considering buying a Model 3 SR+ but have no home charging and only 120V at work; have come concerns

[walkman05]

Hi I am considering buying a Model 3 SR plus in Austin before tax credit runs out 12/31. I live in an apartment right now that has no charging access but my workplace has a 120V option. I commute only about 6 miles to work every day and might only do about 50 miles a week. I do frequently do trips to Houston/Dallas. I did want to throw some questions up for discussion.

1) Should I worry about parking a model 3 in an apartment? How hard is it for someone to key in or break into a model 3?
2) Considering I really like the model 3, should I wait before I get a house with charging access to buy it?
3) How difficult will be my charging situation considering I live in Austin ?
4) Should I be worried about the usual delivery defects ?

If I can talk to someone about these questions, I would really appreciate it .

Thanks,
Satish

 

[qdeathstar]

1) Difficult. It doesn’t have keys so they would need your iphone or key card.
2) You could use supercharging. It isn’t great for the battery but if it was between that and no model 3, i’d supercharge.
3) not hard.
4) get everything they agree to fix, they eventually fix it, be patient.


It’s likely too late to get the incentive though, as it has to be delivered before the end of the year.

 

[qdeathstar]

You should really push your budget and get a lrawd, you get a lot more for your money,

 

[ibdb]

Go to PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You and put in your address. You'll get a map of other charging locations near you. There seem to be quite a few to choose from, but I don't know exactly where you are.

 

[elyliu]

I know people that live in condos with no charging options and they just live exclusively off super chargers. No battery issues. And if your commute is so short, you can easily live off 120v. I think you get about 2-3 miles per hour charging.

regarding security, Tesla does have sentry mode which has been helpful for capturing people that vandalize or break in your car.

 

[SageBrush]

Check the supercharger map for your long trips
Your workplace charging is perfect
No better car than a Tesla when it comes to vandalism due to sentry mode
Delivery defects are not common but when they occur Tesla takes care of them

You have to take delivery of the car by Dec 31 to get the tax credit.

 

[devilmountain]

I have a 30 amp circuit at my house for home charging which I was using exclusive. Then my employer decided to start charging everyone a fee to park. Since I have to pay for parking I exclusively charge at work on a 120 volt outlet. I commute 30 miles day, mostly uphill on the way in and downhill on the way home. The 120 volt outlet at work cannot keep up with my driving by the end of the week. A shorter commute shouldn't be an issue. If you have a nearby L2 charger to top off you should be fine.

 

[cwerdna]

And if your commute is so short, you can easily live off 120v...

regarding security, Tesla does have sentry mode which has been helpful for capturing people that vandalize or break in your car.

Agreed.

Go to PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You and put in your address. You'll get a map of other charging locations near you. There seem to be quite a few to choose from, but I don't know exactly where you are.

To elaborate, OP should filter by J1772, Tesla and Supercharger. OP might want to also include NEMA 14-50 and CHAdeMO (if he's willing to spend $450 for CHAdeMO Adapter).

 

[Teedub21]

I know people that live in condos with no charging options and they just live exclusively off super chargers. No battery issues. And if your commute is so short, you can easily live off 120v. I think you get about 2-3 miles per hour charging.

regarding security, Tesla does have sentry mode which has been helpful for capturing people that vandalize or break in your car.

The model 3 will charge at 6mph on 120.
Honestly I couldn’t imagine owning my 3 with no home charging option. The week I had to use 120 until I installed my HPWC was bad enough.

 

[SageBrush]

Honestly

You no doubt drive more than 50 miles a week for commuting

 

[srs5694]

I agree with other comments here, particularly the suggestion by @ibdb and @cwerdna to check PlugShare for other charging options near where you live, work, and other places you frequent (shopping malls, parks, movie theaters, etc.).

I'll also add that plugging into a 120v outlet at work will require pulling out the Mobile Connector, uncoiling it, etc., whenever you want to charge, then putting it all back in the trunk (or wherever you keep it) when you leave. This will quickly become an annoyance. It's better to use a charging solution that's permanently installed somewhere, whether that's at home, at work, or somewhere else.

There are people who live with the types of restrictions you note. You may want to check the Tesla Joy YouTube channel; she lives in a condo with no charging there, and she's produced at least a couple of videos on this subject. (As I recall, she relies on a combination of Superchargers and a J1772 EVSE near her work.) I can't comment from first-hand experience, since I can charge at home.

If you expect to be moving soon (say, in the next 6 months, or 12 at the outside), and if you have some sort of public charging option that you can use without too much inconvenience, then doing without home charging for a while may be worthwhile. If you expect to be living where you are now for a year or more, though, and if you don't need to buy a new car right now, then it might make more sense to hold off on the purchase of a Tesla until after you've moved. The $1875 tax credit will go away, of course, but Tesla will also almost certainly change its pricing in the next few months. It might go up or down, so I can't promise that the change will compensate, even partially, for the loss of the tax credit; but it might. Both Tesla and other manufacturers are also introducing new EVs in the next year or two, so perhaps something else will better suit your needs after you move to someplace where you can install an EVSE. Also, if you expect to be buying a house soon, buying a car now will negatively impact your credit score (if you take out a loan) or cash on hand (if you have enough to buy it outright), both of which will make it harder to get a mortgage. From a financial perspective, it makes sense to buy a new car after you buy a new house rather than the other way around.

