Starting a snowpacked ICE from a storm after sitting outside all night is challenging. Even with a block heater. I don't think people realize how hard it is to start ICEs, even in ideal conditions. Electrics don't start, they just go.
once that lubricant reaches a certain temp it is more of a hinderence to the operation of the vehicle. especially if it has carbonized particulate in it. I would say a servo would be much easier to turn than a frozen engine block at any time.
I am pretty sure cheap is only part of his plan to saturate the market with a proprietary technology that all other cars would have to adhere to eventually making elon the ruler of the EV car world. It is clearly obvious elon wants Tesla to be what Steve Jobs wanted Apple to be. I think we will graciously be saved from both of their fascist visions.
When we lived in base housing in Alaska the parking lot for our housing block had electric "hitching posts" with 110 outlets. Engine block heaters were not a luxury. However, one day my dad was walking down the street and saw an Airman apparently heading for the base thrift store. It turned out the young man had an electric cabin heater that he was going to sell. Dad gave him whatever he had in his wallet and for the whole next winter he had the luxury of a car that started first time, every time and didn't have to scrape ice off the windows. No small thing. Living in Idaho's banana belt, I don't have to deal with extreme weather all that often (by my standards) but being able to park in a garage means the car starts first time, every time and I don't have to scrape ice!
'Intentional Misconduct And Gross Negligence': Judge Rules Tesla Knew About Autopilot Defect That Led To Deadly 2019 Crash Robot Lacerations, Machine Explosions, Toxin Exposure: Tesla's Texas Factory Is Reportedly Injuring Workers
One of my daughters texted tonight and said she saw one of these monstrosities on the road today. It even had temporary paper license tags.
Tesla recalls 2 million cars in the US over safety concerns with Autopilot: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-67693935 Edit: apparently, it's an over the air update, but the regulators still call it a recall.