TeslaJ
This is my Eleventh report on our 5-month-old 2020 Tesla Model 3, Standard Range Plus,
Rear-Wheel Drive, 19" wheels, Multicoat Red posted
at TeslaTouring.com/carl.
In this report I cover:
2020 Tesla Model 3 dash
"Refresh"
items on the Model 3 in October, 2020.
Even
though the photo above may not show all these improvements, here is a
list of the "refresh" items on the Model 3 in October, 2020, and beyond.
From the Tesla Motor Club:
The sales rep provided a list of all of the updates.
Interior Upgrades:
Sill plates are now satin black to match the
exterior trim
Seat controls have a graphite finish and the scroll
wheels on the steering wheel are metalized
The sun visors magnetically snap into place
Matte black replaces gloss black throughout the
interior including the door release and window buttons
Redesigned center console featuring fixed inductive
charging mats for two smart phones wrapped in luxurious micro suede
Updated front compartment with a sliding lid similar
to in S and X
Two high-powered USB-C ports in the front compartment
Added a fifth USB port to Model 3, located in the
glove compartment
Model Y heat pump added to Model 3
Exterior Upgrades:
Side repeaters, door handles, and bright work
surrounding the windows have gone from chrome to satin black
The new 18” aero and 19” sport wheels have sharper
edges
Model 3 Performance now sits on 20” Uberturbine wheel
Power lift gate
Here's Every New Electric Vehicle
Model for Sale in the U.S. by
Click any image for
a larger format image; Click BACK in your browser to return to this
report.
Range,
efficiency, and base price: This guide will help you decide on the EV
that works best for you. By Scott Oldham May
22, 2020
Although this article is over 5 months old, it is factual. Not an
easy article to copy for you since it has 60 separate pages with a
large image of each vehicle plus description, I have copied below Car
and Driver's range, efficiency, and base price for our Model 3 which
has terrific numbers in comparison.
2020 Tesla Model 3 —
141 MPGe Base price: $41,190
[Which
was decreased by $2,000 at the end of Q2 and is
now $37,990.]
EPA fuel economy, combined/city/highway: 141/148/132 MPGe [Highest
of all 30 EVs available in the US.]
EPA combined range: 250 miles [Now 263 miles of predicted range.]
Regardless
of how you feel about Elon Musk or Tesla products, there's no denying
the sales success of the Model 3. Introduced a few years ago, the
brand's least expensive model was one of the most anticipated cars of
the decade, promising huge EV range for about $40,000. Today, they're
everywhere, and it's easy to understand the appeal. The Model 3 is a
quick sharp-handling sedan with attractive styling and enough interior
space for your friends. It also offers the biggest range numbers and
the lowest acceleration times for the money. Musk has delivered the
bang for the buck. The rear-wheel-drive Standard Range Plus model with
its 250 miles of range has proven exceedingly popular, while the
all-wheel-drive Long Range and Performance models offer 322 miles of
range and 60-mph acceleration as quick as 3.2 seconds.
Tesla Model
3 crushes Dodge Charger in 1-year review of cost of operation as police
car
, Fred Lambert - Oct. 5th 2020 9:05 am ET
Tesla
Model 3 is crushing Dodge Charger as a police car when it comes to the
cost of ownership as the Bargersville Police Chief who pushed to
electrify his fleet shares a 1-year review of the cost of operation.
"Two big
things that we were looking at when shopping for cars were obviously
cost and performance. Many times when you get a car that is in our cost
price range, you sacrifice performance. With Tesla, the performance is
better than the cars we are currently driving. It’s amazing, it’s
smooth, it’s powerful, it handles great."
The Model
3 Standard Range Plus version that they bought is a little more
expensive than the Dodge Charger at ~$41,000, but they expect gas
savings of about $6,000 per year, which means that the Model 3 will pay
for itself over its lifetime.
They
generally keep their vehicles for six years, and after they broke down
the economics, they determined that they are going to save about
$20,000 per car with the Model 3.
It
includes not only gas savings, but the police department is also
expecting some significant maintenance savings.
At this
point [October 5, 2020], more and more police departments are starting
to see the Tesla Model 3 as a real option for a patrol vehicle.
In Tesla’s own
backyard, the Fremont [California] Police Department converted a used
Tesla Model S to a patrol vehicle.
