If you have two cars, would you feel comfortable in the New England Winter with both as Teslas?
Or do you still feel the need to have an ICE "just in case"
Or do you still feel the need to have an ICE "just in case"
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Both Cars Teslas? New England Winter?
- Thread starter Driver Dave
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- New England USA
There are lots of folks who seem perfectly happy with Teslas as only cars in Norway, which is presumably a more severe environment. Bjorn drove all over the country in blizzards and every other condition in a rear wheel drive Tesla with no real issues on his Nimber tasks, and made a whole bunch of videos of his experiences.
I haven't lived in NE. However, my wife and I are a two car family, both Teslas.
The last two winters in Minnesota have been a joy.
We each have a spot in the garage and don't drive more than 170 miles a day unless on a trip.
The last two winters in Minnesota have been a joy.
We each have a spot in the garage and don't drive more than 170 miles a day unless on a trip.
Chopr147
Active Member
I am more concerned about hurricanes. Twice in the last 6 years we have lost power for a week once and 10 days after Sandy. Will the Supercharger (7 miles away) come up in time or will I have a dead car in my driveway?
Irony alert: I may have to buy gas for my generator and plug in the Tesla to charge
Irony alert: I may have to buy gas for my generator and plug in the Tesla to charge
tliving
Member
I've had my Model S since April 2014 and it's the only car I drive all year around. Mine is pre-AWD. So I just put good snow tires on it and it does great. While we have other SUVs/trucks in the family, I never drive them. When the family goes anywhere we take my car rain, snow or shine.
My ICE cars are aging out and will get replaced with EVs (hopefully Tesla). The one big truck I have will take a while (F350 diesel) for the EVs to get to that level of power.
ICE cars are going the way of the ice age.
My ICE cars are aging out and will get replaced with EVs (hopefully Tesla). The one big truck I have will take a while (F350 diesel) for the EVs to get to that level of power.
ICE cars are going the way of the ice age.
Wouldn't gas stations also be without power in that situation?I am more concerned about hurricanes. Twice in the last 6 years we have lost power for a week once and 10 days after Sandy. Will the Supercharger (7 miles away) come up in time or will I have a dead car in my driveway?
Irony alert: I may have to buy gas for my generator and plug in the Tesla to charge
beegee
Member
Forty Creek
Member
During the last long power outage that we experienced, gas stations couldn't sell gas either. They need electricity to pump the fuel.I am more concerned about hurricanes. Twice in the last 6 years we have lost power for a week once and 10 days after Sandy. Will the Supercharger (7 miles away) come up in time or will I have a dead car in my driveway?
Irony alert: I may have to buy gas for my generator and plug in the Tesla to charge
I'm a bit hesitant to reply with a Memorial Day weekend experience from a Southern Californian. However, the first weekend I had my car, I found myself in six inches of heavy wet snow up at Mammoth. The car handled it without a hiccup ... on its stock all-season Michelins ... while he-man trucks were slippin' and slidin'.
Would advise the "D" models ... I found non-D loaners squirrelly even in the dry ... but I couldn't imagine a better winter car ... especially if you go with air suspension for a little extra clearance.
And, the ability to turn on heat remotely, while still on shore power, is an added bonus.
Would advise the "D" models ... I found non-D loaners squirrelly even in the dry ... but I couldn't imagine a better winter car ... especially if you go with air suspension for a little extra clearance.
And, the ability to turn on heat remotely, while still on shore power, is an added bonus.
Bimbels
GoldMember
We will be a 2 tesla family in NE when we get our Model 3. Last winter (or first with our model S) we didn't drive our ICE at all. Not even when we went to VT during the coldest (negative temps) weekend of the year.
Power outages are just as bad for gas stations as stated above - they can't pump gas without electricity, which is why everyone floods to gas stations before storms. I'd just make sure our cars are fully charged ahead of time, just like I'd be sure to fill my gas tank.
Power outages are just as bad for gas stations as stated above - they can't pump gas without electricity, which is why everyone floods to gas stations before storms. I'd just make sure our cars are fully charged ahead of time, just like I'd be sure to fill my gas tank.
Better buy your generator gas in advance of a storm knocking out the grid where you live since then the gas stations won't be able to pump gas.I am more concerned about hurricanes. Twice in the last 6 years we have lost power for a week once and 10 days after Sandy. Will the Supercharger (7 miles away) come up in time or will I have a dead car in my driveway?
Irony alert: I may have to buy gas for my generator and plug in the Tesla to charge
@Driver Dave,
I see you've already stated your decision but couldn't resist adding one more data point.
Three Boston winters in my rear wheel drive August 2013 P85+. Nokiian Hakkapolitta R2 winter ("snow") tires. Great performance and handling, way way better than our Prius, and as seemingly as good as an Audi A4 Quattro I had sold a couple of years before buying the Tesla. (A tricky comparison, as the Audi was ~3000 pounds and the Tesla is ~4500 pounds and longer and wider.)
