Comment by SEJeff | Hacker News Reader

Comment by SEJeff | Hacker News Reader

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> You can find a road impassable because EVs almost universally have poor ground clearance.

Define: "poor ground clearance"

Tesla Model 3: 5.2" Tesla Model S: 5-7" (in has a manually adjustable pneumatic suspension) Ford F150: 8-9.5"

You can get bigger wheels for bigger clearances and you can also obviously put snow chains on Teslas as well.

As of September 2023, 11.05% of new vehicle registrations in Colorado were electric. It has a lot of both mountains and snow. It depends on the specific model and how cold, but a Tesla generally speaking can keep the heat on for ~72 hours or so if it is not moving in the cold. I lived in Chicago and survived three polar vortexes (the worst was -22F in front of my house) and my Tesla did just fine.

You are confused if you conflate chains with ground clearance. They are not fungible. If your sole frame of reference is “snow” and cold weather then you don’t understand the problem. 5 inches of ground clearance is a joke in many areas. There is a reason people religiously buy Subarus with almost 9 inches of ground clearance. It isn’t negotiable if you actually understand the problem.

My minimum requirement for ground clearance for many years, and based on real-world experience, is 8 inches. I’ve owned vehicles with less and more, and used all in less than ideal circumstances re: ground clearance. The last time I had a vehicle with ground clearance as low as a Tesla, it wasn’t great for the vehicle, and I have a lot of experience navigating those conditions to minimize damage.

Just because it never has applied to you, clearly, doesn’t mean it isn’t a real problem.

Chains are for snow. They’ve got nothing to do with clearance. You mentioned unplowed roads. If that also includes mountains you tend to use chain.

Get over yourself buddy. The level of arrogance is astounding.

> Chains are for snow. They’ve got nothing to do with clearance.

Yes, and you were the one who mentioned chains in response to clearance issues. GP was asked to provide examples, and did. That's not arrogance.

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