Videos by Andy Slye

Tag: tesla (Page 24 of 24)

Model 3 Secret: What Tesla Isn’t Telling Us

Let’s talk about the Model 3 and why its possibly the most mind blowing futuristic car on the market right now.

Back in August a member of Tesla Motors Club forum wrote a very interesting article about this Model 3 theory that I want to explain in this video and what it means for car owners going forward.

Last week Tesla had their best event ever in my opinion when they announced the new Tesla Semi and the 2nd Gen Roadster. Since these are two very cool new products, as expected Elon seemed happy and excited when he was announcing the Semi and the Roadster. Compare that to the last Model 3 event, which was probably the least climactic Tesla event where it was short and some parts were a bit awkward and Elon didn’t seem very happy and excited.

Why was that? It’s because the Model 3 event was the Anti-Sell. Tesla does not want you to buy a Model 3…yet.

Here’s why.

  1. The Osborne Effect. Tesla doesn’t want the customer to think that the Model 3 is its best car just because its their newest car model, even though the Model 3 does have a lot of newer technology in it compared to last year’s Model S which is double the price.
  2. Tesla doesn’t want to sell any more Model 3’s right now. With over 450,000 preorders of the Model 3, Tesla has a huge backlog on their hands, and they would much rather sell you a more expensive Model S or X right now because they can produce those immediately and make an instant profit. If you look at the official Model 3 page on Tesla’s website it’s pretty obvious they’re trying to sell you a Model S instead of the Model 3.

That’s The Anti-Sell.

Now let’s talk about that new tech in the Model 3. It’s actually referred to as Autopilot Hardware 2.5 and its purpose is to provide more computing power for future autonomous driving. Tesla tried to downplay this by saying this:

“The internal name HW 2.5 is an overstatement, and instead it should be called something more like HW 2.1. This hardware set has some added computing and wiring redundancy, which very slightly improves reliability, but it does not have an additional Pascal GPU.”

Some people are saying that Tesla started producing cars with Hardware 2.5 instead of the previous Hardware 2.0 because they had some reason to believe Hardware 2.0 wouldn’t be capable of full self driving in the future.

Starting in July or August 2017 all Tesla cars (S, X, and 3) have Hardware 2.5, and Tesla has said that any previous Model S and X cars with Hardware 2.0 that somehow may not be capable of full self driving would get a free upgrade if the customer paid for FSD feature. Having said that, Tesla still believes Hardware 2.0 is capable of self driving.

Why introduce Hardware 2.5?

The Tesla Network.

This is the name of Tesla’s future ride sharing platform, which works sort of like Uber and Lyft but instead of a human driver, nobody will be driving because the car will be driving itself, picking up passengers and taking them to their destinations without the owner having to be in the car.

Here’s an excerpt from Tesla’s Master Plan:

“When true self-driving is approved by regulators, it will mean that you will be able to summon your Tesla from pretty much anywhere. Once it picks you up, you will be able to sleep, read or do anything else enroute to your destination. You will also be able to add your car to the Tesla shared fleet just by tapping a button on the Tesla phone app and have it generate income for you while you’re at work or on vacation, significantly offsetting and at times potentially exceeding the monthly loan or lease cost.”

So what’s the big “secret”?

The Model 3 is currently the only Tesla vehicle that is capable of joining the Tesla ride sharing Network. Let’s find out why.

The minimalistic interior is one of the most polarizing features of the Model 3. Some people love it (like me) while others hate it. I know some people who reserved a Model 3, but they’re not excited about the interior. And let’s not forget that touch screen. Some people are just infuriated that almost everything in the Model 3 is controlled through the 15” touch display. I mean almost everything, from opening the glove box to setting the direction of the air vents to opening the trunk, it’s all software-based controls on the touch screen.

Why? Because it needs to be, for autonomous ride sharing, that is. Since it’s software controlled, everything is customizable and can be remembered and even better, it can be remembered based on who is using the car.

The Model 3 answers the two biggest concerns regarding autonomous ride-sharing: What if someone steals my valuables, and what if someone damages my car?

The first issue is addressed with the software-controls. You can restrict or grant access to anything, based on your own custom settings.  So if you don’t want anyone to access your trunk, trunk or glove box, you can set it that way.

