I saw a great article/blog the other day but can't remember the location. The article talked about a man from CA (I believe) and how he was going to save a lot of money in the long term because of the lack of maintenance and electricity vs gasoline. Does anyone know that article or have similar articles that display the true cost of a Tesla Model S over time compared to an ICE? Thanks.
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steve841
Active Member
It's all relative. If you buy a car of equal value, the S will win. Buy a Kia for $20k, you'll win in about 50 years or so.
Bottom line, if your reasoning to buy an S is to save money, you'd better evaluate your financial sense before signing on the dotted line.
That's a generic "you" by the way....
Bottom line, if your reasoning to buy an S is to save money, you'd better evaluate your financial sense before signing on the dotted line.
That's a generic "you" by the way....
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Todd Burch
14-Year Member
I second that. It all depends what you're comparing against. Comparing against an Audi A series or BMW, and plan on owning the car for 10+ years? Model S wins. Compare against cars of similar performance, and the S wins by a long shot. Compare against a standard economy car, and the S is much more expensive.
Due to government support (120% deductibility), we have a TCO over four years in which the Tesla S85 will cost me roughly as much as a Golf Diesel 2.0.
That is: if the government doesn't change their mind over time. We have many prions on that :-((.
PS: This is only applies for business unfortunately.
That is: if the government doesn't change their mind over time. We have many prions on that :-((.
PS: This is only applies for business unfortunately.
I think it's worth mentioning another point besides gasoline and maintenance costs: overall longevity of a Model S may turn out to be much greater than virtually any other car on the market right now, ICE or EV.
In a cold climate with salted roads, rust is what really limits the lifespan of a lot of cars, but with an aluminum body that shouldn't be an issue.
Also, Tesla is the only EV manufacturer on the market that uses NCA cells in their batteries, which should last much longer than any of the other chemistries currently used in mass market EVs (there was a thread somewhere else in the forums that had a great video on this a while back from a researcher who works on li-ion tech). Plus, larger packs should last longer, since each individual cell will be charged and discharged more slowly. Add in the superior Tesla thermal management systems, and it wouldn't surprise me if a new 85kWh pack today is still serviceable 20 years from now (certainly with some capacity loss, but if I had to hazard a guess I'd say you'll still have at least 70-80% capacity left).
So, you don't have to worry about rust, you don't have to worry about battery capacity loss, and I believe I read somewhere that the motor and transmission are rated for something like a million miles. Of course this is all just speculation, and it's possible all sorts of things will start going wrong ten years down the line. But, judging from the high engineering standards Tesla pushes, I could easily see a new Model S lasting 20 years or more. So really it may turn out to effectively be half the cost of a comparable ICE that might only last 10 years.
And when you compound the gasoline savings over 20 years, then the numbers REALLY start to look good...
In a cold climate with salted roads, rust is what really limits the lifespan of a lot of cars, but with an aluminum body that shouldn't be an issue.
Also, Tesla is the only EV manufacturer on the market that uses NCA cells in their batteries, which should last much longer than any of the other chemistries currently used in mass market EVs (there was a thread somewhere else in the forums that had a great video on this a while back from a researcher who works on li-ion tech). Plus, larger packs should last longer, since each individual cell will be charged and discharged more slowly. Add in the superior Tesla thermal management systems, and it wouldn't surprise me if a new 85kWh pack today is still serviceable 20 years from now (certainly with some capacity loss, but if I had to hazard a guess I'd say you'll still have at least 70-80% capacity left).
So, you don't have to worry about rust, you don't have to worry about battery capacity loss, and I believe I read somewhere that the motor and transmission are rated for something like a million miles. Of course this is all just speculation, and it's possible all sorts of things will start going wrong ten years down the line. But, judging from the high engineering standards Tesla pushes, I could easily see a new Model S lasting 20 years or more. So really it may turn out to effectively be half the cost of a comparable ICE that might only last 10 years.
And when you compound the gasoline savings over 20 years, then the numbers REALLY start to look good...
steve841
Active Member
I think we need a few more years to get this blank filled in. Some reports of corroded aluminum attributable to salt have been noted on this site. There may very well be a learning curve here.
I've heard reports too, but only for on the front bumper area. Apparently this was caused by an issue with the material used for the front fender bolts, and a TSB was issued that should solve the problem (see this thread New front fender bolts today).
I agree in general though, that we'll have to wait and see. Not saying the Model S will necessarily last 20 years, just thinking it seems plausible at this point
Clprenz
Member
Think of the cost of ownership if gas goes up to $10?!!!!- Which I expect in the next couple years
imagine that:
M5: $8000 on gas
5 series: $6000
3 yr: $24k/$28k
5 yr: $40k/$30k
This could get silly how much the Model S makes sense
YEAH Wow.... That makes the Model S a no Brainer!!! Excited for GEN3
imagine that:
M5: $8000 on gas
5 series: $6000
3 yr: $24k/$28k
5 yr: $40k/$30k
This could get silly how much the Model S makes sense
YEAH Wow.... That makes the Model S a no Brainer!!! Excited for GEN3
I built a spreadsheet to try and compare TCO for multiple vehicles vs multiple tesla scenarios. It breaks down what I think are all of the major cost components of owning/operating a vehicle, and allows you to provide numbers for multiple years and miles/year scenarios.
The major cost items are:
* depreciation (far and away the highest components)
* fuel / energy (a close second for ICE cars, much lower for electrics)
* maintenance (not including tires to allow a model S maintenance program comparison)
* tires
* insurance
tesla-lwobker-tco - Google Drive
The major cost items are:
* depreciation (far and away the highest components)
* fuel / energy (a close second for ICE cars, much lower for electrics)
* maintenance (not including tires to allow a model S maintenance program comparison)
* tires
* insurance
tesla-lwobker-tco - Google Drive
tliving
Member
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