Slashdot Mirror
Tracking Tesla's Quiet Changes To the Model S
cartechboy (2660665) writes "Tesla won't reveal its production figures every quarter, but it has now likely built about 50,000 all-electric Model S luxury sport sedans. Unlike other automakers, Tesla doesn't group its changes to a model year, rather it makes running changes to cars whenever updates are tested, validated, and ready to roll out. Which raises the question, are model year 2012 Model S sedans already outdated? The answer is it depends how you look at it. From a powertrain perspective, no. There are still two battery-size options and the shape is still the same. But under the surface of the car there are a surprising number of updates and new options. Not including software changes (of which there are dozens already pushed to the car), changes range from power folding mirrors and a new cold-weather package (which cannot be retrofitted) to a new ultra-high-fidelity sound package and three-zone, three-mode rear seat heaters. It's worth noting that none of these are mandatory changes — there are merely options that have been added to the roster of available equipment."
Can't wait until all my things need constant updates and I can never get the same thing again to replace lost or damaged items.
I'm speechless.
Not so. Different manufactorers have different approaches - PSA for example have always had a "continual change" process so that what's available not is slightly different to 3 months ago, and slightly more different to 6 months ago, independantly of "new model facelifts".
FIle under underwhelming slashvertisment?
Mod -1: pointless
Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
For the love of gawd, what do Slashdot's "editors" do? That is the worst written/edited summary I've ever seen on Slashdot and that's saying something... Come on guys, it's not a book - it's ONE FREAKIN' PARAGRAPH. Edit the damn thing and make it, you know, English.
I had actually ordered a Tesla, but cancelled it largely due to their: "ultra-high-fidelity sound package." The $2500 ultra-high-fidelity sound package" is the exact same package as the original $500 "sound studio" package. The only difference is the price hike and they now list the subwoofer as speaker 12 vs. they used to only list 11 speakers -- everything else is the same which my dealer admitted to me as did the stick on a previous model car sitting in the shop area. If you want a citation, see: http://www.teslamotors.com/forum/forums/new-sound-system .
When I began investigating the updates that Tesla had been rolling out, it untangled a lovely mess of what amounted to nothing more than price hikes. The sound system was the most obvious, but the "leather" package is another. It's now split into multiple packages at 3X the price vs. the former single package that included everything.
Tesla's upgrade system makes it very difficulty to sort out, and I found the practice highly deceptive. The final straw was when I went to pick up my car. They showed me my car at just under $90,000, and then a demo car that had just been delivered that was under the old pricing with substantially more features on it than the car I had ordered. At a $2,000 difference, it was a no-brainer. They went to do the paperwork and told me that couldn't sell it under the previous pricing (aka. before the packages had been split up, sound system jacked to $2500, etc.), but could sell it to me for $108,000.
I walked out. They're welcome to make money, but their system is confusing and I believe designed to hide their price gouging. I found the practice to be worthy of a traditional car dealership, and not something I wanted to participate in.
Oh well, I'm sure they sold both cars to someone else.
If Microsoft built cars....
Interesting - I didn't know this was out.
Sounds fancy. Even the cars I've had with heated seats (not a fan - I wear pants anyway) haven't had rear seat heaters. This may be a competitive item in the luxury car class. If you're bringing your kids to school and it's actually cold out they're wearing snow pants, but for those kids in Florida when it his 45*F, I guess.
I'd presume the improved defrost grill and battery coolant heaters will become stock at some point. Personally I'm waiting for the Model X (wishing for quad-motor - dammit Goodyear) because we get real winter here, but this sounds nice for folks who live where a bit of wintry mix can ruin your day in a hurry.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
Upon reading this article I miss:
- More information on which are those options.
- Whether there are packages that already include these options.
- A comprehensive "where to buy" list. Ideally, with a price reference.
- Financing offers. In case I can't buy it today but want to add it to my mortgage.
- More pictures. For reference, the traditional "Shiny car with bikini models." can suffice.
- A video where a pro pilot drives the car while describing why it is the best feeling he's ever had since he won the world cup, or something.
And, finally, a big yellow "ADD TO CART" button.
Optionally, there could also be a "Direct CHECKOUT" button that charges the cost to my google wallet and gets me the car by the time I get home from work.
Oil-burners see mid-cycle refreshes every two or three years and major revisions every four or five years. None of these updates is backwards compatible, but don't usually invalidate previous models. Tesla actually backports software updates wirelessly. You have to make a trip to the dealer for any PCM reflashes which may[or may not] improve performance of an oil-burner. The rest of the Model S is electric motors, batteries, and solid material so not much to upgrade. New battery tech could be a major update, but those will be standardized so they might actually be backwards compatible.
..now if this "story" had been *any* other car manufacturer, would it in fact be on Slashdot?
Yes, the question was indeed rhetorical. Hopefully.
I would still quite like to know, though - Why does the sound of a Tesla employee farting make a frontpage splash in this site?
Tesla does nothing quietly.
"there are a surprisingly number of"...
Surprisingly Number Of....
