EV Archives - Evoto

Mar 01

TESLA TIDBITS – DID YOU KNOW?

By Evoto Rentals Model 3, Technology, Tesla

Here are some fascinating facts that we were shocked to discover most people are not aware of when talking about Tesla. Did you know about all these interesting tidbits?

Model S P100D is the fastest production sedan on the planet
It goes 0 to 60 mph or 0 to 100 km/h in 2.2 seconds
It stops from 60 mph to 0 or 100 km/h to 0 in the same time
This makes it the only production sedan in the world that stops as fast as it gets to 100 kmh
It does a 1/4 mile in 10.5 seconds
Its top speed is 155 mph or 250 km/h
The launch control (Ludicrous mode) actually creates 1.4 G-force!
Jumping out of a plane in free fall creates 1G and launching a La Ferrari or P1 Maclaren creates 1.2 G’s
The Model S is the safest vehicle ever tested and it actually broke NHTSA’s testing machines
The Model X is the safest SUV ever tested and it was near impossible to make it roll over
This is due to the large ‘crumple zone’ in the front due to the lack of an engine, the low centre of gravity due to the battery on the bottom, the lowest drag coefficient of any vehicle making it near impossible to flip and the perfect weight distribution that is also achievable due to the lack of a heavy engine in the front or back of other cars. The battery base also acts as a large absorber to any hits from the sides

Tesla started in 2004
Their first car was the Tesla Roadster launched in 2008
Their second car was the Tesla Model S launched in 2012
Their third car was the Tesla Model X launched in 2015
Their latest car is the Tesla Model 3 which got the most reservations or preorders of any product in human history. This was before it was even revealed
Their future sports car, the Tesla Roadster 2.0 will be the fastest car on the planet doing 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds!
Tesla is now a Fortune 500 company (no. 383 to be exact)
Tesla dethroned BMW to become the 4th largest car manufacturer by market cap near the end of 2018 (Toyota, Daimler, VW are the top 3)

Most people are not aware of these facts. If you didn’t know, now you do. Get ready for a future of Tesla Everything. You have been warned. . .

Evoto Rentals is the evolution of the car rental industry. We offer EV rentals; mainly Tesla rentals, through a seamless & quick online booking solution.

We are a team of Tesla enthusiasts & EV evangelists committed to a clean, eco-friendly future with sustainable transport & clean energy. Experience the advanced tech of a quiet, safe & comfortable ride in a luxury all electric Tesla today at www.evoto.ca

Mar 01

Love0

THE PROBLEM WITH THE 35K STANDARD MODEL 3

By Evoto Rentals Model 3, Technology, Tesla

Most automobile manufacturers from Toyota to BMW have an entry level car. Their strategy is to get you into their eco system so you stay with them as you grow. Whether you get a larger family, or land a promotion, they expect you to upgrade. In the BMW example, you can start with the 3 series, move into the 5 series or X series SUV if you have a family. You can then aspire to a more sporty vehicle like the M3, M5, the 4 series or the 6 series. Towards your retirement, you can end up with the large 7 series.

I can understand Tesla is trying to offer an entry level sedan at 35K (where the average car in the US is 37K) for similar reasons. This vehicle will appear to the average consumer and will act as an entry into the Tesla brand and ecosystem. As you grow, you can always upgrade to a larger battery, faster Model 3 or even jump to a Model S or Model X as your family grows.

However, in the BMW example, the faster more expensive cars of one model are highly differentiated from their entry level counterpart. The BMW M3 looks very distinct from the regular BMW 3 series. And herein lies the problem with the Tesla Model 3 . A fully decked out Performance Model 3 will cost 69,500 USD excluding taxes. That is nearly double the entry level Model 3 yet there is no spoiler, wing or badging to show the difference.

I believe the 35K Model 3 is a great addition to the Tesla line up. But I wonder how many Performance Model 3 owners will feel knowing that they are paying double for aesthetically the same looking car with no differentiation.

Disclaimer: Evoto does not own any Performance Model 3’s but all our Tesla’s are dual motor for maximum safety during Canada’s harsh winters. Our Model 3’s are Long Range fully loaded Dual motor Model 3’s.

Fév 28

Love0

HOW OUR TESLA WAS STOLEN IN CANADA, SHIPPED ACROSS THE WORLD AND WE GOT IT BACK

By Evoto Rentals Clean Energy, Technology, Tesla

A while ago, a renter used a fake id and burner cell phone to rent a Tesla from us. They paid using a prepaid credit card for a long rental. But they had other plans.

They took the car to a crater / container packaging & shipping company to have it packed in a container to ship to the Middle East.