The Country of
Luxembourg Police converted two Model S sedans to patrol cars, and the
largest fleet of Tesla police patrol vehicles is in Switzerland.
[2017]
From electrek article
in 2017 - "In terms of range, the country is ideal for electric cars
since it’s only 51 miles long and 35 miles wide. As for speed and
acceleration, virtually all of the latest versions of Tesla’s Model S
are now quicker and faster than conventional police cars, so it
shouldn’t be a problem.
Video from a year ago when the Bargersville Police
Chief first purchased the
Model 3: https://youtu.be/iJSdPhWfx-w
Full report including 1-year breakdown of cost for both Tesla 3 and
Dodge Charger in Bargersville,
Indiana : Click Here.
My Report on the Westport, Connecticut's Model 3 Police Car with
complete justification:
http://www.teslatouring.com/carlTeslaH/#police
Concept drawing of
the $25,000 Model 2
Budget Direct
Insurance Company's concept drawing of a $25,000 Tesla Model 2
announced on Battery Day by Elon Musk.
For the 7 other Tesla EVs this insurance company wants to see, Click Here.
Leilani
Münter, drove her Tesla Model S to an ARCA race in which she drove No.
20.
Tesla
Model S owner, Leilani Münter, is a professional race car driver, but
her self-proclaimed slogan “a vegan hippie chick with a race car” proves
there is more to her than most competitors in the male-dominated sport.
Münter, who competes in the ARCA series, is on a mission to raise
awareness about the environment in ways few players in her industry
would dare go. After all, one of the biggest villains in her
carbon-free movement is the fossil fuel, the very lifeblood of her
sport.
In the days leading up to a recent race, Leilani embarked on a
road trip in an electric car from her home in Charlotte, North Carolina
to Chicagoland Speedway becoming the first ARCA or NASCAR driver to
travel to a race completely oil free.
Meet rEVolutionaries #5 - Leilani Münter, Documentary filmmaker,
Long-time Model S owner, Activist, and Retired Race Car driver spoke at
The Tesla Owners Club of Orange County, California, SATURDAY, OCTOBER
17 at 11 AM Pacific. Her talk was recorded and watchable
-
Click Here.
SpaceX is building a constellation of 12,000 satellites to
beam internet service around the world.
Blast off
from Cape Kennedy. (left) and landing of rocket after mission (Right).
(Left)
Separated part drops, rocket continues into orbit. ( Right) Blastoff
route and orbit above.
For
the full story of the September launch of 60 satellites , Click Here.
Washington state’s Military Department and Emergency Management
Division revealed the first known application of the service. Starlink
was employed to provide service to emergency responders battling
wildfires in Washington state. SpaceX Chief Executive Musk replied,
saying the company is “prioritizing emergency responders &
locations with no Internet connectivity at all.”
The full story of the satellite network: Click Here.
SpaceX video explaining the Starlink Program in depth. Start at 4:20 within this
video: Click Here.
Tesla Model 3 Mid-year 2020
updates
The exterior design changes include new black trim for the door
handles, window trim, and turn signals, replacing the previous chrome
trim. The Performance model comes standard with new 20-inch
"Überturbine" wheels, and the other models' 18- and 19-inch wheel
options have new designs. There's also new trim inside for the sill
plates, door handles, window buttons and seat controls, and the sun
visors now snap into place magnetically. New features include a power
trunk lid and wireless charging pads for smart phones that are found in
the revised center console.
Range estimates go up, with Tesla now promising 263 miles for the
Standard Range Plus (an increase of 13 miles), 353 miles for the Long
Range (an increase of 31 miles), and 315 miles for the Performance (an
increase of 16 miles).
Available options remain the same as before, with any color besides
white costing $1000 extra (red is $2000 extra) and the 19-inch wheel
option for Standard Range Plus and Long Range models costing $1500. A
white interior is $1000 and Tesla's so-called Full Self-Driving
Capability is $8000. A fully loaded Model 3 Performance with all these
extras tallies $67,190.
No matter the model,
Tesla's website shows delivery estimates of 5 to 9 weeks for these
updated cars.
Console
lid slides like the Model S with chrome around.
The history of
electric vehicles
Electric
cars of the 1910s.
Edison
Electric Car 1913
Right, Notice the
electric charging cord.
