Happy Birthday to my Model S

[mspohr]

Four years ago today I picked up my Model S at the factory in Fremont. Since then I have driven 73,000 miles and every single mile has been a joy. Absolutely every time I drive the car, even a short trip to the grocery, I smile and appreciate the smooth, quiet performance of the car as well as my clean solar power.
My first trip in the car (two days after delivery) was from Lake Tahoe to Las Vegas to visit our daughter who was there for a meeting. At the time, the only Supercharger on that route was Lone Pine but we were able to make it there with 15 miles to spare (thanks to the downhill ride). The onward trip through Death Valley to Las Vegas gave us a healthy 25 miles to spare. I learned to love the trip monitoring graph to keep my energy consumption in check. On the return, we stayed in Death Valley for a few days (and charged at an RV socket) and we also needed a L2 charge during dinner in Gardnerville to make it up over Spooner Summit in a snowstorm with a whopping 7 miles of range when we arrived home. (This was my first driving in snow experience and the "D" is the best snow car I have ever owned.)
Since then we have done many multi-thousand mile trips throughout the West including the Southwest several times, Tetons/Yellowstone several times and Seattle to Canada to Banff, Lake Louise, Glacier Park. Supercharger access has greatly improved over the past four years meaning that I no longer have to plug into motel air conditioner sockets and various other contrivances.
The car has been very reliable. There were a few minor issues fixed under warranty (water in tail light, flaky camera) but and only one paid service where the driver door pivot gear broke and the excellent Tesla mobile service came to my home and fixed it for $226. I didn't buy the extended service agreement and I think that was a good decision. My battery has only 3% degradation which I consider excellent performance. I can't count how many thousands of dollars I have saved in routine and unplanned repairs compared to my ICE cars.
As I said, the car has been an absolute perfect joy to drive and own. I plan to keep it and drive it "forever" and I will never buy another ICE car.

 

[tstafford]

Nice post and happy b-day to the 85D. In 2015 we were still early adopters! I miss those days - all the people asking me about the car. Tons of fun conversations in parking lots.

 

[mspohr]

Nice post and happy b-day to the 85D. In 2015 we were still early adopters! I miss those days - all the people asking me about the car. Tons of fun conversations in parking lots.

I guess we were pioneers even in 2015. Lots of interesting conversations with people on my travels. People were always amazed that it just ran on batteries and didn't have a gas engine.
Even today, four years later, I still think it's the most advanced car in the world. Nothing even comes close (except a newer Tesla).

 

[darxsys]

I guess we were pioneers even in 2015. Lots of interesting conversations with people on my travels. People were always amazed that it just ran on batteries and didn't have a gas engine.
Even today, four years later, I still think it's the most advanced car in the world. Nothing even comes close (except a newer Tesla).

People still look at me a bit weirdly when I open the frunk and put stuff in it. Funny

 

[dgpcolorado]

In just over a week it will be three years since Tesla delivered my CPO S60 to the remote mountain town nearest where I live. I've put 60,000 miles on it since then, so I'm averaging 20,000 miles a year. It has been my only car since I bought it and it remains a joy to drive.

Seven road trips over 2000 miles, one of which was over 3000 miles and I have another 3000 mile trip planned for May. The Model S is a terrific road trip car!

A couple of new (to me) car pictures of my S60 on its home turf, from March of 2016:




Of course, this is what it actually looks like in winter:


^ Early January, there is way more snow here now.

 

[StealthP3D]

People were always amazed that it just ran on batteries and didn't have a gas engine.
Even today, four years later, I still think it's the most advanced car in the world. Nothing even comes close (except a newer Tesla).

Some people are slowly educating themselves but I'm still surprised at the number of people who have a hard time believing they run on batteries. Consumer electronics have given batteries a bad name because they make people think they are only good for two to four years max. When I explain they will last a lot longer than that because they have thermal management and more advanced charging algrithms, they look more than a little skeptical.

 

[mspohr]

I thought I should post a few photos.
Teepee Motel, San Bernardino
Death Valley; Lone Pine; Glacier Falls, MT camping;

 

[Bob M]

In just over a week it will be three years since Tesla delivered my CPO S60 to the remote mountain town nearest where I live. I've put 60,000 miles on it since then, so I'm averaging 20,000 miles a year. It has been my only car since I bought it and it remains a joy to drive.

Seven road trips over 2000 miles, one of which was over 3000 miles and I have another 3000 mile trip planned for May. The Model S is a terrific road trip car!

A couple of new (to me) car pictures of my S60 on its home turf, from March of 2016:

View attachment 380042 View attachment 380043


Of course, this is what it actually looks like in winter:

View attachment 380055
^ Early January, there is way more snow here now.

Are those solar panels behind your car charging it? If so can you discuss the system a bit?

