# Tesla Model 3 anticipation thread **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 31, 2017, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478 "2017-07-31T04:19:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 50
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/982 "2018-04-16T01:09:46Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > The previous limiting factor was me streaming audio from my phone. I dunno if my phone sucks, or Pandora sucks, or the Bluetooth connection sucks, or Bluetooth itself sucks, but this method of getting audio to the car is only adequate. There are a variety of Bluetooth codes that have different audio quality. On my galaxy S8 I can go into developer options to see which one is being used. I’m curious as to which the Model 3 uses. It’s my understanding that the base A2DP SBC is about the quality of a mid-level mp3, but aptX approaches CD quality. On my home system I can easily tell the difference between streamed Pandora and flac files. It was enough to get me to rerip all of my CDs. In my car, and on my Bluetooth headphones I can’t tell the difference. My guess is the best will be some flac files on a USB stick. Can it do that? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/983 "2018-04-16T02:05:14Z")
Just tried FLAC over USB and it works great! That’s probably the way to go, at least for music I own. There are two front USB ports, and I only need one for charging. Just bought a big USB stick for the other port. I have a Galaxy S6. There was no obvious place where the codec was listed but I’ll check out the developer options–thanks. ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/984 "2018-04-16T15:53:39Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I’m glad you’re enjoying the car but the Escape out-handles it on the skidpads. I’ve driven it and it’s pretty tight. You’ll have to be content with looking at it in your rear viewmirror when you hit the straightaways. Per Motortrend, the [2017 Escape](http://www.motortrend.com/news/ford-escape-2017-motor-trend-suv-year-contender/) has a skidpad measurement of 0.81/0.82/0.80 g, depending on the trim level, and figure 8 average g’s of 0.63/0.59/0.57. Per Motortrend, the tesla 3 has a skidpad of 0.87 g with a figure 8 of 0.74 g (avg) Obviously, all this proves is that car magazine testing methodology can be somewhat inconsistent. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/985 "2018-04-16T16:14:42Z")
Does the Model 3 have the audio features where you can basically play anything - just say “Play XXX” and it will find it, streaming, radio, podcasts, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/986 "2018-04-16T16:37:35Z")
Question on storage space. I’ve seen that the Model 3 is listed as having 15 cubic feet of storage, but I’m not clear if this is the trunk alone, or trunk plus frunk. Can anyone clear up? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/987 "2018-04-16T17:29:17Z")
> [@YamatoTwinkie](#): > > Per Motortrend, the [2017 Escape](http://www.motortrend.com/news/ford-escape-2017-motor-trend-suv-year-contender/) has a skidpad measurement of 0.81/0.82/0.80 g, depending on the trim level, and figure 8 average g’s of 0.63/0.59/0.57. > > Per Motortrend, the tesla 3 has a skidpad of 0.87 g with a figure 8 of 0.74 g (avg) > > Obviously, all this proves is that car magazine testing methodology can be somewhat inconsistent. not surprising; skidpad/f8 performance is about grip, weight distribution, and weight transfer. the Escape is taller and has ~60/40 F/R weight distribution, so its behavior is unsurprising compared to the model 3 (48/52 F/R with much of it in the floor.) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/988 "2018-04-16T18:44:18Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > Does the Model 3 have the audio features where you can basically play anything - just say “Play XXX” and it will find it, streaming, radio, podcasts, etc.? I tried “play KQED” and it found the correct FM station. “play pink floyd”, “play classic rock”, and “play freakonomics podcast” all worked as expected. I could not get it to search songs on the USB stick, though, and couldn’t find a way to just play from the stick generically. > [@Ravenman](#): > > Question on storage space. I’ve seen that the Model 3 is listed as having 15 cubic feet of storage, but I’m not clear if this is the trunk alone, or trunk plus frunk. Can anyone clear up? I believe it’s both. However, the frunk is pretty small–well under 2 cubic feet. So it’s not a tremendous loss if you decide not to include it in the calculations. I probably won’t be using it much myself since I’m rarely at the limits of storage and the frunk is a bit less convenient than the trunk. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/989 "2018-04-16T23:07:27Z")
[I have a twin at work…](https://drive.google.com/file/d/16mYgLH610xD4DFWaN8MvbD_qxT6L90RK/view?usp=sharing) ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/990 "2018-04-16T23:12:26Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > [I have a twin at work…](https://drive.google.com/file/d/16mYgLH610xD4DFWaN8MvbD_qxT6L90RK/view?usp=sharing) Someday one of you will walk up to the other and say “Oh man, I walked out and thought ‘OH HOLY SHIT, what happened to my car!’, then I realized it was your car.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/991 "2018-04-16T23:22:18Z")
That already sorta happened. The other day, I parked several spaces away, but he was in the exact spot that I’d been in the _previous_ day. I guessed wrong when I got back to it and spent a minute or two trying to figure out if the phone key wasn’t working or if I just had the wrong car. He still had the dealer plates on at that point, and we both keep a pretty tidy interior, so there was really no way to tell the difference physically short of checking the VIN. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/992 "2018-04-17T00:14:00Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > That already sorta happened. The other day, I parked several spaces away, but he was in the exact spot that I’d been in the _previous_ day. I guessed wrong when I got back to it and spent a minute or two trying to figure out if the phone key wasn’t working or if I just had the wrong car. He still had the dealer plates on at that point, and we both keep a pretty tidy interior, so there was really no way to tell the difference physically short of checking the VIN. I guess you can press the “fetch” button, or whatever in the app, and see which one backs up. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/993 "2018-04-17T00:23:54Z")
