| I would think the sliding doors of the mini van would be much more practical than the doors going up on the Tesla. I am always parking in tight spaces in Bethesda (Giant, garages, etc.). Also, I like sitting higher in the mini van. I am sure the Tesla is great for many reasons, but there is nothing like the space and comfort of a mini van! |
Except that the Tesla doors have better clearance than minivan doors. Trust me, I park in tight spaces, too, so I'm well aware of how convenient they are. They have sensors and can articulate at various angles. Minivans probably do have more space inside, but our Tesla is pretty comfortable. Also, you know, the gas thing, but it sounds like you don't care about that. (it's not all about your space and comfort) |
Renewable energy, at least when we charge at home (we're on wind power). You do know renewable energy is a thing, right? I never claimed to be all that, either. Stop projecting your defensiveness onto me. |
You are right, I care about space and comfort! I'm ok with the gas. |
No you’re not. You have no idea how the power grid works, do you? |
So enlighten me. Although, I suspect you just like to dump on people who are trying to do right by the environment, and I'm so tired of it. You can make excuses all you want. Some of us are actually trying to do something, imperfect though that may be. |
It’s not about you. It’s about those four grandchildren in car seats who you drive around so frequently that you need a special vehicle, and the future of the planet. |
Most people cannot afford Tesla's or their repairs. |
| Acadia |
Some of the electrons flowing to you house was shaken free from a turbine driven by steam that is fired by fossil fuels. |
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Minivan all the way! We have a 15 y.o odyssey and I test drove a bunch of SUVs to replace it. Nothing comes close in terms of interior space relative to the exterior dimensions.
Also, jumping onto the Tesla debate, my general advice for people is to look at the value proposition. Cost per mile over 5 or 7 years (or however long you think you'll keep the car) as well as convenience. I think the Tesla fails on both counts. I know it goes from 0-60 in 2 or 3 seconds (or something along those lines).. But I don't plan on being the getaway driver in a bank robbery anytime soon, so don't really care about that metric.. |
You are completely missing the point of electric vehicles. I don't care that it accelerates quickly. The freaking planet is on *fire*. Continuing to prioritize your convenience and comfort over global warming is pretty indefensible. |
A vehicle powered by electricity that is generated by burning fossil fuels. Cutting out the middleman and just driving a car powered by actual fossil fuels is arguably better for the environment. |
I've always wondered about this aspect of Teslas - when people say they buy them for the enviro benefits, not the luxury car-ness. The real climate activists I know either don't drive or drive hybrids, which to me make more sense. But I must admit I don't really know all that much; I'm perfectly happy in my regular ol' car. |
I am a "never-Tesla" car guy, though I am a huge fan of Elon Musk and Tesla as a company. The products they make are just not for me even though I see that they are awesome and well made products. In terms of energy efficiency, there is no question that Tesla is better than traditional cars in this regard. The energy conversion efficiency for a fossil fuel power plant is about 40%. There is about a 10% loss in the transmission, and a further 10% loss in a Tesla vehicle, so we get about 32% final efficiency when driving a Tesla. This compared to about 20% efficiency of the typical modern internal combusion engine gasoline car. This is before considering the fact that the electrical grid can be fed from a variety of other sources, including hydro, wind, solar, and nuclear power plants. There is no question that a Tesla is good for the environment in terms of energy efficiency. As to who buys Teslas - it's typically a working professional or small business owner who likes technolgy and is otherwise not a car guy. To these people, a Tesla checks a lot of boxes for being relatively unique/exclusive, has a lot of neat technology, and comes with none of the baggage associated with normal cars. This is why pre-ordering is such a phenomenon with Teslas. |