Tesla preps for Model X production with assembly line revamp

[Dietrichw]

Source

 

 

In order to boost output of the Model S and to prepare for production of the Model X SUV, Tesla has paused work at its only plant for two weeks. Bloomberg reports that $100 million in upgrades are on tap for the factory that will allow both vehicles to be constructed on the same assembly line. The changes will also increase production of the Model S sedan by 25 percent. As you may recall, the company's electric SUV has been delayed more than once, so by now there's a few folks anticipating the expected 2015 arrival.

[dizmo]

I don't think this really fits as an SUV. I really wish they'd call it something else. It's heavily, heavily towards the car side of a cross over.

[Dietrichw]

I don't think this really fits as an SUV. I really wish they'd call it something else. It's heavily, heavily towards the car side of a cross over.

I agree, a SUV is based off of a truck chassis that has the cab extend the full length of the vehicle.

[Trik'Stari]

I wish the whole electric car thing would die out. It's about as "green" as normal cars.

[Socky]

Sold, I like it. Those suicide doors are a bit, much, but idc its Tesla, it looks good, and I want it. (Plz dad 16th birthday in lyke 1 1/2 months plz)(lol jk fuck new cars, I want dem used, new cars if you know what I mean).

[Scheer]

I don't think this really fits as an SUV. I really wish they'd call it something else. It's heavily, heavily towards the car side of a cross over.

 

Considering CR-V and RAV4's are classified as SUV's, I think its fine calling this an SUV.

 

There is a lot more cargo space in this than a Tahoe, which is considered a full size SUV. I'm too tall to sit in the 3rd row seat of a Tahoe, and I watched the unveiling of this and 7 (or might have been 6...) large guys fit in the X no problem.

[Trik'Stari]

The amount of shipping done to manufacture the batteries in that car, has done more damage to the planet than a single american SUV will do in it's life time. (I know that's true of the prius at least)

[dizmo]

I wish the whole electric car thing would die out. It's about as "green" as normal cars.

 

The amount of shipping done to manufacture the batteries in that car, has done more damage to the planet than a single american SUV will do in it's life time. (I know that's true of the prius at least)

Please. As if that is the main reason people get electric cars. Most people get electric cars because they no longer have to pay for the high price of gas.

The fact that it's supposed to be more "green" is simply a selling point they try to play off of, something that those people can use to justify the higher cost of ownership.

 

Considering CR-V and RAV4's are classified as SUV's, I think its fine calling this an SUV.

 

There is a lot more cargo space in this than a Tahoe, which is considered a full size SUV. I'm too tall to sit in the 3rd row seat of a Tahoe, and I watched the unveiling of this and 7 (or might have been 6...) large guys fit in the X no problem.

Well, let's think about what a Sport Utility Vehicle is. Ok, the Tesla has the last one down. It's a vehicle. But it lacks the Utility aspect entirely.

The RAV4 and CR-V both excel when it comes to interior cargo capacity. This does not.

The RAV4 can go off road, and fairly decently. Covering the sporty aspect. This can definitely not. I suppose it has decent acceleration, but that's not really what the Sport in SUV stands for.

 

This is much closer to a station wagon, or Mazda5 type vehicle than it is to an SUV.

[Scheer]

The amount of shipping done to manufacture the batteries in that car, has done more damage to the planet than a single american SUV will do in it's life time. (I know that's true of the prius at least)

 

I'm not sure where they are coming from right now, but Tesla is planning on making a battery factory in the US.

[Hidden Orange]

Aw shit! It's got wings! But it ain't a DeLorean.

[Trik'Stari]

I'm not sure where they are coming from right now, but Tesla is planning on making a battery factory in the US.

considering that there are no current lead smelters operating in the US (because they shut down due to unaffordable EPA regulations) they would still have to ship the lead and other chemicals needed for the batteries, not to mention the lead and other things are mined in Canada, then sent overseas for purification, then sent a few other places for various manufacturing processes. (or at least the lead for the batteries in the Prius was mined in Canada)

 

And if you charge it at your house, then get ready to pay that electric bill. While charging might be "complimentary" or whatever now, it won't be for long. Of that you can be sure.

[Scheer]

Well, let's think about what a Sport Utility Vehicle is. Ok, the Tesla has the last one down. It's a vehicle. But it lacks the Utility aspect entirely.

The RAV4 and CR-V both excel when it comes to interior cargo capacity. This does not.

The RAV4 can go off road, and fairly decently. Covering the sporty aspect. This can definitely not. I suppose it has decent acceleration, but that's not really what the Sport in SUV stands for.

