I can absolutely appreciate the engineering and work that go in to the electric conversions. I just can't find them interesting.
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Yeah, for the big trips - especially with trailers - it's hard to beat gas/diesel... For now.EV is good for cars driven less than 200 miles a day. For an overlanding vehicle such as a LC, especially when going into remote places, EV is a joke. A guy drove a F150 lightening to Alaska from Colorado: He reported it takes 16 hours to fully charge the battery to just travel 200 miles.
I think they present fantastic utility for fleet vehicles, public transport, and otherwise "appliance" vehicles. For vehicles used for other than point A to B, I don't see it.. yet. Even once the tech is improved to remove all the caveats that currently exist with an electric drive system, I'm just not interested in them. The Rivian and new Hummer, IMO, are the only compelling ones out now. And it's nothing to do with being electric, to me.Yeah, for the big trips - especially with trailers - it's hard to beat gas/diesel... For now.
Charging stations are going up everywhere. The more EVs on the road, the more financial incentive to install more charges. The charger in that Alaska example was level 2, likely around 15kw. V3 Tesla superchargers are currently 250kw. That turns that laughable 16 hour wait into a casual 1 hour meal stop. Less if you're not hauling a trailer.
The future of true overlanding will likely be gasoline for years yet, but since only 2% of the people on here do actual overlanding EVs are probably just fine for most of us.
I think they present fantastic utility for fleet vehicles, public transport, and otherwise "appliance" vehicles. For vehicles used for other than point A to B, I don't see it.. yet. Even once the tech is improved to remove all the caveats that currently exist with an electric drive system, I'm just not interested in them. The Rivian and new Hummer, IMO, are the only compelling ones out now. And it's nothing to do with being electric, to me.
What I'll never get behind will be the inevitable regulating away of our combustion vehicles to force my hand to drive a toaster. Take the fun sounds and stuff out of New cars, whatever, just leave mine alone.
Well only since you asked..Just out of curiosity if charging times and battery tech is improved what makes you not interested? I only ask because the electric drivetrain is the better product when it comes to performance, simplicity, and reliability. they have 100s perhaps thousands of less moving parts, and need much less maintenance. overlanding will be the biggest hurdle though, hopefully we see some solutions to this as battery tech evolves.
I agree the regulations are dumb, but I feel they are not needed. I like EVs but it has nothing to do with the environmental stuff being peddled by politicians. EVs are simply the better product for the great majority of people. No company should be investing in further internal combustion R&D at this point if they want to survive the long haul. It would just be money squandered for short term gains during this transition period, and it would drag them even more back behind tech leaders in the space. In fact the time is now to start retooling factories for EV transition if they haven't already.
Well only since you asked..
I have myriad reasons for a lack of interest. Please note: I'm not the guy who will denounce or crap on electric cars (at their face value), I just don't find them appealing. I'll explain.
1- At the risk of sounding like an unevolved ape: I don't find them intriguing (the drivetrain). Being a kid in the 90s I got to grow up around the second-coming of the 60's muscle car era, when they were 'real classics'. A car's worth and allure were almost directly attributed to CID. Entire industries, cultures, etc all exist because of a chasing of CID. A deep rumble is a good thing. Furthermore, I was able to watch live as the JDM muscle car wars began. Crazy complex engineering, amazing stuff in all of the 3.0L and under turbocharged cars. Look at the market for many of those cars now- lots of people are longing for that kind of car. The electric cars today, to me, occupy one of 2 spaces: 1-They're a regular car that happens to be electric, and that's so incredibly boring to me. They exist for people who don't really care about cars but need to get to work. 2- They're a very NEAT car, where the manufacturers are taking advantage of what the powertrains can afford them. Frunks, the Rivian Pass Through, the Hummer crab-walk. Features that, to me, are actually interesting. Teslas are fast but that's all they have going for them, in my eyes. Otherwise, they're shoddily built and feature interiors that inspire less comfort or visual appeal than a plastic Coleman cooler. I see the conversion of an ICE car like version 1- You remove the 'fun' part and leave a regular car.
