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

[toolman335]

The adapter comes with the car, so you can plug into any L2 charger out there. The Tesla network is the best, but there are L2 stations popping up everywhere.

One question I have is if there's any way to know what public charging stations are free. Is that on an App anywhere? The Tesla Navigation doesn't show that. From what I know the charging is free at local libraries, but other than that I have no idea.

 

[MentalNomad]

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?

It's exactly as easy to key or vandalize as any other car.

It's a little less likely to be stolen, because they are quite easily tracked (most stolen Teslas are quickly recovered.)

None of this makes the Tesla a bigger risk than any other new car.

2) Considering I really like the model 3, should I wait before I get a house with charging access to buy it?

If you really liked some gas-knocker, would you wait until you have a house? If you wouldn't get it until you can garage it safely, then you should think of your Tesla the same way. If it wouldn't be a concern with a gas-knocker, go ahead with your Tesla.

3) How difficult will be my charging situation considering I live in Austin ?

Not difficult. Firstly, you said you have 120v at work, which is a 6-miles commute. I get about 6 miles charged per hour on 120v; so 2 hours a day covers your commute. 6 hours twice a week gives you 36 miles, which is more than your weekly commute.

As far as the area - you've got two Superchargers in Austin; ones is next to a bunch of stores, the other is next to a bunch of restaurants. Go to either and park for 15 minutes to put 100 miles in your car. Problem solved.

Next, the area is literally littered with Tesla destination chargers ( in black, above) and other-network chargers (below) if you want to strictly charge at your convenience. Even with higher rates at some of these, you'll probably be paying less than you would for gasoline in the rare case you use them.

4) Should I be worried about the usual delivery defects ?

No, because there aren't "usual delivery defects." The usual is for there to be no meaningful defects. Stop looking at super-picky complainers posting in 2018; most cars were fine for most people in 2018 (including mine), and things are even better this year. Even Consumer Reports has reversed their earlier concern, acknowledging it's a non-issue for current buyers (or no different than other new cars.)

 

[huangm777]

One question I have is if there's any way to know what public charging stations are free. Is that on an App anywhere? The Tesla Navigation doesn't show that. From what I know the charging is free at local libraries, but other than that I have no idea.

Try the Plugshare app. It lists all types of chargers and usually also if it’s free or pay. I’ve been using it for years since I’ve had plug-in hybrids and it hasn’t let me down yet.

 

[rdeca]

Regarding charging, you can get unlimited charging for $4.17 per month ($50 yearly) from Austin Energy (see below). I don't have experience with this but one of my friends moved to Austin and he mentioned some cheap charging options there.

https://austinenergy.com/ae/green-power/plug-in-austin/charging-station-map

 

[derekmw]

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.

I agree. Unless you had a situation where you need to be somewhere for an extended period, RIGHT where you can charge, you're adding a lot of wasted time having to search out places to charge and sit around waiting. If I couldn't charge overnight in my house and/or at work, it would not be worth it to me to have an EV.

 

[Gondi63]

No one has mentioned, if you're charging at work, the receptacles might be commercially rated, which would mean 20 amp breakers. If you get a 5-20 adapter instead of a 5-15, you can charge more quickly.

Check if the outlet you'd be plugging into has a horizontal slot.

 

[SMAlset]

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.

Just to add, as far as the Federal tax credit, it's not a rebate so you have to meet the conditions on your tax return in order to qualify for it. Been reports of a lot of people not qualifying and filing for the credit and now the IRS is looking into those applications and that won't be pretty if they were claimed without qualifying. There might be other incentives through your local State or utility so if you order one check it out.

.... 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....

Given your driving situation and where you live I wouldn't be concerned about getting the car now. 50 miles a week isn't much so not like you'd have to plug in all the time. And plenty of charging options in the Houston/Dallas area to "fill up" in the meantime.

@walkman05 As for charging options, Plug Share app was mentioned and will be very helpful to you in locating other charging options out there that you can use. You'll have a mobile charging kit that comes with your car and you'll want to have on hand any compatible adapters to use to plug into stations you might make use of. Tesla supplies one or two with the kit but otherwise you'll want to order what you need.