 

This is much closer to a station wagon, or Mazda5 type vehicle than it is to an SUV.

 

The interior cargo capacity is WAY more than a RAV4 or CR-V, you might actually be able to fit a RAV4 inside of the Model X.

It is an AWD vehicle so I'm pretty sure it can drive "off-road". Not down trails or anything... but snow, gravel, ice, and dirt I'm sure its fine.

And yes, the acceleration is good, 0-60 in 4.6 sec IIRC.

 

 

considering that there are no current lead smelters operating in the US (because they shut down due to unaffordable EPA regulations) they would still have to ship the lead and other chemicals needed for the batteries, not to mention the lead and other things are mined in Canada, then sent overseas for purification, then sent a few other places for various manufacturing processes. (or at least the lead for the batteries in the Prius was mined in Canada)

 

And if you charge it at your house, then get ready to pay that electric bill. While charging might be "complimentary" or whatever now, it won't be for long. Of that you can be sure.

 

 

Tesla's don't use lead batteries, its some kind of lithium tech they developed, I believe. 

 

Electricity is still much cheaper than gasoline, and while it isn't very feasible right now, down the road you may have solar or wind as an option.

[rashdanml]

I wish the whole electric car thing would die out. It's about as "green" as normal cars.

Only if the source of electricity is from non-renewable sources.

Renewable energy is more than capable of powering the entire world. It's just the oil and gas industry is being a huge dick about it due to the current upfront cost. Long term, renewable energy will be much cheaper than non-renewable. 

[dizmo]

The interior cargo capacity is WAY more than a RAV4 or CR-V, you might actually be able to fit a RAV4 inside of the Model X.

It is an AWD vehicle so I'm pretty sure it can drive "off-road". Not down trails or anything... but snow, gravel, ice, and dirt I'm sure its fine.

And yes, the acceleration is good, 0-60 in 4.6 sec IIRC.

 

There's so, so much more to taking a vehicle in inclimate weather than AWD or not.

This lacks the ground clearance, and tires for it. The tires are too large to really handle snow well, it's too low for gravel roads. It can't keep pace wit most SUV's in that area.

None of the sites have quoted cargo capacity numbers but I don't see it being better than most true SUVs. For some reason I recall the seats not folding down.

[Hidden Orange]

Only if the source of electricity is from non-renewable sources.

Renewable energy is more than capable of powering the entire world. It's just the oil and gas industry is being a huge dick about it due to the current upfront cost. Long term, renewable energy will be much cheaper than non-renewable. 

I think it's more of all industries being greedy than anything else. People wanted "green" vehicles and industries delivered them through hybrid, electric, and more fuel-efficient vehicles all of which are damaging not only to the environment, but to everything. People tend to play the MPG game and the demand itself for them are dangerous.

 

Safety features? Same thing. We have cars that wake you up, stop for you, and even park for you. One, you shouldn't drive if you're sick, drowsy, or not "fresh". Two, you should know how, when, and why you should stop - it's common sense. And for parking, if you can't do that, then you shouldn't even be allowed to drive. ABS, indicator lights, airbags, and seat belts are among the safety features that are essential and beneficial. The rest of those features I mentioned are just ways to let people drive even more stupider and more lazier. Why we have touchscreens on vehicles is beyond me since it's just another distraction and a pseudo-phone.

 

Solar energy I can't say much, but wind power is starting to affect the environment badly. The currents can dry land, affect weather, and there's always a chance for a turbine to collapse due to natural disasters or otherwise.

[Trik'Stari]

Only if the source of electricity is from non-renewable sources.

Renewable energy is more than capable of powering the entire world. It's just the oil and gas industry is being a huge dick about it due to the current upfront cost. Long term, renewable energy will be much cheaper than non-renewable. 

You realize that most of the energy being used to fuel these cars is coming from non renewable sources?

 

I realize that renewable energy is a good thing, but I also realize that there's mostly likely 2 outcomes for it.

 

1. it's impossible to have 100% renewable energy (that would be an infinite energy source, which is physically impossible)

2. It will never be allowed to happen, because they wouldn't be able to charge you for it since it would basically have no cost.

 

I'm not against renewable energy btw, I just don't think it will ever actually come about.

 

Edit:

 

 

There's so, so much more to taking a vehicle in inclimate weather than AWD or not.

This lacks the ground clearance, and tires for it. The tires are too large to really handle snow well, it's too low for gravel roads. It can't keep pace wit most SUV's in that area.

None of the sites have quoted cargo capacity numbers but I don't see it being better than most true SUVs. For some reason I recall the seats not folding down.

