is also to do with domestic power sockets which vary from country to country.

[Croat]

Xavier I am organising for my birth day on 6. of May, mini EV cars show in a coworking space private parking. Would you be interested in a roud trip to Croatia? We allaready have one person bringing the Tesla models S but first model not redesigned one.

[Xavier]

24 minutes ago, Croat said:

Xavier I am organising for my birth day on 6. of May, mini EV cars show in a coworking space private parking. Would you be interested in a roud trip to Croatia? We allaready have one person bringing the Tesla models S but first model not redesigned one.

Thanks for the offer, but not sure I can make it. Zagreb? It's a long way away. Out of interest, do you know what route your friend has made for charging en route?

[Croat]

Yes I understand. IDK to be honest. He is a business owner her in Zagreb. He has first model S and model X. He travels to Austria and Germany. So far we have only 2 super chargers. On coast, Senj and Split. Third one is being builded. Somewhare on next to motor way form Zagreb towards Split. But not any close to Zagreb. There are some in Slovenia on the way. But in Zagreb there's a lot of free non Tesla chargers and the rest of cities.

 

BTW later in May thers a Tesla Rally http://www.nikolateslaevrally.com.hr/en/ 

Edited 4 April, 2017 by Croat

[Xavier]

A few videos from a track day at Llandow. cossie1 was there too.

 

 

 

 

[KenONeill]

OK @Xavier Now the question inquiring minds are really going to want an answer for; "Did they make you do a noise test?"

[Wardy]

 - and how long a charge lasted for!

[Xavier]

1 hour ago, KenONeill said:

OK @Xavier Now the question inquiring minds are really going to want an answer for; "Did they make you do a noise test?"

It was the running joke through the morning

 

1 hour ago, Wardy said:

 - and how long a charge lasted for!

I arrived pretty much fully charged, having topped up at Sarn supercharger as I arrived in the morning. Did about 4-5 10-minute sessions till lunch. Took me down to about 60%. Nipped out over lunch to top back up, did another few sessions in the afternoon.

 

Although I didn't have to charge up over lunch and could have done the full day on a single charge and then refill on the way home, you do lose some power when the battery is under 70-80%. At 60%, it was noticably slower. Slower is relative of course, it'll still beat pretty much anything off the line But as I had to show a few Maserati and AM owner, thought I might as well have a few spare billion electrons to hand

[sharkrider]

love it

[Xavier]

Tesla specs have changed again, it's, shall we say, a very "fluid" area

 

You now get the powered tailgate as standard (previously, only if you went for the premium interior and lighting option). If you go for the bonkers "P" Performance version, you also get the high speed charger upgrade thrown in.

 

Tesla have also recently removed the 90kWh battery pack, so 75 and 100kWh are now the only options.

 

A couple of months ago Tesla announced the end of free Supercharging for life. I have it on mine, but people buying a new car as of today (and for the past few weeks) will no longer get unlimited free Supercharging. However, if you get referred via an existing owner, Tesla will give you free Supercharging for the duration you own the vehicle which can be a big saving if you do a lot of miles and use the Supercharging facilities often.

 

As a bonus, being referred also gives you £750 off the cost of a new car. It's not that much, but considering there is no negotiation on price and you pay the list price, it's worth having

 

Thanks Tony (Fluff) for PMing me, I forgot to update this thread with this rather useful nugget of information.

 

Should you want to go ahead, my referral is http://ts.la/xavier7108

Edited 15 June, 2017 by Xavier

[Dr Zoidberg]

Still out of my budget at the moment, but I'll be looking closely at the model 3 when it arrives.

[Xavier]

Well, Go Go Xavjet is one year old today.

 

 

Having covered just over 20k miles, it would have been a lot more had I not massively restrained myself for insurance reasons. Having just renewed, I'm now covered to 30k so hopefully that will be enough for year two Then again, it might not

 

Over the last few months, the car has continued to improve and impress in very subtle ways. Its serenity is surprising by the lack of noise. Every now and then, I could forgive myself for wondering whether it's still "running", but a blip of the throttle confirms the ludicrous acceleration is always there, just waiting for an open road or a wannabe-Tesla-killer.

 

More recent trips have been utilitarian, and the car does this with amazing ease. From several bags of grass cuttings to a trip to Ikea with a 2m worktop which just fits in the back with the reclined seats. It's an amazingly versatile workhorse.

 

The luxury and simpleness of the whole electric drive train became apparent 10 days ago when I had to go to Peterborough to pick up a massive printer. The chap I was collecting from (also a Tesla owner) said DO NOT COME in your car, you need a van as this thing is huge and too tall to fit in the back. So I hired a van. A Renault Kangoo for 24 hours. Eugh! A diesel engine with zero acceleration, clunky gearbox, tired left leg on the clutch after stuck one hour in a traffic jam. Oh and the only van in the UK without air conditioning on the hottest day of the year! I can assure you: 35 degrees in a stinking rattly diesel box stuck on the M25 at a standstill makes you realise how refined the Tesla is!

 

I'm debating whether to have it serviced. There are a few minor warranty issues I'd get looked at. I have two annoying rattles which normally would go completely unnoticed, if it wasn't for the completely silent experience. The driver's seat's bolster rubs against the centre console producing an annoying squak. And under hard acceleration / braking, I have a knocking sound from the driver door sill, I think it's a piece of trim. Yes, I admit, these are 100% first world problems.

