From an insurance standpoint, I'd be hesitant too.
Nothing wrong with the premiums, they aren't any different than other vehicles in that price range. Problem is parts apparently. Huge backorder on some parts that can take several months to get in.
This was on my radar:
They're building a massive factory in China to alleviate this. It's done this year.
There was absolutely a shortage but was more of an issue last year/Q1 this year.
If you're out a vehicle for an extended period, you get a loaner at no cost.
I've always wondered how well Teslas function in a Canadian winter. Like if say you were stuck in snow storm weather on the Deerfoot in -30 degree weather. How long would the car last? Do you have to turn off the heat to conserve electricity, since there's no combustion engine to generate heat anymore? If heat is anything like an electric heater, those things take up a massive amount of power.
What if your car runs out of juice on the highway? Are you screwed, and will just need it towed? I don't think there's a jerry can equivalent to an electric vehicle, is there?
Dude on my beer league hockey team drives a Tesla. He absolutely loves it for his daily drive but bought it more for the cool factor than economics. He did mention that during our cold snap in February his range dropped by about half compared to what he normally could do on a charge. He drove out to Kananaskis Village that weekend and barely made it back to Calgary. But otherwise he loves the vehicle.
I also noticed that some of the rest stops along some BC highways now have charging stations. I don't remember the brand ( ie who is the supplier.)
Heres a question, as I havent been keeping on the real specifics, but doesnt force-charging a battery faster have an impact on the overall life of the battery?
And these things are brand new, what happens when its time to replace the batteries? Whats the cost and procedure on that?
Generally maintenance on these things is going to suck because parts arent everywhere or readily available, but you know that up front. What is the life-cycle of Teslas? How long do they last and do you fix them or just get a new one?
Is there ever going to be any kind of secondary market for them?
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I contemplated going to a full EV with my last purchase as the price of gas was driving me insane in my F150... After doing a bunch of research i decided to dip my toes into the EV waters and I purchased a 2018 Ford Fusion Energi (PHEV). I wasn't enamoured with the looks of a lot of the other PHEV or EV's and didn't mind the look of the Fusion.
I've had the Energi for about 6 months now and I absolutely love it for what it is... my commute to work is around 17kms one way and I can get to and from on a single charge (but i am able to charge at work). Depending on the the weather and what I'm using in the car I get between 30-40kms on a single charge in the summer, winter it was much lower, like 19-25kms. Why i went with the PHEV is due to the fact that if i want to go on a road trip, I still can and being a hybrid it still gets great milage.
In the time i've owned it i've filled it up twice... and I'm at over 7000kms on it now. My electrical is up about $17-20 a month because of the charging.
I'm seriously considering trading my wife's Explorer in on a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
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Heres a question, as I havent been keeping on the real specifics, but doesnt force-charging a battery faster have an impact on the overall life of the battery?
And these things are brand new, what happens when its time to replace the batteries? Whats the cost and procedure on that?
Generally maintenance on these things is going to suck because parts arent everywhere or readily available, but you know that up front. What is the life-cycle of Teslas? How long do they last and do you fix them or just get a new one?
Is there ever going to be any kind of secondary market for them?
Yeah these are good questions:
Force charging: At 240v, it shouldn't have an impact on the long term health on the battery. Charging frequently at the Tesla Superchargers (which are quite a bit faster) will have an impact if you do it every day. Charging to 100% (or 393 km) every day will also degrade the battery long term.
Battery life: My understanding is that the battery is stated to last 300k-500k miles (Powertrain, 500k miles). I guess we'll find out? Replacement cost is $5000-$10000 although the cost is decreasing. Anecdotally, I saw some YouTube video of a Tesla ride-sharing company that drove their Model S 700k+ miles. They replaced their battery twice but they did acknowledge they treated it poorly initially.
Life cycle: I guess we'll find out? My standpoint is that there's so much less moving parts in these things that maintence may be costly but much less frequent (i.e. no transmission flushes, oil changes, basically anything engine-related). I'm comfortable with that. Also, I imagine over a longer period of time more maintence options will be available. My time frame for driving this is 5-10+ years before evaluating a new vehicle.
Secondary market: There's basically zero market for used Teslas in Alberta ATM. Very limited in Canada. So I don't know. This wasn't an issue I investigated as it's a vehicle I intend to own for the mid/long term.
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Tesla can be summed up like this, world class powertrain and infotainment system. 80s/90s Chrysler build quality and coachwork. The fit and finish, and painting is complete rubbish compared to every other manufacturer.