What about damage to your car? Well, this is where some more new tech in the Model 3 comes into play. The Model 3 has something in it that the S or X don’t currently have: an interior camera. It’s built into the rear view mirror and it can see who is in the car at any given time and monitor what’s happening inside the car.

But with an interior camera how is the car going to be able to handle that new data processing? Remember when Tesla said that the new Hardware 2.5 has “added computing and wiring redundancy”? There ya go.

The Model 3 solves the two biggest concerns with autonomous ride sharing by giving the owner complete control via software settings based on who is using the car, and the ability to monitor the interior.

But there’s one more piece to the puzzle: The Entry

The Model 3 doesn’t come with a car key or even a key fob. It comes with a key card that uses NFC to unlock and start the car. But this is just the backup entry method.

The real entry method to the Model 3 is a smartphone. With the Tesla app utilizing Bluetooth LE, it sends an encrypted signal to the Model 3 as your get near it so in theory when you have your smartphone in your pocket and walk up to the Model 3 it will unlock and start when you get in. But not only will it do that, it will also know exactly who is getting in the car and it will set the car settings based on who the person is.

To recap, the Model 3 has:

  • New autopilot hardware
  • New interior camera
  • Full software controls
  • Automatic entry via a smartphone

So what does this mean? It means The Model 3 is not just another electric car built for the mass market. It’s not even just about a car capable of driving itself.

The Model 3 is the first car ever to be designed for autonomous ride-sharing.

Tesla is trying to downplay the significance of the Model 3, for now at least, because they are still in production hell. But there’s no denying that the Model 3 may be the most technologically advanced car ever to be built. Of course, autonomous ride sharing is entirely dependent on whether or not the Model 3 will even be capable of full self driving if and when it is made legal.

But from Elon himself:

“There will be a shared autonomy fleet where you buy your car and you can choose to use that car exclusively. You can choose to have it used only by friends and family… or other drivers who are rated five stars. You can choose to share it sometimes but not other times. That’s 100 percent what will occur. It’s just a question of when.”

What do you think about this? Do you think that this will happen and if so, when?

Tesla Model 3: Complete Guide to the World’s Most Hyped Car

The Tesla Model 3 is changing the auto industry as we know it. It’s a relatively affordable and attractive mass-market electric car that has taken the world by storm. It was announced on March 31, 2016 and deliveries to non-employee customers will start in October. This video is my complete guide to the Tesla Model 3 so you can learn all about it in case you’re trying to decide if it’s right for you, and I’ll also explain why I chose the Model 3 to be my next car.

Tesla is not just a car manufacturer. They’re mainly a tech company with a heavy focus on energy innovation. Their official mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.

The Model 3 is Tesla’s newest addition to their all-electric vehicle lineup which now consists of the Model S (premium sedan), Model X (premium SUV), and now the Model 3 (smaller, more basic sedan for mass market). The Tesla Model 3 has sparked a lot of demand across the entire globe.

One of the biggest selling points for all Teslas including the Model 3 is Autopilot. This is a combination of drive-assisting software combined with 8 cameras built into the car that provide 360 degrees of visibility around the car, 12 ultrasonic sensors allow for detection of objects, and a forward-facing radar that provides additional data and is able to see through rain, fog, dust and even the car ahead.

Enhanced Autopilot costs $5,000 for the Model 3 and adds these new capabilities to the Autopilot experience. Your Tesla will match speed to traffic conditions, keep within a lane, automatically change lanes without requiring driver input, transition from one freeway to another, exit the freeway when your destination is near, self-park when near a parking spot and be summoned to and from your garage.

Autopilot is the precursor to what will eventually become full self-driving cars (which costs another $3,000 and requires the $5,000 EAP). The hardware required for full self driving comes standard on all new Tesla vehicles, but of course until the software is validated and legalized, the hardware is currently only used for Enhanced Autopilot.

Other than Autopilot and future full self-driving capability, I think the biggest factor for Tesla’s success and what separates them from all the other electric cars is their Supercharger network. The Tesla Supercharger network enables long distance travel when you’re in an electric car.

Superchargers are like gas stations for Teslas. It’s the world’s fastest charging station. With the Model 3 standard battery you can get 130 miles of range per 30 minutes of charge at a Supercharger, and with the Long Range option you can get 170 miles of range per 30 minutes of charging at a Supercharger.

