Tesla - Any owners?

GATraveller

I'm on the list for a Cybertruck whenever they start delivering. Right now they're saying 2022.

SonVolt

Has Elon confirmed how much the Cybertruck is going to be when it hits? 

Ozzie_Isaac

Drive a Model 3 dual motor, stupid fast, pretty futiristic layout.  Felt like a bonkers video game set on easy mode with auto braking.

Model Y - like the model 3 but more room and much heavier feel.  Liked the extra room

Model S - Premium feel, loved the center screen, steering wheel, and still had identifiable car things like knobs, vents, handles, etc.  Felt planted and fun.

Audi Etron - looked beautiful like all Audis, but ~200 mile range and cannot use Tesla charging stations is a no go.  

Drove a Q8 too ... She lovesd the Q8, but it missed the whole point of the adventure today.

GATraveller

SonVolt said:

Has Elon confirmed how much the Cybertruck is going to be when it hits? 

Nothing new other than the initial quote of $50k for the dual motor AWD and additional $10k for full self driving. Self driving is optional but why would you get one without it? 

Gulfcoastguy

GATraveller said:

SonVolt said:

Has Elon confirmed how much the Cybertruck is going to be when it hits? 

Nothing new other than the initial quote of $50k for the dual motor AWD and additional $10k for full self driving. Self driving is optional but why would you get one without it? 

$10,000.00

Wolfpack

Fun to drive and honestly liked them more than I expected. The one down side I have heard- people complain about parts availability and heaven forbid if you wreck it I have heard some nightmare stories trying to get it repaired. But, this may have been much earlier in the launch- there are enough of them around now that I suspect this has been resolved. 

And yes- 0-60 in under 3 seconds will take your breath away and push you through the seat

Botch

Ozzie_Isaac said:

Audi Etron - looked beautiful like all Audis, but ~200 mile range and cannot use Tesla charging stations is a no go.  

So, do all electric vehicle manufacturers use their own proprietary charging stations?  If so,  we screwed up, badly, by not standardizing up-front.      

JohnInCarolina

GATraveller said:

SonVolt said:

Has Elon confirmed how much the Cybertruck is going to be when it hits? 

Nothing new other than the initial quote of $50k for the dual motor AWD and additional $10k for full self driving. Self driving is optional but why would you get one without it? 

Because it’s not actually fully safe to use yet in full autonomy mode.  You still have to pay attention to what the car is doing, less it literally drive you under an 18-wheeler it didn’t see on its radar.

To me what’s most useful in this area are things like adaptive cruise control and autonomous braking.  If you can only get those with the $10k, then I’d probably pay for it.   But otherwise what we’re talking about here is a feature you may not actually use that much, at least not for a couple of years.  I don’t know, I’d be curious to hear what current owners have to say - if it’s something they use all the time or if it’s mostly just a cool feature to show off to friends at the moment.

Gulfcoastguy

Botch said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

Audi Etron - looked beautiful like all Audis, but ~200 mile range and cannot use Tesla charging stations is a no go.  

So, do all electric vehicle manufacturers use their own proprietary charging stations?  If so,  we screwed up, badly, by not standardizing up-front.      

Basically 2 charging methods, Tesla Superchargers and CCS. There is also Chademo but no new vehicles are using it.

stlcharcoal

Botch said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

Audi Etron - looked beautiful like all Audis, but ~200 mile range and cannot use Tesla charging stations is a no go.  

So, do all electric vehicle manufacturers use their own proprietary charging stations?  If so,  we screwed up, badly, by not standardizing up-front.      

There are charging stations all over the place and the Tesla comes with all the adapters in a bag including a standard wall outlet.  I believe most of the charging stations you see are 220V.  They have a variety of plugs or have a standard for an adapter.  Some are free, some are pay kw, some are free if you're staying/eating/shopping at that location, etc.  Tesla maps them all.

The Tesla Superchargers are the ones unique to that car.....they are 480V are fitting of their name.  110V takes days, standard 220V is usually an overnight charge, but with Tesla's home installed 220V one it speeds it up.  The Supercharger can take it from 20-80% in under an hour.

