Official Tesla Model S thread

[LTLFTcomposite]

IMO it's a lot worse. Although Dick Van Dyke didn't think so, his new Jaguar mysteriously ignites underneath him, he barely escapes with his life, and nobody in the media questions a thing. Insurance pays, and he gets another of the same model.

I have no way to verify this, but I've heard that like half of all Ferraris burn up within a few years. They're like boats though, produced in small volumes, no quality control, limited testing, no consumer protection, and no sympathy for the owners since they're luxury items.

 

[Stoaty]

I didn't want to flag this up really, for fear of being viewed as being 'anti-Tesla' in some way (but in fact the reverse is the case), but of those one in 1,300 car fires Elon mentions, only 3% are caused by collision accidents.

In that case, those ICE vehicles are too dangerous to have around, if they can burn for reasons other than a collision.

 

[ebill3]

One problem with Musk's statistics is that they should only compare the last two model years of ICE cars against the last two years of the Tesla S... Older vehicles are more likely to be involved in a fire, thus using the entire age gamut of ICE vehicles against just two years of Tesla vehicles invalidates the statistical validity of the comparison... It is apples and guavas.

And, it is not the first time Elon has skewed statistics to make a point. Of course, he is not alone with such fooling around with the facts.

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." Mark Twain.

 

[davewill]

I've noticed these cars seem to be getting as common as dirt around here. I passed THREE of them in a space of about 8 cars that were waiting to to enter a freeway. I seem to see at least two of them every trip during my commute (my commute takes me through a very posh community).

 

[Valdemar]

I've noticed these cars seem to be getting as common as dirt around here. I passed THREE of them in a space of about 8 cars that were waiting to to enter a freeway. I seem to see at least two of them every trip during my commute (my commute takes me through a very posh community).

Leafs are a common sight too now. A year ago I could drive for a week and never see one. Right now at least 2-3 per day is the norm.

 

[Zythryn]

...
I didn't want to flag this up really, for fear of being viewed as being 'anti-Tesla' in some way (but in fact the reverse is the case), but of those one in 1,300 car fires Elon mentions, only 3% are caused by collision accidents. So, except for Tesla, there is actually one fire per 50,000 cars due to collision damage.

... I completely agree that this is wholly different to the way any other head-in-sand manufacturer would approach this issue. There is nothing to doubt that he really wants to nail this, one way or the other.

I wouldn't call it anti-Tesla as I would healthy skepticism.
What are we trying to measure here though? The number of fires caused by metal debris, or the number of fires from all causes.
Frankly, I would like to know more about serious injuries. We have lots of statistics on those in car accidents, but as of yet have none for the Model S so those statistics would be pointless.

As others have pointed out, the 97% of fires caused by something other than collisions basically won't be present in the Tesla, or the Leaf for that matter.

 

[TomT]

Actually, it is easy to verify. A quick check of the Ferrari registry would show you that this is completely false. By the way, I bought a Ferrari Dino used and owned it for many years. It newer caught fire and I sold it for much more than I bought it for...

I have no way to verify this, but I've heard that like half of all Ferraris burn up within a few years. They're like boats though, produced in small volumes, no quality control, limited testing, no consumer protection, and no sympathy for the owners since they're luxury items.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Actually, it is easy to verify. A quick check of the Ferrari registry would show you that this is completely false. By the way, I bought a Ferrari Dino used and owned it for many years. It newer caught fire and I sold it for much more than I bought it for...

I have no way to verify this, but I've heard that like half of all Ferraris burn up within a few years. They're like boats though, produced in small volumes, no quality control, limited testing, no consumer protection, and no sympathy for the owners since they're luxury items.

Wasn't there one year a bunch of them burned up? Something about an adhesive.

 

[Deleted member 9549]

Elon Musk Is Playing With Fire — and Tesla May Get Badly Burned
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/tesla-is-playing-with-fire%E2%80%94and-could-get-badly-burned-210435781.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[TomT]

I am glad that someone finally called Musk on his statistics and the problems therewith...

