WE?TSLA

WE ♥ TSLA

> By Duan Yongping · his NetEase blog (nteswjq.blog.163.com, now closed; read from web archives) · 2013-08-13 · [Original link](http://nteswjq.blog.163.com/blog/static/1269981201371331835182) ([archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20130818082454/http://nteswjq.blog.163.com:80/blog/static/1269981201371331835182))

WE ♥ (love) TSLA is the license plate I registered for my Tesla. Cool, right?

I finally got the car on August 8.

It's the top configuration. Apart from the panoramic roof, which I didn't take ($1,500), I bought everything there was to buy: about $127,500 in total including tax. There should be a $10,000 tax rebate in future.

I've driven close to 400 kilometers so far. A brief account of my impressions so far:

1. Tesla's known strengths are all there:

a. Fast acceleration, comparable with the Mercedes AMG S65; over short distances the acceleration may even be a tiny bit better (my personal feeling);

b. Google Maps on the big screen is really good to use;

c. The front and rear trunks are cool and practical;

d. The key and door handle designs are very cool (the key is practical enough, with a few small flaws; not as convenient as the S65's);

e. It turns heads when you drive it out, ha;

f. No more filling up with gas, ever; (about range, I'll say a little later)

g. I'll add more as I discover them...

2. Shortcomings:

Tesla's strengths are still strengths; everyone can see them easily, so I won't say more here. Let me mention a few things I was unexpectedly unhappy with. (To be continued.)

One more strength: Tesla's exterior design is quite good; it really does look like a good car.

The title shows a question mark, but it's actually a "heart."

One more cool thing: a Tesla has no keyhole; you get in, put it in drive or reverse, and go. This changes your old driving habits; I don't know whether it will cause problems, but I haven't found anything wrong myself.

Given all the strengths above, I suggested to quite a few friends that they could consider a Tesla for their next car. It seems at least five or six friends have already ordered a Model S or X.

However, after seeing my own car I found some things I hadn't noticed before, so I want to give a reminder here: I hope everyone will test-drive it carefully again before making a final decision.

I'd originally planned to sell the S65 once I got the Tesla, and had even found a buyer; luckily I hadn't committed.

There are roughly a few things I don't much like; I don't know the reasons yet and can only guess.

a. Driving it for a long time gives me a carsick feeling (saying "dizzy" earlier may have caused misunderstanding). Interestingly, I didn't notice this at all on the test drive, probably because it was short (I only drove about 10 minutes) and I was a bit excited, so I overlooked it. People planning to drive this car every day really need to spend some time test-driving it more, preferably with their family too.

I don't yet know what really causes the carsickness, but it definitely isn't the fast acceleration; anyone who doesn't get this, look at my blog photo album and you'll understand.

My guess is that the most likely cause is that "energy collection system" (I don't know its proper name; it's the thing that slows you down when you don't step on the accelerator), but I use the non-collecting setting, so the deceleration should be about the same as an ordinary car's, shouldn't it?

The smell shouldn't be the cause either. The new-car smell isn't lovely, but I haven't found it unusual.

Then there's the question of "floatiness." A while ago I met a friend, and when we talked about Tesla he said straight away that Tesla is very "floaty." (The word sounded as if he was about to start talking about "Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara"; instead he started talking about the "suspension system.") I don't understand this; you can all go research it.

Also, when driving a Tesla there really is a slightly "floaty" feeling, which reminds me of driving a Xiali back in the day. The difference is that the Xiali could only go 80 km/h then or it would float off the road; the Tesla is many times better than that, ha.

b. I really don't know what to say about Tesla's interior. Yesterday I saw a friend's Mercedes costing about thirty thousand, and its interior was much better than the Tesla's. I really don't understand why Tesla made something so mature like this, while at the same time they actually put so much effort into developing that gimmick of a trunk that can seat two kids.

All right, I'll keep writing when I have time, and stop wherever I get to.

These past two days I drove my sports car and found that some interior features are designed far less conveniently than the S65's too. It suddenly occurred to me: maybe the Tesla Model S's thinking is still that of a sports car? But the Tesla Model S has always tried to present itself as a sedan; the kids' seats in the trunk are an example, and getting that thing through safety certification is no small matter.

