Tesla cuts Model S price by $5k, bumps range to 402 miles | Hacker News Reader

Tesla cuts Model S price by $5k, bumps range to 402 miles

arstechnica.com

47 pointssamizdis29 comments

Do Tesla users / enthusiasts / supporters have versions number for these changes?

I mean other Car manufactures would have the same Model, but they do new tweaks every year so it is easier to know, like BMW M3 2018. But Tesla seems to be constantly innovating at a rapid pace, how do people tell which "Model S" they have?

And if anyone know what happened to Battery Day?

I make an app called Nikola that's seen data from a few thousand Teslas. The short answer is there are some identifiers, but they're basically impossible for outsiders to track. Tesla is making modifications all the time.

From what I've seen in forums and user groups, etc, owners tend to just break things down by major feature. AP1 / AP2 / AP3, or I have X type of wheel, or I don't have the retractible roof, but there are obviously so many other changes that aren't easy to detect

> And if anyone know what happened to Battery Day?

Elon mentioned a while back it was postponed because of COVID, I'm hoping it still goes ahead soon.

The article mentions that Tesla stripped out some mass from the car which resulted in longer range, but would doing so change its stability to the point where its safety rating needs to be reassessed, or is there a margin of tolerance?

Depends how the weight reduction was achieved. You can often remove weight and make a structure stronger at the same time by changing the load paths or materials.

Furthermore, removal of material not in the crash structure would likely not impact impact performance. (e.g. drive train mass)

I was at a tesla store talking about a used tesla and asked "If I buy the car, can you remove the badges?"

and the tesla guy said "We cannot do that. We cannot remove anything that was there where it was crash tested."

(I think it was an excuse, but... wat?)

That is odd. But what do you mean by badges? The emblem you mean?

yes, like "dual motor" etc.

I still can't believe how cheap a used ModelX is, around $52k!

A brand new Y is a similar price, and has some features over the X. That said, the X is a tad bigger and has some premium features like heated wheel you can’t get on a Y.

I feel they want to empty inventory for a new version. I'm actually interested in Model S but don't want the awkward horizontal monitor

Vertical monitor?

Is a 5k price cut at its price point really going to make a difference?

A 7% cut? Yes, it makes a different for all the other manufacturers which is why they constantly send me new pamphlets.

Seems like demand is pretty low for the Model S, I don't think 5k will sway a rich person to pick a very old design.

This compensates a bit for the autopilot price going up i guess

The Model 3 also dropped by $2K. The $1000 increase (in July) is for full self-drive. Autopilot is already included.

> The $1000 increase (in July) is for full self-drive.

Has Tesla actually delivered "full self-drive" yes, or is the name just marketing?

It's just marketing. It's getting better, but still far from an actual "self-drive".

Autopilot is Level-2[1] and FSD is somewhere between Level-2 and Level-3.

[1]: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15079828/autonomous-s...

Some of those features are available on other cars if you combine different options (line assist, adaptive cruise control, etc).

I really admire what Comma.ai project is doing right now.

Ah thanks for clarifying! Wasn’t fully up to date on the difference

Still on the "too expensive" list for me

402 miles, if you drive 55.

Vehicles are tested at a top speed of 80 mph in order to calculate the highway mpg estimates.

EPA utilizes five test cycles to represent real-world driving conditions. While it’s true that the test cycle historically labeled as the “highway” test has a top speed of 60 mph, this test is currently meant to represent driving on lower speed highways as well as rural and suburban driving. EPA’s highway mpg estimates are primarily derived from a separate “high speed” test cycle, which has a top speed of 80 mph. The remaining three tests are designed to simulate stop-and-go city driving, high air conditioning use, and driving in cold temperatures. For more information on the five test cycles and how EPA calculates its mpg estimates, go to epa.gov/fueleconomy.

Range calculations aren't done the same as as mpg estimates.

There's tons of anecdotes and tests linked in the other thread. A Model S has trouble going 300 miles at 80mph, let alone 400 miles.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23534540

The average speed is not 80 mph; it’s 55. See https://dieselnet.com/standards/cycles/hwfet.php

It's the typical EPA range figure that everyone has to use. It's already greater than more than a few mid-size SUVs, such as this BMW: https://www.cars.com/research/bmw-x6_m-2017/

Or this Lexus: https://www.cars.com/research/lexus-gx_460-2017/

Or this Lincoln: https://www.cars.com/research/lincoln-mkt-2017/

Of this list of 2017 mid-size SUVs, this Model S at 402 miles of EPA range goes further on a charge than 9 out of 32 of these vehicles for which range is given: https://www.cars.com/articles/2017-mid-size-suv-driving-rang...

no one expects to get the mpg rating of their combustion engine cars, I don't know why anyone would expect range to be the same. as long as they constantly benchmarking range against the same tests, range numbers are still usefull. I don't know anyone who would expect the listed range when they buy one, it's common sense that the tests are in optimal conditions doing everything possible to get that number as high as possible, just like traditional car numbers.

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