Autopilot for a 120 miles daily commute: is it realistic?

[bigvirgil]

But driving still cuts a couple of hours out of my life every day. Time behind the wheel is basically unproductive for me.

I hear you. For the past 8 years or so I've been commuting by train to Central London on and off and it actually never really bothered me as it was always a good opportunity to read, catch up on some series, do some web browsing etc, and more generally to unwind after a day at work.

But train is not an option to get to the new gig's location so it's either renting a room or something locally, or driving. If only fully autonomous cars were there already (even if it's only on motorways, I'm fine with that)...

Meanwhile, AP seems to be the best (the only) option. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[bigvirgil]

With my hands on the wheel at all time of course !

I KNOW it's not even a semi-autonomous car already.

 

[richrootes]

It's what the car was built for, Virgil - go for it mate, you won't regret it

 

[suraj1194]

My commute is somewhat shorter than sorka's, but in the same ballpark, and I do it 3x weekly typically.

I wouldn't dream of doing it in anything other than a Tesla. AP (I have AP1) in particular makes it doable. The reduction in mental and physical load due to AP doing most of the work, is enormous. No way I'd survive it without Tesla + AP.

The car itself has been flawless all this while. No mechanical issues at all after close to a year of this.

 

[Tangible]

The whole idea of buying a Tesla is based on Autopilot being able to ease the pain

In its current state AP2, for me, makes driving more taxing, not less. It might be interesting to compare the total cost of ownership of a Tesla with using an Uber every day. The Uber comes with an autonomous driving system that's good enough to let you sleep or work without worrying. It's never in the shop, and it doesn't need a parking space.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

8 years unlimited mileage on the drive train - what are you worried about?

I'm at almost 60K miles or almost 100KM on a March 2014 built - this thing is bullet proof.

 

[bigvirgil]

It might be interesting to compare the total cost of ownership of a Tesla with using an Uber every day. The Uber comes with an autonomous driving system that's good enough to let you sleep or work without worrying. It's never in the shop, and it doesn't need a parking space.

I've actually considered a combination of train + Uber, if only for the sake of not leaving any stone unturned.

Bottom line: I'd rather buy myself a fully specced P100D because it would have about the same monthly cost as the Uber fares.

Admittedly, I wouldn't still be able to work (and that's a bummer because I would definitely have to take on a second job in order pay for the ballooning fees).

 

[bigvirgil]

8 years unlimited mileage on the drive train - what are you worried about?

I'm at almost 60K miles or almost 100KM on a March 2014 built - this thing is bullet proof.

I'm not really worried about the battery or the drive train. I'm more concerned about all the menial repairs that will inevitably occur the older (and used) the car will get.
I hear that replacing a faulty door handle can get quite pricey really quick if not under warranty (and not an uncommon thing apparently).
Display replacement looks like a lot of fun too.
I know there are a lot less points of failure than with an ICE car (at least engine-wise) but the more the car is driven, the more it inevitably ages and wears, and options to get those things fixed in the UK are, well, Tesla itself basically, at Tesla price.

That being said, your own experience is definitely encouraging and increases my growing conviction that buying a preowned model with AP1 might be the most sensible approach for me.

 

[suraj1194]

Drive unit and other big ticket maintenance efforts have been statistically quantified to an extent since 2012, and they show a continuous trend of reduction from the initial year or two when they were signfiicant.

Tesla Model S battery pack data shows very little capacity loss over high mileage

Image from the above article:

Going back to my original response, I would add that I would not consider AP2 as worthwhile yet. It's still too much of a work in progress. AP1 on the other hand, was excellent when I got the car, and is, to me, now worth well in excess of the $2500 it cost, at the time. It's a major factor that makes my commute worthwhile. AP2 has too much of a development curve to swallow, that I don't personally have the tolerance level for.

 

[Ulmo]

Drive unit and other big ticket maintenance efforts have been statistically quantified to an extent since 2012, and they show a continuous trend of reduction from the initial year or two when they were signfiicant.