AWD is not good for inclimate weather, 4WD is, AWD is a gimmick made up to convince people to buy a car that is ultimately less efficient (because AWD is usually an all time thing on the models that have it these days). (AWD doesn't have locking differentials, therefore it is useless in slippery road conditions because when 1 wheel slips, all the power goes to that one wheel which is doing nothing)

 

AWD is good for grip in dry conditions though. but not performance because for some reason 4WD or AWD slows cars down on takeoff statistically speaking

[rashdanml]

You realize that most of the energy being used to fuel these cars is coming from non renewable sources?

 

I realize that renewable energy is a good thing, but I also realize that there's mostly likely 2 outcomes for it.

 

1. it's impossible to have 100% renewable energy (that would be an infinite energy source, which is physically impossible)

2. It will never be allowed to happen, because they wouldn't be able to charge you for it since it would basically have no cost.

 

I'm not against renewable energy btw, I just don't think it will ever actually come about.

I'm well aware the most of the world's energy is currently non-renewable, but that will change.

1. It is possible, if you add up every renewable source. Hydro has amazing power densities (MW per square meter). Solar alone can power the whole world, but the power density is low. 

2. It still costs money to produce the electricity, and you'll still pay per kWh. Solar has the added benefit though, where if you have panels on your roof, you can sell it back to the grid for someone else to buy it from you. BC is 90% hydro and we pay around $0.10/kWh, maybe even less. It's cheap. 

 

It's not just the industry, it's pessimistic people like you who are also holding back renewable energy due to lack of adoption. 

 

I think it's more of all industries being greedy than anything else. People wanted "green" vehicles and industries delivered them through hybrid, electric, and more fuel-efficient vehicles all of which are damaging not only to the environment, but to everything. People tend to play the MPG game and the demand itself for them are dangerous.

 

Safety features? Same thing. We have cars that wake you up, stop for you, and even park for you. One, you shouldn't drive if you're sick, drowsy, or not "fresh". Two, you should know how, when, and why you should stop - it's common sense. And for parking, if you can't do that, then you shouldn't even be allowed to drive. ABS, indicator lights, airbags, and seat belts are among the safety features that are essential and beneficial. The rest of those features I mentioned are just ways to let people drive even more stupider and more lazier. Why we have touchscreens on vehicles is beyond me since it's just another distraction and a pseudo-phone.

 

Solar energy I can't say much, but wind power is starting to affect the environment badly. The currents can dry land, affect weather, and there's always a chance for a turbine to collapse due to natural disasters or otherwise.

These fuel efficient vehicles are greener than a normal vehicle. A small component of the "green" program is reduced emissions. 

Producing electricity using coal and gas results in emissions. Regular cars have emissions. Emissions from two sources.

Using less fuel = less emissions, using electricty = no emissions for the Car alone. Reduced emissions if hybrid from two sources, emissions from only one source with electric/fuel cell. 

Producing energy from renewable sources and fuel cell/electric vehicles = zero emissions from both sources. There are still environmental impacts, but it's not as damaging as greenhouse gases. 

 

Safety features is a senseless argument against electric as all vehicles have them.

Natural disasters affecting energy production is also not an issue only for renewable. Japan's nuclear meltdown is a good example. All types of energy production are susceptible to natural disasters, it's not an excuse not to switch. 

[Trik'Stari]

I'm well aware the most of the world's energy is currently non-renewable, but that will change.

1. It is possible, if you add up every renewable source. Hydro has amazing power densities (MW per square meter). Solar alone can power the whole world, but the power density is low. 

2. It still costs money to produce the electricity, and you'll still pay per kWh. Solar has the added benefit though, where if you have panels on your roof, you can sell it back to the grid for someone else to buy it from you. BC is 90% hydro and we pay around $0.10/kWh, maybe even less. It's cheap. 

 

It's not just the industry, it's pessimistic people like you who are also holding back renewable energy due to lack of adoption. 

 

These fuel efficient vehicles are greener than a normal vehicle. A small component of the "green" program is reduced emissions. 

Producing electricity using coal and gas results in emissions. Regular cars have emissions. Emissions from two sources.

Using less fuel = less emissions, using electricty = no emissions for the Car alone. Reduced emissions if hybrid from two sources, emissions from only one source with electric/fuel cell. 

Producing energy from renewable sources and fuel cell/electric vehicles = zero emissions from both sources. There are still environmental impacts, but it's not as damaging as greenhouse gases. 

 

Safety features is a senseless argument against electric as all vehicles have them.

Natural disasters affecting energy production is also not an issue only for renewable. Japan's nuclear meltdown is a good example. All types of energy production are susceptible to natural disasters, it's not an excuse not to switch. 