This is the worst FUD I've seen in a long time I closely examined a Model 3 in person the paint was flawless, zero orange peel I would say the quality was right up there with the best I've seen outside exotics that have been through meticulous paint correction. I did not see any panel gap issues or trim misalignment.
Heres a question, as I havent been keeping on the real specifics, but doesnt force-charging a battery faster have an impact on the overall life of the battery?
And these things are brand new, what happens when its time to replace the batteries? Whats the cost and procedure on that?
Generally maintenance on these things is going to suck because parts arent everywhere or readily available, but you know that up front. What is the life-cycle of Teslas? How long do they last and do you fix them or just get a new one?
Is there ever going to be any kind of secondary market for them?
Given my experience with lipo batteries I expected the life to be a real issue, as I killed many of them in 2 years with rapid charging. But apparently Tesla has found on their oldest vehicles most still have over 90% capacity, so I think it is less of a problem than most suspect. I would think if you have a home charger you are only going to fast charge a few times a year for most people on road trips.
Tesla uses a completely different chemistry and software management versus the stuff we have in smartphones and tablets. Those are designed for maximum storage density and are allowed to charge to 100% and discharge to zero. Basically comparing them to the batteries in an EV is not valid.
I've always wondered how well Teslas function in a Canadian winter. Like if say you were stuck in snow storm weather on the Deerfoot in -30 degree weather. How long would the car last? Do you have to turn off the heat to conserve electricity, since there's no combustion engine to generate heat anymore? If heat is anything like an electric heater, those things take up a massive amount of power.
What if your car runs out of juice on the highway? Are you screwed, and will just need it towed? I don't think there's a jerry can equivalent to an electric vehicle, is there?
A friend of mine owns a Model X. I drove with him in it a few times in the winter and he apologized for having to keep the inside so cold. We were driving to Blackfalds from Calgary and had to stop to charge in Red Deer. The cold weather has a massive effect on range, especially if you want to be warm in your car. Electric heat drains the battery significantly.
I like the idea of an EV (motorcycle would be rad, in particular), but to me there's another issue with these vehicles in general. If/when you run out of charge, your calling a tow truck. There's no "run and grab a Jerry can" or anything like that. A friend of mine with a Tesla has had this happen a couple times, and that just sucks! I also know someone with an electric motorcycle and his bike quit on him, and that's it. There's nothing you can do because the whole system shuts down and it's just not moving.
Of course plan A is don't run out of electricity, but things happen. You miscalculated or get delayed or whatever and you're stuck.
I like the idea of an EV (motorcycle would be rad, in particular), but to me there's another issue with these vehicles in general. If/when you run out of charge, your calling a tow truck. There's no "run and grab a Jerry can" or anything like that. A friend of mine with a Tesla has had this happen a couple times, and that just sucks! I also know someone with an electric motorcycle and his bike quit on him, and that's it. There's nothing you can do because the whole system shuts down and it's just not moving.
Of course plan A is don't run out of electricity, but things happen. You miscalculated or get delayed or whatever and you're stuck.
You just get one of those solar trickle-chargers from Canadian Tire.
The power of the Sun will save you!
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I would like to ask for some honest opinions (and maybe user experiences) on owning a Tesla.
Our family is looking to purchase a new vehicle and the idea of a Tesla came across our mind. We are seeing more and more of these EVs on the streets now, and especially on our recent trip to Vancouver and the West Coast. Plus now they finally have some models that are relatively affordable ($50K range compared to $100K+).
Although we think owning a Tesla (the cheaper model 3 or Y that's coming soon) is a great idea because of the "potential savings," the spaceship-like interior, along with the perceived appearance and social status, my in-laws were giving us an earful about "unknown, untested technology" and "what happens if you are stranded in the middle of nowhere with no power" type speeches.
Are any of you CPers Tesla owners? What is your honest opinion about ownership and daily maintenance of the car? Any pros and cons? How's the resale value (I know there aren't any 2nd hand Teslas out there, but what do you think how they hold the value). We have a second car (a sedan) and not really going full-electric right now. But we do want to explore the possibility of getting a Tesla as the main/family car.
Don't cast me as a tree-hugging traitor and tell me to GTFO of Alberta!!
We got our Model S, 3 and a half years ago. Have about 70,000kms on it. It's a great car. My wife loves it. There isn't really any maintenance of the car. You put in washer fluid, change the wipers, and tires when needed. We have winters on rims, so I just do that.