 

[Bob M]

Four years ago today I picked up my Model S at the factory in Fremont. Since then I have driven 73,000 miles and every single mile has been a joy. Absolutely every time I drive the car, even a short trip to the grocery, I smile and appreciate the smooth, quiet performance of the car as well as my clean solar power.
My first trip in the car (two days after delivery) was from Lake Tahoe to Las Vegas to visit our daughter who was there for a meeting. At the time, the only Supercharger on that route was Lone Pine but we were able to make it there with 15 miles to spare (thanks to the downhill ride). The onward trip through Death Valley to Las Vegas gave us a healthy 25 miles to spare. I learned to love the trip monitoring graph to keep my energy consumption in check. On the return, we stayed in Death Valley for a few days (and charged at an RV socket) and we also needed a L2 charge during dinner in Gardnerville to make it up over Spooner Summit in a snowstorm with a whopping 7 miles of range when we arrived home. (This was my first driving in snow experience and the "D" is the best snow car I have ever owned.)
Since then we have done many multi-thousand mile trips throughout the West including the Southwest several times, Tetons/Yellowstone several times and Seattle to Canada to Banff, Lake Louise, Glacier Park. Supercharger access has greatly improved over the past four years meaning that I no longer have to plug into motel air conditioner sockets and various other contrivances.
The car has been very reliable. There were a few minor issues fixed under warranty (water in tail light, flaky camera) but and only one paid service where the driver door pivot gear broke and the excellent Tesla mobile service came to my home and fixed it for $226. I didn't buy the extended service agreement and I think that was a good decision. My battery has only 3% degradation which I consider excellent performance. I can't count how many thousands of dollars I have saved in routine and unplanned repairs compared to my ICE cars.
As I said, the car has been an absolute perfect joy to drive and own. I plan to keep it and drive it "forever" and I will never buy another ICE car.

MODEL 3 has got to be one of the best cars ever made up to this point in automotive history, all things considered. I have made several corrective comments because I just got the car and I thought those first impressions might be valuable or helpful. I thought this might be a great place to give my overall evaluation behind this wonderfully positive and almost lyrical contribution, thank you!
I drove a Model S right after I heard about the Model 3, thinking I might be able to at least see the model 3. I had been driving my used Volt for about a year and when I first drove the Volt was when I had that wonderful first electric car experience. I envy people who have never driven an electric car whose first experience is in a Model 3. They get a double whammy. The S is of course excellent in every way. It costs way more than the average person either can or wants to pay for a car. I truly would feel guilty owning an S. Thoughts like new shoes for the grandchildren would be dominating. However I do love saving money and getting a car like the S for half its price was so appealing. I found that charging my Volt with my own new large solar panel array saved me not only $270 per month in electricity, but also over an additional $200/ month in gasoline. I had to pay for only one oil change ($39, it’s a hybrid) and zero in maintenance costs (well, ok, tires too) during the 3 years and 30k miles because I had zero problems. The M3 is even more efficient than the Volt. It also has quite a bit more torque, has a bit more comfortable front seats, has better visibility, especially rearward, is a much more attractive car, and costs about the same price brand new as the Volt. I loved driving the Volt and it is a very well thought out and designed car, the best I had ever owned. However, the total driving experience, even for a previous good electric car owner, is just on the edge of being able to express it fully. It is simply superlative and unmatched in my driving experience. So, total car, figuring all the features and the price is simply the best in the world, period!

 

[dgpcolorado]

Are those solar panels behind your car charging it? If so can you discuss the system a bit?

Yes, I use my panels to charge my car and run my house. My array is grid-tied and my local power cooperative is very solar (and EV) friendly, unlike most rural co-ops in my region. A bit more on my installation here:

New Solar Install thread

 

[mspohr]

MODEL 3 has got to be one of the best cars ever made up to this point in automotive history, all things considered. I have made several corrective comments because I just got the car and I thought those first impressions might be valuable or helpful. I thought this might be a great place to give my overall evaluation behind this wonderfully positive and almost lyrical contribution, thank you!
I drove a Model S right after I heard about the Model 3, thinking I might be able to at least see the model 3. I had been driving my used Volt for about a year and when I first drove the Volt was when I had that wonderful first electric car experience. I envy people who have never driven an electric car whose first experience is in a Model 3. They get a double whammy. The S is of course excellent in every way. It costs way more than the average person either can or wants to pay for a car. I truly would feel guilty owning an S. Thoughts like new shoes for the grandchildren would be dominating. However I do love saving money and getting a car like the S for half its price was so appealing. I found that charging my Volt with my own new large solar panel array saved me not only $270 per month in electricity, but also over an additional $200/ month in gasoline. I had to pay for only one oil change ($39, it’s a hybrid) and zero in maintenance costs (well, ok, tires too) during the 3 years and 30k miles because I had zero problems. The M3 is even more efficient than the Volt. It also has quite a bit more torque, has a bit more comfortable front seats, has better visibility, especially rearward, is a much more attractive car, and costs about the same price brand new as the Volt. I loved driving the Volt and it is a very well thought out and designed car, the best I had ever owned. However, the total driving experience, even for a previous good electric car owner, is just on the edge of being able to express it fully. It is simply superlative and unmatched in my driving experience. So, total car, figuring all the features and the price is simply the best in the world, period!