Botch

Gulfcoastguy said:

Botch said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

Audi Etron - looked beautiful like all Audis, but ~200 mile range and cannot use Tesla charging stations is a no go.  

So, do all electric vehicle manufacturers use their own proprietary charging stations?  If so,  we screwed up, badly, by not standardizing up-front.      

Basically 2 charging methods, Tesla Superchargers and CCS. There is also Chademo but no new vehicles are using it.

Thanks, that's not quite so bad.  I was envisioning a "filling" station with a Tesla pump, a GM pump, an Audi pump, a Chevy pump, etc.  

JohnInCarolina

There is a new player in the e-vehicle space, a Chinese company whose name I just can’t recall right now.  But what’s interesting is their mode of operation with the batteries.  They have set up “battery swap” stations where you can pay a premium to quickly have your near-dead battery swapped out for a fully recharged one.  You can also recharge it at home the normal way at a much lower cost if that’s what you prefer.  It will be interesting to see if the US market doesn’t evolve in this direction.

Eoin

Botch said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

Audi Etron - looked beautiful like all Audis, but ~200 mile range and cannot use Tesla charging stations is a no go.  

So, do all electric vehicle manufacturers use their own proprietary charging stations?  If so,  we screwed up, badly, by not standardizing up-front.      

I think the US also has a standardised charging plug, as we do in Europe. Most 'rapid' chargers here are 50 kW. Because the roll out is private (subsidised, but the good old free market), chargers are often single units in oddball places and frequently don't work either. On the motorway, they gave an exclusive contract to one company years ago - 2 old chargers at each main service area is a joke. So, you make a long trip and have to plan for 2 or 3 backup charge options. You can mix and match - occupied, broken, petrol car parked in the charge spot, no comms etc. If you knew a working charger was available (i.e. sufficient well maintained units grouped together), long distance EV travel would be OK, but it isn't.

Tesla have their own infrastructure. At a motorway services, there are 2 chargers for everyone to share, old 36 kW units. On the other side of the car park you can usually find 16 100 kW+ Tesla chargers!  You plug in, it knows the car and you get the bill. They have steep fees for overstays, so you charge and get out of the way. Their chargers are fast, and as they update firmware and chargers, the cars can be upgraded remotely. My BMW has out of date charge locations, no discrimination between fast and slow chargers and even shows petrol stations! Basically useless.

So here, Tesla is the only sensible option for hassle free long distance EV travel, which is a ridiculous situation when sales of new petrol cars are supposed to be phased out by 2030. It's going to be a painful transition.

I love my i3s, by the way, but the infrastructure isn't in place to make it properly useable yet.

Langner91

Ozzie_Isaac said:

My better half is test driving a Tesla today.  She isn't sold on them, but is toying with the idea.

Anyone here have one, or experience with one?  She drives around 20k miles a year and pretty much lives in her cars.

Ozzie_Isaac said:

One other reason my wife is looking at Teslas is she currently spends ~600 a month in fuel, if gas continues to rise, just the savings in gas would cover a good portion of the car cost.  Her fuel costs have gone up 35% since January, same mileage.

Something doesn't add up here.  20,000 miles per year, in a very inefficient 10MPG car is 2000 gallons of fuel a year.  Most cars are closer to 30, but let's just say 10.

2000 gallons of fuel a year at $3 a gallon is $6000 per year.  Divided by 12 is $500 per month.  Gas isn't $3 here, but I don't know how much it is in other places right now.

You could trade her 10MPG car in on a 30 MPG Accord and save more.  I doubt her car gets 10MPG.

I firmly believe spending extra on hybrids, plug ins, etc. to "save money on gas" is the same as buying a Traeger to save money on Lump.  But, maybe I am reading your posts wrong.

stlcharcoal

Langner91 said:

2000 gallons of fuel a year at $3 a gallon is $6000 per year.  Divided by 12 is $500 per month.  Gas isn't $3 here, but I don't know how much it is in other places right now.

You could trade her 10MPG car in on a 30 MPG Accord and save more.  I doubt her car gets 10MPG.