As you increase the amount of electric vehicles charging, you increase the amount of energy that will be needed to charge them.

 

And 100% renewable energy is actually a physical impossibility I hate to tell you. a zero gain zero loss system defies physics. The sun will eventually explode killing everything (so not having it to power stuff is the least of our worries, granted)

I'm not pessimistic, I'm being realistic. You cannot get energy for nothing, you can however be as efficient as physics will allow.

 

And look into the upcoming 2050 generation of nuclear reactors, I did a paper on them for a college class (well sort of, it was about mining uranium here in my home state of VA)

They will "burn" their fuel more completely, rendering the fuel completely harmless, and they will be capable of "burning" the waste we have from the current reactors. They're called fast reactors, currently in the testing and development phase, the first one is expected to be operational by 2050.

 

Again Its not that I dont want renewable energy bro. I just know that the laws of physics cannot be broken, and there's no such thing as "Limitless Energy" at least not with our current understanding of the physical universe.

 

This is probably a bad example because it's star trek lol, but in an episode of The Next Generation, they come upon a solar system that is entirely encompassed by a "man" made sphere, capable of absorbing 100% of the energy from that solar system's star. And even then their energy reserves are still only "near" limitless. In fact it turns out the star is about to explode and threatens the ship yada yada yada. They call it a Dyson sphere, it is an actual scientific theory you can look up online.

[Scheer]

There's so, so much more to taking a vehicle in inclimate weather than AWD or not.

This lacks the ground clearance, and tires for it. The tires are too large to really handle snow well, it's too low for gravel roads. It can't keep pace wit most SUV's in that area.

None of the sites have quoted cargo capacity numbers but I don't see it being better than most true SUVs. For some reason I recall the seats not folding down.

 

I can't argue with the fact the ground clearance is not enough for driving down trails, but tires can be changed, and there is more than enough clearance for gravel roads... My friend drives his Mustang Roush down gravel all the time with only a few inches of clearance.

 

Seats do fold down. Skip to 19:30

 

 

AWD is not good for inclimate weather, 4WD is, AWD is a gimmick made up to convince people to buy a car that is ultimately less efficient (because AWD is usually an all time thing on the models that have it these days). (AWD doesn't have locking differentials, therefore it is useless in slippery road conditions because when 1 wheel slips, all the power goes to that one wheel which is doing nothing)

 

AWD is good for grip in dry conditions though. but not performance because for some reason 4WD or AWD slows cars down on takeoff statistically speaking

 

Depends on the car I guess, every AWD vehicle I have driven is much better than 4WD because of the dynamic control of re-allocating where the power goes to. Driving my Jeep in the winter was a death sentence, and my 4x4 truck isn't all that much better... Yeah they will get you up and going quick, but have horrible control when you turn and find out you are on a patch of black ice.

[Trik'Stari]

I can't argue with the fact the ground clearance is not enough for driving down trails, but tires can be changed, and there is more than enough clearance for gravel roads... My friend drives his Mustang Roush down gravel all the time with only a few inches of clearance.

 

Seats do fold down. Skip to 19:30

 

 

 

Depends on the car I guess, every AWD vehicle I have driven is much better than 4WD because of the dynamic control of re-allocating where the power goes to. Driving my Jeep in the winter was a death sentence, and my 4x4 truck isn't all that much better... Yeah they will get you up and going quick, but have horrible control when you turn and find out you are on a patch of black ice.

That's not the AWD, that's traction control and power management, which are sort of advanced forms of a limited slip differential. Even then, they can break. Try driving it up a steep hill of wet grass and see if it can cope. There are cars with AWD that don't have those features. Jeremy clarkson did a review of an extremely expensive BMW "crossover" and he absolutely ripped it to shreds, even with all the traction control and power management, it still couldn't get up a steep hill with wet grass. just spun in place without going forwards or backwards. It is a bit different on each car granted, for instance land rovers are supposed to be great at it.

 

HOWEVER. I will say this,

 

Electric motors ARE better at delivering their power to the ground, that's why freight trains use a giant diesel engine, to power a generator, which in turn powers electric drive motors at the wheels. If they do it right, an electric car SHOULD always be better offroad (other than the limited range, unless you can some how charge it off of solar energy which would be cool) because you can more greatly control the way an electric motor delivers it's power, than you can with a mechanical drive. That's something I had not considered.

 

I still prefer gas because I like the sound lol. Even if we get the whole renewable energy thing going, I say we continue to use up all the fossil fuels because hey, what would be the point of leaving it in the ground? (and co2 emissions are actually good for the trees)

[wpirobotbuilder]

Yay! Better than spending hundreds of millions (that they don't have) on a second factory.