Tesla designed the Model 3 with one thing in mind: simplicity. This car definitely strikes a cord with minimalism. Sometimes less is more, and in my opinion, simplicity wins.

To make up for the lack of physical buttons, the 15” touchscreen display in the center is really the main control hub of the entire car. It serves as the speedometer, so your speed will display in the top left of the screen. The touch screen also serves as your way of controlling the air vent. The Model 3 just has one long air vent across the dash, and using the touch screen you can manipulate where you want the air to come out of. The screen also controls the radio, music streaming, GPS navigation, and more.

The Model 3 doesn’t come with a key fob, but instead it comes with an NFC keycard. To unlock the car, tap the card to the B-pillar and tap between the front seats to start the car. This keycard is actually the backup method to unlocking and starting the car. The main way will be done through a unique Bluetooth signal from your smartphone that will unlock your car as you approach it, and then automatically start it when you get inside.

The Model 3 has built-in WiFi so when it’s charging at home, it will be connected to your WiFi and will automatically download free software updates as Tesla releases them. This is what makes Tesla ownership really enticing for me because with software updates, the car is constantly improving without having to add any hardware.

Not only did Tesla make this car simple because they needed to produce them as fast as possible to keep up with demand and to also keep them affordable, but the overall minimalist nature of the car plays into the fact that this car was designed to become a self-driving car at some point in the future.

I think the Tesla Model 3 is the iPhone 3G of cars. It has everything needed to move the auto industry forward to sustainable energy and new technology, but also keeps the excitement and sleekness of fast sporty cars from the past.

$7500 EV Tax Credit (US): https://www.irs.gov/businesses/plug-in-electric-vehicle-credit-irc-30-and-irc-30d

My Tesla Project Loveday submission:

Reserving my Tesla Model 3 (vlog)

Tesla Project Loveday – “Your Sun”

This is my video entry for the Tesla Project Loveday contest.

If you enjoyed, please subscribe to my tech channel.

Here’s all the camera gear I used to make this video.

Filming this was an adventure! Here’s the story of what happened and how I almost wasn’t able to get it done…

As soon as Tesla announced the Project Loveday contest in March I started envisioning the story line of the video. I knew I wanted to make it a personal story that would lead into and ultimately end with the Tesla vision in the viewer’s mind.

However, there was one huge roadblock I faced.

I don’t own a Tesla yet nor do I personally know anyone who owns a Tesla. I needed footage of a Tesla vehicle or I wouldn’t be able to fulfill my vision for this video. I reached out to a stranger (friend of a friend of a friend) and asked if I could meet up with him to get some footage.

No response.

With the deadline creeping up, I decided to camp out at my local Tesla Supercharger for a few hours on a Saturday in April and try my luck on anyone who happened to stop in and charge their Tesla. I got to the Supercharger and literally 10 minutes after arriving I spotted a blue Model X pulling in to one of the charging stations.

As I looked over at it I thought “Wow, what are the odds”. I had never even seen a Model X in person before that. I started to unpack my camera equipment from the backseat of my car, and while I was unloading I heard someone talking to me.

I turned around and it was the blue Model X. The couple inside said “Sir, are we in your way? We saw you looking at us and we thought you were a photographer working for Tesla on a photoshoot or something.”

I laughed and said “No, as a matter of fact I was just about to come ask if you would be willing to help me out.” I explained that I was a Model 3 reservation holder and that I was filming a video for the Tesla Project Loveday contest. I asked if they would be willing to let me get footage of their car. I thought they were going to turn me down.

Nope.

Not only were they willing, but they were ecstatic to let me get footage of their Model X (the one you see at the end of the video). They even let me sit in the driver seat and showed me all the cool features of the car. Complete strangers going out of their way to help me, and even if I don’t win the contest, knowing that I’m joining the Tesla family with people like that is worth it in the end.

I respected their wish to not be on camera, but I want to give a huge shoutout to Marshall and Chanell for making my video possible. THANK YOU!

This video was written, filmed, and edited by me – Andy Slye (with some help from my girlfriend Jamie who has some super awesome handwriting and cat-holding skills, and my sister Brittney who starred as our younger mom, spot on impression if I do say so myself. THANK YOU)

Obviously I couldn’t have done it without my parents who have always supported and encouraged me to do what I want in life. And to anyone else who has helped me along the way, thank you. You’re very much appreciated.

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