Annual Mileage Thoughts

[mknox]

I'm curious to know what Model S owners expect their annual number of miles driven will be.

I've taken the average of my last 6 years (don't expect the pattern to change much, if at all) and I drive almost exactly 21,000 miles per year.

This means I will need almost two "annual" inspections per year (because of the "or 12,500 miles" criteria) and it means my 4-year warranty will expire sometime during the 3rd year of ownership.

I figure it will also affect the rate at which my battery degrades (assume Tesla's estimates are based on 12,500 miles/year).

Is this too much driving for an EV like Model S? Any other drivers expecting this type of use? At least the 85kWh pack has an unlimited mileage warranty, but an extended plan for the car would be nice.

 

[efusco]

Aren't there rigid laws against Canadians doing distance calculations in miles instead of kilometers?

I don't think there's any such thing as "too much driving for an EV". What difference does it make if you cover 80k miles in 4 years or 10 years? You're still achieving the same objectives. You're not going to shorten the battery life as far as range goes, per perhaps in the number of years.

But same goes for a conventional car. If you drive 50k miles a year that puts a lot more wear on the ICE than driving 10k miles per year on a year to year basis, but that doesn't mean it's "too much".

Does suck about the frequent checkups though. I drive about 15k miles per year (in my Prius). If I keep that up I too will be doing a more often than annual inspection.

 

[kevincwelch]

I drive about 5000 miles annually, so my warranty issue is going to be a time-based one more than likely.

It's for this reason that I am left scratching my head a little bit: what exactly am I paying for other than them to confirm everything is (most likely) OK and that nothing needs replacement.

 

[mknox]

Aren't there rigid laws against Canadians doing distance calculations in miles instead of kilometers?

Hah! I'm an old fart that grew up before Canada went metric and still like to think in traditional units. (I even keep my car's displays in US units when I drive). My kids think I'm nuts. But for my fellow Canadians, I drive 33,789 km/year.

 

[ElSupreme]

I don't think miles on an EV will be anything like miles on an ICE. I also drive ~20,000 miles a year. And the 12,500 limit is pretty rough. But I would have no qualms about an EV with 300,000 miles on it. I am starting to worry about my GTI with a little over 110,000 miles on it.

 

[SCW-Greg]

I'll likely be putting 16,000 miles on per year. So not too far off your numbers, though I wouldn't wish 21k on anybody, or 16k either for that matter.

Charge cycles do count for wear and tear on the battery. Some have on these forums "estimated" the serviceable life on the 85kWh battery to be somewhere close to 15 years, though I'd think technology would make that irrelevant in shorter time than that. How that will play out though on a very well managed system (that will no doubt improve as we get out there and give real-world feedback/data to TM)... only time will tell.

While the battery does have an excellent warranty on it, I'll likely drive mine to year 7 and give the next person a year of warranty on the battery, for their assurance / and resale value for me.

 

[jerry33]

I'm curious to know what Model S owners expect their annual number of miles driven will be.

For the last nine years I've been averaging 16,000 miles/year (20,000 km). However, I was intending to drive the Model S quite a bit more because it was supposed to be economical to run (2.5 cents per mile for electricity and very low maintenance). Now with the additional 5 cents per mile for maintenance, I don't know. At 7.5 cents per mile that makes it only slightly less expensive than the Prius to drive and the difference will probably be eaten up with the more expensive tires.

 

[Tempus]

i average probably just under 10,000 miles per year on my current car - but it's definitely not our family roadtrip car. I'd LIKE to be able to use the Model S in that fashion, but i'm not 100% sure yet i can do all of the trips our family takes that way. We'll have to try it and see how it goes. I think practical experience trumps everything else as far as range anxiety - so long story short, I might get significantly more than 10k per year on it if i can use it how i'd want

 

[phx182flyer]

I've had my Prius since 2006 and it has 110,000 miles. I anticipate doing about the same in the Tesla (or more, way too much fun to drive...)