2- I couldn't give a s*** less what my MPGs or emissions are. My carbon footprint with a fleet of old vehicles and no children to my name means I could run all 6 of my vehicles 24 hours a day and still have less of an impact than your average family of 4 with a new electric car every 2-3 years. I'm being hyperbolic, but the point stands. One telling me that I'd save gas has no impact on me whatsoever.
3- The owners. For the same reasons I'll probably never own an STI, or a G35, etc (despite being great cars!)... The owners groups are often bad enough to simply put you off. You know how to tell if someone does Crossfit? They'll tell you. You wanna know how to tell if someone owns an electric car? Same answer. The pithy license plates like "eeww gas" or "oil bad"... They're cringey. Embarassing. Like these people are not just getting their foot in that door themselves. The pompasity, sanctimony.. They can get lost. IME these are mainly Tesla owners at this time. Not all, it just seems they're the ones who are the D-bags.
4- Usage. I don't personally own any 'appliance' vehicles, though maybe I should as my fleet ages. Each of mine has a personality and I genuinely enjoy that about them. For some, I consider myself a caretaker and I'm proud of it. I don't have the same feelings about my George Foreman grill. There are folks who really appreciate the quiet and smoothness, and I totally get that. I marvel at the smoothness of a well-maintained Mercedes V8 or my 2JZ. Different strokes (pun intended).
5- Culture. Have you read any auto blogs or magazines lately? A car culture that used to be against excessive regulations, loved seeing power in excess, and generally enjoyed cars seems to have turned into a wussified version of adult day care. I remember a Dodge ad years ago when they first brought their Hemis back out. Guy's neighbor asks him what his Hemi sounds like. "Rumble rumble, vroom vroom". Then Dodge guy asks what the neighbor's Prius sounds like "HHHHHHAAAAAA". Just a breath, like a yawn. I like the rumble. The yawn bores me.
6- the tech. This isn't exclusive to electric cars but almost all electric cars suffer from what I consider excessive tech. A rental Camry once PHYSICALLY PREVENTED ME from changing lanes because its nanny system didn't like my approach. My car shouldn't be able to do that. My car shouldn't be able to live communicate everything about my driving to the manufacturer or anyone else. It shouldn't have final say over what I do with my pedals or steering wheel.
7- Because I want to rage against the machine, and since Rage Against the Machine is now part of the machine, I have to carry the torch.
So now you all know I'm a curmudgeony dick. Get off my lawn.
Good points. You're correct in that the "excessive tech" that I mentioned isn't exclusive to electric cars. But, I would make the argument that while this isn't only applicable to electric, it is applicable to ALL (factory) electric cars. There is no getting around this in any new electric vehicle. My car, IMO, should be built by men smarter than I am, but still be dumber than me itself. I loathe the idea of eventually owning a car that tracks my face for attention or beeps at me because I'm making a trickier maneuver than it likes. The old man inside of me is wondering why people don't just learn to drive their vehicles anymore and why we're giving people the option of relying on blind spot monitoring. Just turn your head. Watch your mirrors. Look through the back window of the car in front of you.I don't like the appliance aspect of EVs meaning touch screen, internet connected, software controlled everything. It just is asking for trouble. Sure they are "reliable" as long as you don't piss off Tesla and have them literally turn off your car. The same is true for modern gas high end cars and even some low end. They practically all have drive by wire inputs and immobilizers that talk to the Internet so it's not isolated to EVs. Mix in climate credits and rolling blackouts and the EV future looks a little bleak IMO.
The latest episode of TFL had the Hummer EV just stop driving in the middle of the road with 200 miles on the clock presumably to a software glitch.
On the other hand if you have a old fashioned nuts and bolts EV like my Nissan Leaf conversion and solar or a wind turbine suddenly you can be independent from the grid and have nearly free transportation.
Yeeeaaapppp.But EVs are Zero emissions........... False Advertising. Kalifornians just want to push the emissions from their state to a 3rd world country that is what current EVs are doing.....
I have to think my continued driving of ~5k miles a year on my '98 is better for the environment than buying a new EV as a daily.