 

The other massive gain I've felt with the car is actually the community and people I've met. If you think Briskoda days are geeky, I can assure you the Tesla guys are at a whole new level! It really reminds me of Briskoda 15 years ago actually, when it was a small very close-knit community. We wave at each other, recognise each other's cars from number plates, etc. It's all quite sad in a way, but in general, the other owners are really interesting. After all, you have to be slightly bonkers to go for a Tesla in the first place! I've met some rather famous and influential people who are amazingly approachable as soon as you start talking cars stuff It's almost like there's a secret hand shake. In fact, there's an obsession with Jaffa Cakes. For those in Scotland, Tunnocks seem to be the snacking delicacy of choice... We are all mad. But in a good way.

 

A couple of months ago, we organised a tour of the Tesla factory in Tilburg. It reminded me of the Briskoda trip to Prague actually. We had a personnalised tour of the factory, were able to ask questions, mingle with the staff who also served us lunch. Oh and I got to try the really small Tesla that's actually very affordable! I'm probably a bit too big for it though...

 

 

In fact, I should be getting one of those soon as a referral gift. Not quite sure what I'll do with it yet.

 

 

[Xavier]

Oh if any of you are going to Shuttleworth Old Warden Biggleswade on Sunday for the Military Pageant, I'll be there for the air show (as will a load of other Tesla owners).

[Defenderben]

Friend of mine took delivery of his brand new ludicrous mode P100 a few weeks ago to replace his P90 which was supposed to be getting a battery upgrade. 

 

He said it's best when the battery temp is around 55deg.....Waiting to have a go

[Ryeman]

Insurance costs in the U.S. show Tesla as an "outlier" ......not the good sort.

Why?.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1111306_iihs-says-tesla-electric-cars-have-higher-miles-more-costly-repairs

What's the UK experience?.

[Xavier]

Insurance can be a little tricky.

 

First year, I paid a lot (around £1700) with Home & Legacy who are a bespoke luxury broker. I went with them to give me peace of mind - they included gap insurance, like for like replacement, guaranteed Tesla loaner in case of accident, etc.

A month or so ago, they wrote to me saying they're no longer taking on Tesla cars. A bit of a shame as they were one of the few fully approved Tesla insurers and came recommended by Tesla.

A lot of people also used NFU. But they have stopped insuring Tesla too.

There are a handful of bespoke people who know about Tesla and are happy to insure them. In the end, I went with Direct Line who now have a dedicated Tesla branch and you speak to people who know the car, understand it. Hey, they even give a discount for having Autopilot as they see it as a safety device!

 

Many of the generic insurers will take on Tesla, but I'd be a little wary of some because I'm not confident they understand the car. Typical example: they force you to use one of their approved bodyshops. Now what if none of their bodyshops have had the Tesla training and are unable to carry out repair work on Tesla cars?

 

So it's still a little tricky. Prices have in general gone up. Although I can't really compare like for like as H&L won't take me on. I have renewed my insurance with DL which came out between £900 and £1k for a fully comp package including equivalent hire car in case of issue, legal protection, etc. The only downside with DL is they don't provide EU cover and I have to bolt it on as a PAYG kid of service which can end up costing me over £250 if I go 6 times for a couple of weeks to mainland Europe - which is quite likely!

 

I'd like to think the cost will come down over time as more and more bodyshops get up to speed. Tesla have apparently reduced the investment cost required so more can go on the training and do all but the most critical repair work on the car.

[Ryeman]

I'm wondering if all that free publicity about being able to outdrag  a car designed for a drag strip has encouraged owners to 'demonstrate' to others......the claims rate has gone up significantly apparently.

[sharkrider]

correct me if I'm wrong xav, but don't ALL insurers have to provide basic European cover? (enjoying the thread by the way... if you came to the lakes camping do you would meet another Tesla owner, BryanD is coming!  )

[Xavier]

18 hours ago, Ryeman said:

I'm wondering if all that free publicity about being able to outdrag  a car designed for a drag strip has encouraged owners to 'demonstrate' to others......the claims rate has gone up significantly apparently.

I don't know, or rather doubt it. No one wants to wreck their car. The issue has been more related to the average cost of a repair rather than the number of repairs.

 

8 hours ago, sharkrider said:

correct me if I'm wrong xav, but don't ALL insurers have to provide basic European cover? (enjoying the thread by the way... if you came to the lakes camping do you would meet another Tesla owner, BryanD is coming!  )

Yes, I mean the bare minimum for you to be legal, probably third party only. Not TPFT and certainly not comprehensive.

I'm not a big camping fan, but happy to make it an extended day trip

[sharkrider]

cool, (there are loads of b&bs in keswick if you dislike the tent thing! its in the NW meets section first week in August

 

[Ryeman]

2 hours ago, Xavier said:

I don't know, or rather doubt it. No one wants to wreck their car. The issue has been more related to the average cost of a repair rather than the number of repairs.

 

 

The report states  - "makes higher claims frequency" and "more insurance claims".......so I guess they regard it as being likely to be driven in a more risky manner.