TFL is trying, but ... no clicks mean no success ... so ...

The Fast Lane is a car oriented Youtube channel and on-line publication. They mostly review trucks and SUVs, but recently they purchased a Tesla Model 3... and ... they want clicks and discussion... so ...

I watch these guys when I have absolutely nothing else to do, because they are not very knowledgeable, even when it comes to traditional cars. They have the right attitude in the videos, they are not afraid to try new things, but IMO they are not useful for the majority of viewers nor car makers.

Yes, I usually read the comments under the videos, because I like to know what the audience thinks. They are usually the loud minority, but they do count, as many people choose to agree with them, without verifying the information and opinions.

I'll probably write about some of their videos and the mistakes they made in them, but for now I just want to say to all the Tesla haters out there: you're misinformed. People who like Tesla are not in a cult, they just really really like the brand, because it changed their lives for the better and it promises a lot more positive changes in the future. In the meanwhile no other technology company seems to be doing that in any meaningful way.

Breaking up with EliTheComputerGuy (aka. unsubscribing)

EliTheComputerGuy is a youtuber, who doesn't think he's a youtuber. He made a lot of useful videos about computers, business and careers, but recently he stopped giving a sh*t about new technologies, so it no longer makes sense (to me) to watch his videos.

The last straw was his misinformed opinion on the EV industry, which is "very dear to me", as I'm a mammal and breathe air. I can't tolerate people spreading FUD on-line. (FUD = Fear Uncertainty and Doubt).

EliTheComputerGuy drives a Ford F150 truck and periodically pulls his Airstream trailer to various places in the US... even though his wife had cancer(s) ... he doesn't seem to care about health.

I doubt it was his decision, but he recently admitted that their next car will be electric... and he keeps insisting that it will be a small Ford... he goes on and on about how great Fords are ... which is COMPLETE BS!!!

First of all Ford doesn't make good products, nor EVs. Their leadership strongly opposes any innovation, unless it's about making crappier cars, saving them money, allowing dealerships to make more money on repairs...etc. This isn't a phenomenon just at Ford ... many non-silicon-valley companies (like ISPs) act the same way; their goal is to corner the market and milk their customers, without spending on R&D.

OK, enough about that guy and his twisted views ...

Ford is currently making (assembling) a few of the four types of vehicles and plans to launch a couple more next year, BUT they are not making their own motors nor battery packs, which are the most important parts of the EV and can make a break a product. Instead they are sourcing these very important components, which means they'll have the bare minimum specs with bare minimum quality, because Ford and the supplier have to make their share of profits on it. In contrast Tesla make their own batteries, motors and electronics for their cars, which means they can sell decently optimized cars with a respectable profit.

At the end of the day Ford will most likely be successful with their EVs, as they'll be a lot better than their ICE (internal combustion engine) cars, even if they put in the crappiest components from third party suppliers. On the other hand people may not want to settle for a Ford anymore, when they'll see the huge technology difference between a Tesla, Rivian, Workhorse ...etc. and Ford.

To date, large car makers haven't made EVs that match the 2012 Tesla Model S specs, but Tesla did! They recently upgraded the front motor and controller to improve efficiency by 5%. That efficiency gain (92% -> 97%) immediately increased the range to 370 miles and even reduced cost, which is just amazing.

In the meanwhile other EV makers are struggling to match Tesla Model 3 performance, which they kinda' did, at a much higher price, but can't compete in efficiency and range. I-Pace, AUDI E-Tron and others don't come close to Tesla Model X efficiency, which is a huge, heavy, 7-seater SUV.

Model 3 is getting a 910kg (2000lbs) rated tow hitch

Tesla has just turned on orders for left hand drive markets, but they are making a change again. Starting today you can order a Model 3 Standard Plus or Long Range AWD with the tow hitch, for an additional 970pounds or 1060 EUROs.

On the website it does say that it can't be installed after delivery, but that's inaccurate. Tesla doesn't install it after delivery, as it's too complicated, but you could, at least in theory... if you can get the parts for the power and turn signal plug... and ask Tesla nicely to turn on the software side of it...

In the USA tow hitches are not very popular, because most people who have to carry large objects regularly just use a pickup truck.... and the weight being limited to 2000pounds (910kg) is somewhat disappointing, as electric cars can pull safely a lot more ... but that limit is most likely imposed by regulations, not physics.