Elon Musk Is Playing With Fire — and Tesla May Get Badly Burned
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/tesla-is-playing-with-fire%E2%80%94and-could-get-badly-burned-210435781.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[sparky]

Elon Musk Is Playing With Fire — and Tesla May Get Badly Burned ...

Kudos to the editor for maximizing clicks with the headline iconography trifecta; Elon Musk, Tesla & Fire.

But jeez, I own one and haven't been the least bit curious about whether Tesla has a safety problem based on these 2 road debris impacts. I think this is what irks Musk and Tesla's designers. They really put a lot of effort into making the car, one of, if not the safest sedan on the road. It's the unsung aspect of the car. But, as the article states, stuff happens when cars meet roads that can't always be anticipated (Hydrogen anyone?).
Plus, Musk has made enemies and the internet news thrives on cynicism. That could be anticipated.

In real news, the Supercharger rollout continues at an awesome pace; nothing newsworthy about driving from Tijuana to Canada on free high-speed charging installed by an upstart automaker I guess.

An update on my latest firmware rev (5.8). Vampire load is much reduced (from 9 mi/day to ~3 mi/day). I don't want to sound like a querulous dripsack Tesla, but I think you can do better. Losing 1000 mi /yr to housekeeping electronics is still too high. Imagine if my gas car lost 40 gal/yr sitting in my garage. Now that could make a hell of a fire!

 

[TomT]

I believe you are referring to this:

"On the 24th August 2010, BBC News reported that ten 458s had either crashed or caught fire. Ferrari responded later that it was aware of the fire-related cases, and was in the process of investigating them. No deaths or injuries were reported."

"On September 1, 2010 Ferrari officially recalled all 1,248 of the 458s sold to date. A spokesman commented that the problem had been traced to adhesive used in the wheel-arch assemblies and that, in certain circumstances, the glue could begin to overheat, smoke and even catch fire. Owners who had reported fires will now receive a new car. All other cars will be modified by replacing the adhesive with mechanical fasteners."

Wasn't there one year a bunch of them burned up? Something about an adhesive.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

^ Ok so ten of them, from there I made the leap to all of them. I'm as bad as the Tesla/ev haters. Maybe this happening down the street from me a couple months ago reinforced my misperception:
http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_s_palm_beach_county/boca_raton/red-ferrari-destroyed-in-boca-raton-parking-lot-fire" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Or the neighbor of mine who had one burn up... sorry no link for that one but IIRC it was well before 2010... but maybe it was one of the ten.

 

[ebill3]

Now, that is a fire!

Gotta love it: "I never found out what started the blaze but the owner didn't look too concerned, in fact he was almost laughing at the situation!!!"

Must be nice to be that well off.

 

[TomT]

They have a lot more money than sense in Boca Raton...

Must be nice to be that well off.

 

[DaveEV]

Must be nice to be that well off.

That's what insurance is for...

 

[Valdemar]

^^^ Insurance will pay market value, and it can easily be 80% if not less of the original price, so he's probably looking at 20k out of pocket to find himself in a brand new MS.

 

[palmermd]

^^^ Insurance will pay market value, and it can easily be 80% if not less of the original price, so he's probably looking at 20k out of pocket to find himself in a brand new MS.

Well, in the case of the Model S, Tesla has stated that fire damage will be covered under the warranty, so insurance it not involved, he gets a new car. As for the above story on the Ferrari's, it seems Ferrari came to the same conclusion and is giving the customer a new car.

 

[Valdemar]

^^^ Insurance will pay market value, and it can easily be 80% if not less of the original price, so he's probably looking at 20k out of pocket to find himself in a brand new MS.

Well, in the case of the Model S, Tesla has stated that fire damage will be covered under the warranty, so insurance it not involved, he gets a new car. As for the above story on the Ferrari's, it seems Ferrari came to the same conclusion and is giving the customer a new car.

Nice, good luck getting this kind of treatment from Nissan.

 

[DaveEV]

^^^ Insurance will pay market value, and it can easily be 80% if not less of the original price, so he's probably looking at 20k out of pocket to find himself in a brand new MS.

That's what replacement cost coverage is for... For an expensive car like a Ferrari or Model S, it's probably a good idea.