You do need to get a 50amp plug installed. When you charge the car, you should keep the daily charge between 50 and 80% This helps extend the life of the battery. When you plan a road trip, say to Banff or Vancouver or whatever, then you bring it to 100%. If you go to Vancouver, you of course use the supercharger network. As far as charging goes when you aren't home and in a jam, Tesla has the superchargers as well there are a whole bunch or chargers all over the place you can use. Even peoples personal chargers. Download the plugshare app. On there you can see where the different charging stations are in the area you are in. Some car dealerships have chargers, shopping malls, and hotels. The Banff Springs offers EV's free valet parking and they get charged while you are there. We've used that before as well as at the Whitefish lake lodge. When we were in Cochrane we were on plugshare, and offered our charger if we were home for anyone in a jam. We have never been in that situation ourselves, but there are more chargers than just what Tesla offers.
In the winter, you lose some range. How you operate the car and how cold it is will impact this. What we've found to work best is to warm up the car/battery before you leave the house. This way the car doesn't have to warm the battery in the cold. That help a lot. We have taken the car to Lake Louise skiing. We did use the supercharger in Canmore to ensure we would make it home.
Back to maintenance. My wife's car has had nothing, other than topping up washer fluid, which really isn't maintenance. My truck on the other hand cost me $2500 last year in scheduled maintenance. My truck has 100000kms on it, and I've spent about $4k in maintenance, plus gas.
As far as car insurance goes, my wife went from a honda pilot to the Tesla. Her rates dropped substantially. I have no idea why. We assumed they'd be higher, but they were less.
We did get 3M all over the car. The first week she had it, someone keyed it at the safeway in Cochrane.
If you want to travel long distances the car is great for that, but you need to plan accordingly. Say a trip to Vancouver. With a gas car, you stop for gas, and keep moving. Takes about 5-10 minutes. With a Tesla, you need 3 to 5 Supercharger stops depending on what size battery you have. A supercharger stop is anywhere from 20-30minutes. That can be an extra 2 to 2.5 hours to your road trip to Vancouver.
I think making it your main car depends on you. We have the Tesla and my truck. We have taken the Tesla skiing and mountain biking, but most times, we use the truck for that. The car is an awesome city car. The technology is second to none and has worked flawlessly for us.
Oh, the battery warranty on our car is 8 years or 200,000kms. Any issue and you get a replacement. My friend has one of the first Roadsters. In 2015 he upgraded his battery to get a lot more range. It cost him about $10000.
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I don't own an EV but was really surprised how many Tesla's and other EV's I saw driving around when I was in Norway. They were everywhere! Even my rental BMW X5 was a gas /electric hybrid and as I drove around there were a lot of charging stations popping up on the GPS.
I don't own an EV but was really surprised how many Tesla's and other EV's I saw driving around when I was in Norway. They were everywhere! Even my rental BMW X5 was a gas /electric hybrid and as I drove around there were a lot of charging stations popping up on the GPS.
It's no surprise given the incentives that have been given in the past and still are. In total, they're probably worth as much as the car itself :
No purchase/import taxes (1990-)
Exemption from 25% VAT on purchase (2001-)
No annual road tax (1996-)
No charges on toll roads or ferries (1997- 2017).
Maximum 50% of the total amount on ferry fares for electric vehicles (2018-)
Maximum 50% of the total amount on toll roads (2019)
Free municipal parking (1999- 2017)
Parking fee for EVs was introduced locally with an upper limit of a maximum 50% of the full price (2018-)
I don’t think this applies to accidents. I was watching a YouTube video of a guy documenting his repair after backing into a pole or something. He said he was lucky he had a fleet of cars otherwise he’d have no car and his insurance company only provides 30 days of rentals. It makes sense, why would Tesla provide a loaner for your accident?
Long video. He talks about the rental at ~ 16:20.
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A news article out of the Netherlands regarding EV and Tesla repair frequency came out today. It indicated that while regular cars need repair roughly every 8.5 years, 25% of all EVs need repair each year and 33% of Teslas. The average repair cost of the Tesla repair is also much higher.
A news article out of the Netherlands regarding EV and Tesla repair frequency came out today. It indicated that while regular cars need repair roughly every 8.5 years, 25% of all EVs need repair each year and 33% of Teslas. The average repair cost of the Tesla repair is also much higher.
I read the summary, but the bolded above doesn't make any sense, even in the context of lower European usage; 8.5 years of driving in N. America would, on average, be over 170,000km... Sign me up for the ICE car I can drive for 170k without needing anything...
It's also hard to determine whether they're referring to mechanical repair, or cosmetic repair from collision damage.
