Thoughts on Tesla (and other fully-electric vehicles)

[lazypucker]

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+).

https://www.tesla.com/en_CA/model3
https://www.tesla.com/en_CA/modely


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!!

[btimbit]

I'd love an EV but for me the infastructure and technology just isn't there yet. We need to either be able to go for 1500kms on a single charge and/or have the ability to be fully charged in minutes, not hours.

But if I lived and worked in Calgary I'd definitely get one as a commuter

[Hockeyguy15]

There is a Tesla thread that has some info in it.

https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=145711

[lazypucker]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

There is a Tesla thread that has some info in it.

https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=145711

Strange, I did a search for "Tesla" but this didn't come up...

[Fuzz]

If someone commutes every day I could see it eventually saving some money on gas, though you would have to do the math on it(and compare like-for-like). If you only drive occasionally I don't see them making any sense, cost wise. They also aren't really any better for the environment in Alberta, given our reliance on coal electricity. Tesla's are apparently a bit of a pain to get fixed when stuff goes wrong, or you get in an accident.

If you just want a commuter you maybe be better served by a Leaf, given the cost difference.

[VladtheImpaler]

I will be interested to read the follow-up. I toyed with the idea of the Model X last time around but decided to go with ze Germans - for me it was the question of whether I could make it to Invermere on one charge and the PITA factor of having to stop in Canmore to charge up. However, if the battery can hold for an extra 100km next time around, I would re-visit the topic. Curious to hear about the frequency of small issues - that was my other fear with an "artisan-made" car... Thanks.

[Thor]

In Iceland, where we pay about 2.30 CAD per liter there has been an explosion of EV sales, the most popular by far is the Nissan Leaf, you see them everywhere.

[The Yen Man]

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?

[burn_this_city]

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.

[Wormius]

There are risks, but if your daily routine is less than 50km a day on a garage to garage type commute, maybe it is worth it. Volvo' will be interesting, but will probably be expensive. The i-Series of BMWs would be okay, but also expensive.

[Fuzz]

If I commuted, and still wanted to go longer distances I think I'd look at PHEV's if I only wanted pen vehicle. Electric for your daily driving, and unlimited range when needed.

[mikephoen]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

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.

A customer of mine showed me his Model X (i think it was the X, it wasn't one of the new cheaper ones, I know that), and his passenger door didn't close properly! Fit and finish seemed way below what you'd expect from a luxury brand.

Obviously only one anecdote, but I've heard the same as what burn_this_city mentioned. My wife was briefly interested in one for us, but it didn't take much research for me to be turned off. Expect 80s minivan level of fit and finish if you go this way, and I also ran into a lot of horror stories about getting them serviced (but this is probably true of every brand if you dig).

[Locke]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

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.

Dont forget the Gold-Plated 'Holier-than-thou-Club' Membership card issued with each vehicle!

[White Out 403]

I always thought that cars like a tesla which were, essentially silent running, would be so dangerous in parking lots. Im guilty of often strolling out into the parking lot without looking if i dont hear a car.

[sketchyt]

I have an M3 SR+.

My observations/info. I'll do my best to be unbiased although that's virtually impossible by definition:

• There's lots of misinformation out there (both for and against having one). I spent about two years researching all types of vehicles before landing on this one. Yes, I was surprised at my final decision.
• It's also very difficult to have a discussion about this in this province without it devolving into some kind of passive-aggressive name-calling. I caught some a-holes getting ready to key it the other week (in a F*** Trudeau/Notley branded pickup truck, no less). That was fun /s. Yes, they looked exactly how you're imagining it.
• If you like road trips, I wouldn't recommend this. However, it is certainly more than doable in a Tesla. Personally, I would find it a PITA.
• If you live in a condo or a place without a plug in, I definetly would not recommend this.
• I have not driven it through winter. However, you lose about 40-50km per -10 degree drop below 0. According to a friend who has one, this is very accurate. So at -40, you have about 200km. This is more than enough for everyday driving.
• Worried about a dead car because you can't fill it with gas? Yeah, never crossed my mind. Imagine having a gas station in your garage. You'd basically never run out of gas unless you're highly disorganized.
• It's really, really fast. Difficult to articulate and you need to test drive to understand.
• I find the fit and finish to be really nice. No issues so far. Warranty is fairly generous. I had to take it in for something minor, booked through the app, and I was in/out. First scheduled maintence is at 40k, then 80k I believe. However, my understanding is that the S/X have far more issues. They're also far more expensive.
• Ultimately, this thing is powered by coal and requires a massive amount of resources (including oil) to create. You do not buy this because you want to be environmentally friendly. The moral high ground some owners stand on is hilariously stupid.
• The autonomous driving features feel a little over-hyped to me. It's kind of neat, but I'm fairly uncomfortable trusting it. It does work though.
• I've regularly driven six other vehicles (albeit in a different class) and the M3 takes the cake by a significant margin.
• That being said, I'm hedging my bets by still owning a non-EV car that my wife drives.

Anyways, that's my experience. Your mileage and opinions may vary wildly.

[CaptainYooh]

Here's another anecdote. My best friend is an engineer for SpaceX. He decided to put his name on an employee purchase waiting list for Tesla (there are fairly big discounts, so the list is about 1-year waiting time). Then, for one of the rocket launches, he had to drive to a remote location near Vandenburg Air Force Base in California. So did many other employees, who do own EV's. The village nearby had only one large capacity electric charging station, which fully charges an EV in approx. 30 minutes. The line up to it after the launch was enormous, as was the wait time (30 min per vehicle x a couple hundred vehicles). My friend removed his name from the wait-list the next day.

Here, in Calgary, charging stations are not wide-spread, but are reasonably easy to find. But rural infrastructure is not there yet. It will be there one day; but for now - it's a challenge, especially, if one travels out of the city a lot.

[Northendzone]

^ i am curious about the charging of this beast.

do you charge it at home? if so, did you have to do anything special? 240 v outlet or special inverter type gadget or do you just plug it in to a standard outlet?

i sometimes wonder if all the free charging station in various places parking garages - etc are setting up expectations for free fuel for owners of these vehicles.

[sketchyt]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

^ i am curious about the charging of this beast.

do you charge it at home? if so, did you have to do anything special? 240 v outlet or special inverter type gadget or do you just plug it in to a standard outlet?

i sometimes wonder if all the free charging station in various places parking garages - etc are setting up expectations for free fuel for owners of these vehicles.

Yes, I primarily charge it at home. I've tried chargers in/out of the city just to try them out for fun. Other than that, I've never needed it.

240v in my garage. You have to order an extra cord (this used to be included but it's $45 now. i don't know why Tesla wouldn't just include it, seems to be pretty idiotic optically). Cost about $700 done by an electrician. Charge time is 40-50km per hour. At 120v it is 8km/hr. The 120v plugin is included. LOL.

Re: free charging stations. I've never lined up for one in the small handful of times I've gone. No issues from a logistical stand point either.

[CaptainYooh]

I don't own an EV. My (limited) understanding is that you can charge an EV from a standard home outlet, but it would take 8 hours to do so. Or, you can install a super-charge home outlet, which is much faster (not sure about the time to full charge). Or you can go to a commercial charge station and charge it in 30 min or so. I could be wrong though, as I didn't do any research on this myself.

[GoinAllTheWay]

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.