Is it in the end a question of skill or of culture?

c. While I'm at it, about the process of buying the Tesla: ... I remember I originally ordered a dark red car, because that was the color shown on the website, and the instant I picked up the car I saw a bright red one. How frustrating. When I went back to check the website, they had changed the color, and I had no proof. Then I asked them whether I could swap for one in a different color; the answer was yes, but it would cost 2,000-some more.... I remember that when I bought the car they said they'd deliver it to my door, since it was ordered online, but at pickup they said I had to collect it at a certain place, with no prior notice and no apology.... A few days before the original pickup date I suddenly got an email saying pickup was postponed a week, with no reason and no apology. I emailed to ask why, and the answer was that Tesla's delivery schedule had slipped; still no apology.... When I bought the car they had promised to send someone to install the charger, but when the time came they said all the contracted electricians in the area were busy and we had to find someone ourselves.

Is it in the end a question of culture, or of culture, or of culture?

Thinking of that very busy Musk, and that Musk who mocks BMW, I gradually and suddenly went from being very bullish on Tesla to not being so sure.

Of course, Tesla's advantage in battery technology is still there, but a technical advantage is rarely a moat; the culture that produces the technology is.

Yesterday I wrote up to here and then went out to play golf: nine pars on the front nine at Stanford; the back nine I've forgotten.

3. My view on investing in Tesla, and my "imagining and assuming":

First, I want to stress that I'm writing down my experience here mainly for those who bought a Tesla earlier after seeing my recommendation. What I want to tell everyone is that the reasons I recommended this car are all still there, but there were some things I overlooked at first, so people who want to buy the car must spend more time experiencing it themselves. Second, deciding whether to invest in Tesla on the basis of my personal experience would be absurd. You must make your own investment decisions, and try to avoid what you don't understand.

I started paying attention to Tesla entirely because of Tesla's good things, from the acceleration to the looks to the map on the big screen and the easy connection with the iPhone and so on, plus the fact that an electric car saves gas in itself (I'm still not quite sure about the environmental part, especially after seeing that poisoned rice).

In my imagination, a Tesla car was an existing car with these benefits added on top. On that assumption, I once imagined Tesla becoming the biggest carmaker in 15 to 20 years, with annual profit of more than 20 billion. If it did that, the current price would still not be expensive.

My feeling after driving the Tesla is that Tesla doesn't seem to be ready yet.

I'm only an ordinary user, and my experience of the Tesla represents only some people. It's just that after driving this car for a few days I felt I actually didn't understand Tesla, so I sold first. After all, so many experts say this car is especially good, and those who truly understand will make their own decisions.

More to add: connecting the Tesla's big screen with a smartphone is very easy; making calls and listening to music on the iPhone while driving is great.

Normally I only charge to 90%; otherwise it affects the battery's life. The range shown in the car is under ideal conditions; in real conditions you can get about 70–80%. So with a maximum range of 260 miles, I usually only charge to 230 and can drive 170–190 miles, roughly 300 kilometers. P85+.

More to add: kids all love this acceleration feeling, and on short trips I haven't seen any get carsick; long trips I don't know yet.

It's now the morning of August 16. As of yesterday I'd been driving the Tesla Model S for a week, averaging about 100 kilometers a day.

It seems the feeling about the things I was unhappy with is slowly fading, while I'm still very happy with the things I'm happy with.

Yesterday I drove specially to Tesla's Gilroy Supercharger to charge. Since it happened to be peak time, I actually had to wait in line.

Seeing that I still had enough charge to drive back, I just chatted for a little while with a few users waiting to charge there.

Every Tesla user seems very happy with their car; I didn't hear even the slightest dissatisfaction. Amazing, ha.

Finally, a short summary here:

1. Where Tesla is strong, it really is extremely strong;

2. Its weak points may come from ramping up too fast, and time may solve most of them, such as the interior, and such as service (if it isn't a question of culture).

Carsickness may always be a problem for some people, but after a week of driving the feeling doesn't seem so noticeable; I don't know whether it was caused by the smell. I suggest people who want to buy the car test-drive it for as long as they can.

3. From an investment point of view, Tesla still seems possibly a game changer; time will tell.

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