Elon discusses showing Tesla Pricing as reflective of annual gasoline savings

[lolachampcar]

Tesla was/is going for the first impression.
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First impression, that's not bad at all.
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Very next impression, oh, it cost that much? Why did they not say that in the first place?

 

[mike-415]

For me, the $10k in fuel savings is conservative. Why? The ICE vehicle that we drive today and will shortly be replacing with a P85D (or P95D or P100D or whatever it is) has similar performance to the P85D, so it gets 12-13 mpg overall in real-world driving. I actually like the prominence of the savings in the cost calculator; it's a major factor in overall cost of ownership, and it's just as relevant as a finance rate or MSRP when you're thinking about what fits into your budget. Is it precise? Of course not, but it's sufficiently accurate. I can't imagine anyone feels tricked by this. Do those of you who hate it yourselves feel tricked, or do you think someone dumber than you might feel that way? Or does it just seem like shady marketing?

 

[brianman]

I think the main problem is that the average savings, even if correct, is not relevant to many. Most buyers want to know THEIR savings, which as we have seen could vary quite a bit.

I think Tesla could accomplish their goals (to make people aware of the savings - the car is not as expensive at it seems, and the difference is larger than most people guess) better, and get rid of the complaints, if they simply show the actual price next to a button that says "See how much you can save!" that takes them to a calculator that asks their current MPG (or if they already have an EV) and miles per year. Bonus points for asking if they are likely to receive the federal tax credit, and applying state incentives if any.

I vote to hire Chad to redesign this part of Tesla's page.

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it's like the car companies that brag their car is efficient because it can go x distance on a tank, a completely useless statistic unless you know the size of said tank.

It's not a useless statistic from a time efficiency perspective... so far.

 

[lolachampcar]

So Mike, exactly what is that ICE that has similar performance to a P85D ???

 

[David99]

Since I just celebrated my 1 year ownership, I quickly did the math about how much I save.

I drove 45k miles using 14,500 kWh. Multiplied by 1.2 to account for the charging losses and at 10 ct per kWh (what I pay to charge my car over night) that's $1,740. Now I used Superchargers for about 1/3 of miles. So that brings it down to $1160.

With a similar gas car I would have payed $7,060 in gasoline. That's approx $6k saved on gas in one year. For 5 years ownership it will be about $30k.

That's not made up, that's really how much I am saving. I expect gas prices to be higher than now over the next 4 years to come, so it might be even more.

 

[Stoneymonster]

Ok, I'll bite. I replaced my 2001 Audi TT (avg 28MPG) with a model S in 2013. We have a Toyota Prius that we rarely drive now (avg 45MPG, we take short trips).
Before we mostly drove the Prius, so I'll say our average MPG was somewhere around 35 MPG. We drive 12000 miles a year.

So for two years thats 24000 miles, 35MPG = 685 gallons. Depending on gas price that's between $1000 and $1750 a year.

I'd bet this is typical for urban/surburban drivers and is far less than $10000.

I don't agree with the framing and would prefer a calculator. I think it works better as a pleasant surprise rather than something that invokes skepticism (and annoyance because that is NOT the price you pay for the car).

 

[scaesare]

Since I just celebrated my 1 year ownership, I quickly did the math about how much I save.

I drove 45k miles using 14,500 kWh. Multiplied by 1.2 to account for the charging losses and at 10 ct per kWh (what I pay to charge my car over night) that's $1,740. Now I used Superchargers for about 1/3 of miles. So that brings it down to $1160.

With a similar gas car I would have payed $7,060 in gasoline. That's approx $6k saved on gas in one year. For 5 years ownership it will be about $30k.

That's not made up, that's really how much I am saving. I expect gas prices to be higher than now over the next 4 years to come, so it might be even more.

I drive fewer miles than you, but was replacing a number of miles previously driven with an SUV. I used the 72 month loan duration and my initial calcs were when gas was ~$4/gallon, but I reckoned I'd save somewhere near $35k over the loan duration of my car...

 

[MorrisonHiker]

I drive fewer miles than you, but was replacing a number of miles previously driven with an SUV. I used the 72 month loan duration and my initial calcs were when gas was ~$4/gallon, but I reckoned I'd save somewhere near $35k over the loan duration of my car...

I don't drive that much and must get a lot better MPG because I calculated I would only save about $2400 in fuel costs over the next 5 years.

It would be nice if the Design Center let you enter your own numbers so that the true cost of ownership was a lot more accurate.

 

[mike-415]

Our ICE car

So Mike, exactly what is that ICE that has similar performance to a P85D ???

We have a '14 Cadillac CTS-V wagon 6MT. It will accelerate from 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, per Motor Trend. The P85D launches better (Caddy is RWD), but the CTS will walk away from the Tesla from 60 mph on. It has a 556-hp 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 and it's thirsty. We average 11 city / 15.5 highway and about 12.8 overall. Our P85D is in production now and we're excited to have comparable performance (my German friends don't agree, but the Tesla is materially quicker at most U.S. legal speeds) without personally blowing a hole in the ozone layer on our way to work every day. Below is a photo I took on our cross-country trip that single-handedly propped up OPEC for a month.

 

[ecarfan]

"11 city / 15.5 highway and about 12.8 overall."

Wow. I am so out of touch with high powered ICE cars, those numbers are horrifying. Kudos to you for moving on and embracing the future. You won't look back!

 

[CHGolferJim]

View attachment 79066

Imagining that with a big battery and Tesla badging........

 

[Johan]

Imagining that with a big battery and Tesla badging........

Please look at my avatar

 

[Law&Disorder]

Former 2010 CTS V Sedan owner here. Can confirm 11-12 mpg city. Plus, that 0-60 in 3.9 seconds is only going to happen on Premium (91+ octane) which is still selling for more than $3.50 a gallon where I live unless you want to buy the unbranded mystery formulations and pay cash for the privilege.

Insanely fun car though. One of the things I really miss is the roar of the exhaust combined with the whine of the supercharger. The P85D I've ordered isn't going to be able to deliver that amazing sound unless I pipe an MP3 recording of it in through the audio system!

 

[mike-415]

Please look at my avatar

A Tesla wagon would be amazing. You'd get practicality of the X without the efficiency and range loss from its increased drag. That said, the Model S is a hatchback, so it's more practical than a sedan. Our household will soon have two American 500-hp-plus 5-doors, neither of them SUVs!