Advice on choosing 75 or 100

[f-stop]

[...]
If you start the week with a fully-charged 100D, then there really is no inconvenience - except for the larger monthly car payment. With a 75D, there will be an inconvenience until you can do better than trickle-charge at your home. Is the lower cost of the 75D worth the aggravation/inconvenience of being forced to:

• stay home vs. go to the office
• forego a night out with friends
• pay for a taxi
• Sit idle at a charging station while charging or until one becomes available [...]

FWIW in my 2 years of driving a MS 70D with only 120V/15A charging at home, I have never had any of the above inconveniences. Maybe a couple times a week I may use a free public L2 charger if I'm going someplace shopping or an appointment etc for an hour or two that has EV chargers - if the chargers are busy, no worries, I don't charge there. Otherwise plugging in at home overnight leaves me with plenty of juice to get around town the next day. Never once had range anxiety. My garage is detached & unheated but even in winter here I get +6km/hr charge. But then my typical daily driving around town is only about 40km on average - i.e. half of the OP's. OTOH I believe the rated range of the 75D is about 30km more than my 70D, so maybe that's almost a wash.

I think the bigger battery may be more of an important factor if you do a lot of long distance travel, especially off the beaten track or in severe winter weather (unlike the mild weather here in the city)

one other thing: "If you start the week with a fully-charged 100D..." but you only have 120V charging at home, don't forget that doesn't really solve the problem completely because it will take a longer time to fully charge the larger battery, time which you may not have overnight using 120V... of course the real solution is to have 240V charging at home. Obviously great to have the biggest battery available, ignoring cost. But I'm just pointing out that in practice a 75D may be fine depending on daily mileage, especially here in Vancouver where winter is mild and there's a lot of free public charging to occasionally supplement home charging

 

[joefee]

You WILL wish you bought the 100!!!!

 

[DriveMe]

Have you considered moving to a different condo?

 

[arcus]

Have you considered moving to a different condo?

Ha! That's a nice one!

 

[Hugh Mannity]

Thanks for the good lower mainland perspective. I will PM you to get some of your tips. You bring up a good point that there is more and more public charging infrastructure coming up around Vancouver. If I do for he 75, I can hope to rely on that a bunch.

Good to hear that you've been able to go on a few trips with your 70 and not had any issues. I wonder what it would be like to go to the Okanagan in Winter. I know there is a Supercharger in Hope and Merit. How long would I have to add to my trip to allow time to top up there, I wonder.

Thanks for the detailed info on the apps/services. I'm waiting till I put my order in and then I'm going to sign up for them all!

I have a roof rack with a cargo box on the 75D and even with that range hit the Okanagan and Kamloops area and beyond are easily obtainable. Often I can bypass Merritt when going to/from Kamloops.

Vancouver driving is a non issue but I do have 240V charging at home which as many have pointed out makes a world of difference. I have a relatively low 26 km/h charge rate but it’s more than enough for the daily driving my wife and I do.

 

[agloutney]

if that doesn't work you could ask about 110v 20amps.

This^^^
It’s what I use at work with the NEMA 5-20 adapter and the extra 5A really helps. It yields 9 km/h in the summer and around 5 at -20°c.

 

[hingisfan]

23k extra for the 100? No thanks.
Model 3 is only 11.5k cdn for a similar upgrade.

 

[Drone Flyer]

The common answer to this seem to be "buy the biggest battery you can afford", but if you are like me, don't overspend unnecessarily. I have S75 (non-D), so my range is slightly less than dual motor version. There were only a handful situations where I wish I had a bit more range, but nothing I could not overcome with a bit of planning. I had it for 6 months and already 14,000 miles on it by the way.

Seems like you are not concerned about severe winter conditions depriving you of range. I would say go with 75 in this case.

I can't confirm or deny any stories related to DC charging, but as long as you don't overcharge your car (set it to 100% and leave it in that condition for extended time) you don't have to worry about it.

NEVER continually charge your car to 100%, only sporadically when going on a trip away from Superchargers. Continual 100 % charging will degrade the battery quickly.

 

[dmd2005]

Get the 75D if you 100D is pushing your budget. I see that you live around Londale if you’re by the free CHAdeMO station. There are plenty of free level 2 stations around where you live too, so just plug in whenever you are near one and walk the extra block or two and you’ll top up your battery for the week. Also, I thought the urban supercharger expansion included North Van and/or West Van on the map...hopefully that would be by 2019 in Elon time.