Tesla has an online map you might check out in the meantime (link below). And when you are in your car and have it Navigate to a Supercharger it will also list nearby Tesla HPWC destination chargers that might be helpful too, so you wouldn't always have to pull up the Plug Share app.

This link will bring up the Austin destination/Supercharger locations for you. Austin Tesla Chargers
Looks like another one in Austin will be going in this year. In the SF Bay area urban chargers (72kW max) are typically going in at Target stores, so if you have Targets in your area might keep an eye out for construction starting. There are threads on supercharger locations by city in the TMC Community area (by region) so helpful getting a heads up on new ones going in. Here's the one for Texas: Texas Supercharger locations

 

[srs5694]

One question I have is if there's any way to know what public charging stations are free. Is that on an App anywhere? The Tesla Navigation doesn't show that. From what I know the charging is free at local libraries, but other than that I have no idea.

Others have mentioned PlugShare for locating public chargers, and it is indeed useful; however, it relies on crowd-sourced data, which is spotty. Its entries sometimes mention the cost to charge but sometimes do not; and the data may or may not be accurate. Still, it's a useful starting point. If it shows a station that would be convenient for you to use, you can always go and check it out; the unit may display pricing data on a screen or sign.

Beyond that, you can check the apps or Web sites for the main charging networks. Around me, that's mostly ChargePoint for Level 2 J1772, EVgo for CHAdeMO (DC fast charging, for which you'd need the $450 CHAdeMO adapter from Tesla), and of course Tesla's own Superchargers. There are other networks, though, as well as non-networked charging stations -- towns sometimes install non-networked stations in parks, restaurants and hotels sometimes have non-networked stations, etc. Most of the non-networked stations are free to use, although if they're installed by a business, you should probably buy something from them when charging.

 

[toolman335]

I haven't found a reliable app that shows where free stations are. Libraries tend to be free, but other than that the Plugshare and others don't indicate free ones.

 

[derekmw]

I haven't found a reliable app that shows where free stations are. Libraries tend to be free, but other than that the Plugshare and others don't indicate free ones.

I would not rely on any free ones as a source for charging. I've found over the years that any free station gets abused by those closest to it. I sat at a coffee shop next to one to wait for the owner to leave the spot. As he was getting in, I walked to my car, but he had a friend he swapped the spots with. They both worked at the business next door.

The few other free spots near my house always show 'in-use' and many are by people who work in the area and leave them in the spots all day. Your chances of snagging these free spots are pretty hard. (at least that's how it is in SoCal area).

 

[toolman335]

That makes sense.
I can't figure out how to determine which ones are free anyway.

In my town I'm the 3rd registered Tesla owner. I charge at home, but if I was out and about I'd like to find a free spot. The hospital one might be free? Not sure and when I still don't know if it is when I click on it.

 

[andy92782]

I wouldn't do it. Way too much inconvenience. Besides, short trips that use lots of A/C (it's Austin...) and/or heat will consume miles much more quickly than the rated range. And I'd also expect Tesla to adjust the price of the car once the federal tax credit expires, so that shouldn't be a factor.

 

[doghousePVD]

I haven't found a reliable app that shows where free stations are. Libraries tend to be free, but other than that the Plugshare and others don't indicate free ones.

You've repeated your comment. Don't be hung up on free; do you expect free gasoline?

Most non-networked J-1772 chargers are free, even if it doesn't say so. Very few DC chargers are free, regardless of what Plugshare says. Unless you have Chademo ($450), non-Supercharger DC are irrelevant.

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

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

If you can charge at work at 120v, you should be fine. You'll get 5 - 6 mph on a regular household 5-15 socket with a Model 3 and also 33% faster on 5-20 socket.
Yes, you'll occasionally get in a deficit and have to Supercharge, but that will be managable.

Be sure to order the 14-50 and 5-20 adapters from Tesla ($35 ea) for extra charging alternatives. The car nowadays comes with just the 5-15 adapter.

