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Tesla

Old 10-30-2019, 12:14 PM
  #11  
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Originally Posted by Tjamaica View Post
I've been interested in a 3 for a little while now. For those driving it, what kind of range is realistic? I have a 325 mile round trip commute that is all interstate with a super charging station at the half way point. Also, I assume the battery will drain a little while it sits in the employee parking lot... if so, how much?
I would personally look for a used model with free unlimited supercharging grandfathered in for your situation.
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Old 10-30-2019, 02:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Name User View Post
I would personally look for a used model with free unlimited supercharging grandfathered in for your situation.
Pretty sure all the M3s came along after free supercharging for life ended.
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Old 10-31-2019, 10:37 AM
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Originally Posted by rickair7777 View Post
Any idea what it's reliable max range is (vice theoretical max on new smooth level pavement on a standard day @ 55 mph)?
I don’t have a Tesla but from experience with other EVs I’d subtract about 40% for worst case scenarios...those being freezing temps, using lots of heat, precipitation. Another big factor is how you drive - heavy acceleration, sustained high speed (over ~75 mpg), etc., really seems to really draw the battery down.

On the other hand, favorable conditions - warm temps, driving on back country roads (~40mph), etc - can extend advertised range significantly (~30%).
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Old 10-31-2019, 11:16 AM
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Originally Posted by gatorbird View Post
Pretty sure all the M3s came along after free supercharging for life ended.
Yes they did, ergo don't buy a M3.... Which is why I wrote "look for a used model" that offers it .

So let's say you have to buy electricity to charge your Tesla, and you pay the average $0.12 kWh to do so (just for numbers).

A M3 gets 4 miles per kWh best case, or for his 325 mile drive would cost about $10.

A car getting 40 mpg like a Chevy Cruze or similar with gas at $2.50/gal would cost around $20.

In other words, if he's doing this four times a month, paying for electricity at normal rates (not supercharger rates which are much higher, around $0.25 per kWh which is double the median household rate) would only save $40/month best case. And he's already going to have to use a supercharger at least somewhat, so that cuts it down even more.

IOW, the cost savings isn't really tremendous compared to another commuter car...and you're putting a ton of miles on your $50k electric car and depreciating the battery like a bat outta hell.
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Old 10-31-2019, 11:28 AM
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Getting some good info on here, hope more people chime in...


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Old 10-31-2019, 03:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Gators View Post
Getting some good info on here, hope more people chime in...


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If you want a Tesla for self driving check out the website www.comma.ai. They have a $600 add on that turns some specific cars into self driving (some will be more limited than others due to hardware constraints). No need to spend so much on a commuter car (some models work on 2016 and above) but you can have the safety feature for long highway drives or stop and go traffic.
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Old 11-01-2019, 05:45 PM
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Check the various a Tesla forums. I am a big fan of the concept of the cars. Reliability and customer support have been terrible. It can take days or weeks for them to respond to non running cars. A friends car spent over half its time the first year unusable. He finally dumped it after giving up on trying to get Tesla to do the right thing and buy it back.
I think the model 3 is brilliant. A brilliant non working car however is just a Yugo called another name.
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Old 11-02-2019, 01:45 AM
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Originally Posted by sailingfun View Post
Check the various a Tesla forums. I am a big fan of the concept of the cars. Reliability and customer support have been terrible. It can take days or weeks for them to respond to non running cars. A friends car spent over half its time the first year unusable. He finally dumped it after giving up on trying to get Tesla to do the right thing and buy it back.
I think the model 3 is brilliant. A brilliant non working car however is just a Yugo called another name.
What was the matter with his car? I can get a hold of someone immediately and if not I get called back withing an hour so your days/weeks is completely B.S.

The model 3 is selling at a rate of around 100,000 a quarter if there was any major problems they would be well known by now.
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Old 11-02-2019, 07:57 AM
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This article suggests they sold so many cars that service fell behind:

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2...e-battery.html
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Old 11-02-2019, 11:57 AM
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Any PA to jfk Tesla drivers?
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