 

[Drone Flyer]

It was -39 or so yesterday in ski country. After the ski day, my fingers vanished

But don't forget that is Celsius. Celsius always makes it look colder than it really is, However, -40 is where the two scales meet!

 

[richrootes]

Get the 75D if you 100D is pushing your budget. I see that you live around Londale if you’re by the free CHAdeMO station. There are plenty of free level 2 stations around where you live too, so just plug in whenever you are near one and walk the extra block or two and you’ll top up your battery for the week. Also, I thought the urban supercharger expansion included North Van and/or West Van on the map...hopefully that would be by 2019 in Elon time.

I forgot about that - yes there’s a Supercharger planned for Lonsdale and 13th

 

[Drone Flyer]

I am in the process of purchasing my first Tesla (a Model S) and I'm looking for some advice from this community on choosing the 75 or the 100.

My Expected Use:
I drive about 75KM per day on weekdays (to/from work) and a bit more on weekends.

My Charger Access:
I know that I will only have access 110V/15A charging in my condo and based on a 9-hour nightly charge time (Tesla told me I would gain 6KM per hour on 110V), I believe that I will not recoup my weekday driving overnight. Therefore I predict I will end/begin each day probably about 20KM in deficit. There is a free CHAdeMO station about two blocks from my place and so I figured I could go once a week to get back to even. Therefore it is still workable but I will be dealing with regular deficits that I will have to make up eventually or work from home one day a week (easily done with my job) to make that up.

Canadian Weather Effects:
I live in Vancouver and so I don't have to deal with super cold weather eating away at my battery efficiency, but it is still Canada and so I do expect my efficiency to go down somewhat during winter which, if I'm not mistaken, will leave me further in deficit during those months. My step-brother, who got a new Model S last year, has told me his efficiency has gone down about 30% during this winter.

My Questions...

1. Considering my situation, do you think I would be OK with the 75D? It is much more affordable based on current Tesla finance rates (about $280/month less). As it is, this is an expensive purchase and I don't want to make it any more expensive than I need to, but I also don't want to find myself suffering and wishing I had bought the 100D.

I'm especially interested if there are any 75D owners who can give me their experience. Do you wish you had bought the 100D or are you fine with the 75D?

2. I'm a little concerned that with weekly DC charging (maybe twice weekly in winter) I might be affected by the software limit I've read about. That is where the Tesla software eventually reduces/limits your top charging speed in order to prevent the battery from degrading. Do you folks think I will hit up against that limit? I've been told that this primarily affects people who DC charge daily, but where is the limit? Will I be testing it with my weekly DC charging or should I be safe?

Any advice you folk can provide will be immensely helpful. I'm planning to put my custom order in this week and so I need to make a decision now.

Thanks,
Aslam

I travel a lot out of town in my 75D. No problems at all. The thing is, we all need to take breaks and meals anyway. That is when I charge up.
Going 300 miles nonstop in a100D is ludicrous. You would get tired and would need a break anyway. The only time you would need a 100D is if you live away from any type of charging and would need the range to get to your destination and back.

 

[arcus]

NEVER continually charge your car to 100%, only sporadically when going on a trip away from Superchargers. Continual 100 % charging will degrade the battery quickly.

That's what I said

 

[aslam]

I suggest you double check if possible. A 240v 15a circuit should cost no more than a 120v 15a circuit. Same wiring, just a different plug (6-15) and different breaker pair in the box. The gen2 charger has a 6-15 adaptor available.

Unless your saying the wire is already there. If multiple outlets on a single circuit, watch out. Could easily trip a breaker. If single outlet pet circuit, might possibly be able to switch to 240.

@brkaus You guessed correctly that the wire/line is already there and feeding a regular 110 outlet that is not too far away from my parking stall. He is planning to simply siphon that line and create a plug for me in my stall. You're right that there is a risk of tripping the breaker but those plugs are rarely used so I'm told the risk is low. The only other option the electrician presented me with is to patch into the lighting system that is 347 volts and then use a step-down transformer to get it down to 240V. Probably more risk of tripping the breaker with that as the lights are on 24/7 and I don't know how much they draw in total today, however they don't peak in their power draw. It is a constant draw so maybe it might be ok. These are the only options available to me in this building, at this time.