I felt a little guilty about spending so much on my Model S but I had the wife's permission so I went with it. There was no Model 3 option then. I would never have even considered spending so much money on an ICE car but the Model S was just so compelling that I couldn't resist. I tend to buy mid-priced cars and drive them a long time (my other car is a 20 year old Land Rover with 190,000 miles which doesn't get much use except in deep snow and backcountry treks).
I have solar which I installed 5 years ago starting with a 4 kW array (Enphase because of shading) then expanded with 2.5 kW when I built a new garage and the third phase last year when I came across 2.3 kW of free SunPower panels (SMA string inverter).
Current solar output (Enphase and SMA string) is here:
Rendezvous Totals 9.300kW | Monthly
Original solar output (Enphase systems) here:
Rendezvous Ridge 6.520kW | Monthly

 

[Electriccarnut]

People still look at me a bit weirdly when I open the frunk and put stuff in it. Funny

There are only two Teslas in my area. The other day I had opened the frunk to get a shopping bag. A nice guy stopped and asked me if I was having a problem. I said: Nope! Just getting at my hot dog I warmed on the exhaust manifold!!!!

 

[Bob M]

There are only two Teslas in my area. The other day I had opened the frunk to get a shopping bag. A nice guy stopped and asked me if I was having a problem. I said: Nope! Just getting at my hot dog I warmed on the exhaust manifold!!!!

Lol

 

[Bob M]

I felt a little guilty about spending so much on my Model S but I had the wife's permission so I went with it. There was no Model 3 option then. I would never have even considered spending so much money on an ICE car but the Model S was just so compelling that I couldn't resist. I tend to buy mid-priced cars and drive them a long time (my other car is a 20 year old Land Rover with 190,000 miles which doesn't get much use except in deep snow and backcountry treks).
I have solar which I installed 5 years ago starting with a 4 kW array (Enphase because of shading) then expanded with 2.5 kW when I built a new garage and the third phase last year when I came across 2.3 kW of free SunPower panels (SMA string inverter).
Current solar output (Enphase and SMA string) is here:
Rendezvous Totals 9.300kW | Monthly
Original solar output (Enphase systems) here:
Rendezvous Ridge 6.520kW | Monthly

Thanks for the share. My system in central California fluctuates from between 47kwh per day in the best months to about 33kwh/ day in the worse months. I have 29 285 watt panels with individual emphase inverters. I am surprised you were able to cobble all three systems together. Your output also seems to have extremely wide fluctuations from about 10kwh per day in you lowest months to over 70kwh per day in your best. The fact that you have such high and low output suggests that you have unusual shading problems or you live at latitudes much farther from the equator than I. If tne Latitude issue is not true, then it suggests that if you are in a rural area with plenty of open land or were able to remove some trees or relocate your panels, you might be able to greatly increase your annual output. That may not be a need for you, but I would guess that you need more output in your worse months . I heat my home and water with natural gas,which was very inexpensive but is gradually but relentlessly going up in price. I am at net zero in electricity $ annually (even though I use 20% more than I produce) but would like to add a heat pumps for both water and home heating. My heating / ac system is easily convertible for a price. The compressor is not too expensive but getting a knowledgeable person to install it is a factor. My biggest issue right now is roof space. I need about 10 more 300 watt panels to do this and would have to go to special racking to get good output.

 

[Bob M]

I felt a little guilty about spending so much on my Model S but I had the wife's permission so I went with it. There was no Model 3 option then. I would never have even considered spending so much money on an ICE car but the Model S was just so compelling that I couldn't resist. I tend to buy mid-priced cars and drive them a long time (my other car is a 20 year old Land Rover with 190,000 miles which doesn't get much use except in deep snow and backcountry treks).
I have solar which I installed 5 years ago starting with a 4 kW array (Enphase because of shading) then expanded with 2.5 kW when I built a new garage and the third phase last year when I came across 2.3 kW of free SunPower panels (SMA string inverter).
Current solar output (Enphase and SMA string) is here:
Rendezvous Totals 9.300kW | Monthly
Original solar output (Enphase systems) here:
Rendezvous Ridge 6.520kW | Monthly

You have to have a car. You have a great solar system. With all the savings associated with the electric car and with solar, and your tendency to keep your cars a long time, you will probably more than pay for the car. Great decision.

 

[dark cloud]

Someone actually disagreed with the OP'ers post. Unbelievable.