Worth a watch:

Many positive duties I can imagine future robots doing.....but I still worry about their potential uses for evil. We humans always seem to arrive at the dark side eventually.

^ Yup.  The robots kinda remind me of the Attack of the Clones.  Could be designed and programmed for good -> but what about if for evil.  That is the dilemma.  Would be kinda scary facing one of those.  Even if bolstered with a little hand gun.

Our son recently drove from TO to Bos to NYC to Wash DC then over to Chi then down to Salt Lake then SF back up the coast.  In a friend's Crosstrek.  Trip went w/o a hitch and no worry about lengthy recharge sessions.  No worries at all about getting gas.  Anywhere.  Could go off on side trips with no concerns about fueling up or how long they would have to wait before topping up.  They had a blast.

To me something like the Prius or Ioniq or Volt or whatever makes a lot of sense if they made them handle and drive better.  Full time AWD would be a nice add-on as well.  But like everything.  Different strokes.  Subaru had one for 2016 but says one should be available again in the future.  Unfortunately no stick version planned. 

https://www.subaru.ca/WebPage.aspx?WebPageID=20462

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/subaru-impreza-sport-hybrid-photos-details-specs/

When it becomes possible to digitize the human experience it will be cool to occupy the future incarnations of these devices.  It is interesting to think that the teleportation of Sci-Fi (relocating the body) won't be needed.  We only need to move the digits and we already have an internet.  No Beam me up required.  Occupy any device at any location.  Enter the race not as the driver but as the auto.  Now we experience the digital world through intermediary devices, but those are getting closer by the day.  Monitors to VR glasses and the early stages of sensor implant / direct visual input.  Audio moving from speakers/headphones to implants to implant/direct neural interaction, touch simulation, etc. 

We already have incredible sensors for all of the human senses and many more that can digitize the details of our surroundings.  But these are still primarily relayed to us through our human sense apparatus (eyes, ears, etc.).  One step is moving beyond that and going directly from sensor to brain.  Another step is digitizing/offloading the functions of the brain to alternate equipment.

We may not yet have surfed our best waves

According to 2018 CR the Tesla was 94% would buy again.  Then the Vette next at 91%.  911 was at 88%.  The Compass was 42% and Patriot 50%.

Overall based on average reliability score Toyota was #1.  Porsche #13 Chevy #18 Jeep #20 Tesla #21.

But here is another take on these numbers from a few years ago.

"These are very different kinds of vehicles, but with one big thing in common: None of them are especially big sellers. That's because they're all niche products that sell to ardent fans, the kind of folks who will tell you that they'd hate to be driving anything else. Mainstream models don't score quite as high because their buyers aren't as emotionally invested in them."

https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/12/09/why-tesla-motors-high-customer-satisfaction-rating.aspx

Wrong data for how well people are doing as drivers. It's tough to get at reportable accident data, the feds focus on death rate, which is a measure of a lot of factors like vehicle safety, trauma center and EMT performance, advances in medical science, etc. I can't find data for general accident trends, but I see no mechanism for the population being better at driving. Driver education in the USA is a sad joke. Cars handle a lot better, tires are much better, and ABS and other automated braking systems help a lot. A minivan is good competition for a 60's race car. Despite all that the fatality rate is increasing over the last two years. I wouldn't be surprised to find people consuming all or most of the safety margins. Spend a day on a Massachusetts or California freeway when it's not slowed by congestion and see what you think. My assessment is that people are fucking insane and couldn't suck any worse at driving or be any more self-centered in their habits and choices. Being put at risk by some soccer mom in a 5800-pound Suburban driving twenty miles over the speed limit while applying makeup and texting is a convincing experience.

As to the fanboy aspect, I can't speak for other people, but my interest and appreciation for electric vehicles comes from owning them. I considered them a low performance, relatively uninteresting and immature technology with intrinsic limitations in stored energy density and weight that would always limit their performance--until a racing friend brought his Tesla to the track at Pacific raceways. He offered to let Diane try it because she was considering a replacement for her aging (14 years old) Boxster, but she opted instead for a ride with him driving. I sat in the back. I was astonished at the acceleration and agility, and this was an old 60KWH. The more I learned, the more impressed I was with the technology. Diane simply liked it. I encouraged her to get the highest performance version available, Which compared to current models is a very low spec P85+ with 470HP, My appreciation of that and the volt is experiential, I was initially biased against both of them.

I've never met a Tesla owner that didn't recount their first experience being a test drive that left them astounded. Several of our friends have become Tesla owners after driving Diane's. None of them initially expressed interest in the car as a potential future purchase.  I doubt the conclusion of that facile statement. How did the people buying Teslas become ardent fans? They just love batteries? Standing the satisfaction figure on its head to explain away why 100,000 people love their cars is just bullshit.

For those waiting in line for the model 3. Tesla has reconfigured their assembly line to eliminate the bottlenecks and have notified the first batch of customers that they can specify their car configuration for delivery. I would have expected more people would pull their deposits when it became clear that anyone after spot #100,000 would be at risk of losing the $7500 USA tax credit, but Tesla claims deposits are still increasing. The big surprise to me is that they've cleared most of the Model X deposits and sold nearly as many Model X in the last quarter as Model X. I think the model X is butt ugly, and the stupid doors make it useless for me. An SUV that can't carry a downwind board? No thanks. Pisses me off.

Anything much over 300 HP is excessive from my perspective.  Really 150 HP is ok for most.  Not overly fun but should be more safe for crap drivers.

If Level 5 autonomous -> not exceeding the posted speed limit will be the norm.  So not much need for excessive HP and quick 0-100 mph times.  Will be a vanilla ride at vanilla speeds.  Safe.  Real safe.

By then will be old.  So should be ok with that.  Hmm?  But maybe not.