Puzzle Description:

A 2012 Tesla Model S was voted Automobile of the year by Automobile Magazine. It is a fully electric car. This is a picture of the dashboard.The large square in the centre of the dash is a 17" LCD touchscreen that has all the control for the car as well as navigation. The age of the Jetsons is just around the corner folks.

#1: Norma Dee (norm0908) on Jan 6, 2013

Neat dashboard, Aldege. I remember one time being on the freeway on my way home and the freeway had just been turned into a gigantic parking lot. I had the radio on when some guy predicted that in the future we would all have our own flying machines and be traveling back and forth to work in them. I burst out laughing, and the people in the cars next to me probably thought the long wait had pushed me over the edge. But when he said that I got a mental image of all the traffic spread out as far as I could see being lifted up in the air in their little flying machines and no room to maneuver. Ludicrous.

Thx Norma,It's not much of a puzzle but I just read up on this car and thought it might be an opportunity to do a B&W and enlighten people on what's happening in the automotive world.:)

I really dont think that giving people a 17" touchscreen on the dash is a good idea. They really need to be focusing out the window and driving the car, not playing with the controls on the dash. Equivalent to texting and driving in a new fangled way.

You know what Paula,I agree with you. I see all kinds of bad things with this technology,but all the car companies are putting this stuff in new cars now cause it's what the majority of the public wants. Meanwhile the rest of us who don't want or need it have to pay ever increasing insurance rates because of all the accidents due to cell phones and i-phones,and nav-systems. Doesn't seem right to me. What ever happened to checking a map before you go somewhere your not sure of.:)_

Flying cars... so many issues. Even though there are fewer cars breaking down now, until you see zero cars by the side of the road... each one of those cars would be coming down out of the sky, dead.

I can't see normal drivers doing a pre-flight check when they go on a trip, much less each and every time they hop out to the store.

So, much like a NIMBY, I say NOMH! (Not Over My House!)

Instead of an air bag, maybe they would have a pop out parachute. :)

Fun puzzle, Aldege.

You bring up some interesting stuff about the future of transportation Joe. Even with onboard self ejecting parachutes,can you imagine cutting your lawn and cars are suddenly slowly landing in your path Norma. What a nuisance,lol.:)

Thx Tom K.:)

Insurance rates for roof repair would be out of sight.

Never mind leaky oil, leaky exhaust, leaky transmission fluid...

They would have to have restricted air spaces, so all that crud stays over the roads, at least.

I'm afraid of heights and flying. It's all I can to to get on a plane, much less imagine myself voluntarily raising my own vehicle into the air. As for a touchscreen on the dash, I got myself a new 5" GPS that I just love, but while I have to look up to see the display mounted next to my rearview mirror, it's an unwelcome distraction and intrusion for my son-in-law who is taller than I am. It's right in his face. Having the vehicle controls on a 17" dashboard touchscreen would be like watching a small TV or playing a video game while driving. I agree completely with Paula, Joe, and Kirsten.

Good puzzle ! Interesting tech. My grandfather built his own car in the 1920's, I wonder if people could do that today.

Tough puzzle.

Interesting.

Thank you Jota. I miss everyone too. I wish my life wasn't so busy at times so that I could spend time on WEBPBN with all of you. I miss creating puzzles and especially miss the comaderie that we all shared. Who knows, as the girls grow up perhaps I will find time to get back on WEBPBN. Please say hi to Lollipop for me. It's hard to imagine that the girls are 11, 9 and 6 already. Bests and God Bless you all.

Lollipop this is Als response to a comment on another puzzle, I can't remember which one, I hope this finds you.

Thanks, Jota, it did. I select New Replies to Your Postings in the forum, and here I was, posting on Aldège's puzzle back in 2013. Amazing that some of us were here when all the girls were born. More time for Dad after Destyny's grown and the other kids are still teens? Hah, doubtful.

Glad Lollipop!

WAs thinking about Aldege the other day. Miss that crazy guy!

Me too. Jota, any news for us about Aldege and the girls? Is he permanently gone from our community now? Please do send him good wishes from David and me and the rest of his friends here.

I messaged him on FB. They seem to be doing well!

