Electric Vehicles - Models Discussion

[Texas Proud]

I looked up the Porsche Taycan Turbo it's supposed to get 2.32 miles/Kkw . I know your Audi is related. A Model S Plaid gets 2.8 with the 21 inch wheels and 3.1 with the 19s. Cars that are optimized for performance are probably going to sub-optimal for something else.

data: Fuel Economy of Electric Vehicles

My car is rated on the sticker at 41kwh per 100 miles or 2.5 per kwh... My long term is 2.7kwh per mile... I do have 21 inch wheels...

The strange thing (and I will put in another thread) is that in real life I have done trips as bad as 52kwh per 100 and as low as (IIRC) 33 kwh per 100... I can not determine why...

 

[Midpack]

Tesla Model 3 & Y look good at 3.5 to 4.0 miles/kWh.

 

[Flieger]

I'm taking first "long" trip today (197 miles). In general, will be primarily highway, I'm assuming around 70-75 mph. Change in elevation on the way, down by 1300 ft. I have Model S with 21" wheels, and will start with 100% charge. I'll likely use FSD most of the time. I'll report what performance I get!

Flieger

 

[Midpack]

I'm taking first "long" trip today (197 miles). In general, will be primarily highway, I'm assuming around 70-75 mph. Change in elevation on the way, down by 1300 ft. I have Model S with 21" wheels, and will start with 100% charge. I'll likely use FSD most of the time. I'll report what performance I get!

Flieger

Don’t be surprised if you see your battery % increase slightly as you do the 1300 foot descent, I’ve seen it leaving Boone NC. Of course your battery % will decline more than normal during ascent, but the change on descent is amusing but real.

 

[Flieger]

Don’t be surprised if you see your battery % increase slightly as you do the 1300 foot descent, I’ve seen it leaving Boone NC. Of course your battery % will decline more than normal during ascent, but the change on descent is amusing but real.

Yep. My friend in Blowing Rock says the same!

Flieger

 

[Errollyn]

I saw five different Rivian R2s over the last couple weeks. Three at shows in Chicago, one outside the Rivian factory, and one in the wild at a charging station. A couple big takeaways for me were how the R2 looks to have about the same footprint of a Model 3 on the outside, but the rear seats have a hug amount of space on the inside (I'm 5' 10" and those are my legs shown with two very big guys sitting comfortably in the front seats).

Still not sure if I'll buy one, but only because $50K for a vehicle still feels like it's bordering on wasteful spending to me. But my wife's old Ford's days are numbered, so maybe I'll have a "blow that dough" moment.

 

[fosterscik]

we're going to the Rivian "block party" in Atlanta this weekend to have our own in-person visit. We have a deposit on an R2. We'd love one of the launch edition models but it may be a while before we're offered one (and unlikely to be a launch version given the size of the waiting list).

 

[Errollyn]

we're going to the Rivian "block party" in Atlanta this weekend to have our own in-person visit. We have a deposit on an R2. We'd love one of the launch edition models but it may be a while before we're offered one (and unlikely to be a launch version given the size of the waiting list).

Hopefully you can get an LE fairly quickly, but it sounds like there's a long line that starts with employees and R1 owners. If I get one, it'll likely be the Premium version that's supposed to start selling late this year.

Have fun at the show this weekend. In Chicago, we spent about 2 hours in line and got exactly 2 minutes in the driver's seat. I'm glad I went, but it wasn't really enough time to get a good impression of the buttons and infotainment system.

 

[fosterscik]

We plan to go to Friday's session. Perhaps a little quieter than Saturday or Sunday....

 

[RetMD21]

My car is rated on the sticker at 41kwh per 100 miles or 2.5 per kwh... My long term is 2.7kwh per mile... I do have 21 inch wheels...

The strange thing (and I will put in another thread) is that in real life I have done trips as bad as 52kwh per 100 and as low as (IIRC) 33 kwh per 100... I can not determine why...

Right the 41 kWh/100 miles is 2.41 miles/kwh and you are at least doing at least that well per your previous post. You can't compete with the Bolts, sadly

FWIW I had the chance to drive a M3 Performance today. I thought I would miss stalks but the steering wheel buttons are fine for turn signals and selecting forward or reverse on the screen is great.

 

[audreyh1]

Doesn’t the car also guess direction based on your surroundings? I usually just have to tap on the brake for the car to go forward or backward and just swipe for changing direction. The car usually guesses correctly.

 

[RetMD21]

I'm not very proficient with fsd so probably my fault I guess I don't trust it entirely

 

[Chuckanut]

I'm taking first "long" trip today (197 miles). In general, will be primarily highway, I'm assuming around 70-75 mph. Change in elevation on the way, down by 1300 ft. I have Model S with 21" wheels, and will start with 100% charge. I'll likely use FSD most of the time. I'll report what performance I get!

Flieger

That down hill change in elevation is great. Make sure to map out a return route that is also down hill all the way. I think the Model S can do that.

 

[audreyh1]

I'm not very proficient with fsd so probably my fault I guess I don't trust it entirely

Just observe which direction the car expects to go once you are buckled in and tap the brake. This is built-in and not FSD.

 

[cbo111]

I am taking delivery of a 2026 Tesla Model Y Premium RWD next week. The test drive was amazing...the FSD has really become a reality. Previously I had a Tesla MYLR that I sold in 2022. I really missed that instant power and incredible technology. It's not often you see the price point of any automobile fluctuate like a Tesla. In 2021 I purchased the MYLR for ~$58K including taxes. I sold it a year later for ~$69K (remember the chip shortage, demand was super high). Yesterday I paid about $51K including taxes, nearly $7K less than in 2021 for a much improved version.