Being an unevolved ape is one of your best qualities.Well only since you asked..
I have myriad reasons for a lack of interest. Please note: I'm not the guy who will denounce or crap on electric cars (at their face value), I just don't find them appealing. I'll explain.
1- At the risk of sounding like an unevolved ape: I don't find them intriguing (the drivetrain). Being a kid in the 90s I got to grow up around the second-coming of the 60's muscle car era, when they were 'real classics'. A car's worth and allure were almost directly attributed to CID. Entire industries, cultures, etc all exist because of a chasing of CID. A deep rumble is a good thing. Furthermore, I was able to watch live as the JDM muscle car wars began. Crazy complex engineering, amazing stuff in all of the 3.0L and under turbocharged cars. Look at the market for many of those cars now- lots of people are longing for that kind of car. The electric cars today, to me, occupy one of 2 spaces: 1-They're a regular car that happens to be electric, and that's so incredibly boring to me. They exist for people who don't really care about cars but need to get to work. 2- They're a very NEAT car, where the manufacturers are taking advantage of what the powertrains can afford them. Frunks, the Rivian Pass Through, the Hummer crab-walk. Features that, to me, are actually interesting. Teslas are fast but that's all they have going for them, in my eyes. Otherwise, they're shoddily built and feature interiors that inspire less comfort or visual appeal than a plastic Coleman cooler. I see the conversion of an ICE car like version 1- You remove the 'fun' part and leave a regular car.
2- I couldn't give a s*** less what my MPGs or emissions are. My carbon footprint with a fleet of old vehicles and no children to my name means I could run all 6 of my vehicles 24 hours a day and still have less of an impact than your average family of 4 with a new electric car every 2-3 years. I'm being hyperbolic, but the point stands. One telling me that I'd save gas has no impact on me whatsoever.
3- The owners. For the same reasons I'll probably never own an STI, or a G35, etc (despite being great cars!)... The owners groups are often bad enough to simply put you off. You know how to tell if someone does Crossfit? They'll tell you. You wanna know how to tell if someone owns an electric car? Same answer. The pithy license plates like "eeww gas" or "oil bad"... They're cringey. Embarassing. Like these people are not just getting their foot in that door themselves. The pompasity, sanctimony.. They can get lost. IME these are mainly Tesla owners at this time. Not all, it just seems they're the ones who are the D-bags.
4- Usage. I don't personally own any 'appliance' vehicles, though maybe I should as my fleet ages. Each of mine has a personality and I genuinely enjoy that about them. For some, I consider myself a caretaker and I'm proud of it. I don't have the same feelings about my George Foreman grill. There are folks who really appreciate the quiet and smoothness, and I totally get that. I marvel at the smoothness of a well-maintained Mercedes V8 or my 2JZ. Different strokes (pun intended).
5- Culture. Have you read any auto blogs or magazines lately? A car culture that used to be against excessive regulations, loved seeing power in excess, and generally enjoyed cars seems to have turned into a wussified version of adult day care. I remember a Dodge ad years ago when they first brought their Hemis back out. Guy's neighbor asks him what his Hemi sounds like. "Rumble rumble, vroom vroom". Then Dodge guy asks what the neighbor's Prius sounds like "HHHHHHAAAAAA". Just a breath, like a yawn. I like the rumble. The yawn bores me.
6- the tech. This isn't exclusive to electric cars but almost all electric cars suffer from what I consider excessive tech. A rental Camry once PHYSICALLY PREVENTED ME from changing lanes because its nanny system didn't like my approach. My car shouldn't be able to do that. My car shouldn't be able to live communicate everything about my driving to the manufacturer or anyone else. It shouldn't have final say over what I do with my pedals or steering wheel.
7- Because I want to rage against the machine, and since Rage Against the Machine is now part of the machine, I have to carry the torch.
So now you all know I'm a curmudgeony dick. Get off my lawn.
I loathe the idea of eventually owning a car that tracks my face for attention or beeps at me because I'm making a trickier maneuver than it likes. The old man inside of me is wondering why people don't just learn to drive their vehicles anymore and why we're giving people the option of relying on blind spot monitoring. Just turn your head. Watch your mirrors. Look through the back window of the car in front of you.
