Thoughts about Tesla vehicles?
 

Anybody own a Tesla vehicle? I just started working for Tesla and was wondering if people see them around in their area. I myself living right down the road from the plant see them everywhere.

Would you consider buying an S, 3, or X? I understand their expensive but maybe this company is pushing the all electric vehicle forward.

I have a Model S. I love it. I use auto pilot everyday. Smooth ride and alot of fun when you hit the gas - no shifting - it just goes.

I wouldn't get the Model 3 if you are a big dude. They seem to be quite small. The Model S in contrast is such a huge car, it's a tad to big IMO. Barely fits in my garage or parking spaces.

They're all over the place in Colorado. Friend of mine has a Model S and loves it. I'd be interested in a Model 3 if they were selling them at $35k without a wait list, but I was impatient and went with a Nissan Leaf instead.

Despite the supercharger network, I think it would be hard to truly be a household with only an electric car, but having one for your daily driver and a gas car for road trips is fantastic.

You will be lucky to get a Model 3 for $35,000. They claim that is the base - but you pretty much have to add $15,000 - $20,000 of options. You really can't even get one for less than $50,000. And if you are going to shell out that kind of coin - just get the Model S - plus you get free supercharging with an S or X.

I'm still kind of bitter about the Model 3 - I feel it devalues the Model S - or at least people perceive the Model 3 and Model S to be the same - and they are far from it.

It is a bit of a pain if you take long trips often - but I like to take alot of frequent stops to get food, stretch my legs and to buy a drink. Before you know it it's all charged and ready to go. Some people are even getting 500 miles of charge an hour with new models at superchargers.

I've seen quite a few in the KC area

I don't know how you spend that much coin on a electric car

How far do they go on a charge

They're certainly not for me - but if someone likes them - more power to them.

You can get up to 315 miles of charge - but it depends how big of a battery you choose to purchase. The nature of electric vehicles is helpful in reducing the cost of ownership. No oil changes, virtually no brake pad changes because of the regenerative braking. If the motor fails - Tesla will get you a new one for no cost. Their service center has been top notch so far in my experience so far.

315 is a longer range than I expected. I see once and a while when there is a disaster Telsa releases an update to extend range so there is probably some enhancements that could be made.

Do they charge quick, seems like the charging stations are getting more and more popular

I didn't think about the TCO but that makes sense now that you mention it

Somewhere between 225-350 miles, depending on the model and options.

But the thing is, everyone focuses on this, but for 99% of the miles people drive, it really doesn't matter. Our Nissan Leaf gets 150 miles on a charge. You know how many times I've had to charge it anywhere except for home? Zero. My wife has a 20-mile (one-way commute). We plug it in every other day, and that's it. And while it's not a Tesla, the instant torque is still plenty enough to make it more fun to drive than any gas car I've ever owned.

There is a very reasonable argument that you'd be better off just renting a gas car for long road trips and using an e-car for everything else, but even that ignores the fact that you can get just about anywhere in a Tesla as long as you're OK with stopping for a bit every few hours (which most people do anyway, albeit with fewer restrictions.

I think their experimental semi truck is pretty cool

FAX

For those of you who are in the market to buy a car in 2-4 years, the other thing to consider is that battery technology has been getting a little bit better every year. There's an enormous amount of R&D going on for e-cars in general, and batteries in particular. In a few years, it's not unlikely that we'll have e-cars that can go further than gas cars between charges.

I’m in the market for a couple of cars to replace my wife’s extremely reliable Honda and my equally reliable Toyota. I have little doubt we’ll replace them with a Honda and a Toyota. It’ll take at least another decade of performance data before I’d consider a Tesla.

My next door neighbors have had a Tesla for a few years. They love it.

I see them occasionally and they seem to be fine. I do, however, have one question. I get the idea that they claim to be good for the environment (electric and all) but here is the question: WHen the batteries FINALLY give out (and they will) do they go into a land fill?

Not being a smart ass here - just curious.

Less than 10% battery degradation over 160,000 miles.

https://electrek.co/2018/04/14/tesla...radation-data/