By Smith Jacobson,
16 Feb 2017
The
history of the Electric Vehicle starts back with beginning of the
Automobile. Contrary to popular belief, many of the first Automobiles
on the roads were Battery Powered, not gasoline. This is because back
in 1901 Thomas Edison invented a Nickle-Iron Rechargeable battery which
could provide ample power to supply the simple drive motor.
Between 1900 and 1915, about 1/3rd of all cars
were Battery Powered,
with the Electric Vehicle dominating inner city transit. New York Taxi
services during this time was almost exclusively powered by Battery
Operated Vehicles.
The
Electric Car became very popular as a choice for women and the
‘well-to-do’ because it was quieter and cleaner. The Ford Model T was,
by comparison, loud, smelly, and dirty with it’s internal combustion
engine producing black soot where ever it went.
Then World
War I happened.
While
initially this provided a boom to the Electric Car Industry - as Crude
Oil was an important Strategic Resource
Rashique Shah, Btech
Petroleum Engineering & Visiting and Travel, Presidency University,
Bengaluru
Many people seem to
be under the impression that Electric Vehicles are new. Nothing could
be further from the truth. In fact, at the
turn of the last century, electric vehicles outnumbered gasoline
powered vehicles by a wide margin.
By
1902, George Fischer was building “hybrid” electric vehicles, and they
were operated successfully as electric buses in London and as delivery
vehicles by Macy’s in New York. His vehicles had an electric drive
train for reliability and ease of control (no transmission required)
and a gasoline fueled generator operating at its “sweet spot” to
recharge the batteries while driving.
Although
privately owned vehicles were popular early on due to their
reliability, fleet use continued to be popular until the early 1920’s.
The reason for their popularity was that they had limited fixed routes
which had been previously powered by horses, and gasoline powered
vehicles were still less reliable than electrics.
Historians generally
conclude that Charles Kettering sealed the fate of electric vehicles of
the era with the invention of the electric
starter, which was introduced on the 1912 Cadillac.
This made the gasoline engine so much more practical and convenient. Of
course, it also created what we now consider the “normal” automotive
electrical system. It was also another form of hybrid vehicle.
For
the next 50 years, there was little interest or activity with electric
vehicles. Interest in gasoline powered vehicles increased tremendously.
By the 1960’s, air quality was becoming a serious issue.
The government began
considering controls to reduce air pollution. We began to consider ways
to reduce pollution.
The
epitome of this concern was the “Great Electric Car Race” of 1968. This
was a competition between Caltech and MIT. Each school built an
electric vehicle, and each team left their campus and headed for the
other campus. Charging stations were set up every 60 miles. Caltech
used Lead Acid batteries, while MIT used lighter NiCad batteries.
Caltech won by 30 minutes.
This
was followed in 1970 by the Intercollegiate Clean Air Car Race from MIT
to Caltech. There were 50 entries fielded by 40 schools. The categories
were electric, steam, propane and turbine. There were 16 pure-electric
entries.
After
seeing the situations in 1970's and WWII few government responded ,
which was inspired by the need to reduce their dependence on foreign
oil. The goal was to have 10,000 electric vehicles on the road in 5
years. It funded large and small companies alike, both to improve
batteries and to build vehicles. Fewer than 1000 vehicles were actually
built, and the effort was simply not sustainable.
Drive
systems went from series DC motors and SCR choppers to FET choppers and
separately excited DC motors. Regenerative braking became possible.
However, battery technology was not up to the task. The classic “golf
cart” battery saw perhaps a 10% improvement in capacity, so vehicles
needed to be “battery trays on wheels”. Consequently, vehicle range was
generally 40-60 miles and performance was limited.
This
was followed in the 1990’s by the California Air Resources Board
(CARB). CARB tried to encourage the production of Clean Electric
Vehicles.
The General Motors
EV-1 was conceived to fill that role. This vehicle was groundbreaking
in several respects.
First, it was a
ground-up electric vehicle design.
Second,
it used an AC motor controller driving a 3 phase AC motor for its drive
system. This not only provided regenerative braking, but it allowed a
brushless motor to be used. This meant the motor could run at a higher
RPM, thus reducing size and weight. It was also designed for
next-generation batteries.
Between
1996 and 1999 GM produced 660 cars as Gen I with lead acid batteries,
and another 457 Gen II vehicles were produced with the new Nickel Metal
Hydride batteries.
But CARB eventually
backed away from the requirements, and at lease end, the cars were
destroyed.