I firmly believe spending extra on hybrids, plug ins, etc. to "save money on gas" is the same as buying a Traeger to save money on Lump.  But, maybe I am reading your posts wrong.

Yeah I did the same math.  You're prepaying for the fuel savings, but it never catches up unless gas goes through the roof.  I use that same analogy when people talk about buying a second smaller BGE to save on lump.  It will never pay for itself, but it's a nice excuse to buy what you want.

Kind of same deal on my e85 compatible Ford SUVs over the years.  e85 needs to be at least 25% cheaper to even break even with the amount of MPG I lose.  Regardless what they say, my mileage drops about 20-30% on e85, the engine surges at idle in hot weather, and I lose torque when towing.  So, I would only pay extra for a e85 vehicle just for the better fittings, o-rings, etc to combat the wear from the 15% ethanol they put in the fuels here in Missouri.

Eoin

Langner91 said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

My better half is test driving a Tesla today.  She isn't sold on them, but is toying with the idea.

Anyone here have one, or experience with one?  She drives around 20k miles a year and pretty much lives in her cars.

Ozzie_Isaac said:

One other reason my wife is looking at Teslas is she currently spends ~600 a month in fuel, if gas continues to rise, just the savings in gas would cover a good portion of the car cost.  Her fuel costs have gone up 35% since January, same mileage.

Something doesn't add up here.  20,000 miles per year, in a very inefficient 10MPG car is 2000 gallons of fuel a year.  Most cars are closer to 30, but let's just say 10.

2000 gallons of fuel a year at $3 a gallon is $6000 per year.  Divided by 12 is $500 per month.  Gas isn't $3 here, but I don't know how much it is in other places right now.

You could trade her 10MPG car in on a 30 MPG Accord and save more.  I doubt her car gets 10MPG.

I firmly believe spending extra on hybrids, plug ins, etc. to "save money on gas" is the same as buying a Traeger to save money on Lump.  But, maybe I am reading your posts wrong.

At the moment, we get zero benefit in kind tax cost on an EV as a company car in the UK. That means my company EV contract hire is paid out of my gross earnings, not net. The cost to me per month for a fully maintained contract is about the same as I used to pay for petrol each month.

Ozzie_Isaac

Langner91 said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

My better half is test driving a Tesla today.  She isn't sold on them, but is toying with the idea.

Anyone here have one, or experience with one?  She drives around 20k miles a year and pretty much lives in her cars.

Ozzie_Isaac said:

One other reason my wife is looking at Teslas is she currently spends ~600 a month in fuel, if gas continues to rise, just the savings in gas would cover a good portion of the car cost.  Her fuel costs have gone up 35% since January, same mileage.

Something doesn't add up here.  20,000 miles per year, in a very inefficient 10MPG car is 2000 gallons of fuel a year.  Most cars are closer to 30, but let's just say 10.

2000 gallons of fuel a year at $3 a gallon is $6000 per year.  Divided by 12 is $500 per month.  Gas isn't $3 here, but I don't know how much it is in other places right now.

You could trade her 10MPG car in on a 30 MPG Accord and save more.  I doubt her car gets 10MPG.

I firmly believe spending extra on hybrids, plug ins, etc. to "save money on gas" is the same as buying a Traeger to save money on Lump.  But, maybe I am reading your posts wrong.

She currently drives a 2019 4Runner that averages 13 mpg with her usage style (idles a lot). Fuel is $3/gallon here, and 20k was a ballpark, She has done 25k the last two years
This week she filled up 3 times with average cost of $60 (23 gallon tank, but she does not run it dry).

You are correct though, ~$600 may have been high and based on a small sample.  Over a 2 year range and using $3/gallon $480 would have been a more accurate estimate.  Point is still the same, factor in no oil changes (I change her oil every 5k miles due to idling, even though Toyota says 10k is fine), and no fuel cost, there is substantial savings.  As gas continues to rise it will just swing more in her favor.

Also, not trading in her car to save gas.  She is getting a new car whether it is a Tesla, an Audi, or my hope a Jeep GC Summit.  Her thought was a car around $65k, the stretch to $100k when removing monthly fuel/oil is not as crazy as it sounds.

