Any regrets ordering 70D vs 85D?

[kuttakamina]

I try not to second guess myself, but I kind of wish I had bought the plain 85 instead of the 70D. For only $5k more you get the bigger battery. If you don't really need AWD, you get the benefit of a MUCH larger frunk. The frunk in the 70D is very small due to the second motor and sound insulation.

What use is the bigger battery if it makes almost no difference to range? I can agree with the frunk argument though. I don't need anymore storage, tesla already has loads of storage, but some people put strollers in the frunk. There are a lot of advantages of D that you give up for frunk though.

 

[dpodoll]

Just a simple question? Need some help rationalizing spending an extra $10000 on top of which I can't change it without loosing my deposit

no regrets...BTW change fee is $500

 

[davidc18]

Having fun with ours. Went over 1300 miles this morning on the way to work. You will have a blast with the car.

 

[vchadha]

Driven 2000+km in my 70D. Enjoyed every minute. My frunk malfunctioned and will not open. I will take it to a service centre to fix. Apart from that everything is amazing.

 

[pmoa]

With kids. I slightly regret not getting the 85D. That extra range for some destination trips would be helpful.

Other than that the 70D has served its purpose very well. Trips to ocean city and Hershey park have been comfortably made!

Oh another thing, I believe one day we will be able to buy an 85 kWh battery right?

 

[bonaire]

Having fun with ours. Went over 1300 miles this morning on the way to work. You will have a blast with the car.

Nasty commute !

 

[Vger]

Consider your longer term use and whether the normal and expected degradation in battery range would cause concern. My 2-and-a-bit year old / 50,000 mile S85 has about the same capacity now as a new 70.

That is curious. Our Signature with about the same miles has lost almost nothing in range.

To the OP: I think the 70D is an inspired high-value choice for a most practical Tesla. 95% of the time, the difference in range is irrelevant.

 

[kuttakamina]

With kids. I slightly regret not getting the 85D. That extra range for some destination trips would be helpful.

Other than that the 70D has served its purpose very well. Trips to ocean city and Hershey park have been comfortably made!

Oh another thing, I believe one day we will be able to buy an 85 kWh battery right?

How did you make it to Hershey Park with a 70D? Did you have to push it?

 

[pmoa]

How did you make it to Hershey Park with a 70D? Did you have to push it?

Haha. Hershey is only 86 miles from my house. Plus, they have level 2 chargers right in front of chocolate world. Kids loved the ride

 

[mknox]

That is curious. Our Signature with about the same miles has lost almost nothing in range.

It's a mixed bag for sure. I've talked to other owners who are seeing reductions in the same ballpark as mine as well as some, like yourself, who have lost very little. I've been trying to understand why the differences, but have not really seen anything I would describe as "definitive". I imagine Tesla is learning from all of this.

 

[kuttakamina]

Haha. Hershey is only 86 miles from my house. Plus, they have level 2 chargers right in front of chocolate world. Kids loved the ride

Okay good to know about the L2 chargers. From the DC area, Hershey's is a risky trip on a 70D, back and forth without juice.
It's 120 miles from me, each way, with no superchargers in the middle. I think I need to get comfortable with the idea of non supercharger trips before I attempt Hershey.

 

[Panu]

It's a mixed bag for sure. I've talked to other owners who are seeing reductions in the same ballpark as mine as well as some, like yourself, who have lost very little. I've been trying to understand why the differences, but have not really seen anything I would describe as "definitive". I imagine Tesla is learning from all of this.

Have you described your charging habits in some other thread (daily charge % and how much supercharger use)? I'm at 6K kms and already seen some degradation.

 

[pmoa]

Okay good to know about the L2 chargers. From the DC area, Hershey's is a risky trip on a 70D, back and forth without juice.
It's 120 miles from me, each way, with no superchargers in the middle. I think I need to get comfortable with the idea of non supercharger trips before I attempt Hershey.

It is cutting it close but you could drive through Hagerstown. 2 hours and 45 minutes plus a supercharger stop. It is 31 miles more than going through the Baltimore beltway. A range charge would get you there no problem. And while you are in the park 5 hours on a L2 would you get you home no problem.

 

[kuttakamina]

It is cutting it close but you could drive through Hagerstown. 2 hours and 45 minutes plus a supercharger stop. It is 31 miles more than going through the Baltimore beltway. A range charge would get you there no problem. And while you are in the park 5 hours on a L2 would you get you home no problem.

Yep! Though I've heard rumors that next year we should see a supercharger in the harrisburg area. That would pretty much sort things out.

 

[Max*]

Yep! Though I've heard rumors that next year we should see a supercharger in the harrisburg area. That would pretty much sort things out.

The "rumor" was this summer, lol.

How do we STILL have a huge hole in PA and NY? - Page 6

 

[kuttakamina]

The "rumor" was this summer, lol.
How do we STILL have a huge hole in PA and NY? - Page 6

Well you can blame that on me. I ordered a center console, and the Tesla squirrel dropped the supercharger, and got busy with my center console instead. Lets hope by next year the SC is in place (or my center console, or my car for that matter).

Jokes aside, I'm getting a NEMA 14-50 installed at home, and the hassle with appointments, electricians, ugh!
Setting up a SC means getting real estate, electricity, I am sure a lot more.
Its good that, that hole is on their radar, so maybe next 1-2 years, it'll be patched.

 

[mknox]

Have you described your charging habits in some other thread (daily charge % and how much supercharger use)? I'm at 6K kms and already seen some degradation.

Yes, there a re a few other threads talking about reduced rated range and such. Don't want to hijack this conversation with the details here.

 

[kuttakamina]

Yes, there a re a few other threads talking about reduced rated range and such. Don't want to hijack this conversation with the details here.

You are too nice. Don't underestimate the purpose of you serving as a warning to others though. I for one would love to know what NOT to do to reduce the longterm range. I've seen you mention the range you get on your S85, and that looks awfully low.

 

[pmoa]

I got a p85 loaner this morning and man, for a rear wheel drive vehicle this thing is crazy. It's got some power. It does drive different than the 70D.

I will say that if you have the money just for a little, emphasize, little more pep. Do it. The additional range was nice cause I roles the windows down and the pano back and wasted some energy today

 

[mknox]

Don't underestimate the purpose of you serving as a warning to others though. I for one would love to know what NOT to do to reduce the longterm range.

I knew that there would be some degradation over time. Tesla does talk about this but they obviously don't emphasize it. When I ordered, the options were 40, 60 and 85 kWh. I probably could have scraped by with a 40 and a 60 would have given me some margin, but my primary reason for ordering the 85 was that if I kept it for the long haul, even if it degraded to 60, I would still be okay.

I'm not sure if my lowering numbers are due to the fact that I have a first generation A-pack battery or whether it has something to do with my use, or some combination. I drive about 25,000 miles a year and have a daily commute of around 100 miles. (This was a primary driver for going electric -- fuel cost). This means I use 30 to 40% of my battery's capacity daily in the summer and 50 to 60% in the winter. I rarely charge to 100% and have never taken it below about 15%. Typically I charge to 90% daily and re-charge when I get to 40% or so. For a spell last summer I was charging to 70% and re-charging at around 30%.