Why not use the 97% efficient permanent magnet motor in the rear too?

When designing the Model 3, Tesla made the decision to make them affordable, but also not too fast. All Model 3s have a 270hp permanent magnet motor in the back, which has a significantly slower acceleration at low RPM than the induction motors in the Model S and X.

As Jason from Engineering Explained explains, the permanent magnet motor in the Model 3 has significant torque ripple at low RPM, so Tesla had to reduce its power to avoid uncomfortable intermittent acceleration.

The Model 3 AWD and Performance edition have a small induction motor in the front, which helps with low RPM acceleration, achieving 3.2s 0-60 mph.

This is why Tesla decided to replace only the front motor in Model S and X, keeping the extremely powerful induction motor in the back, which allows accelerations of up to 2.2s 0-60 mph in the Model S and about a half a second worse in the Model X.

The 400 mile electric car - without battery improvement?

Tesla only makes electric products and their first product was an electric sports car, called the Tesla Roadster. Originally it was designed with analog motor controllers and two-speed transmissions, which turned out to be completely horrible choices. The prototypes worked, sort of, but they couldn't be mass-produced.

This complete failure has led the Tesla engineers to develop a high RPM electric motor, which doesn't need multiple gears, digital motor controllers, digital chargers ...etc... just a fixed gear ratio transmission.

In 2012 Tesla designed their next, more affordable, electric car, the Tesla Model S. It was a complete redesign of the previous "EV conversion-like" Roadster, so it became significantly more practical ... and somewhat cheaper. In 2016 they made an SUV on the same platform.

This 2012 design was kept right up to the 2017 launch of the Model 3, which had a more advanced, more efficient motor and a more advanced battery pack.

They manufactured a couple hundred thousand Model 3s, it seems to be going well, but now it is time to improve the Model S and X, which still use the old induction motor design with 2012 electronics... just a bigger (100kWh) battery pack.

What they decided to do is to leave the car's architecture alone, and focus just on the old motor+controller technology. Long story short, they replaced the front motor with a permanent magnet motor and silicon carbide controller - technologies originally developed for the Model 3. They also improved the wheel bearings, lubrication and switched to low roll-resistance wheels, so in the end they achieved a >5% increase in efficiency, from the old 92% to 97%.

Officially the new Model S and X with the new front motors and largest battery pack can go 370 and 325 miles on one charge, instead of 335 and 295 miles, BUT in good conditions the Model S can go more than 400 miles and the X more than 360 miles, as MotorTrend recently found out after their real world test.

Top 5 Features of the Tesla Model Y

Tesla has unveiled one of the most boring cars they ever made. Its looks is based on the Model 3, but with a raised suspension and higher roofline.

About 75% of the parts will be identical to the Model 3 parts, which includes the battery, motors and most of the electronics. So let's get into the most important (new) features of Model Y:

[1] Model Y has 66 cubic feet of cargo space. This is on par with the ICE competition, even though the body seems much slimmer and the battery pack usually takes up more space than a traditional ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) and gas tank.

This is partly achieved by the deeper frunk and trunk.

[2] Model Y will have a trailer hitch. It was promised for Model 3, some aftermarket solutions are available, but it makes more sense to keep this feature for the Model Y and X.

[3] All seats in the Model Y are raised by more than 1", allowing you to sit more comfortably than in Model 3.

[4] The panoramic roof has a bigger, uninterrupted middle piece, just like the newest version of Model S.

[5] Powered liftgate for the trunk, which is absent from Model 3. This minor convenience feature is very practical when you're shopping alone and your hands are full as you're coming towards the car.

[6] Insane, best in class acceleration 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds.

The new Tesla Lineup

Tesla	Range	Max	0-60mph	Price
Model 3 Standard Range	220mile	130mph	5.6s	35.000USD
Model Y Standard Range	230mile	120mph	5.9s	39.000USD
Model 3 Standard Range Plus	240mile	140mph	5.3s	37.000USD
Model 3 Mid Range	264mile	140mph	5.2s	40.000USD
Model 3 Long Range	325mile	140mph	5.0s	43.000USD
Model Y Long Range	300mile	130mph	5.5s	47.000USD
Model 3 Long Range AWD	310mile	145mph	4.5s	47.000USD
Model Y Long Range AWD	280mile	135mph	4.8s	51.000USD
Model 3 Long Range AWD Performance	310mile	162mph	3.2s	58.000USD
Model Y Long Range AWD Performance	280mile	150mph	3.5s	60.000USD
Model S Standard Range AWD	270mile	140mph	4.2s	79.000USD
Model S Long Range AWD	335mile	155mph	4.1s	83.000USD
Model S Long Range AWD Performance	315mile	155mph	3.0s	99.000USD
Model S Long Range AWD Ludicrous	315mile	155mph	2.4s	114.000USD
Model X Long Range AWD	295mile	155mph	4.7s	88.000USD
Model X Long Range AWD Performance	289mile	155mph	3.5s	104.000USD
Model X Long Range AWD Ludicrous	289mile	155mph	2.8s	119.000USD

*Tesla Model Y can be preordered, but deliveries will only start in autumn 2020, but the standard range configuration will only be delivered in spring 2021
**Prices don't include Autopilot and other extras you may want to add...
***Prices will increase this week by about 3% for all configurations, except Model 3 Standard Range and Model Y.
****Model 3 Mid Range got axed while I was writing this article, interesting ....

Tesla 2018Q4 Earnings Call - Going Bankrupt!!!

This was one of the most boring earnings calls at Tesla. Profits are up, margins are up, revenue is up ... stock is down ... etc... just like at any normal publicly owned tech company.

1. About going bankrupt, Tesla has to pay off a ~1 billion dollar loan in a few weeks, which can be covered without any problems from the increasing cash pile, which grew by about 900 million USD in the fourth quarter. End of story.

2. Tesla Model Y, the smaller crossover/SUV will be built in the Gigafactory in Nevada. About 70% of parts will be the same as Model 3. Targeting volume production by the end of 2020, prototype unveiling promised for March 2019.

3. Gigafactory Shanghai will mass produce Model 3 by the end of this year (2019), but that's just final assembly and paint. Most of the car will be shipped to Shanghai preassembled, in order to optimize shipping and assembly... and also to avoid paying the huge import tariffs. This way Tesla will also qualify for local incentives, so the price customers pay for Model 3/Y may fall by as much as 40-50%.

4. Tesla Semi production will begin soon in very small numbers and most of it will be used by Tesla. Last year they have bought many transportation companies for their own use, so they'll replace those diesel trucks first, do all the necessary testing, then ship to customers. Volume production is still far (1-2 years) away....

5. Model 3 production is focused on China and Europe right now. This may last for a few weeks or 1-2 months, then a batch for the US again ... then for China and Europe ...etc... as productrion line tooling has to be changed slightly depending on destination.

Tesla Model S - Camper Mode

Teslas have very big battery packs, even the early models, so many owners already figured out that they can run the AC or heater non stop for a very long time. The only problem was that the software didn't allow it, so they had to find creative ways to trick the car to keep climate control on for an entire night's sleep, like opening the door a few millimeters, so the car stays active, using third party software to hook into the API ...etc.

A few months ago Tesla finally released a new software update, which allows you to keep the climate control on, as long as the battery has at least 20% charge left. For a fully charged 75kW battery this means 48+ hours of AC or 24+ hours of resistive heating. Yepp, you read it correctly, all Teslas to date use a resistive heater for heating the cabin and batteries. The AC compressor is only used for cooling, unfortunately. It would be a smart move to use it for heating too, as it has a much higher efficiency (98% resistive vs. 300% compressor).

I don't know what kind of bed they used in the video above, but there are at least a couple of companies, which make foldable/inflatable mattresses for Teslas' every seat configuration.

Tesla Model 3 Mid Range vs. Long Range Performance

It has been in the news a couple of times since the first Model 3 cars were sold to the public, but they never really focused on the most significant differences between the single motor and dual motor configurations.

First of all the Model 3 mid range has a shorter range, is a lot slower and comes standard with simple "aero" wheels. But beyond that, Youtube channel Engineering Explained discovered an important difference between the motors, permanent magnet vs. induction motor.

All Model 3s come with a Three Phase Six Pole Internal Permanent Magnet Motor in the rear, which can output roughly 280hp and accelerates the car 0-60mph in around 5s vs. 3.2s acceleration of the Performance configuration. OK, cheaper car means slower acceleration, but there's actually some physics behind the difference:

As Jason in the video explains, this permanent magnet motor is more efficient and cheaper to make, BUT it suffers from torque ripple at certain low RPMs, so Tesla solved this problem by staying under maximum power in these RPM regions, thus slowing and delaying the acceleration by a significant percentage.

The Model 3 Performance has two motors: the same permanent magnet motor in the back and an induction motor in the front. This allows the motor controllers to "fill in the gaps" of the rear motor torque by increasing front motor torque, so the end result is one continuous, quick and smooth acceleration.

That being said, Tesla Model 3 is a mass marker car, so the cheapest configurations will be bought by first time EV buyes or owners of much crappier EVs/Plugins/Hybrids. The majority of customers will be fully satisfied by the cheapest rear wheel drive Model 3, while petrol heads and enthusiast should definitely choose the dual motor configuration with or without the performance package. Both options have significantly improved acceleration and handling.

Natural gas heating vs. AC

As luck would have it, my central heating unit kept getting worse and worse over the years. At first it developed a leak at the hot water temperature sensor, which connects to a huge plastic block, where most internal and external water pipes meet.

Guess how much they asked me for replacing it because of a small deformation where the leak was happening? That's right, 200USD with labor, and they wouldn't guarantee that it'll work afterwards. I mean ... that is just messed up, when you consider that a brand new central heating unit costs like 600USD with 5 year warranty. Long story short, I said no thank you, glued it up myself, but water was still slightly dripping.

Then winder came and the digital controller inside the central heating unit decided he was having none of it and kept turning off the heat randomly. That was the last straw, I decided to buy a new heater ... without any money? YES.

Gas companies nowadays are desperate to keep their clients, as gas prices go up, and electricity mostly stays at the same price, so many people are switching to heat pump cooling and heating (split system AC units with INVERTER function for heating).

If I had the money, I would have switched too, but the gas company had a special financing offer, stretched to 7 years, it will cost me just ~20USD per month on the gas bill.

I phoned them up and an engineer visited me a few hours later to see what needs to be done. He saw that everything was in order, so they scheduled the installation for the next morning.

The next morning a young guy showed up, couldn't have been more than ~25 years old, with a van full of central heating units, tools and accessories.

First he unmounted the old defective unit, carefully, as I told him that I want to keep it. Then he commented on the poor installation job I did with the water pipes, asked me to help him bring in the new unit, and started the install process.

He brought the unit I ordered, a Protherm Lynx Condens 25-A, made in Germany. Very nice, if I do say so myself. Its retail price is around 700USD, so the rest of the money (~800USD) that I'll be paying is labor, profit and a significant chunk probably goes to the bank. Overall it's not a bad deal.

So the young guy installed it with no major issues ... he did an OK job, while discussing business, politics and life...etc. It took him about 3 hours to massage everything into place, as the space was really tight and the pipes had slightly different layout than the old unit.

Yeah, I know, I really need to repaint the walls and clean the pipes ... but for now it works, and I love it!

My old unit had a 89% efficiency rating, meaning that some of the gas and generated heat escaped through the ventilation ... but still very good for the year 2007, when I bought it.

The new unit however has a 108% efficiency rating, which mathematicians will tell you is impossible, but they use some sort of technology that captures condensation from the escaping hot air and extracts additional heat from it. Then some (acidic) water pours out of the unit (into the kitchen sink, through the wall).

What they warned me about is grounding, which my house doesn't really have, due to inappropriate soil in this neighborhood. I told the safety inspector that it's not possible to do it and the gas pipe provides plenty of grounding (as measured by a qualified electrician) ... but yeah, I'll need to buy a lot of copper rods (about 3x more than normal) and start planting them in the garden alongside the house ... and hopefully in the end I'll have proper grounding. Otherwise they won't fix the mainboard of the unit, if it fails under warranty... and that part could cost even more, about 300USD new...

Hello World Update

I've been neglecting this blog for a while now, as I focused on Youtube videos, Facebook Videos, live streaming and local affiliate marketing. However, recently a certain international retailer changed its rules and allows affiliates to get their money faster, directly into their bank accounts, even in Europe, where I live.

This unexpected news makes me focus more of my time on blog posts, with an acceptable amount of embedded affiliate links of course, so hopefully I'll earn a couple hundred dollars per month from this blog ... that's all I need to keep doing videos and blog posts, I'm not greedy...

More useful posts will follow, have a great day!