TaoJones
Beyond Driven
Yeah, for coming up on 5 years now and it's never been a problem.
When I ordered the car, there was exactly 1 SC in the county. Now there are many.
BT (Before Tesla), when I was in town, I would fill up with that stinky cancer-causing liquid once a week at the nearby Costco. Now when I'm in town, I turn right instead of left at the same intersection and charge up once a week while getting work done and/or having a salad at the host property.
Have experienced no problems with any of the FUD expressed by the usual sources in this thread and elsewhere. Battery degradation after 60K+ miles in the first Model S was less than 4%, and with the second S it's at 6% and holding steady. When I bought the first S, they said to expect 10% battery degradation at 100,000 miles. I don't know anyone with 100K miles or more who's hit 10% - although I recall reading about it happening well after 100K miles.
Couple of caveats:
First, it makes no sense to rely upon SCing as your only source of charging in California or anywhere else that the cost per kW is in the neighborhood of $0.30. Be very aware that actual urban range is MUCH LESS than rated. Don't just read what the screen says. Do the math. If you charge to 90%, then charge again at 20% after driving 130 miles, then obviously you're getting NOWHERE NEAR rated (using a 90 pack as an example). Model 3s are more efficient than Model Ss but the point remains. Personally, I see a 40% hit in town and then can turn around and get every bit of 276 rated on the road (originally 294 - hence the 6% hit). So what this means is that decent hybrids *twitch* will be more economical.
The jury is still out regarding TCO (total cost of ownership) as well, relative to other vehicles. Exceptions do not make the rule. Don't even try floating the canard that Teslas are less expensive to maintain. Not yet, anyway. Depreciation, taxes, and ever-increasing registration hidden taxes are indeed real and will only get worse. Yes, I laugh at the notion that ride-sharing is somehow going to turn the average person's car into an appreciating asset. I don't know what kind of drugs Elon is doing these days, and I don't begrudge him the opportunity to do whatever he wants as he continues to do his best to save the planet, but clearly he has not yet brought enough for everybody.
Short version - too late, I know:
If your only option is SCing, and if you buy a CPO S with charging included, and if you drive a lot, then your monthly payment is offset by gas and oil and brake jobs and so forth and a cogent argument can be made.
If you have to pay for SCing, and have a car payment, I'd be very careful before jumping in *from an economic perspective*.
From a safety and driving experience standpoint, there is no better car and you should buy a Tesla yesterday. Even as poor as AP2+ is compared to AP1 to this day for the basics (TACC and AS), it's still the best rush hour and touring option there is. Just don't think you're going to save a ton of money doing it.
When I ordered the car, there was exactly 1 SC in the county. Now there are many.
BT (Before Tesla), when I was in town, I would fill up with that stinky cancer-causing liquid once a week at the nearby Costco. Now when I'm in town, I turn right instead of left at the same intersection and charge up once a week while getting work done and/or having a salad at the host property.
Have experienced no problems with any of the FUD expressed by the usual sources in this thread and elsewhere. Battery degradation after 60K+ miles in the first Model S was less than 4%, and with the second S it's at 6% and holding steady. When I bought the first S, they said to expect 10% battery degradation at 100,000 miles. I don't know anyone with 100K miles or more who's hit 10% - although I recall reading about it happening well after 100K miles.
Couple of caveats:
First, it makes no sense to rely upon SCing as your only source of charging in California or anywhere else that the cost per kW is in the neighborhood of $0.30. Be very aware that actual urban range is MUCH LESS than rated. Don't just read what the screen says. Do the math. If you charge to 90%, then charge again at 20% after driving 130 miles, then obviously you're getting NOWHERE NEAR rated (using a 90 pack as an example). Model 3s are more efficient than Model Ss but the point remains. Personally, I see a 40% hit in town and then can turn around and get every bit of 276 rated on the road (originally 294 - hence the 6% hit). So what this means is that decent hybrids *twitch* will be more economical.
The jury is still out regarding TCO (total cost of ownership) as well, relative to other vehicles. Exceptions do not make the rule. Don't even try floating the canard that Teslas are less expensive to maintain. Not yet, anyway. Depreciation, taxes, and ever-increasing registration hidden taxes are indeed real and will only get worse. Yes, I laugh at the notion that ride-sharing is somehow going to turn the average person's car into an appreciating asset. I don't know what kind of drugs Elon is doing these days, and I don't begrudge him the opportunity to do whatever he wants as he continues to do his best to save the planet, but clearly he has not yet brought enough for everybody.
Short version - too late, I know:
If your only option is SCing, and if you buy a CPO S with charging included, and if you drive a lot, then your monthly payment is offset by gas and oil and brake jobs and so forth and a cogent argument can be made.
If you have to pay for SCing, and have a car payment, I'd be very careful before jumping in *from an economic perspective*.
From a safety and driving experience standpoint, there is no better car and you should buy a Tesla yesterday. Even as poor as AP2+ is compared to AP1 to this day for the basics (TACC and AS), it's still the best rush hour and touring option there is. Just don't think you're going to save a ton of money doing it.
