I promised myself next time I’m driving my Tesla, I’ll go for quite a spin. Looking forward to doing it. Doesn’t seem it will be soon. Lockdown was extended.
I do miss driving the Tesla.
The Solo Tour of Portugal via Tesla Superchargers
On December 31 2018 I had this crazy idea: a Solo Tour of Portugal via Tesla Superchargers to commemorate one year of Superchargers in Portugal! More than 1000 km in 14 hours…
The first Portuguese supercharger location was live January 2nd 2018, one year ago. We gained 4 more locations during 2018. By year’s end it seemed a nice tribute to pass by the five locations and only charge at the superchargers. The plan: leave home early in the morning and drive to Fatima, Ribeira de Pena, Guarda, Montemor-o-Novo, Alcácer do Sal, and arrive home on time for dinner.
In the end I drove 1071 km in 13 h and 40 min. The critical segment was Fatima – Ribeira de Pena. This part of the driving imposed an almost full charge at Fatima. This took extra time: from 85% to 99% (I stopped the charge at 99%), we know it’s the less than optimal time versus charge gain rate. The other segments where the regular / normal stress free Tesla stretches driving between superchargers.
From Guarda to Montemor, leaving the A23 to go on national roads limits the speed and imposes a higher level of concentration and fatigue. That was, from the driving perspective, the worst section.
Overall the experience was quite positive. The Tesla Model S 85D performed flawlessly. From Fatima to Ribeira de Pena, a Model S 60, 70 or 75 might not be able to reach the finish line: it’s 290 km going intensely uphill in the final dozen km or more. A Tesla Supercharger location near Porto would be handy.
The simulation by A Better Route Planner produced a report with 1008 km, 14 h and 20 min, 222 Wh/km. Reality delivered 1071 km, 13 h 40 min, 235 Wh/km. I can not say I drove all the time by the strict law speed limits. I can say I drove safe.
These are my questions
There was a time of incertitude and the quest for answers permeated my soul. This was August 2015, on a road trip between Houston and Las Vegas, the second leg of our coast to coast journey. At Tesla Houston, the one with the supercharger stalls, these were the questions I had at that time. This seems so long ago. Today it’s another time.
Toxic
Can you remember the days when news / comments were not toxic? You open CNN and/or BBC and the news are toxic. You open CNET and the comments in the comments section are toxic, regarding the Model 3 characteristics and performance. Lies invade everything: politics and Tesla bashing. It’s an absurd invasion, everywhere. Common sense seems gone. Normality a thing of the past, or is it that normal people are vanishing fast?
A small thing called
A stone, small, another car passing by, and the small thing hit the windshield. A clack sound, and a chip. Damn. I was afraid this day would come. It’s here, it came. I would write a four letter word like sh‹t if I was really upset. I am. I am really upset. Sh›t.
Minor things – big things
For minor things to be retouched, like the front window passenger adjustment to reduce wind noise at 130 km/h, the Model S 85D went to the local Tesla service shop. The practice is to have a loaner / rent while the S is in. This time I got an Audi A5 diesel with a manual gearbox.
Being again inside a traditional car set me back to the old ages where big things come into play: lots and lots of buttons, dials, gauges, switches and diverse displays and audio & visual forms of information feedback. So many that one asks himself “how on earth is this possible?” This diversity – so variegated in form and content – becomes literally a form of information noise, being too many / too much. The screen behind the driving wheel has its own visual language. The buttons and the dials in the driving wheel have their own visual language and mode of operation, different from the rest of the interface and interaction processes of the car. The navigation screen has its own visual language and, not being touch sensitive, it has an interface of its own elsewhere in the car. The central console with the AC has its own set of buttons and dials again with yet another visual language and operation mode. Around the gearbox another set of dials and buttons, with another visual language and significance, this time they control the central console screen menus and options. Some modes of operation seem incompatible with other working modes: pressing the audio scroll wheel in the driving wheel to un-mute the Radio sound got a “not possible at this time” message. Why? Because the radio was not engaged in the first place by pressing yet another independent button positioned near the gearbox stick. Couldn’t understand why. Let’s talk about feedback sounds: whistles and bells and whatnots of all kinds and sorts.
Overall a nightmare experience, returning to the worst past for the couple of days the S stayed in for adjustments to play.
WTPressure
When after leaving home with the tires at 45 psi – the recommended tire pressure for the S with 19″ wheels -, you drive at 130 km/h for 45 km and arrive to the destination with the tires at 50 psi and the guy at the reception tells you “You have your tires’ pressure too high” SOMETHING IS WRONG and I definitely can assure you it’s not the car, nor the tpms, nor the tires, nor the pressure values, nor me.
One would expect that a car receptionist would know something about tires’ pressure and its dynamics. For this line of work it’s the bare minimum.
Update
The Tesla Model S is doing an Over The Air (OTA) update right now. In a few minutes I’ll confirm the new software version. It must be the new much anticipated navigation maps and features, faster and more precise, in anticipation for the future release of the autonomous driving (AD) software. This Model S has the AP1 Autopilot version 1, which means that AD will not be supported. But navigation, routing and AP1 is expected to be improved.
The update started around 5:06 AM. Staying nearby a Tesla doing an update is a bit freaky: the car does strange noises; clacks, clincks, ziiiins, zoooons and zuuuuns can be heard; the doors unlock and lock; the lights go on and off. I suspect that, when not present, the car knows it’s alone and dances to the rhythm of an electronic version of salsa music. Some say the car has a life of its own. I tend to concur.
Smoking (not news)
Just heard:
– Please, Sir, don’t smoke because of electricity…
It was at a Fast Charger station for electric car charging. OK. Stop the press. I’m really not in favor of smoking. For a number of reasons. It’s not a secret it’s bad for your health. Smoking at a gas station is forbidden because of fire azards. It’s not as if the same law and physic’s principles apply to the EV charging station. It doesn’t. So, when an American person says this phrase at an EV charging station, what should one conclude? Ignoramus, it’s the least. Know it all, is the second. IMHO.
Hellas it seems the 3 will not make it to our household
Suddenly you realise that the 3 just might not make it to our house… Yesterday, while going to visit family, the talk along the way was on the 3 arriving by the end of the year or, most probably, in the beginning of next year. By the tone of the conversation I just completed the line of thought saying:
– May be you aren’t enough into it and should not buy the 3. Don’t buy the 3.
– What will you do with the 3 reservation, move it to the Y?
– I think it’s not possible, most probably it will be a new reservation process. I’ll cancel it, receive the money, and when the time comes I’ll get the Y.
– Don’t cancel it yet, we will see, may be I’ll change my mind.
Waiting commences for the eye to see, if the reservation holds for the Tesla 3.
on the road with Tesla 