Anyone else a bit irked?

[bigsmooth125]

During the ordering process, I was debating between the 60 kWh and 85 kWh batteries. I specifically asked a Tesla rep on the telephone if, after purchasing the 60 kWh battery without supercharging, I could add the supercharging option at a later time. He told me that that would not be possible because supercharging capability requires installation of special hardware. As a result, I ended up deciding to purchase the 85 kWh battery because I thought that was a better bargain relative to the 60 kWh battery plus $2000 for supercharging.

Now I find out that all 60 kWh battery vehicles are capable of supercharging. And, importantly, there is no special hardware required, in contrast to what was conveyed to me before. Had I known this I would have chosen to purchase the 60 kWh battery without supercharging since I would be able to purchase the supercharging option later if and when the superchargers are installed close to me. I don't doubt that the Tesla rep was simply repeating information conveyed to him but I don't like the fact that I was misinformed and led to make a purchase I otherwise would not have made.

I hope I'm wrong but there seems to be a pattern on Tesla's part to withhold information and features (such as floor mats, center console, sunroof shade, wireless services in the future, the extended services program or warranty or whatever they're calling it, etc.) for as long as possible in order to spur increased sales.

 

[steve841]

Trust me, you'll be very happy with the 85kw ....

As for Tesla's info release.... Leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[scriptacus]

And, importantly, there is no special hardware required, in contrast to what was conveyed to me before.

Special hardware is required... at some point they decided to install it in all cars. You were not misled in this respect.

 

[Citizen-T]

I'm sure that the rep didn't know. He knew only what was stated publicly. I can understand that you are irked though.

 

[Laumb]

I think you guys should stop crying over the spillt milk.
Nobody ever forced you to upgrade. If you had a problem with paying $2000 for SC access, then I cannot believe how you could afford another $8000,-. You should just have sticked with paying the extra $2k. I guess you would have made a huge deal out of it anyway. Tesla decided to be fair to their customers and provide the extra hardware with the cost on their shoulders - this being a great benefit for all.

Cry yourself a river, build a bridge and get over it. In the end you ended up with a better car, with more power and longer range; and less degradation on the battery as well as an unlimited amount of miles warranty on the battery. If you couldnt afford it, sell the car and get a 60kwh. Stop whining and be glad this isnt a regular Dealer bought car - they would tell you to get lost.

 

[Holden]

Wow, you're being a bit harsh there, aren't you Laumb? Norwegian winter getting to you?

 

[Zythryn]

Wow, you're being a bit harsh there, aren't you Laumb? Norwegian winter getting to you?

Not really.
The OP was given information that was valid at the time. Business decisions were made and that charged.
I can understand being irked. However, when buying any product you have to realize a change to the product is not a personal attack on earlier orders and does not mean the company was deceptive.

 

[Johan]

Winter is over here now!

IMO I know I would be down if I was waiting to finalize on a 40kWh and now I'm told I can no longer buy it.

If I already had a 60kWh and had paid for SC as an "insurance for the future" I'd also be slightly annoyed, but remember that activation of SC will cost no matter when you activate.

If it later turns out that 85 and P85 are basically the same or put another way: if the regular 85 is "software upgradeable" to a P85 I would be a lot more concerned. I'd like more detail on the actual hardware difference between the two at this point.

 

[Laumb]

Don't think so. Tesla could take the other route of not giving their customers flexibility with their own money.
No other car company that I have ever heard of has ever been as flexible and forthcoming for the best interest of their customers.

At the point that Tesla decided to inform everyone that they were not installing SC hardware unless you paid for it, I am sure their intentions were clear: to not install the hardware.
The fact that time dragged out and they chose to offer the service of Software-enabling it for a fee (same amount as before) to make some extra cash, future proof the car, simplify production and offer customers the possibility just shows good sportmanship.

40s and 60s just got the best news they could ever get yesterday - and someone is always trying to make it look like a bad decision.

I can see the newspaper-stamp pressing headlines: "Tesla chose to give customers more options and flexibility than they asked for - big spenders feel decieved! All they did was get something even better!"

 

[ADN_ModelS]

During the ordering process, I was debating between the 60 kWh and 85 kWh batteries. I specifically asked a Tesla rep on the telephone if, after purchasing the 60 kWh battery without supercharging, I could add the supercharging option at a later time. He told me that that would not be possible because supercharging capability requires installation of special hardware. As a result, I ended up deciding to purchase the 85 kWh battery because I thought that was a better bargain relative to the 60 kWh battery plus $2000 for supercharging.

Now I find out that all 60 kWh battery vehicles are capable of supercharging. And, importantly, there is no special hardware required, in contrast to what was conveyed to me before. Had I known this I would have chosen to purchase the 60 kWh battery without supercharging since I would be able to purchase the supercharging option later if and when the superchargers are installed close to me. I don't doubt that the Tesla rep was simply repeating information conveyed to him but I don't like the fact that I was misinformed and led to make a purchase I otherwise would not have made.

I hope I'm wrong but there seems to be a pattern on Tesla's part to withhold information and features (such as floor mats, center console, sunroof shade, wireless services in the future, the extended services program or warranty or whatever they're calling it, etc.) for as long as possible in order to spur increased sales.