Tesla Model S battery pack data shows very little capacity loss over high mileage

Image from the above article:

That's an improvement.

 

[bigvirgil]

Mmhh, I might better have to go for one of the 2 most recent preowned models I've found then (a 2015 S85 or a 2016 S70).

Pity because I really liked that red 2014 S85

(on the other hand, one would assume that if the battery, drive unit or charger were bound to fail on that one, they would have done that by now already!)

 

[JonG]

I drove 70 miles up the m6 and then into Manchester and then back for a year. Took nearly 2 hours each way primarily because of road works around the airport. AP1 made quite a difference on motorways and good A roads including stop start traffic. There was a 30 min portion of my commute where it didn't help as there were lots of junctions and traffic lights, AP doesn't stop at lights and I'm not sure even if they add traffic light detection will it understand yellow boxes. I think the bulk of your driving will be fine though on AP if you're happy to sit and follow.

As for which one.. the 60D is the best value new car they do although lots of delivery issues at the moment, primarily paint and AP calibration, all fixable. I'd be looking at either that or a late 85/90D with AP1 which are similar in price. You get a fair bit more grunt. You can extend warranty although it's not very cheap.

 

[bigvirgil]

You can extend warranty although it's not very cheap

That's actually something I've been struggling to get a straight answer about (and I can't just phone up a Tesla rep on Easter weekend...): my understanding was that a warranty extension was only possible if ordered by the initial owner of the car, and wasn't possible if I bought it preowned (and I guess it's even more complicated if I don't buy with Tesla but with a third party).
Am I missing something?

 

[Sawyer8888]

my understanding was that a warranty extension was only possible if ordered by the initial owner of the car, and wasn't possible if I bought it preowned (and I guess it's even more complicated if I don't buy with Tesla but with a third party).
Am I missing something?

I just Googled this because I had read on other threads that transferring the unused portion of the 4-yr/50K warranty was only possible with a certified pre-owned Tesla, and that buying privately voided that warranty. This may be a case of misunderstanding that has lead to all the confusion on this topic.

Changes Posted Concerning Tesla Model S Extended Warranty, Service Costs Were Posted "In Error," Says Tesla

Just like this artivle, it seems quite a few authors nowadays are pulling straight from this TMC forum to create their stories.

Watching CBS's Sunday Morning last week, authors may only have to push a button or two and the computer writes the story for them (AP for the media?) Yup. Skip ahead to 3:11 of last week's episode, or watch the whole this. It's quite interesting:

 

[Sawyer8888]

...the 60D is the best value new car they do although lots of delivery issues at the moment, primarily paint and AP calibration, all fixable.

Agreed. My 60 was recently delivered with a small number of paint issues. A chip in an inconspicuous spot, a few scratches in the clear coat (possibly from the shop detailers), and two fish eyes (dust particles finding their way onto the car and then painted over - only one was on the metal). Not too bad. We noted the one on the front bumper at the time of delivery and the other one after delivery. Most of the other issues were fit deficiencies. The Tesla delivery specialist said they would contact us to schedule the an appointment to address all of the problems related to fit and finish, and we happily drove off.

When the air conditioner broke during the first week, Tesla had me bring the car in right away. At that time, their body shop made a sophomoric attempt to correct the fish eye on the metal. I mean, wow. And they did not reattach the rear bumper flush to the quarter panel after correcting a small dent that definately took place at the factory. Hmm. Back to the body shop for round two. I received a call 4 days later advising the body shop was done with my car again, but they chipped the quarter panel while attempting to fix the bumper. In addition, the repaint of their initial attempt to fix the fish eye did not come out well, again.... back to the body shop for round 3, which is where our car is currently residing. I have left out a lot of detail regarding the long list of fit and finish deficiencies, but that is for another thread.

Bad: paint imperfections and other fit and finish problems.

