> you need extra power to run the AC because of the sloped windshield
My impression was the the complaint about the sloped windshield was primarily about snow; the air conditioning complaint had more to do with the enormous size. It's a big glass greenhouse.
> "The angled windscreen means [...] cab overheating [...] You can solve it with A/C of course. Which will use even more power, shortening your range."
He is explicitly claiming that the angled windshield will increase power consumption and shorten range. I think it's pretty clear that the opposite is true even in the worst case.
A larger but well insulated cab could have a lower A/C energy cost than a smaller but less well insulated cab.
More air volume doesn't dramatically change the energy footprint when a stable temperature is being held for a long period of time. With sufficient insulation, the main consequence will be greater hysteresis, i.e. bringing the cab to temperature might consume more energy.
What you say is true but I interpreted his complaint as being about the increased sunlight heating up the cab, rather than changes to insulation or air volume.
Melting 2" of accumulated snow from a 2m^2 area would take ~2 kWh which is roughly 1 mile of range or 0.2% of the battery, if my very approximate calculations are correct. Or, exactly 0 miles of range if you are plugged into a charger at the start of your journey.
But I think the original thread is right that you'll need to manually clean ice and snow off the windshield which, unlike the AC thing, definitely seems like a legitimate complaint against sloped windshields (though I have no personal experience on this point).
You have never seen much snow if you think it can be removed by heat from inside the cab! You would need a shovel and a broom or a cab heated up at least hours before the ride. Not everywhere is cali.
Well I live in a country where it snows and have been with a Tesla in the mountains when it snowed. It takes only a little while and the snow easily falls off as soon as it's not freezed to the glass. At most you need to give it a nudge.
Have you tried waiting for the heat from a car to melt snow in a cold place on a regular car with a regular car sized windshield? On a cab like that it'll take hours.
My impression was the the complaint about the sloped windshield was primarily about snow; the air conditioning complaint had more to do with the enormous size. It's a big glass greenhouse.