No summon mode yet. But yeah, realistically I can just make the lights flash or honk the horn. Or even just pop the trunk if I want to be subtle. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/994 "2018-04-17T01:17:20Z")
> [@YamatoTwinkie](#): > > Per Motortrend, the [2017 Escape](http://www.motortrend.com/news/ford-escape-2017-motor-trend-suv-year-contender/) has a skidpad measurement of 0.81/0.82/0.80 g, depending on the trim level, and figure 8 average g’s of 0.63/0.59/0.57. > > Per Motortrend, the tesla 3 has a skidpad of 0.87 g with a figure 8 of 0.74 g (avg) > > Obviously, all this proves is that car magazine testing methodology can be somewhat inconsistent. yah, I pulled the numbers from Car and Driver which was .85 for the Escape and .84 for the Model 3. Still, my point was that I was expecting more from a mid 13 second sport car. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/995 "2018-04-17T15:07:54Z")
They are "pausing " production of the model 3 > **[Tesla production pause adds to Model 3 concerns](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tesla-stocks/tesla-production-pause-adds-to-model-3-concerns-idUSKBN1HO1QJ)** > > Tesla Inc shares fell as much as 2 percent in premarket trading on Tuesday, a temporary halt in production of its Model 3 sedan adding to nerves about the electric car maker's consistent failure to keep its promises on vehicle output. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/996 "2018-04-18T00:18:18Z")
[The latest leaked (?) memo is that they will add a 3rd shift.](https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/17/leaked-tesla-email-says-model-3-will-go-to-24-7-production/) Did Musk say 5,000/week? He meant 6,000. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/997 "2018-04-18T00:46:47Z")
Musk has been pretty clear about the numbers if you listen to the conference calls and other material. First, he’s always indicated that we should expect step-wise improvements in production. I.e, not a case of making 2000 this week and 2100 next week, but rather stretches of one production rate limited by some factor, and then a jump to a new rate after that factor is ameliorated. I believe the current limit is the parts distribution system in Fremont, though there are some indications that it’s back to pack production in Nevada. Depends on whether the new German equipment is fully online or not. Musk has also said (from pretty far back) that he believes around 6000/wk is doable without a new line. This should not be confused with the 5000/wk target that they’ve been aiming for. 6k is just the (theoretical) peak they can hit before requiring significant additional capital expenditures. 5k/wk is their public target from a while back. We should expect internal “aspirational” targets to differ from external “achievable” ones. Let’s also not forget that even a 2k/wk, the Model 3 is _by far_ the best selling EV in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/998 "2018-04-18T02:57:20Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Musk has been pretty clear about the numbers if you listen to the conference calls and other material. And he’s been pretty wrong about the numbers. > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > First I believe the current limit is the parts distribution system in Fremont, though there are some indications that it’s back to pack production in Nevada. Depends on whether the new German equipment is fully online or not. Have you decided what model year goes on your car’s registration? Does the DMV just leave it blank? This has been going on for a long time. > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Musk has also said (from pretty far back) that he believes around 6000/wk is doable without a new line. This should not be confused with the 5000/wk target that they’ve been aiming for. 6k is just the (theoretical) peak they can hit before requiring significant additional capital expenditures. 5k/wk is their public target from a while back. We should expect internal “aspirational” targets to differ from external “achievable” ones. I haven’t kept up with the conference calls. Was a 3rd shift part of the original plan? Is the extra cost of that shift theoretical or does it go on the books as an extra expense? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/999 "2018-04-18T04:42:25Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Have you decided what model year goes on your car’s registration? Does the DMV just leave it blank? This has been going on for a long time. It’s 2018. There’s no functional difference from 2017, but the year is encoded into the VIN. > [@Magiver](#): > > I haven’t kept up with the conference calls. Was a 3rd shift part of the original plan? Is the extra cost of that shift theoretical or does it go on the books as an extra expense? That was not mentioned, but the number was in the context of capital expenses–robots and shit. A third shift would not be in that category. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was assumed in the number, since Musk was talking about theoretical limits here, and if they aren’t running 24/7, then they obviously aren’t at the limit. I’m actually a little surprised they aren’t running 3 shifts already, but maybe they’re still fine-tuning things so frequently that they need the downtime. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1000 "2018-04-18T10:05:06Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I can’t think of anyone who’s having more irreverent fun being a billionaire than Elon! Mark Cuban? ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1001 "2018-04-18T11:53:43Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Just got back from a little mini road trip. Fantastic! I love this car. > > There’s a local road that motorcycle and performance car enthusiasts head to called Skyline Blvd. Getting to there means taking some 25-35 mph windies, and the road itself varies from 25 to 55 mph. Nice scenery and a nice mix of curves. Anyway, the Model 3 performed flawlessly; the regeneration is really pleasant to drive with, and the complete lack of body roll makes the curves a breeze. > > Obviously, I didn’t press the car to its limits (gotta watch out for bicyclists and crap), but regardless, it has a great overall feel. It doesn’t handle like a frikkin’ Escape. As **echoreply** said, the lowish skidpad score is almost certainly a function of the tires (all season and low rolling resistance). > > Normally, Skyline is a gas hog since there is so much braking involved–I think a standard ICE car would be lucky to break 10 mpg on a typical drive. In the Model 3, there was no noticeable impact on efficiency. A hybrid would show some gains here but probably not at the same level unless the driver went very easy on the accelerator. > > I took Hwy 280 on the way back and exercised Autopilot a lot. It’s really a perfect use case: lots of well-marked lanes, not too much traffic, no construction zones, etc. And so of course it works great. It really does reduce the load and allow me to spend more time on spatial awareness, etc. Any driving involves allocating mental resources: short-range positioning, scanning the mirrors, looking farther down the roadway, etc. These are competing resources, so less mental energy spent on steering and acceleration/braking means more on more “strategic” factors. My only real complaint here is that it complains about holding the steering wheel too easily–that is, it requires too much force. I tend to hold the wheel near the bottom with a light touch, and this was enough for it to complain. I had to move my hand up a bit so that gravity provided enough force. > > There is a bit more road noise than would be ideal. It’s probably a little worse than an average car. On smooth roads it’s fine but on (say) rough concrete it’s a bit louder than it should be. There’s probably some tradeoff here between noise and decent roadfeel–something the Model 3 is great at. The suspension feels tuned to not particularly favor any one frequency. This is one thing that I really don’t like about a lot of cars (not BMW): the suspension doesn’t just reduce the amplitude of the vibrations, it muffles them as well. It’s like hearing a conversation through a closed door: it’s quieter, but it also muffles the sounds, making the conversation impossible to hear. The Tesla and BMW suspensions feel tuned to just make the road quieter but not preferentially muffle high frequencies. This has the effect of making some roads rougher-feeling but gives a better overall roadfeel (IMHO). I lived in NOVA for a number of years, Skyline Drive in the Fall is breathtakingly beautiful, and you’re right: depending on time of day/year it was always a good place to “carve canyons”. RE: the road noise. If you decide to add summer performance tires and larger rims, that issue is going to get worse, not better. The Michelin Primacy mxm 4’s are very good all season tires, and they’re pretty quiet (especially on my 2015 Buick Regal). LOL @ “I didn’t want to press the car to it’s limits” due to “bicyclists and crap” should be amended to include “steep cliffs and guard rails”. 😃 > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Skidpad sure ain’t everything. SUVs, particularly ICE SUVs, have a high center of gravity. There’s no way around them having significant body roll–something that the 3 doesn’t have. > > For all I know–and I’m genuinely curious about the physics here, because I suspect it isn’t straightforward–a high CoG could _help_ with skidpad numbers, to an extent. It may well be that putting more weight on the outside wheels (up to a theoretical limit of _all_ weight on the outside) could be an advantage due to nonlinearities in the coefficient of friction of the tires. Whereas an even weight distribution–even under lateral acceleration–could be worse. Or, maybe it’s the reverse. I really don’t know but I’ll bet there’s some interesting physics here. > > At any rate, the enjoyment of a car’s handling can’t be summed up in one number. It’s the combination of several objective factors and several more subjective ones. The 3 has, IMO, an excellent feel. Maybe not _quite_ BMW level but in the ballpark, and the EVness more than makes up for the rest. > > And for what it’s worth, it’s not the long straightaways that the 3 gains the most ground. It’s the short segments between curves where an ICE spends a precious second or two downshifting and maybe spinning up the turbos. I’m already braking for the next curve after accelerating from 25 to 40. Even with the MXM 4 tires it should have achieved at least a moderately better skidpad than 0.84. My Regal gets the same skidpad rating on the same sized tires in a heavier, more body-roll prone car that has a higher center of gravity. The Tesla 3 really should be having that low center of gravity working to it’s advantage with the batteries being somewhat centrally located and in the floor of the car. Having a higher center of gravity is worse for handling, not better. I can’t think of any instance where it is. Comparing to the Escape is just silly anyway, the 3 is a sports sedan and the Escape is a crossover SUV. The only handling element the Escape may have over the 3 is the narrow wheelbase helping to make up for that ride height. I’ve read the steering described as “numb” by many critics, and your steering settings just add more weighted steering than anything else. Curious: under full throttle (remember, there’s no “break in period” with this car), how does the transmission bang out shifts? Is the response fairly immediate or does it “hunt” for gears? Speaking of which, I don’t even know what kind of tranny the 3 even has…probably not a conventional one. ETA: summer tires will not only improve your grip, but braking distances as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478.md?page=49) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478.md?page=51)