 

[tvad]

I don't recommend it. Charging will become a hassle in short order unless you have easy/close access to a Tesla Supercharging station.

Postpone your Tesla purchase until you have better charging options at home or at work.

BTW...Tesla has an established history of reducing the cost of their cars to offset expired tax entitlements; therefore the 12/31 deadline will most probably be moot.

 

[VQTRVA]

OP -as I get older, convenience & the value of my time starts weighing more & more.

I literally, use my time to become more efficient with my time LOL.

Seriously, I would delay any personal technology shifts until you can quantify your personal hassle factor, subsequent lifestyle changes & the resulting cost of all that in concert with each other.

The comments above are very illuminating in terms of all the things you need to do and/or give up without an in-home charging option.

 

[Higgles]

My SR+ puts on about 5 miles for every hour of charging on a 120V plug. So about 40 miles for an 8 hour work day(200 miles a week). If you know how far you drive every year you can estimate how well this will work for you. But definitely make sure another charger is close to your house. Also, these numbers are based on EPA average efficiency so they could worse or better.

 

[camalaio]

No one can answer your second question without understanding why you want a Model 3.

That said, I assume mostly because it's an EV.

• What happens if/when you change jobs? You may lose your common charge source and then an EV becomes impractical.
• 120V charging at work is sufficient to keep your battery topped up daily with your low mileage. Use Superchargers for longer trips.
• Lugging the cord out/in every day might be annoying.

EV infrastructure is not yet well suited to apartment dwellers, often fairly inconvenient to get a charge. I personally wouldn't go out of my way to get a charge.

That said, even where I live, there were some Level 2 charging options at places we frequent. Even when we were using 120V at home for a 120km/day drive, just an hour of Level 2 charging somewhere else once per week topped it back up. We had to walk 5 minutes or so extra to the coffee shop, but that's not a bad thing for us who sit in front of computers all day otherwise. Get familiar with charging options close to places you already go via PlugShare as mentioned earlier. It's a huge help.

If you haven't, please clear with your workplace that you would be charging at work. Some object to this. Sometimes you can offer to pay a fair amount for the power.

 

[rickdogg82]

If you can charge at work every day, and have access to chargers where you visit, you should not have any problems. Find out where the area chargers are and you may bu surprised that the gym, grocery store, etc has one and you don't really need to worry. Although like others have said, an EV makes most sense if you have the ability to charge it at home.

 

[toolman335]

I get 4 to 5 mph of charging on 120, but I agree that it's by far the most annoying charging option. I did that for 4 days at home before my electrician installed my L2 charging station. At first I was so excited to be charging at home, but man, once I got my L2 situation set up it was SO NICE. It never gets old charging at home. If I didn't have that option I don't think I'd own an EV. It's nice to not have to visit a gas station, but you'd have to think about getting juice way too often.
You clearly don't need much power, but you do need it. 120 charging should be reserved for an emergency and/or if you drive a Leaf lol.
Without looking at the Austin power options, I have to assume that you have several Supercharging and L2 options.

 

[tvad]

120 charging should be reserved for an emergency and/or if you drive a Leaf lol.

We have been charging at home for four months on 120v with no problem. Our Model 3 utilizes 40-50 miles of range per day. We have never required additional charging at a Supercharger.

This is much to my surprise (and relief).

 

[calidreamz808]

I live in an apt with no ways of charging at home.. I use the free stations around town, charge point, and EVgo charging networks in addition to Supercharging. I've never had any problems with range anxiety or charging when needed. I highly recommend downloading the app mentioned above called PlugShare... it lists all the various charging stations on a map with details. Keep in mind, Tesla also sells the adapter for you to "fast charge" using other networks like EVgo. You'll be just fine.. be happy and go buy your M3

 

[KenC]

Hi I am considering buying a Model 3 SR plus in Austin before tax credit runs out 12/31. I live in an apartment right now that has no charging access but my workplace has a 120V option. I commute only about 6 miles to work every day and might only do about 50 miles a week. I do frequently do trips to Houston/Dallas. I did want to throw some questions up for discussion.

1) Should I worry about parking a model 3 in an apartment? How hard is it for someone to key in or break into a model 3?
2) Considering I really like the model 3, should I wait before I get a house with charging access to buy it?
3) How difficult will be my charging situation considering I live in Austin ?
4) Should I be worried about the usual delivery defects ?

If I can talk to someone about these questions, I would really appreciate it .

Thanks,
Satish

120v can work for such a short commute. If you do take trips to Houston or Dallas, make sure that a Supercharger is convenient. Should be, but you should check.

1) Set a PIN to drive, and never leave anything in your car.
2) Up to you.
3) You're in a big city, look for a nearby SC.
4) Mostly cosmetic.