Gulfcoastguy

I would like to recommend insideevs.com for anyone who wants to do research.

Ozzie_Isaac

Gulfcoastguy said:

I would like to recommend insideevs.com for anyone who wants to do research.

Thank you!  I will check it out and look for your handle.

JohnInCarolina

If the primary goal is savings, seems to me you’re looking at used Nissan Leafs or something like that.  

Ozzie_Isaac

JohnInCarolina said:

If the primary goal is savings, seems to me you’re looking at used Nissan Leafs or something like that.  

Lol!  No the goal is not savings.  If it were me, I would keep the 4Runner. It looks nice, will last 4ever, and is reasonably comfortable.

This is a disagreement that comes up every 2 years and I have learned to live with.  She likes new cars and since most her waking hours are spent in it, I do not argue.

Savings are my mental justification.  Her requirements are style, comfort, technology, and reliability a distant 4th.

My requirements are functionality and reliability.  I think I have the only 2018 truck that came without bluetooth.  I keep my cars for 5-10 years.  Only reason I got the truck was so I could haul a larger horse trailer safely.

JohnInCarolina

@Ozzie_Isaac - yeah, my comment was just in general, not so much in response to your own objectives here.

Eoin

JohnInCarolina said:

If the primary goal is savings, seems to me you’re looking at used Nissan Leafs or something like that.  

Some battery issues as they aren't actively cooled.

stlcharcoal

Ozzie_Isaac said:

Lol!  No the goal is not savings.  If it were me, I would keep the 4Runner. It looks nice, will last 4ever, and is reasonably comfortable.

This is a disagreement that comes up every 2 years and I have learned to live with.  She likes new cars and since most her waking hours are spent in it, I do not argue.

So tell her even though "it looks nice, will last 4ever, and is reasonably comfortable" you want a new wife every 2 yrs since you want to spend every waking hour in.........never mind, don't do that, not going to save you money in the long run.

Ozzie_Isaac

stlcharcoal said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

Lol!  No the goal is not savings.  If it were me, I would keep the 4Runner. It looks nice, will last 4ever, and is reasonably comfortable.

This is a disagreement that comes up every 2 years and I have learned to live with.  She likes new cars and since most her waking hours are spent in it, I do not argue.

So tell her even though "it looks nice, will last 4ever, and is reasonably comfortable" you want a new wife every 2 yrs since you want to spend every waking hour in.........never mind, don't do that, not going to save you money in the long run.

Haha!  Now I have to keep that thought inside during the next conversation about cars. You may have just gotten me murdered.

dbCooper

I have direct experience (not as an owner) with hybrid vehicles, none with full on EV's.  A point I've wondered about is passenger climate controls, heat in winter, a/c in summer.  How much does their usage impact the range between charges?

Ozzie_Isaac

dbCooper said:

I have direct experience (not as an owner) with hybrid vehicles, none with full on EV's.  A point I've wondered about is passenger climate controls, heat in winter, a/c in summer.  How much does their usage impact the range between charges?

Heat in the winter, Tesla rep said 10% mileage for all night when in "camping mode".

Eoin

dbCooper said:

I have direct experience (not as an owner) with hybrid vehicles, none with full on EV's.  A point I've wondered about is passenger climate controls, heat in winter, a/c in summer.  How much does their usage impact the range between charges?

A lot. Not just in heat. If you're not plugged in, you use power just to get the battery warmed up, then run the heating. Cold air, more density, less range. Head wind, more drag, less range. Wet roads, more drag, less range. Plug a route into abetterrouteplanner at 25C, dry, no wind and then 0C, 20 mph head wind and rain. You'll see the difference.

JohnInCarolina

Eoin said:

JohnInCarolina said:

If the primary goal is savings, seems to me you’re looking at used Nissan Leafs or something like that.  

Some battery issues as they aren't actively cooled.

I wasn't trying to actually recommend the Leaf, just pointing out that there are alternatives to the Tesla on a price point basis.  

WeberWho

I vote a V8 Tesla

https://youtu.be/WcS9Kle816s