:tongue: I am one of those kind of strange people:tongue: I drive about 25km a year, so it is about 200k km in 8 years ( Using period of battery warranty as the life of the Model S). Considering it cost about $2.5 per Km to drive my current car, it will be a huge saving for me in a long run. Not to mention Oil Change alone cost me 12k HKD every year.
So it really depends on how much you use your car.
I'm in the 20k to 25k km/year club as well. When I bought the car it had 10K to 15K miles on it. 4 years later it's already passed 100K.
I'm burning through a lot of fuel, about $7k/month in an SUV. Probably 1-2 airport trips weekly. 2-3 Deliveries a week. Then normal commuting plus then afternoons is dropping kids to and fro various activities. Probably 60km on a light day and 200km on a real busy day.
There is some savings in the $7K annually from the annual registration. (which I believe is only 1K in a Telsa)
The oil changes/maintenance/repairs. I think I've spent 20K+ in the last 4 months on those 3 combined. The repairs/maintenance is really piling up now.
I think there will be a net savings. But again, I'm interested in buying the car for Several reasons, not just saving on gas or oil changes.
#1) IT is ONE OF THE FEW Luxury SPORTS cars but also a family car.
That's a tough combination. There's a few that pull it off like the M5 comes to mind. Others like DLS63AMG Mercedes or Audi RS 7, but neither I've ever drove so I can't comment.
I had an M3 and actually chose it over the M5 because I was looking to completely get rid of the Family car vibe. I drove a Honda Odyssey for 10 years, so I needed a break from feeling like a soccer mom. (back in the U.S.).
Another Sports vehicle which can accommodate a family is a Porche Cayanne but that's a SUV, so a bit different to compare.
The point is, it is tough to be a SPORTS car, a Luxury car, and a FAMILY car all in one. Yet Tesla Model S pulls it off. It's roomy for a family of 4/5 and has PLENTY of space with 2 trunks, and is the safest car on the market with all 8 airbags and all the other safety features.
And it is DEFINITELY a sports car. You can add in all the options to make it look and perform like a sports car, and honestly the test drive I had, I haven't had that kind of power or rush since the M3 I owned 5 years ago. And this beat that. The M3 had amazing performance and when I floored it, it definitely had amazing speed, but this was faster. Maybe the M3 is faster in the long run, we had nice long big wide straight flat highways in South Florida so there were plenty of opportunities to test it's speed, whereas in HK it's very short bursts. Yet in those short bursts the Tesla felt faster.
#2) It's so futuristic 21st Century!
It is what a car SHOULD be today. ICE feel like dinosaurs. Come On already. How long are we going to hold onto that technology???
In the 80's we had a tape recorder, video camcorder, photo camera, alarm clock, watch, flashlight, BOOMBOX/Walkman, etc. And now all those BULKY objects COMBINED fit in the palm of your hand 20-30 years later with a smart phone.
Yet 100 years later we still can't come up with a better way of fueling our cars?
Secondly. It feels like a car in the era of ipads and smart phone and tablets and smart phone apps, it just seems to fit seamlessly with all the current technology buzzing around us daily. It just seems to fit and seems to be able to keep up with the times. When you think of a car in the future that has all these cool gadgets and electronics and technology...well, this car actually feels like it!
#3) It makes me feel green!
Yes I realize electricity is not free. Yes I realize it's not 100% Eco-friendly. Yes I realize the car is run on electricity which could be from burning fossil fuels and stuff. But FOR SURE if every car/bus was EV in HK I will bet you the nasty smog we often get and the API warning days would be a hell of a lot less. My biggest complaint about hk is the pollution and the car exhaust is one of the biggest culprits. Converting to EV IS helping that pollution situation. Just stand behind the black belch of a bus in HK vs a Tesla Model S and tell me which one you'd rather stand behind. Within 15 minutes could probably pass out if you stayed behind the bus. It's OBVIOUS those vehicles contribute to the polluted air we breathe in this city.
Secondly about being green. EV cars have the possibility of using non-fossil fuels. They can be powered via solar or hydro or other methods, EV's need electricity it doesn't matter where it comes from. So if HK did somehow manage to find a way to use natural energy on a grand scale, then EV's would be much more eco-friendly then their ICE counterparts.
Also, I don't feel guilty about idling! There's no such thing!
#4) Yay, saving some money.
No more $7K/month in petrol/gas/fuel. No more Oil changes! No more engine maintenance and repairs! Cheaper registration costs annually! Yay!
So that's my 4 reasons for wanting to buy a Tesla Model S.