Until
around 2008 ,When the other automobile industries were trying to find
out hybrids and efficient ways to deal with the prices of fuel, the Prius proved that there IS a market for new
technology that provides significantly better fuel economy.
The Prius uses a small nickel metal hydride battery, an AC drive system
and a clever transmission coupled with a small 4 cylinder engine. They
have only recently switched to Lithium Ion batteries.
GM followed with the Volt, capable of all-electric operation as
well as blended gasoline/electric operation.
The Volt uses a moderate-sized lithium ion battery to allow 40 miles or
so of all-electric range, beyond which a gasoline engine kicks in to
provide a conventional gasoline-powered driving mode. Although sales
were initially slow, they are increasing.
Silicon Valley
startup Tesla Motors decided to produce a
ground-up electric vehicle. Theirs was a no-compromise all
electric vehicle.
It had acceleration
to rival the best sports cars, and a 200+ mile range to satisfy all but
the most extreme daily drivers.
They created their
own lithium ion battery pack from the tiny 18 x 65 mm lithium ion cells
found in the common laptop computer.
A 3 phase AC drive
system was geared to the drive wheels via a single-speed transmission.
At $109,000, it was
not cheap, but it was a unique and impressive vehicle.
Tesla
sold over 1200 of them, and avoided any major mistakes in doing it. The
major automobile manufacturers have taken notice, and most of them are
now offering some sort of small electric vehicle, suitable for running
errands or your daily commute to work.
And this year
[2016?], the latest Tesla offering, the
Model S, was chosen as Motor Trend Car of the year.
This was probably the most radical departure from automotive technology
to ever be honored with the title. The Model S is a true ground-up
design. This luxury sedan has acceleration better than most, optional
battery packs that give it 300+ mile range, and class leading features
and execution. It has earned a 5 star crash rating proving that
electric vehicles can be the safest on the road.
It
has surprised many with its brisk sales. Tesla has an SUV version in
the works, the Model X which promises to apply state-of-the-art EV
technology to this important vehicle sector. With thousands of Model
S’s on the road throughout the US, there has been only a single
incident involving a battery fire, and the facts seem to point to a
very unique situation as being responsible. One would expect no less
from a gasoline powered vehicle.
Tesla
showed the world what a determined application of technology could do
for electric vehicles. The Prius and the Volt showed that Hybrid
vehicles might bridge the gap. But the actual market forces have yet to
play out.
Reva
has been manufacturing small, low cost Electric Vehicles in India for
over a decade. As fuel prices rise, the popularity of EV’s will
certainly rise. Many companies, including FED EX and UPS, are currently
evaluating EV’s.
Every
day there is news of a new Electric vehicle being introduced, or a new
battery, or a new technology in a related area. Fossil Fuels are
limited, and at some point they will become too valuable to be burned
in vehicles. There can be no question that the popularity of electric
vehicles will grow, it’s just a matter of how fast.
There are a number
of great benefits to electric vehicles (EVs)
over conventional petrol/diesel cars.
Cheaper to run
Cheaper to maintain
Better for the
environment
Uses Renewable energy
Uses Eco-friendly
materials for manufacturing
Health benefits as
an impact of using EV
Better Safety
Energy security of
the country
Bumper Stickers for EVs
All between $4 and $5 and Dimensions: 3" l x 11"w from https://www.zazzle.com/store/leptoquark/products
Late
October, 2020, Over The Air (OTA) Upgrade
2020.40.8 9744d0c0d399
I only list the changes that affect our Model 3. Some changes are
for other models and a different Model 3 than we have. Check the
Source below for changes for other models.*
Low profile
tire issues.
We have 19" wheels and tires and I never expected to have to be
concerned that I would scuff the RIMS instead of the tires when rubbing
a curb, or turning too soon into a business and going over the curb and
getting a blemish on the rim. Beware, because the rim sticks out
farther than the low profile tire and
the low profile tire will squash down to the rim much quicker
than on a standard 18 inch tire and rim. There are YouTubers who
have had blowouts and even ruined rims hitting chuck holes in
highways.
Early November, 2020, Over The Air (OTA) Update
2020.44.10.1 955dc1dd145e
This is the quickest I have gotten 2 updates. Images from the "T" on the in-car screen:
My Referral Number is https://ts.la/carl41979 Just click
the URL to the left to go to the Tesla.com site that will explain the
benefits of using a referral number: