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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