Our rental cars are set up in a way where no one can disable the remote monitoring. So we were able to track the car to the shipping company.
Following the paperwork, we were able to uncover the destination of where our Tesla was heading and the container & ship it was on.

We got suspicious when the rented car was at that location for a few days without movement.

The Tesla app locator helped us get a warrant to search the place
We involved the local police and went to seize the car but we had just missed them and the car was on a ship to the Middle East. The ship literally had just sailed.

Our management and lawyers then involved RCMP and INTERPOL (not an easy task) and the container was seized in Italy and shipped back to us.
Of course this was after lots of lawyer work and paperwork across the ocean, but our Tesla came back in one piece.

We are not sure why car thieves think they can steal a GPS enabled Tesla and ship it to another country where Tesla can disable supercharging and other features of the car making it obsolete.

Toronto and Montreal have also had record high car thefts and what is referred to as friendly fraud (renting a car under false pretence) in the past few years due to the close access to the Montreal port for shipping as well as minimal repercussions of the crime. There is also a political tug of war between the border authorities and local authorities over who needs to manage this, as well as a lack of funding & time to scan each container but that is a whole other story.
Source: Border officers frustrated at inaction over stolen cars being exported through Montreal

(The stolen Tesla was put with another ICE car in a container designated to carry scrap metal). In the end, we would like to thank Tesla Montreal, Tesla California, our lawyers in Canada & Italy, SPVM, RCMP, Italian police & INTERPOL for helping us get our Tesla back.

I guess the record remains great at 113 out of 116 stolen Teslas retrieved! Source: Stolen Tesla vehicles in the US have almost all been recovered: 112 out of 115

Today we run background checks on every customer & have a second GPS tracking system on our fleet of all Tesla models; S, X and 3

Août 27

Love0

How the Tesla Model 3 will revolutionize the car industry

By Evoto Rentals Model 3, Technology, Tesla

Most people think of Tesla as a luxury brand catering to the high end luxury car market, and they are correct. . . for now. Tesla is currently competing with the Mercedes S class with its Tesla Model S and the BMW X5 (and possibly) the BMW X6 with their Tesla Model X.

However, most people seem to forget that Elon Musk’s dream has always been to build an affordable electric car priced for mass market production but with compelling range, style & brand equity. Tesla’s head of engineering; Doug Field said:

“Everything in the car is designed to be assembled very easily. Automation and robots are a big part of it, so that we can make very high volumes in a relatively small factory” — Doug Field, Tesla Engineering

The Tesla Model 3 will compete with the likes of the BMW 3 series, Audi’s A4 and the Mercedes C Class. This makes it an aspirational entry level car to get into the Tesla brand. If we consider that the average price of a new vehicle in the US is about $33,000 USD, Elon priced his car with a slight “Tesla Premium” at a starting price of 35,000 USD. It is easier to make, has a better supply chain and expanded mobile service

If you compare Tesla to Apple, the Model 3 is more like the iPhone SE . Its simpler and more affordable than a Model S, but it doesn’t mean it will be cheap or slow.

The reason the Model 3 is a turning point that will shake the automobile industry is because the highly nimble / automated factory, production line, supply chain and all the work behind the scenes will prove to them that Tesla is truly a major player capable of mass market efficient production. Delivering on the Model 3 will prove Tesla is no longer a niche brand for a niche market, but rather a true contender with a 100% electric car gone mainstream.

“Some people don’t like change, but you need to embrace change if the alternative is disaster” — Elon Musk

Most skeptics will continue to dismiss Tesla and the 100% electric car. However, just as Ford’s Model T was the cause for the dynamic shift from the horse drawn carriage to the ICE (internal combustion engine car) back in 1913, Tesla’s Model 3 will be the catalyst for change that propels electric vehicles into the mainstream.

It turns out, most people — regardless of their feelings (or lack thereof) for the environment — will almost always overlook the higher upfront cost of anything in favour of a more lower running cost. This is because it makes selfish economic sense and translates into huge savings over the long run. The secret for most consumers lies in the lifetime savings they stand to save from the decrease of those on-going running cost as well as the added value they stand to gain from the new technology . Horses in this example had huge running costs. They had to be cared for, fed, groomed, cleaned, kept in stables not to mention the inconvenience of dealing with their manure. That was why people transitioned from the horse and that is why people will transition to electric cars, with the affordable Model 3.

If we add to this the decreasing cost of batteries, the increasing range of said batteries and the improving speed of charge time; we get get a revolution of electric vehicles powered by the catalyst that is the Tesla Model 3