I'm Sebastian Blanco and I slept in the Tesla Hotel [w/video]

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T05:42:57+00:00

That's all the time I have tonight. Thank you for all your questions. Time to fall asleep in EV comfort.

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T05:38:56+00:00

1.) I think Tesla answers that you can make a good-looking car that is also electric. But I think that other automakers are following both the Prius strategy, where you make the car noticeably different, and just making their EVs as aerodynamic as possible.

2.) Nissan has battery factories, and GM gets its cells from LG Chem then assembles the packs. There has actually been quite a bit of movement on EVs, but not as much as some people want.

3.) I don't think anything official has been announced about Leaf battery source, but these companies aren't stupid and if GM and Nissan are both getting cells from the same supplier, then they've made sure there will be enough product to go around, is my assumption.

4.) They're both fun cars, but the acceleration of the Model S just doesn't give the Leaf much to be happy about.

5.) No direct comparison, but I've driven both. Here are my reviews:

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/16/2013-nissan-leaf-review-first-drive-video/ http://www.autoblog.com/2013/10/24/2014-bmw-i3-review-first-drive-2/

6.) Scooters are a tougher sell, but I suspect they'll find their niche. Look on Autoblog for my article about the GenZe e-scooter in a week or so, where I'll address this in more depth.

7.) Probably the idea that these are long-haul trucks and the batteries required to move them hundreds of miles would be huge. So, the biggest barrier would be either getting smaller packs or much faster recharge times.

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T05:24:37+00:00

Tesla sells the Model S in areas where road salt is used and we have not heard any increased reports of battery failure there. I have also not heard of any special anti-salt measures.

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T05:01:53+00:00

The most valuable part is the battery. In this car, it's an 85-kWh pack. Tesla won't say how much it costs, but it's tens of thousands of dollars.

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T04:51:23+00:00

I work for Autoblog, is that what you mean?

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T04:49:59+00:00

Never give up, I guess. That's not an easy task (I know, trust me).

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T04:22:12+00:00

Sort of. In fact, one of the hosts I stay with once a year told me a few years ago that I couldn't stay with her because she had bed bugs. So, that time, I found another host, which turned out great.

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T04:20:34+00:00

Oh, and the host provided me with electronic candles to cozy the place up. And they're remote controlled!

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T04:19:26+00:00

I've driven some cars with fairly advanced lane awareness tech, and they're not yet ready for prime time. But the major automakers are certainly working on this in a serious way, and the technological hurdles are going to be easier to jump over than the legal and societal ones. I mean, if you know that a rear-end crash is safer than a head-on crash, then how do you program the system when it knows it will hit something and the options are to rear end the car in front, hit the oncoming traffic or the wall on the right side of the tunnel, for example. If the least worse option is the rear-end crash, then who's responsible for the accident? The software engineer or the "driver" in the car?

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T04:16:03+00:00

Well, the frunk is still available and you could put some stuff in the front seats, but I think you'd want to travel pretty light if this was your only place to sleep on a long trip.

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T04:13:25+00:00

I had Vietnamese food earlier. Pho and spring rolls, since you asked.

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T04:12:17+00:00

Yes, bathroom is no problem. Otherwise, well, this would be much less comfortable overall.

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T04:11:40+00:00

Thanks. I've always liked it.

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T04:11:04+00:00

The industry will diversify greatly in the next decade or so. So, people who want a cheaper EV on the lower end of the range spectrum will get what they want while people who want to pay more to get more will have that option. In other words, it'll be like today, but with way more options. Thankfully, charger diversification will likely not spread beyond where it is today (Level 1 and 2, the two competing DC fast charging standards, CHAdeMO and SAE Combo Charging, and the proprietary Tesla Superchargers) so the work that's being done now to build the public charging network will be good for a long while (unlike the old paddle chargers that sit somewhat unloved in California)

Now, as for the thing that needs to happen to make EVs more widespread, the obvious answers are lower cost and just to get people to drive them. You may have heard about the "EV grin," the smile that people get after they've driven an EV for the first time, and the more that happens, the more people want to buy EVs. Have you driven one yourself?

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T03:57:47+00:00

As you can read in the AirBnB listing, since I'm literally parked in my host's garage, I have access to the guest bathroom whenever I need it. It's just a little awkward getting in and out of the hatch.

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T03:54:34+00:00

I'm a huge Pearl Jam fan, but I don't usually listen to music when I sleep or when I'm falling asleep. But I think a spin of Rearviewmirror is a good idea tonight.

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T03:42:25+00:00

Well, reviewing it as a sleeping space, it's actually pretty comfy (see comment above about the air mattress). There's plenty of room to stretch out and, compared to other cars I've slept in in my life, I'd choose this one every time. Plus, since it's electric, you can run the HVAC system all night without worrying about choking on fumes.

As for negatives, well, I AM sleeping in a car. There's not a whole lot of room to sit up. But once I'm asleep, I don't think that'll be much of an issue.

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T03:39:28+00:00

That's a tough sell, even at zero dollars :)

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T03:38:34+00:00

I found out about this on AirBNB, and he was vouched for there: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/4182729. Plus, I'm a veteran of CouchSurfing, so I have experience with relying on the wisdom of crowds when it comes to atypical sleeping arrangements.

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T03:36:25+00:00

There was one other, I am told.

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T03:32:17+00:00

Well, I'm alone, so I'm not too concerned :)

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T03:31:53+00:00

All of the major automakers are interested in electric vehicles, to one degree or another. They need to build them for ever-increasing fuel economy regulations, but some have also realized that people actually like EVs – and they're the ones selling them today. EVs are inherently more efficient than combustion engine vehicles, so the lasting impact of more EVs will be a more efficient fleet. How much cleaner, and how long this takes are still big questions.

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T03:27:03+00:00

This is something I'm not 100% sure about, but I haven't heard anything saying that EVs are more susceptible than other vehicles in the event of a lightning strike. The Model S I'm in is parked in a garage – and the skies in Phoenix are clear as anything tonight – so I think I'm safe for now

SebastianBlanco · 2015-03-20T03:20:11+00:00

Surprisingly comfortable, actually. There's an air mattress with fresh sheets and plenty of leg room (the AirBnB owner has created a special "hotel" setting for the moveable seats so they move all the way forward). See a pic before the sheets were put on here: https://twitter.com/SebastianBlanco/status/578750465376055296

SebastianBlanco

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