If you need an extension cord, don't skimp on it. Get a 12 gauge cord.
Always good to have be carrying a cord anyway. I always carry a 15 ft cord.

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

The adapter comes with the car, so you can plug into any L2 charger out there. The Tesla network is the best, but there are L2 stations popping up everywhere.

One question I have is if there's any way to know what public charging stations are free. Is that on an App anywhere? The Tesla Navigation doesn't show that. From what I know the charging is free at local libraries, but other than that I have no idea.

The OP said he had access to 120v at his place of work and a short commute.
That means he generally isn't reliant on third party chargers.

 

[tvad]

There is some clarity required by the OP.

He/she states, "I commute only about 6 miles to work every day and might only do about 50 miles a week".

1) Is the 6 miles commute one-way or round trip? If one way, then a round trip commute would be 12 miles, and a five day work week commute would total 70 miles. 12 miles of range will take 2-3 hours on a 120v circuit. (We charge on a 120v circuit and get 4-5 miles of range).
2) If the 6 mile commute is round trip, then the total weekly commute miles is 48. Six miles of range will take 1-1.5 hours on a 120 v circuit.

Of course, use of the car will extend beyond work commutes, so the OP would be wise to calculate daily mileage based on current mileage on his present car.

The OP also states, "I do [sic] frequently do trips to Houston/Dallas."

One-way distance from Austin to Houston is 162 miles. One-way to Dallas is 195 miles. This will require Supercharging, which has been previously noted is readily available.

I would say if the OP has easy access to 120v charging at work, then sufficiently charging the Model 3 seems possible without access to home charging provided daily needs can be met in a 3-4 hour charging session (assuming sharing of the circuit at work with other EV owners).

This is a change from my initial position in this thread.

 

[VQTRVA]

The OP said he had access to 120v at his place of work and a short commute.
That means he generally isn't reliant on third party chargers.

OP also said they would travel long distances on weekends.
Ergo Supercharging isn't free & can cost exponentially what they have access to now.

But OP is under-representing what other 'commutes' they might need to do with the car & that 5-8 hours @ work isn't the whole story.

This is not a change in my original position which is short of a truthful look in the mirror - big hassle & costs awaits the OP.

 

[Rocky_H]

Just to add, as far as the Federal tax credit, it's not a rebate so you have to meet the conditions on your tax return in order to qualify for it. Been reports of a lot of people not qualifying and filing for the credit and now the IRS is looking into those applications and that won't be pretty if they were claimed without qualifying.

Could you expound on this? I am really curious what you are even talking about here. There are almost no qualifications for it other than "you paid federal taxes", which almost everyone has. Sure, someone whose income is entirely something like Social Security has absolutely no "earned income" and so doesn't have any kind of federal tax bill, but that is certainly not most people. It would be very unusual for someone to not have at least $1,875 of federal tax that the credit could work for.

You say there have "been reports of a lot of people not qualifying"? Care to provide a link or two?

 

[SageBrush]

You say there have "been reports of a lot of people not qualifying"? Care to provide a link or two?

I've read that the IRS has denied up to 40% of claims and the media has assumed fraud. Maybe, although in my case the IRS lost my documentation.

 

[SMAlset]

Could you expound on this? I am really curious what you are even talking about here. There are almost no qualifications for it other than "you paid federal taxes", which almost everyone has. Sure, someone whose income is entirely something like Social Security has absolutely no "earned income" and so doesn't have any kind of federal tax bill, but that is certainly not most people. It would be very unusual for someone to not have at least $1,875 of federal tax that the credit could work for.

You say there have "been reports of a lot of people not qualifying"? Care to provide a link or two?

This was in the news I saw recently. It was pretty well reported by various sources. Did a search and here's some of what I found:

Forbes, 10/4/2019: IRS Fails To Stop Electric Car Tax Credit Cheats

Car and Driver, 10/9/2019: Lots of People and Automakers Have Cheated EV Tax Credit, Feds Say

Road Show (CNET), 10/8/19: Electric-car tax credit issued improperly to thousands, audit finds