I like this. Perhaps I can offer some insight as someone who's lived in both sides. As a quick note, I think you're just looking at the wrong EVs.Well only since you asked..
I have myriad reasons for a lack of interest. Please note: I'm not the guy who will denounce or crap on electric cars (at their face value), I just don't find them appealing. I'll explain.
1- At the risk of sounding like an unevolved ape: I don't find them intriguing (the drivetrain). Being a kid in the 90s I got to grow up around the second-coming of the 60's muscle car era, when they were 'real classics'. A car's worth and allure were almost directly attributed to CID. Entire industries, cultures, etc all exist because of a chasing of CID. A deep rumble is a good thing. Furthermore, I was able to watch live as the JDM muscle car wars began. Crazy complex engineering, amazing stuff in all of the 3.0L and under turbocharged cars. Look at the market for many of those cars now- lots of people are longing for that kind of car. The electric cars today, to me, occupy one of 2 spaces: 1-They're a regular car that happens to be electric, and that's so incredibly boring to me. They exist for people who don't really care about cars but need to get to work. 2- They're a very NEAT car, where the manufacturers are taking advantage of what the powertrains can afford them. Frunks, the Rivian Pass Through, the Hummer crab-walk. Features that, to me, are actually interesting. Teslas are fast but that's all they have going for them, in my eyes. Otherwise, they're shoddily built and feature interiors that inspire less comfort or visual appeal than a plastic Coleman cooler. I see the conversion of an ICE car like version 1- You remove the 'fun' part and leave a regular car.
2- I couldn't give a s*** less what my MPGs or emissions are. My carbon footprint with a fleet of old vehicles and no children to my name means I could run all 6 of my vehicles 24 hours a day and still have less of an impact than your average family of 4 with a new electric car every 2-3 years. I'm being hyperbolic, but the point stands. One telling me that I'd save gas has no impact on me whatsoever.
3- The owners. For the same reasons I'll probably never own an STI, or a G35, etc (despite being great cars!)... The owners groups are often bad enough to simply put you off. You know how to tell if someone does Crossfit? They'll tell you. You wanna know how to tell if someone owns an electric car? Same answer. The pithy license plates like "eeww gas" or "oil bad"... They're cringey. Embarassing. Like these people are not just getting their foot in that door themselves. The pompasity, sanctimony.. They can get lost. IME these are mainly Tesla owners at this time. Not all, it just seems they're the ones who are the D-bags.
4- Usage. I don't personally own any 'appliance' vehicles, though maybe I should as my fleet ages. Each of mine has a personality and I genuinely enjoy that about them. For some, I consider myself a caretaker and I'm proud of it. I don't have the same feelings about my George Foreman grill. There are folks who really appreciate the quiet and smoothness, and I totally get that. I marvel at the smoothness of a well-maintained Mercedes V8 or my 2JZ. Different strokes (pun intended).
5- Culture. Have you read any auto blogs or magazines lately? A car culture that used to be against excessive regulations, loved seeing power in excess, and generally enjoyed cars seems to have turned into a wussified version of adult day care. I remember a Dodge ad years ago when they first brought their Hemis back out. Guy's neighbor asks him what his Hemi sounds like. "Rumble rumble, vroom vroom". Then Dodge guy asks what the neighbor's Prius sounds like "HHHHHHAAAAAA". Just a breath, like a yawn. I like the rumble. The yawn bores me.
6- the tech. This isn't exclusive to electric cars but almost all electric cars suffer from what I consider excessive tech. A rental Camry once PHYSICALLY PREVENTED ME from changing lanes because its nanny system didn't like my approach. My car shouldn't be able to do that. My car shouldn't be able to live communicate everything about my driving to the manufacturer or anyone else. It shouldn't have final say over what I do with my pedals or steering wheel.
7- Because I want to rage against the machine, and since Rage Against the Machine is now part of the machine, I have to carry the torch.
