Tesla Model 3 and a glider

On Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 4:34:16 PM UTC-8, Eric Greenwell wrote:

Charging stations are being installed in "many" Walmart parking lots, situated
away from the store where cars rarely park. The ones I've seen have plenty of room
to pull-in, charge, back out, and off you go. Other big box stores are probably
not far behind.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1

A minor point of data: In NZ last month at Omarama, I saw something odd in the field across the highway from the gliderport. I pulled-in to check it out and there was the Tesla charging station.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/b2nmt2r4lj...36.55.jpg?dl=0
I'm not sure I'd rent a Tesla to wander around the South Island, but if you're there to fly or just passing through, you can charge while you fly.

Op vrijdag 13 december 2019 22:19:35 UTC+1 schreef bertvaneyken:
Is there anyone using a Tesla Model 3 to tow his/her glider regularly?

Curious about the impact on range and usability to go on (European) gliding holiday.

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/thre....157907/page-4

On Sun, 15 Dec 2019 01:52:45 -0800, swinkelj wrote:

Op vrijdag 13 december 2019 22:19:35 UTC+1 schreef bertvaneyken:
Is there anyone using a Tesla Model 3 to tow his/her glider regularly?

Curious about the impact on range and usability to go on (European)
gliding holiday.

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/thre...hanger-met-de-
tesla-model-3.157907/page-4

Ah Ha - 0.225 kWh/km ! That clarifies things a lot.


--
Martin | martin at
Gregorie | gregorie dot org

Still hard to beat the energy density of gasoline. Batteries just don't come close, and when they are "empty," you are still hauling the weight around. I'll stick with my F-150 at 18 mpg and 400+ mile range. At 75 mph.

Me too I will stick with my F250 diesel 4x4, gets around 17pmg hauling , has near 500 mile range and when, not if, I land out in the toolies, she can get to me and haul me out.

On Sun, 15 Dec 2019 05:54:54 -0800, uneekcowgirl wrote:

Me too I will stick with my F250 diesel 4x4, gets around 17pmg hauling ,
has near 500 mile range and when, not if, I land out in the toolies, she
can get to me and haul me out.

I still sometimes miss the Series 2 long wheelbase 2.4l petrol Landrover
I had in the '70s. Fitted with full length roof rack, better seats and an
extra 10 gallon tank for longer range, it took four of us and a load of
camping gear from the UK to India and back, with basically only tyre
problems and a clutch change, though it did eat three speedometer heads
along the way.


--
Martin | martin at
Gregorie | gregorie dot org

Ah, Americans and their overcompensation trucks.sad.

This is the critical point. Energy density, it is really the limiting factor of electric versus fossil fueled vehicles.

I'm really looking forward to new battery technology that can bring electric storage to be even relatively close to that of fossil fuels. Not to mention the battery deterioration, disposal, and replacement aspects.

I like leading edge technologies. I think Tesla has done great things to push the technology forward.

However I personally cannot afford the cost of being an early adopter of electric vehicles. Despite the the technogy advancement in e-vehicles made in the last 10 years, we are still in the infancy of this new breed of transportation. F

I am really waiting for a larger hybrid mini SUV platform to come to maturity.

On Sunday, December 15, 2019 at 12:24:50 PM UTC-8, Mike N. wrote:
This is the critical point. Energy density, it is really the limiting factor of electric versus fossil fueled vehicles.

I'm really looking forward to new battery technology that can bring electric storage to be even relatively close to that of fossil fuels. Not to mention the battery deterioration, disposal, and replacement aspects.

I like leading edge technologies. I think Tesla has done great things to push the technology forward.

However I personally cannot afford the cost of being an early adopter of electric vehicles. Despite the the technogy advancement in e-vehicles made in the last 10 years, we are still in the infancy of this new breed of transportation. F

I am really waiting for a larger hybrid mini SUV platform to come to maturity.

Maybe you didn't get the memo, but auto manufacturers have tried and abandoned hybrid vehicles - they add a lot of cost for a small incremental benefit. The Tesla 100D already weighs in at a whooping 5400 lbs, about twice what an ICE sedan weighs. Adding an engine and transmission to that would bring it up to around 7000 lbs, more than my Super Duty F250 weighs.

Tom


Tom

My bad. I did mean 3 miles per kWhr when not towing, and 2 miles per kWhr when towing the glider trailer. Other considerations mentioned. Wind is a factor: headwinds hurt, tailwinds help, but I checked winds before I made a trip and factored it in when charging. I was usually running the A/C while towing. I didn't notice any effect on range, although logically there is some effect. I was not traveling in 100 degree heat, but 90s were not uncommon. I did have to unhook the trailer about 1/2 the time at charging stations. We tend to spread out total trip time over more days (luxury of being retired), so a few extra minutes at a stop to unhook/rehook the trailer was not an issue. Traveling mostly north/south through the eastern U.S. I didn't have to deal with a lot of terrain. By the way, the Tesla navigation system does factor in elevation changes when calculating the energy required for a proposed route. The most dramatic elevation change in a short period of time was a 1000 ft ridge in Tennessee. The climb occurred over about 7 miles and the energy consumption on the way up went off the chart. On the flats, while towing, the Model X uses about 400-450 watt-hrs/mile. Climbing the ridge saw values well over 900 watt-hrs / mile. To minimize consumption on the way up, I got in line with the semis and drove at 35 mph (minimized aerodynamic drag). On the 7 mile trip down the other side, the regenerative braking (no need to use the actual brakes) returns more than 1/2 of what was required to climb the ridge (descent at about 55 mph). Another point of reference, for safety sake, we came to traveling in the right lane with the professional truck drivers, moving along at about 5 miles under the posted limit at a steady pace, so about 65 mph most of the time. Besides being safer, right lane travel was much more relaxing and often entertaining as we calmly watched the neurotic behavior of those to our left. Tesla's adaptive cruise uses the maximum distance to the vehicle ahead setting when in trailer mode. Tesla's automatic lane tracking (auto-steer) is disabled in trailer mode.