 

[Koolau]

That down hill change in elevation is great. Make sure to map out a return route that is also down hill all the way. I think the Model S can do that.

Down-hill both directions? That would be a good trick to pull off! I think I'd buy THAT car!!

 

[Flieger]

I'm taking first "long" trip today (197 miles). In general, will be primarily highway, I'm assuming around 70-75 mph. Change in elevation on the way, down by 1300 ft. I have Model S with 21" wheels, and will start with 100% charge. I'll likely use FSD most of the time. I'll report what performance I get!

Flieger

Averaged 2.8kwh per mile round trip.

The most eventful thing is I had replaced all 4 tires Wed of last week prior to the trip. A little more than halfway down I suddenly had a terrible shimmy/shake in the steering wheel at or above 60-65 mph. Figured I threw a balance weight on one of the front tires. Went to Discount tire this morning and they said yep, front passenger way out of balance. Problem was, it seemed ok for a few miles once on the highway then right back to the shimmy/shake at 60-65. I drove about 80 miles and stopped at a Discount Tire in Columbia. I told the service guy they needed to break the tire down and check the foam insulation inside the tire. He assured me that was not it, but I insisted and when he did, it was just loose inside. There was barely any adhesive applied to hold the foam to the tire. We removed it and balanced it and all was good from that point on. They called and had the shop where I purchased the tires order a new one to replace. I'll personally inspect this one!

Flieger

 

[audreyh1]

Averaged 2.8kwh per mile round trip.

The most eventful thing is I had replaced all 4 tires Wed of last week prior to the trip. A little more than halfway down I suddenly had a terrible shimmy/shake in the steering wheel at or above 60-65 mph. Figured I threw a balance weight on one of the front tires. Went to Discount tire this morning and they said yep, front passenger way out of balance. Problem was, it seemed ok for a few miles once on the highway then right back to the shimmy/shake at 60-65. I drove about 80 miles and stopped at a Discount Tire in Columbia. I told the service guy they needed to break the tire down and check the foam insulation inside the tire. He assured me that was not it, but I insisted and when he did, it was just loose inside. There was barely any adhesive applied to hold the foam to the tire. We removed it and balanced it and all was good from that point on. They called and had the shop where I purchased the tires order a new one to replace. I'll personally inspect this one!

Flieger

Wow! Glad you figured it out and made Discount Tire do the right thing.

 

[Midpack]

I don't know how common it is, but I've read about the foam inserts coming loose on EV noise reduction tires, causing serious balance issues. When I replace the tires on my MY, I probably won't opt for tires with foam inserts.

Tire Wheel Vibration - Tire Foam Inserts do come loose

This a PSA message for anyone experiencing vibration form an out of balance tire that isn't fixed by a simple rebalance. The foam insert can come loose! I took my MY in 3 times to get the tires balanced and quiet a vibration that would get really bad at 65mph+. I went to 2 Tesla dealers in CA...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[RetMD21]

IDK if anybody is interested but NYT had an article about EVs in Costa Rica, particularly BYD. I was there a couple of months ago and saw a lot of BYD Yuan Plus crossovers. They seem to be about the size of a Rav 4. They seemed like a good deal but they are apparently gray market from a Chinese dealer without official BYD support.

Driving Electric in Costa Rica Is Surprisingly Doable​

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/business/costa-rica-electric-vehicle-road-trip.html?unlocked_article_code=1.glA.yVVh.P3ykvFrolAC3&smid=url-share

 

[Koolau]

I don't know how common it is, but I've read about the foam inserts coming loose on EV noise reduction tires, causing serious balance issues. When I replace the tires on my MY, I probably won't opt for tires with foam inserts.

Tire Wheel Vibration - Tire Foam Inserts do come loose

This a PSA message for anyone experiencing vibration form an out of balance tire that isn't fixed by a simple rebalance. The foam insert can come loose! I took my MY in 3 times to get the tires balanced and quiet a vibration that would get really bad at 65mph+. I went to 2 Tesla dealers in CA...

teslamotorsclub.com

Yeah, this discussion is the first time I'm hearing about foam inserts exclusive to EVs. Are these tires not used for ICE cars? Is the idea that EVs are so "silent" that tire noise becomes problematic?

I recall discussions of performance tires and high (fuel) mileage tires being "loud" but not about sound deadening for these tires.

 

[Alan]

My BIL took me on a demo drive in his Ford Mustang EV on Sunday morning. At one point he turned on the sound effects to show how it can sound like it has a V8 engine.

On Monday evening my sister called for a chat and said that when she was coming home from work she gunned the car at the bottom of a very steep hill on the way home and she she nearly pee’d her pants at the sound of what she thought was a muscle car overtaking her.

 

[JohnnyPHX]

Up in Prescott AZ at the moment charging the little ol Bolt EUV. This badboy Dodge Charger was charging up. So cool looking. It even gave a narly V8 growl when he started it up and drove off. I like it.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire]

Up in Prescott AZ at the moment charging the little ol Bolt EUV. This badboy was charging up. So cool looking. It even gave a narly V8 growl when he started it up and drove off. I like it.

View attachment 63450

Sounds like used ones might be a good deal...

Edmunds' Dodge Charger EV Lost $50,000 In Value In A Year - Jalopnik

The problem was muscle cars buyers don't really want to drive EVs, and truthfully, most people who want to drive EVs don't want to buy a Dodge product.

www.jalopnik.com

 

[Midpack]

Up in Prescott AZ at the moment charging the little ol Bolt EUV. This badboy Dodge Charger was charging up. So cool looking. It even gave a narly V8 growl when he started it up and drove off. I like it.

View attachment 63450

I'd have a hard time getting excited about a "V8 growl" that's a recording, totally phony...but YMMV