You'll love your 85. It accelerates faster, and that is a very valuable attribute.

 

[Laumb]

Winter is over here now!

IMO I know I would be down if I was waiting to finalize on a 40kWh and now I'm told I can no longer buy it.

I agree with you on this.
I bet there Are hundreds of persons that were In some sort of waiting phase to finalize a 40kwh, either financially, life-situation, waiting for lease ++ that now will never be Tesla customers. These people should definitively have gotten a heads up; "please finalize within 2-4 weeks and get the deal of the century" - and not just been tossed into purgatory.

 

[Elshout]

Grow Up!

 

[sp4rk]

In the factory tour, one does not get to see where they mount the "motor" to the chassis. I wonder if indeed with P85 is a software switch?

 

[ElSupreme]

In the factory tour, one does not get to see where they mount the "motor" to the chassis. I wonder if indeed with P85 is a software switch?

I believe it is known that the P85 has the same motor as all the other Model Ss. Tesla has stated that it receives bigger power electronics equipment. That allow it to handle more current.

 

[Longhorn92]

Same motor, but supposedly a different inverter (and beefed up wiring if I remember correctly).

 

[dave]

I'm not crying about it, but it does annoy me a bit. The Supercharger access fee definitely pushed me towards getting the bigger battery. With today's info I probably would have bought a 60kWh battery with the option to supercharge later. Especially since I live in an area that probably won't see a supercharger for years...

 

[Todd Burch]

Let's all be civil here. I don't think the issue is about pouting, or crying, or whining, or misleading.

I think it's just that a business decision was made based on the low percentage of 40 kWh orders that would lead to a more solid footing for Tesla in the future.

That decision was likely not made when the OP was informed. Things change all the time.

 

[montgom626]

I think you guys should stop crying over the spillt milk.
Nobody ever forced you to upgrade. If you had a problem with paying $2000 for SC access, then I cannot believe how you could afford another $8000,-. You should just have sticked with paying the extra $2k. I guess you would have made a huge deal out of it anyway. Tesla decided to be fair to their customers and provide the extra hardware with the cost on their shoulders - this being a great benefit for all.

Cry yourself a river, build a bridge and get over it. In the end you ended up with a better car, with more power and longer range; and less degradation on the battery as well as an unlimited amount of miles warranty on the battery. If you couldnt afford it, sell the car and get a 60kwh. Stop whining and be glad this isnt a regular Dealer bought car - they would tell you to get lost.

I am 100% in support of your comments. So much whining. So tiring. Can we get a whine section in the forum?

 

[jerry33]

As far as I can recall:

1. For a long time it wasn't decided whether the 60 would get Supercharging.

2. The 40 was never going to get Supercharging.

3. $2000 was decided as a charge for the Supercharger.

3. The first bunch of 60s were made with Supercharger hardware.

4. Tesla decided not to produce the 40 as there weren't enough orders to make it viable. A deal was made for the existing reservation holders.

5. It appears that to streamline production and avoid errors Tesla decided to include the Supercharger hardware in all cars and eat the small amount of extra cost (which they'll likely get back from not having to retrofit cars that were supposed to get the Supercharger hardware but didn't).

I don't see how anyone has a legitimate gripe (unlike the headliners). The only thing missing in all this is that they should continue to supply the "software 40" but at a somewhat higher price than the current 40.

 

[bigsmooth125]

I think you guys should stop crying over the spillt milk.
Nobody ever forced you to upgrade. If you had a problem with paying $2000 for SC access, then I cannot believe how you could afford another $8000,-. You should just have sticked with paying the extra $2k. I guess you would have made a huge deal out of it anyway. Tesla decided to be fair to their customers and provide the extra hardware with the cost on their shoulders - this being a great benefit for all.

Cry yourself a river, build a bridge and get over it. In the end you ended up with a better car, with more power and longer range; and less degradation on the battery as well as an unlimited amount of miles warranty on the battery. If you couldnt afford it, sell the car and get a 60kwh. Stop whining and be glad this isnt a regular Dealer bought car - they would tell you to get lost.

I understand being foreign may lead you to make grammatical English mistakes but it doesn't excuse you from making an ignorant argument. First, I never said I was forced into doing anything. I was convinced to do something based on incorrect information provided to me by Tesla. Second, the issue is not whether I can afford to spend the extra money. The issue was whether it would be a good idea for me to do so based on the available options.

Let's put a stop to the "if you can afford a $100,000 car, you should be able to afford to pay extra for _________" argument. This argument also appears on the thread relating to the possible cost of wireless service in the future. I care about every dollar I make and spend. Any dollar wasted is a dollar that could be spent towards friends, family, charity, whores, crack, or meth. One of the things I like about being a Tesla owner is that it puts me in what I like to think is a group of educated, industrious, and ecologically-minded professionals. Those who make this argument simply lower the overall IQ of the group.

Let's also put a stop to the mindless devotion to Tesla. Rather than helping the company or bolstering the image of Tesla, fanboys only serve to lead others to think that Tesla drivers are a bunch of, uh, fanboys. Reminds me too much of the journalists on Fox news.

We have a saying in Texas that applies to some of the posters here: "Even a good horse needs a whoopin' sometimes."

Actually, I just made that up.