So now you all know I'm a curmudgeony dick. Get off my lawn.
Good info and good points. I agree, a lot of my 'gripes' can be directed at a lot of modern ICE cars as well. I do see the push for the tech and electric power to prongs on the same fork. And you're also right that not ALL of the owners are fanboys; in fact I know several owners myself who fall in to the "just need a car" category.I like this. Perhaps I can offer some insight as someone who's lived in both sides. As a quick note, I think you're just looking at the wrong EVs.
1. You wouldn't judge the ICE by the Dodge Caravan or the Toyota Yaris. Don't judge EVs by the Prius and base model Teslas. Look at the performance line of Tesla. The high end Lucids. The Rivians. The Rimac Nivera. The Porsche Taycan.
I felt exactly the same about Teslas... until I actually rented one for a few days. The build quality of the interior is Toyota-grade or better. It's not Mercedes. Nor Audi. Nor Lexus (200 series second row rattle notwithstanding...). But at least Toyota. Tesla has caught a ton of flak for interior quality, but if you're comparing it to Toyota I think Tesla wins. Tesla is not up to par with Porsche, Audi and Mercedes. But it's Toyota/Lexus level. On the higher trim models you have luxury materials everywhere. The window glass is all acoustic double pane. The interior is nearly silent. It's glorious. Unless you like wind noise and engine drone, I guess.
2. Me either. That's a weak argument in favor of EVs, IMO. They're slightly better only if the mining is done responsibly (it's often not) and only if you keep your car a long time. This was not a factor in my purchase and I suggest it's not a requirement to still favor an EV.
3. Lol. I'm an "owner" of a Tesla. Aside from you guys here and my immediate family/friends I'm not sure I've ever talked about it. I'd much rather talk about the LX or my old Supra. Don't let the vocal minority taint your view. That's a philosophy that probably applies to most things in life. The vocal idiots wield more power than they deserve.
4. This is a very relative thing. Toyota is the "appliance" car company. Lexus is the "luxury appliance" car company. If you're going to dismiss appliance cars, you should be driving an AMG, Porsche, Land Rover, an exotic, etc.... I offer the idea that we're all drawn here largely because Toyota/Lexus make the ultimate appliance vehicle. It's reliable, durable and a great canvas on which to create an adventure vehicle.
5. Culture. I'm not sure I understand what you're reading, but you should read Toyota Trails and 'mud. If not that, then are you reading the articles about the new fastest production vehicles every year? ...and how they're almost all EVs now. I love the sound of an I6. 7MGTE, 1JZ, 2JZ all glorious. high revving V8? Yeah mama. Or a V12. Yum. Inline 4, V6, common lopsided V8's? Nah. Just noise. While I wish the Model S roared like a straight piped Ferrari, I can always throw on some loud music and blow the doors off everything around me in exterior silence.
6. Tech. Yup. So much of all modern cars are about software enhancements and connectivity. I think avoiding this connectivity will limit you to the lower cost tier of vehicles. If an EMP hits or someone hacks the OEMs update network then perhaps that will be a bad deal.
7. Rage on, man. Somebody should. Rage on.
One other note I feel the need to share (Tesla owner after all )
A. The torque. My god, the torque response. It's i-n-s-a-n-e. I've driven and owned turbo Supra's and MR2's. Ridden in lots of modified stuff and some old big block muscle cars. I'm not Jeremy Clarkson, but I've driven my fair share of "fast" stuff. It's fun to have some serious oomph under your right foot. NONE of my previous automotive experience was even remotely close to the P100D I daily now. It's essentially a different activity. First time I floored it during the test drive I was laughing out loud like a lunatic with my jaw gaping open. I'm not sure how to properly communicate what the "performance" EVs feel like except to say there's nothing else like it. Not a Hellcat. Not a Ferrari. Not a Lambo. Not a muscle car. Not an AMG. Nothing. The performance EVs are in their own category when it comes to "jerk" and acceleration. Jerk being the rate of change of acceleration - it's a night and day differentiator with EVs vs ICE. And boy do you feel that. I was completely caught off-guard in this aspect of the experience. The RS Audis and AWD 911's have some pretty impressive launch control. And yet they're nothing compared to a performance Tesla/Lucid with no launch control needed. You elude to the feeling of a car. The sensation of the engine. Well, the sensation you get as you stomp the accelerator and the blood washes to the back of your skull is one hell of an emotional/physical rush. There are famous roller coasters that offer weaker linear acceleration than what you can get from a used EV now. Unless you're running drag radials on a drag car you can't get that in an ICE - not even close.