I'm thinking about replacing my P85+ with a P100DL, but my motivation is more about staying current than anything else. I can't argue convincingly that you need all wheel drive in the Tesla for winter safety, as I now have too much proof that the rear wheel drive plus winter tires (plus Tesla traction control) is more than adequate to the task.
Also, I like driving in snow.
We are just waiting for Model 3 to replace our Prius.
I would strongly recommend that you purchase a set of winter tires. One respondent, above, noted poor handling in the winter on a non-D loaner; but if it were a loaner from Tesla, it would have their all season tires, which I have experienced in my own Tesla loaners, and they aren't great winter tires. Get good winter tires and you will be very happy with your S in the winter. Oh, and get the SubZero package, too.
Alan
I see you've already stated your decision but couldn't resist adding one more data point.
Three Boston winters in my rear wheel drive August 2013 P85+. Nokiian Hakkapolitta R2 winter ("snow") tires. Great performance and handling, way way better than our Prius, and as seemingly as good as an Audi A4 Quattro I had sold a couple of years before buying the Tesla. (A tricky comparison, as the Audi was ~3000 pounds and the Tesla is ~4500 pounds and longer and wider.)
I'm thinking about replacing my P85+ with a P100DL, but my motivation is more about staying current than anything else. I can't argue convincingly that you need all wheel drive in the Tesla for winter safety, as I now have too much proof that the rear wheel drive plus winter tires (plus Tesla traction control) is more than adequate to the task.
Also, I like driving in snow.
We are just waiting for Model 3 to replace our Prius.
I would strongly recommend that you purchase a set of winter tires. One respondent, above, noted poor handling in the winter on a non-D loaner; but if it were a loaner from Tesla, it would have their all season tires, which I have experienced in my own Tesla loaners, and they aren't great winter tires. Get good winter tires and you will be very happy with your S in the winter. Oh, and get the SubZero package, too.
Alan
Three New England winters now with two EV's and one ICE Minivan. Only the Minivan got snow tires, as it was used for ski trips. Never needed 'em on the EV's as they are good enough in the snow without.
Once the X arrives (next month...hopefully) the ICE is gone. The Supercharger network is now dense enough to make all expected trips with ease, albite a bit slower than we'd like. Not sure if we'll bother with snow's on the X (probably not the first year).
Once the X arrives (next month...hopefully) the ICE is gone. The Supercharger network is now dense enough to make all expected trips with ease, albite a bit slower than we'd like. Not sure if we'll bother with snow's on the X (probably not the first year).
See @woof's post for what might be the voice of reason. (Seriously.)
Me.... I'm thinking that of all the money spent on the entire damned car, there are little only four places where the car meets the road. Those four tire contact patches. Everything just gets harder to do from there. For example, control is great, but can only work with whatever traction you have to begin with.
I had an opportunity in December '14 to drive my S with Hakkas; my S with summer tires; a loaner S with all-seasons (but IIRC still RWD); all within the span of a week. Don't forget that winter tires are all about TEMPERATURE as well as snow/slush/ice. It's a different formulation for the rubber. Upshot: summer tires are actively dangerous in winter; all-seasons left me feeling like the car was manageable but not great; Hakkas left me feeling like I was planted on the road.
Bearing in mind, of course, that physics can't be denied and if you choose to push your car too hard, there's no winter tire in the world that will save you.
Bottom line: for thirty years, I just used all seasons. Now, I even put good winter tires on my Prius (rotating with all season tire that I use as the Prius three-season tires). I do summer staggered 21s on the Tesla, swapping with 19" Hakkas for the winter. I watch a lot of people sliding all over the road in their high performance sedans and SUVs -- but I'm not one of them. I'm planted. I think it's some of the best money I'm spending on my cars.
Alan
I am more concerned about hurricanes. Twice in the last 6 years we have lost power for a week once and 10 days after Sandy. Will the Supercharger (7 miles away) come up in time or will I have a dead car in my driveway?
Irony alert: I may have to buy gas for my generator and plug in the Tesla to charge
I've installed a natural-gas powered automatic standby generator (20 kW). It's sized large enough to run everything in the house _except_ the Tesla. But as long as I'm not running both air conditioners AND the steam shower, there should be plenty of power left over for the Tesla. If that ever proves not to be the case then the Tesla gets automatically cut off from the generator for a few minutes. No big deal. The additional peace of mind as a hurricane or blizzard bears down on us is palpable. I highly recommend it. Rough costs: $4k for the generator, $4k for the install (but my generator is about as far as possible from the gas source and pretty far from the main panel. YMMV).
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