 

I wish the whole electric car thing would die out. It's about as "green" as normal cars.

Buying a new car is not a carbon-neutral enterprise, no matter which one you buy.

 

The RAV4 and CR-V both excel when it comes to interior cargo capacity. This does not.

Yes, it does.

 

[aom]

And 100% renewable energy is actually a physical impossibility I hate to tell you. a zero gain zero loss system defies physics. The sun will eventually explode killing everything (so not having it to power stuff is the least of our worries, granted)

I'm not pessimistic, I'm being realistic. You cannot get energy for nothing, you can however be as efficient as physics will allow.

How did it get to a 100% yield renewable source as the only way. From the way I see it, all we need to do is improve solar cell technology to the a much more efficient (of course, it doesn't need to be 100% just better) and lower the cost to manufacture and implement it enough to supply the world's consumption ( which I doubt would happen anytime soon but still viable). Technically, the energy from the Sun can be considered already lost as it is being expelled from itself; thus, even if we don't have a 100% renewable source, the loss was going to be a loss anyways.

 

And then the Sun will explode anyways in like 5 Billion years. I just hope we have lightspeed travel (or even better, fold space to technically bypass the speed of light which is all theoretically, but they got 5 billion years to think of something)

[rashdanml]

As you increase the amount of electric vehicles charging, you increase the amount of energy that will be needed to charge them.

 

And 100% renewable energy is actually a physical impossibility I hate to tell you. a zero gain zero loss system defies physics. The sun will eventually explode killing everything (so not having it to power stuff is the least of our worries, granted)

I'm not pessimistic, I'm being realistic. You cannot get energy for nothing, you can however be as efficient as physics will allow.

 

And look into the upcoming 2050 generation of nuclear reactors, I did a paper on them for a college class (well sort of, it was about mining uranium here in my home state of VA)

They will "burn" their fuel more completely, rendering the fuel completely harmless, and they will be capable of "burning" the waste we have from the current reactors. They're called fast reactors, currently in the testing and development phase, the first one is expected to be operational by 2050.

 

Again Its not that I dont want renewable energy bro. I just know that the laws of physics cannot be broken, and there's no such thing as "Limitless Energy" at least not with our current understanding of the physical universe.

 

This is probably a bad example because it's star trek lol, but in an episode of The Next Generation, they come upon a solar system that is entirely encompassed by a "man" made sphere, capable of absorbing 100% of the energy from that solar system's star. And even then their energy reserves are still only "near" limitless. In fact it turns out the star is about to explode and threatens the ship yada yada yada. They call it a Dyson sphere, it is an actual scientific theory you can look up online.

For someone supposedly knowledgeable in the subject, you make some pretty stupid comments.

 

First of all, Uranium isn't sustainable. Sure, you can use it up more, but that doesn't do anything to replenish the Earth's supply. 

Obviously more cars = more energy used. Not denying that.

 

You also seriously underestimate the sun's energy output. The Earth receives on the order of petawatts of solar radiation. That's per second. Our usage currently comes nowhere close to that, and home energy consumption will outweigh the usage from Electric cars. That and the sun has several billion more years before it's anywhere near exploding. Humans will be long dead by then. 

 

Obviously there's no perfectly "efficient" system. To us on Earth, renewable energy is the best option because it's self-sustaining. That's the whole bloody point of calling it renewable. Solar power comes from the sun's radiation on Earth, but the sun is still producing that energy for the foreseeable future. Solar power is simply transferring it from one place to another, keeping it within the laws of physics. You're not getting "energy for nothing" with Solar or any renewable energy source. It still costs some energy to produce it. But once the infrastructure is in place, it'll sustain itself as long as it can meet the energy demands. 

 

The point of switching to renewable energy now is: it'll take time to get off the ground and you don't want to be in a position where all of the earth's non-renewables are completely depleted without a proper renewable energy infrastructure in place. We'll be majorly fucked then if we don't do anything now. 

[ZetZet]

considering that there are no current lead smelters operating in the US (because they shut down due to unaffordable EPA regulations) they would still have to ship the lead and other chemicals needed for the batteries, not to mention the lead and other things are mined in Canada, then sent overseas for purification, then sent a few other places for various manufacturing processes. (or at least the lead for the batteries in the Prius was mined in Canada)

 

And if you charge it at your house, then get ready to pay that electric bill. While charging might be "complimentary" or whatever now, it won't be for long. Of that you can be sure.

Why do they need lead?

[Heisenbleurgh]

It's too late for me to go into debates of renewable energy but I must say this:

yay! car! electric! woohoo!