B. Gas station stops. This doesn't apply to >300 mile road trips, but stopping for gas is an annoyance you can just erase from your life.
C. Silence. I'm not sure this is an EV thing, necessarily, but it does correlate closely. Phone calls; Enjoying music - it's all better without engine drone noise. Luxury ICE have been seeking insulation for decades. EVs make it real easy. Rolls Royce levels of quiet.
D. Autopilot. This isn't really an EV thing, but as with silence it does correlate heavily. Highway driving in light/heavy traffic sucks. Radar cruise is awesome. Lane keep even better. Autonomous stuff is all just easier with an EV. Instant and limitless torque (dismissing the lame EVs with pitiful power figures, naturally) and all the tech needed to assist you're driving. Don't like the nannies? Just turn them off.
Good info and good points. I agree, a lot of my 'gripes' can be directed at a lot of modern ICE cars as well. I do see the push for the tech and electric power to prongs on the same fork. And you're also right that not ALL of the owners are fanboys; in fact I know several owners myself who fall in to the "just need a car" category.
I diverge a bit on the build quality opinion. I'll be curious what your thoughts are of the 100D after a few years. Yes, Toyota has been the king of appliance cars, but they've always been known for quality. Tesla approached it in reverse, building hype before actually prioritizing the quality of their product. Maybe they've improved drastically in the 2 years since I've driven a new one, but if not... I hope you're not disappointed in how it wears.
The torque is fun, no doubt about that. I've not driven a 100 but have been in a couple dual motor 3s. I had my giggles, for sure. Got back in to my '85 300D (which is, numerically, 3x superior to your 100D ) and like you said, instantly felt more antiquated. But, I'd so much rather be flagged down in traffic by someone who wants to talk about my Mercedes than whomever would want to do the same if I were driving a Tesla.
I'm very much looking forward to the development of E-fuels.
I grew up in the 90s too and my sole purpose in life was to chirp the tires between gears. A big part of me will always crave it (the free market and my wife all but killed the manual transmission). I have been intrigued by Tesla from the begining - can I just say thank god for tesla? - can you imagine the boring crap on the market had it not been for Tesla making a compelling electric car? We're in the old horsepower races right now but it's a 9,000 lb Hummer going 0-60 in 3 seconds and a Tesla trying to crack 2 seconds. That's not the gov'ment doin that. That's free market tomfoolery and I love every second of it. This is a fun time to be alive and watch this happen. The thought of electric swapping becoming as common as the LS swap has me excited. That old orange truck on TFL is SIIIIIIIICK. (my wife has a 2021 Volvo and it feels like a clunky POS compared to the base model 3 fwiw)I like this. Perhaps I can offer some insight as someone who's lived in both sides. As a quick note, I think you're just looking at the wrong EVs.
1. You wouldn't judge the ICE by the Dodge Caravan or the Toyota Yaris. Don't judge EVs by the Prius and base model Teslas. Look at the performance line of Tesla. The high end Lucids. The Rivians. The Rimac Nivera. The Porsche Taycan.
I felt exactly the same about Teslas... until I actually rented one for a few days. The build quality of the interior is Toyota-grade or better. It's not Mercedes. Nor Audi. Nor Lexus (200 series second row rattle notwithstanding...). But at least Toyota. Tesla has caught a ton of flak for interior quality, but if you're comparing it to Toyota I think Tesla wins. Tesla is not up to par with Porsche, Audi and Mercedes. But it's Toyota/Lexus level. On the higher trim models you have luxury materials everywhere. The window glass is all acoustic double pane. The interior is nearly silent. It's glorious. Unless you like wind noise and engine drone, I guess.
