What if the 70 delay is just an enticement to get people to go P90 on their X orders even if their need is 70? I have to guess they would build 70 models earlier if the orders for the fully built up models is not large. By making you think you can get it eaelier if you change your order to something more expensive rather than letting you choose based on your original place in line, it means Tesla may be more interested in your money than your personal choice. In the old days, we'd call that bait and switch.
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When the S was released the order was 85, 60.
When the D was released the order was P85D, 85D, 70D.
Tesla has consistently prioritized the higher spec, higher margin cars.
Naturally, it's an enticement to order high spec, but it also gets Tesla more money, sooner.
hill
high fiber member
roblab
Active Member
Agree! I have heard of several people wanting the very expensive option of being able to get to 60 mph a half second faster. We could debate if that's worth it or not, but it sells.
I have also heard of people complaining because they have to go out of their way to a supercharger because on their personal route, which the 70 won't make without a charge. I bought a 90D precisely for these times. If someone thinks his best bet is a setup that gives him 25% fewer miles per charge, I hope I don't have to read the crying later.
It's worth a lot if you think it is.
JohnSnowNW
Active Member
That's not the only factor, but was directly related to what he was asking. We have two kids under 4, an extra hour on long trips is a big factor. We also live in an area of the country with spotty Supercharger access on the other routes we take north. Having the extra miles to handle variability in weather is also another factor.
That aside, we'll be leasing, so I don't really look at it from that financial perspective.
As ecarfan said earlier everyone has different priorities. Mine would be to buy the biggest battery available because I like to get off the Supercharger routes at times.
The Tesla is such a fun car to drive you might find yourself driving it more than you do your present set of wheels. Nice to have more options in route planning that the longer range will give you.
The Tesla is such a fun car to drive you might find yourself driving it more than you do your present set of wheels. Nice to have more options in route planning that the longer range will give you.
I would get the biggest battery you can afford. If you are really stretching your budget ti get the 90, then by all means go for the 70.. but if you can comfortably afford it do it, even if it is a bit of "splurge," go for the 90 for sure! you won't be sorry. I've taken more road trips in my 5 months of Model S ownership than I had in the past 10 years of my life combined. I used to kind of hate road trips. now I look forward to them. The 90 will take you further than the 70 on those occasions when you need that more range. even if it is *only* 37 miles more.
Not sure where the references in this thread about the 70 being 1/2 second slower than the 90 come from. The 70 takes 25% longer to get to 60 than the 90. 4.8 vs 6.0 seconds. At least for me the zoom zoom factor is a big part of the equation as the X will be a both people hauler and sports sedan.
Xenoilphobe
Well-Known Member
I think it depends on where you live and travel. Those 37 additional miles (which could be 50+ more depending on your driving speed) may be critical if you live in the middle of the USA.
hingisfan
hingisfan_Mark_V
All depends on your financials....the performance is more of an upgrade than the range. I get by on a 60 now, but I only go out of town 8-10 times a year.
All of this input is really appreciated. I do have a question about why the extra range gives you faster supercharging. Are the batteries different so the 90 can charge faster than the 70? I was just at the Stanford mall and popped into the newly opened Tesla store. The person I talked to said the batteries are the exact same in the 70 as the 90 and that there is just more of them (this was always my assumption). Or do you mean larger battery capacity enables you to charge at the max supercharger speed until the pack is "almost full" where the charging slows down to top off the battery? This way you can get something like 202 miles in the 90 at the max charge rate before it slows down while in the 70 you can get 178 miles at the max charge rate.
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Merrill, do you ever go to Tahoe or LA? Those would be my two main destinations from San Jose. Do you find that you can make those trips in one or two supercharger stops? This answer could dictate which way I go. What I want to do is to go to each destination with just one supercharger stop and not worry that I will just barely get there. The way the superchargers are spread out on interstate 5 I'd think I need two stops. Of course I only take these trips 1-4 times so I realize that I'm being a bit petty complaining about an extra 40 minute stop a couple of times a year, but I want my cake and eat it too! (while not paying for it)
henderrj
Active Member
There are a lot more individual batteries in the 90 than the 70 and as each one can take a certain max current the 90 pack can take more current total and thus charge faster. Bjorn shows this quite effectively in video form.
A point we have yet to consider is that Tesla will come out with a 100 kWH pack soon - probably when the gigifactory opens. So you could upgrade then. Of course I've read of Tesla purchasers upgrading their battery pack, but never anyone saying "I wish I'd gotten the smaller pack".
A point we have yet to consider is that Tesla will come out with a 100 kWH pack soon - probably when the gigifactory opens. So you could upgrade then. Of course I've read of Tesla purchasers upgrading their battery pack, but never anyone saying "I wish I'd gotten the smaller pack".
I went with a 70D and bought 70 shares of TSLA; expect the gain will pay for a battery replacement or new car in 5-8 years.
You got it. It's the fact that you can get more miles more quickly because you spend more time in that fast-charging section of the curve. Easy way to compare is to think of a 10kWh battery. You'd only be able to fast charge for a few miles before tapering began.
I believe you'll be able to do LA in two stops from SJ, and Tahoe in one stop (or two if you want to do it faster). From the north bay, I make it to Tahoe pretty easily with one stop in my MS P85. Coming home from Tahoe, I don't need to stop at all due to the elevation change.
I have done this for the better part of 3 years and it sucks! Driving 60 mph when the traffic is all trying to go 70-75 is no fun.
consider charging availability (SC's now & in the next year or 2)
temperatures in winter
how far/long you drive at a time on road trips
how often do you take road trips
hills? wind? snow/rain? -10-20% less range
San Jose to Tahoe I'd go w/ a 90 (being able to afford it or not)
North or South shore?
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or consider this
I dream of a Tesla Model 3 as I push a 2011 Nissan LEAF an average of 60 miles max. While this range meets 90% of my needs thanks to DC Fast Charging, if I could have 100 mile true range, I could sell one ICE car. The 37 miles may get you were you never planned to go. That being said, the deployment of more super chargers, CHAdeMO and CCS in the next 12 to 18 months, depending on where you live, where and how you drive, geography, etc. could mean the smaller battery pack may suit you fine. My dream of a 200 mile range is to promote this planet saving technology. With solar on the roof my EV costs are rather low. I suggest a decision matrix to get the needed range. Good luck.
Merrill
Merrill
Sorry for the late reply, just saw your question, and yes I do go to Tahoe. We supercharge in Roseville and have lunch and then Truckee and that gets us thru our 5 day stay. Have not done a LA trip yet. Of course the problem with Tahoe is the climb so to go 100 miles we use 150. If you are in a hurry then this would be a problem.
SabrToothSqrl
Active Member
I don't like my money, so 90D it is!
i think if I stop eating out 2x a day, I'll be skinnier and get the 90.
i think if I stop eating out 2x a day, I'll be skinnier and get the 90.
roblab
Active Member
I don't like my money, so 90D it is!
i think if I stop eating out 2x a day, I'll be skinnier and get the 90.
The points that I make for getting the 90D was not that it had a whopping extra 35 miles or whatever it was, but that Tesla makes an average of twenty improvements a WEEK on the Model S. Three years of that is about 3000 improvements. Sure, some of those can be upgraded OTA, but the whole car is worth the extra. The larger battery and the 4WD are only two of the improvements.
I was impressed to find that the new car was even a bit cheaper than the Sig I had. Such a deal!
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