Let me think about that. Do you write goodly english?
I cannot imagine how this could ever be properly used in a sentence like that, but I'm sure some anonymous coward will tell me I'm wrong.
If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
I wonder what this will do for the long-term viability of the car though...in regards to repairing it. If I have a 1998 Honda civic DX I know I can find parts for the windshield wiper assembly.
If I have a model 1.5.14b (mod alpha) Tesla S with options XYZ ... do I need this wingding or that one for the rear-view mirror? Repair shops are going to hate this game.
At the same time...knowing the battery, motor, and other major components are the same is a huge win for the same question. Frankly the car industry revamping cars every freaking year is beyond stupid. Why is a 3000 pound, immensely complex, expensive piece of machinery rebuilt every year? To tweak a fender and include the radio buttons it should have had last year?
As usual...go Tesla. I just hope they have a good compatibility matrix for the upgraded components.
You can get rich if you own a politician, but you have to be rich to buy one in the first place.
One of the reasons I was one of the first to buy a Tesla is because I love the fact that Elon Musk refused to abide by all of the known "rules" of automotive manufacturing. I love it that I get regular updates to the car's firmware/software that actually adds features to the vehicle (one of the first ones I got actually made my 0-60 time faster!).
But I think that when it comes to this idea of not following the established rule of "model years", it doesn't work very well. The modern-day method of rolling software updates is great--for software. But when it comes to hardware, it is a bit more difficult. It's made even worse when things are not retrofittable (like the rear seat heating referenced here).
I understand that the company has a great new hardware feature and wants to get it onto the assembly line as quickly as possible, and you have to applaud that. But you end up with people ordering a car and not knowing what they will get. Some improvements are announced at or around the time they hit the assembly line, and many cars without the improvement are then delivered for a period of time. Note that although the summary only references "options", there are many more improvements other than options that are added in an add-hoc manner.
We haven't even seen the confusion this will eventually cause when there is a substantial resale market for the Model S. There will be no "shorthand" to say what features the vehicle has or doesn't have. Even the Roadster had "version numbers".
Are you complaining that Tesla isn't like most companies and adds a few simple features every year that makes last years model irrelevant? Sounds ridiculous this is a win for consumers who are obsessive compulsive about new features. They are giving you free software updates they could charge for like GPS manufactures for new maps.
... a computer from 2012 is outdated. Any sane person does not give two shits about it because everything still runs on it, but some "enthusiasts" never can live with having some tech from last year.
Tesla must be using a seriously traditional wiring harness. When will automakers move at least the accessories to a bus-style model for both power and communications? I get why all the signals and so on should run through a traditional wiring plant, but the rest of this stuff really needs to belong to a more distributed network. The wiring that could be eliminated in the power window system alone would save pounds.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
A Tesla S is not a normal family car, it costs the about the same a Porsche 911, so it firmly in the luxury/sports car bracket, so expensive options are normal, and every car as a custom build is not unexpected, rolling changes are not that unusual (outside the USA)
Puteulanus fenestra mortis
Have you driven a Ford, lately?
Because we wouldn't want you to base your expectations on any Fords you drove before quality became job one, see.
My wife's Nissan Leaf has rear seat heaters.
Many of the new options are in fact, able to be retroactively installed. Some can not, but many are.
Seems similar to what other small-scale auto manufacturers have done in the past. DeLorean Motor Company, for example, implemented changes as soon as they were able, not waiting for a model-year change -- slight changes to the interior, the disappearing fuel filler flap, and a minor change in the brake light circuit's wiring all come to mind. I'd not be surprised if other manufacturers with small production numbers (i.e. Lotus & Lamborghini [not counting their tractors]) take a similar tack to incremental updates like this.
First I bought a Tesla p85, and am very familiar with "luxury" features of ICE cars. Tesla is not #1 in luxury/price for all cars, it does not have standard features of my previous car (lack of excessive cupholders is the primary passenger complaint) but in the game of safest car, lowest maintenance car and electric car, they are #1. Oh and it does more than hold it's own with the fastest corvettes and Mercedes in the price range at 1/3 the fuel cost . (Save the 135mph limiter) It's a much bigger compromise gap with Chevy volt and Nissan leaf. Those poor bastards must wear mittens and wool hats to drive or run out of fuel to quick.
And for those who think car manufacturers change things only on model years, have never owned an Acura, gmc, Chevy, ford, Lincoln or Pontiac. I've had situations in every car I owned where they had to refer to the VIN range, or visual inspection to see if I got the early year or mid year emissions chip, the different catalytic convertor, transmission with 3 wires or 4, single bolt or double bolt mounts, or the odd size brake pads, was the car from Canada or Mexico plant? Why should an owner know that his car was assembled in Mexico, with parts from Canada so he can order at an auto parts store correctly? all car makers change things through the model year. Shit German cars change models from day shift to nightshift! Ask a German car owner if they know it's an a or b shift car. I briefly had a B shift jetta, worst quality car ever, the A shift cars were apparently amazing quality.