 

[cinergi]

My new (hopefully!) commute will put me at 10k/year. Plus a fair amount of extra driving by being much further away from my family and friends, PLUS I plan to take a trip to visit my parents in South Carolina as soon as the supercharging network is available. I might do 15-18 per year, depending on road trips. I've been averaging closer to 10k so this may actually be the first time I have to worry about the 12,500 limit. I didn't think about that until just now! D'oh!

 

[Jason S]

Reading over the manual, I think the main part of maintenance is the battery pack -- making sure it is still in tip-top shape and checking the fluids. Only maintenance folks are supposed to touch the 2 fluid ports other than windshield wiper fluid (side thought; 2?! What is the other one for?).

I notice tire rotation is the same time; think they'll do that too?

 

[kcveins]

I have an Acura TSX and average about 17K miles a year - don't see any chances in driving less with the S :smile:

 

[Doug_G]

I average about 22,000 km (14,000 miles) per year. But I'll be splitting that between the Roadster and the Model S, so it's highly unlikely I'll go over the 20,000 km limit.

 

[rlawson4]

25000-30000 miles annually.

 

[KenEE]

I plan on absolutely NOT worrying about how many miles I put on my S. It's completely cheap to run and should be good for 500k+ miles. The way I think the more you drive it, the better deal the S becomes. And face it, if you can afford a six figure car then you can afford to get it fixed when the warranty runs out in 3-4 years.

 

[mknox]

I plan on absolutely NOT worrying about how many miles I put on my S. It's completely cheap to run and should be good for 500k+ miles. The way I think the more you drive it, the better deal the S becomes. And face it, if you can afford a six figure car then you can afford to get it fixed when the warranty runs out in 3-4 years.

I think that's true to a point, but the warranty coverage seems a little light compared to other cars I've owned, and with something as new and untested as Model S, I would feel more comfortable with coverage for a bit longer than I'll get due to my higher mileage driving. The Tesla warranty doesn't even cover "any corrosion or paint defects" (direct quote) which leaves me a bit concerned driving in Canada and all. Every other car I've owned has had paint and corrosion coverage, and usually for quite some time regardless of mileage.

Dont get me wrong... I'm still excited for Model S but am hoping Tesla will offer some sort of extended warranty program that could take me to at least 5 years and 100,000 miles or so. (I bumped my current car's coverage to roughly this level not so much to get me extra years (already had that) but to cover my excess miles). Even if I could buy some extra miles to get the full 4 years would be a start.

 

[kendallpb]

And face it, if you can afford a six figure car then you can afford to get it fixed when the warranty runs out in 3-4 years.

I'm getting (and can "afford") a five-figure car, not a six-figure one. Sorry, pet peeve of mine. But I've been paying for plenty of stuff on my Miata--more and more with each passing year!--so I look forward to the Model S costing a lot less to maintain, in the long term. No more "check engine"/exhaust issues...it'll be heaven!

Anyway, my mileage to work works out to just under 12,000 miles per year. It appears trips without my car, errands/weekend trips with it, etc. all balance out, since my mileage over 12 years averages to just under 12,000 miles per year! As if all I did was drive it to work. ;-)

But usually we use my other half's car for trips (even weekend ones), and I expect to use the Model S more for that kinda stuff, depending on distance, charging options, etc. So . . . yeah, I'll probably go over 12,500. Not lots over. Maybe I'll drive 13,000-14,000? Not bad, I guess!

 

[mknox]

25000-30000 miles annually.

Wow. More than me. You'd be looking at at least 2 "annual" inspections per year and having your warranty run out after 2 years or less!

 

[spatterso911]

Averaging about 18K miles per year, split between 2 vehicles. I think I will likely average about 15K annually in the MSP.

 

[eelton]

Wow, everybody drives so much! I do under 10K per year, and I have three cars (I'll sell one in favor of the Model S). So I'll probably end up at 5K miles per year in the Tesla.

I know, none of this makes any financial sense, but that's not really the point with this car, is it?