Good: Tesla's service personnel (excluding some of the folks at this particular Tesla body shop) has been exceptional in trying to make it right.

Overall, it has been a good experience, albeit a fit frustrating. I am not a Tesla fanatic, but I absolutely love driving the car. Despite the initial shortcomings, I am happy with my purchase. Part of me hopes that by having more information like this out there, Tesla becomes more aware and improves their QC, for the benefit of future customers and for Tesla itself.

 

[jbcarioca]

Mmhh, I might better have to go for one of the 2 most recent preowned models I've found then (a 2015 S85 or a 2016 S70).

Pity because I really liked that red 2014 S85

(on the other hand, one would assume that if the battery, drive unit or charger were bound to fail on that one, they would have done that by now already!)

Late 2014 S seem to have been pretty reliable by all accounts I hear, my own experience with my 2014 P85D has been easy, but I have only 29,000 miles. I had a charge door and a 12V battery replaced under warranty but no other car problems. It is true that tyres are costly, so make sure you will have 19" which last 4-5 times as long as 21" and use less energy in the bargain. If you can get the extended warranty that is not a bad idea. Nearly all the bits and pieces will be expensive to replace but they seem rarely to do so in 2014 and later. For door handle longevity one needs mostly, I'm told to ensure that all of them are regularly used; they seem to fail from disuse.

 

[JonG]

I've not heard any issues with the new car warranty bring honoured if the car changes hands. There is a quirk on Tesla sold used cars as they say it starts a fresh 4 year/50k miles but replaces the new car warranty and has slightly less coverage (I think paint defects aren't covered for instance). I'm not sure how this really pans out.

There is also details of extending the warranty

Insured Warranty

My belief is, but you're right to want to confirm, that a new car warranty will be in place until 4yr/50k then you can extend even if the car changes hands, and if it doesn't, it will be variable by car (e.g. If you're the 3rd owner, how it changed hands between first and second owner could change what the car has). Nothing like keeping things dimply with a Tesla.

There's loads of other stuff on the uk Facebook groups or Tesla to name but 2 uk resources.

 

[Sully's8]

I have a 2017MS that I drive ~85 miles daily on Chicago highways. I use autopilot for almost all of that trip. Like others have said, the AP does nag you to keep your hand on the wheel. That's fine. I use it as a passive driving system. I keep my hand on the wheel & I do pay attention. However, if I am distracted by a shiny object when driving not as alert as I'd like to be from working 10+ hours a day, the AP system makes sure that I'm safer that I'd be at 100% attention. I have put 2000+ miles on 8.1AP at highway speeds never once had an issue or close call.[/QUOTE

Can't speak for London but like this fellow Chicagoan, my AP2 is phenomenal in traffic on the interstate highways. Don't have to do much on my 50 mile per day (total) commute. . . If, however, you are on local roads that are still at lower speed caps for autosteer, I would assume you will be driving most of the time. Truth be told the S is so fun to drive when not in traffic, I rarely even think about TACC and Autosteer when I'm on local roads.

Good luck.

 

[Electroman]

my AP2 is phenomenal in traffic on the interstate highways. Don't have to do much on my 50 mile per day (total) commute. . . I

Paging oktane!!

 

[EVie'sDad]

That's actually something I've been struggling to get a straight answer about (and I can't just phone up a Tesla rep on Easter weekend...): my understanding was that a warranty extension was only possible if ordered by the initial owner of the car, and wasn't possible if I bought it preowned (and I guess it's even more complicated if I don't buy with Tesla but with a third party).
Am I missing something?

Can I transfer my Extended Service Agreement to the new owner if I sell my Tesla vehicle?
Yes, you can transfer the unused portion of your Extended Service Agreement with the sale of your vehicle. The agreement will transfer to the new owner when the vehicle ownership transfer is processed through Tesla. Please refer to the Extended Service Agreement Terms and Conditions for more information.

Source - Vehicle Warranty