I bought my first Tesla (used 2015 Model S) in 2018. My wife now drives it, and I drive a 2022 Model X, which replaced a 2016 Model X. In addition to the very widespread Supercharger network, we have an in-home charger, which we take turns every few days to top off. My electric bill went up, but not nearly as much as we used to spend on gas, maintenance, and other car expenses. These cars require zero maintenance, no oil, radiator fluid, tune-ups, nothing. I've heard them described as iPhones on wheels. I see them as excellent cars, zero emission, and incidentally are quicker and faster than almost anything on the road, including most supercars. I'm happy to discuss anything about the electric car experience with you guys, anytime.

I hear a lot of people with high praise and a lot of nightmare stories. As with most everything else, I think a majority of experiences fall somewhere in between. Personally, I think electric vehicles are much better than internal combustion and the sooner we can convert the better. My reservations are with battery technology. I think Li-ion is bad technology that is being pushed too hard, too fast. However, it's a necessary step toward the next generation much like CFL was a flawed technology that was pushed too hard but did transition us away from incandescent and was luckily replaced by LED quickly.

I have a lot of experience with the Li-ion battery production process including the full "recipe" for multiple automakers. I'm under Nondisclosure Agreements with these makers (that manufacture over 20 vehicle brands combined), so the hazards involved hit close to home. Can't wait for the "next LED" to replace these things!

I've never owned an electric car but it sounds like Bill and I are of similar minds with different perspectives to pull from :)

Jan leased a Nissan Leaf in 2013. He leased it rather than buying because he thought that battery technology was changing quickly and that batteries in 2013 cars would not last for very long and would be expensive to replace, so he thought we would want to upgrade to a car with a better battery once battery technology improved. I kept that car until 2016, when its lease ended. I liked the Leaf and could have bought it at a discount at the end of its lease, but I chose not to keep it because, as a very short person, the pillars at the side of the windshield blocked my view of pedestrians, and I thought that had the potential to cause a terrible accident.

My current car is a plug-in electric hybrid, a 2018 Honda Clarity, so it has both a battery and an engine. I almost always drive it on only the battery, for driving around town. I only use the gas engine option when I'm driving my son James back and forth to college. I have mixed feelings about the car itself, which feels cheaply made, like it might fall apart soon. But I adore the plug-in hybrid combination and would definitely choose that again.

I also have solar panels on my house, with a whole-house battery. The house-battery can silently power essential appliances overnight during a power outage, which is really nice to have, and I love that, unlike a generator, it is silent. But I wish the battery had twenty times the capacity (but that's expensive!), and I've heard that these batteries are a nightmare in a house fire, so I worry.

I'm not surprised. Jan was incredibly smart! I think right now plug-in hybrids are the ways to go! Batteries just aren't ready for every situation (like roadtrips, hauling, etc.). Love that you use solar too! Actual energy creation/harvesting :) I've had solar in the past but have moved a couple of times (including a month ago). Might now be back in a geography that it can work in (too many mountains, clouds and trees in my last city). Going to be looking into it!

I've been a big proponent of cars going electric for a long time. Sustainability has always been important to me. I got LEED accredited almost 20 years ago when there were just a handful of us. I've already mentioned the hazards of Li-ion batteries...my only other nitpick is that many advocates are disingenuous about some of the aspects of use. They make it sound like batteries prevent the use of fossil fuels. Batteries don't create electricity. Public chargers are often charged from nonrenewable means. I also don't like the fact that some people will put feasibility numbers out there that don't account for home-plug power costing anything. I have seen, several times, where people treat that power like it's free in a sales pitch with budget numbers. Also, not a fan of the people who claim that charging takes the same time as a normal fill-up...you are stopping three times as often, compare apples to apples. I don't know. I want change in favor of the environment, but dishonest tactics always get under my skin. Just be honest.

My ex-husband had a Chevy Volt, which was nice. It was fully electric, but it had a small gas tank to run the gas-powered generator. The generator would slowly recharge the battery, resulting in a range of some 400 miles between plug-ins.

Otherwise, running purely off an overnight plug-in would yield about 40 miles of distance (less as the battery aged).

Goto next topic

You must register and log in to be able to participate in this discussion.