2. Me either. That's a weak argument in favor of EVs, IMO. They're slightly better only if the mining is done responsibly (it's often not) and only if you keep your car a long time. This was not a factor in my purchase and I suggest it's not a requirement to still favor an EV.
3. Lol. I'm an "owner" of a Tesla. Aside from you guys here and my immediate family/friends I'm not sure I've ever talked about it. I'd much rather talk about the LX or my old Supra. Don't let the vocal minority taint your view. That's a philosophy that probably applies to most things in life. The vocal idiots wield more power than they deserve.
4. This is a very relative thing. Toyota is the "appliance" car company. Lexus is the "luxury appliance" car company. If you're going to dismiss appliance cars, you should be driving an AMG, Porsche, Land Rover, an exotic, etc.... I offer the idea that we're all drawn here largely because Toyota/Lexus make the ultimate appliance vehicle. It's reliable, durable and a great canvas on which to create an adventure vehicle.
5. Culture. I'm not sure I understand what you're reading, but you should read Toyota Trails and 'mud. If not that, then are you reading the articles about the new fastest production vehicles every year? ...and how they're almost all EVs now. I love the sound of an I6. 7MGTE, 1JZ, 2JZ all glorious. high revving V8? Yeah mama. Or a V12. Yum. Inline 4, V6, common lopsided V8's? Nah. Just noise. While I wish the Model S roared like a straight piped Ferrari, I can always throw on some loud music and blow the doors off everything around me in exterior silence.
6. Tech. Yup. So much of all modern cars are about software enhancements and connectivity. I think avoiding this connectivity will limit you to the lower cost tier of vehicles. If an EMP hits or someone hacks the OEMs update network then perhaps that will be a bad deal.
7. Rage on, man. Somebody should. Rage on.
One other note I feel the need to share (Tesla owner after all )
A. The torque. My god, the torque response. It's i-n-s-a-n-e. I've driven and owned turbo Supra's and MR2's. Ridden in lots of modified stuff and some old big block muscle cars. I'm not Jeremy Clarkson, but I've driven my fair share of "fast" stuff. It's fun to have some serious oomph under your right foot. NONE of my previous automotive experience was even remotely close to the P100D I daily now. It's essentially a different activity. First time I floored it during the test drive I was laughing out loud like a lunatic with my jaw gaping open. I'm not sure how to properly communicate what the "performance" EVs feel like except to say there's nothing else like it. Not a Hellcat. Not a Ferrari. Not a Lambo. Not a muscle car. Not an AMG. Nothing. The performance EVs are in their own category when it comes to "jerk" and acceleration. Jerk being the rate of change of acceleration - it's a night and day differentiator with EVs vs ICE. And boy do you feel that. I was completely caught off-guard in this aspect of the experience. The RS Audis and AWD 911's have some pretty impressive launch control. And yet they're nothing compared to a performance Tesla/Lucid with no launch control needed. You elude to the feeling of a car. The sensation of the engine. Well, the sensation you get as you stomp the accelerator and the blood washes to the back of your skull is one hell of an emotional/physical rush. There are famous roller coasters that offer weaker linear acceleration than what you can get from a used EV now. Unless you're running drag radials on a drag car you can't get that in an ICE - not even close.
B. Gas station stops. This doesn't apply to >300 mile road trips, but stopping for gas is an annoyance you can just erase from your life.
C. Silence. I'm not sure this is an EV thing, necessarily, but it does correlate closely. Phone calls; Enjoying music - it's all better without engine drone noise. Luxury ICE have been seeking insulation for decades. EVs make it real easy. Rolls Royce levels of quiet.
D. Autopilot. This isn't really an EV thing, but as with silence it does correlate heavily. Highway driving in light/heavy traffic sucks. Radar cruise is awesome. Lane keep even better. Autonomous stuff is all just easier with an EV. Instant and limitless torque (dismissing the lame EVs with pitiful power figures, naturally) and all the tech needed to assist you're driving. Don't like the nannies? Just turn them off.