 

[aslam]

In my opinion, this is an all-or-nothing scenario.

The concern is how little will be added each time you charge at home. The distance you regularly drive each weekday (75KM/47M) is really not the problem - but it does help reduce your charging issue.

I doubt I would consider purchasing a Tesla if I was to be inconvenienced with having to slowly charge on a standard outlet as a primary source. Regularly driving to a remote charging station gets old fast - especially when that location is full.

If you start the week with a fully-charged 100D, then there really is no inconvenience - except for the larger monthly car payment. With a 75D, there will be an inconvenience until you can do better than trickle-charge at your home. Is the lower cost of the 75D worth the aggravation/inconvenience of being forced to:

• stay home vs. go to the office
• forego a night out with friends
• pay for a taxi
• Sit idle at a charging station while charging or until one becomes available

If you think you can put up with some of these things, among others not mentioned, then the 75D will work just fine until your condo installs more powerful outlets. Otherwise, purchase the 100D or lease something else for a while.

@Sawyer8888 you make some good points. Thankfully the choice to work from home every once in a while is one I'm happy to make because I enjoy working from home. But what I don't want is to be forced to work from home just because of my charge status. For me the cost of the occasional taxi/inconvenience is also balanced off with the extra $280/month or $3,360/year that the 100D costs. That's a whole extra car payment that could pay for my partner's car. If only they made a P90D that balances the cost and the range.

 

[aslam]

I travel a lot out of town in my 75D. No problems at all. The thing is, we all need to take breaks and meals anyway. That is when I charge up.
Going 300 miles nonstop in a100D is ludicrous. You would get tired and would need a break anyway. The only time you would need a 100D is if you live away from any type of charging and would need the range to get to your destination and back.

@Drone70 Thanks for the first hand account. You're right that one doesn't want to drive so long without taking a break. The concern is that while the Supercharging network in Western Canada is getting better, there are still only 2 superchargers between Vancouver and Kelowna and nothing if you want to go up Vancouver Island past Nanaimo. Lots of plans for more, however, so hopefully that situation will improve.

 

[aslam]

I have a roof rack with a cargo box on the 75D and even with that range hit the Okanagan and Kamloops area and beyond are easily obtainable. Often I can bypass Merritt when going to/from Kamloops.

Vancouver driving is a non issue but I do have 240V charging at home which as many have pointed out makes a world of difference. I have a relatively low 26 km/h charge rate but it’s more than enough for the daily driving my wife and I do.

@Hugh Mannity Thanks for the first hand account. That, frankly, is one of my concerns. I anticipate going out to Kelowna once every couple of months (perhaps more often) and I am concerned about making it up the Coquihalla in the winter. I have been told that elevation change and cold are two factors that significantly degrade battery efficiency. Combine the two on the Coquihalla and I'm wondering if I would get stuck. Have you done it during winter much?

 

[aslam]

Get the 75D if you 100D is pushing your budget. I see that you live around Londale if you’re by the free CHAdeMO station. There are plenty of free level 2 stations around where you live too, so just plug in whenever you are near one and walk the extra block or two and you’ll top up your battery for the week. Also, I thought the urban supercharger expansion included North Van and/or West Van on the map...hopefully that would be by 2019 in Elon time.

@dmd2005 Yes you're correct that I'm in Lower Lonsdale area. So yes I guess I could periodically go to one of the L2 chargers in the area and walk the remainder of the way home. Not as convenient, but certainly doable.

And yes you're also correct that there are two Superchargers scheduled for the north shore. One in West Van and one in North Van. So conceivably, I could have a supercharger within a couple of KMs from my place. But who knows when those will actually open. Still, once they do, I would be sitting pretty.

 

[aslam]

I forgot about that - yes there’s a Supercharger planned for Lonsdale and 13th

@richrootes How do you know it is planned for Lonsdale and 13th? Do you know exactly where at Lonsdale and 13th it is planned for? IS it going to be at City Hall? Have you seen construction starting?

 

[aslam]

This^^^
It’s what I use at work with the NEMA 5-20 adapter and the extra 5A really helps. It yields 9 km/h in the summer and around 5 at -20°c.

@agloutney Really?? Wow I didn't know that only 5A more could move one up from 6KM/h to 9KM/h. I'll ask the electrician about that.