Test drive: DC to Boston in a Tesla Model S

This still doesn't put to rest the expected (but somehow controversial) concerns about lithium battery performance in cold weather. This concern IMO needs to be put to rest if electrics want to break into the mainstream market. Early adopters may be willing to plan judiciously around range and expected weather, but I doubt mainstream consumers will be so forgiving.

Having a car of (somewhat) limited range lose a large chunk of its battery just sitting overnight in a parking lot, in weather that is cold but hardly unusual for the region, is a problem. That both on-board software and human advisers seem poorly prepared to compensate for this is hardly a nail in Tesla's coffin, but does need to be sorted out.

What I don't get about any of this, from both sides, is that this is the early days of the technology and its clearly work in progress. As usual, early adopters pretty much know what they are investing in and expect and accept that there are going to be problems and that the systems are far from perfect. I mean, imagine a review of the first petrol engined cars, a few years after initial conception. Musk should be constantly reminding people that problems will happen, and this is the beginning of decades of development and evolution, while motoring petrol head journalists need to stop trying to pretend Musk is selling a perfect petrol car replacement, and that it is indeed work in progress at a relatively early stage.

To me it is clear that the Tesla car is still problematic, but it is also clear that its improving at a decent rate. In a decade, I imagine the whole system will work flawlessly, ish.

Sadly all I see are two camps, Musk supporters and petrol heads almost raging at each other like political parties, while Musk stirs it, resulting in non partisan parties look on aghast, keeping wallets well closed.

As for the idea that this CNN review, just after a controversial one, would be anything other than perfect is a delusion. Even if we bin foil hat theories that CNN were soft on Tesla for what ever reason, Tesla would have done everything to ensure this test went perfectly and contradicted the previous one. What ever we are up to, if a test goes wrong, we would all make sure the next test was an improvement. If not, then we have no business in any form of development.

Are we forgetting the data from the NYT review clearly showed Broder driving around in circles in a car park? The CNN reporter even said he got lost and yet still made it with miles to spare in the batteries. When you consider the amount of on-board power drawing computing functionality, sensors and logging equipment on the Tesla 200+ miles is impressive.

If you're buying an electric car for driving 200+ miles in one go, an electric car is certainly not for you. Tesla fills a niche of drivers who commute to and from work, occasionally to meetings and maybe the airport but don't expect luxury taxi service companies to start buying and driving Tesla electric cars any time soon...

Quite personally I am sick of hearing about this whole situation. It's like watching a primary school fight, lots of name calling and accusation slinging, but no violence.

This is more of a PR move - of course if you calculate it out it's possible - the NY Times driver wasn't staying at SuperChargers long at all and missed mark by 30mi.

"Instead, I found myself maneuvering around slower cars. Now, I normally spend most of my time on the New Jersey Turnpike out in the left lane going at least 10 or 15 miles an hour faster than I was in the Model S. But sitting in the middle lane, I was keeping up with traffic. I certainly didn't feel out of place -- except for the fact that I wasn't burning any gasoline."

It's supposed to be a performance car. A proper review should imply hoonage and speeds likely to raise the author's insurance premiums. It shouldn't take the Consumer Reports first impression of the Nissan Leaf as it's model. The Tesla S is not a fucking Prius.

The only thing more dull than hypermiling stories are hypermiling videos, and the only saving grace of this story is that we are spared those.

How Musk can act incredulous over assertions that the Model S is impractical for US intercity travel while acknowleding one hour fuelings every three hours is beyond me.

I have to honestly say the Model S is very, very low on my list of cars-I-wish-I-had. It screams conspicuous and vapid consumption to the nth degree.

The emphasized part makes no sense (vs. driving at constant speed), regen braking is not perpetual motion machine. Technology reporter should know that. Still amazing how such a foolish advice was given him by Tesla personnel.

I would have thought that slow, stop-start traffic is the ideal conditions for an electric car, both in terms of driving pleasure and energy use compared with traditional cars.

Let's see Teslas commuting to work in arctic midnight.

Of course there may be a reason I'm not in PR.

https://twitter.com/PeterDrives

https://twitter.com/AbigailBassett

Will anyone be able to do this drive, under any conditions, in a Model S with batteries that are 2, 5 or 10 years old?

What's the point of having a car that costs north of $50K and as much as $90K if you have to worry about missing an exit? This whole thing is bad press for Tesla, they thought they had the "gotcha" moment ("he went in circles in the parking lot" for a whopping.......0.6 miles while trying to find the charging station) but it just showed a prospective buyer how fragile this very expensive car.

Let me repeat it: this car is very expensive and cannot be relied to go for a few hundred miles because it has so many variables. This is a niche car at best, a rich person maybe can brag about it while having other normal cars.

Hybrids would probably be best for me.