Is a Model S right for me?

[Eagle88]

I'm currently weighing up whether to buy a used Model S. I live in central London and will be unable to charge at home but will have a couple of superchargers within 5 miles of me. Most of my charging would therefore be at superchargers, with occasional charging on street or at offices/shops. I guess this type of situation is less common but also not that rare, especially for owners who live inner city. The general consensus seems to be that regular supercharging isn't ideal but shouldn't be a major issue. Does anyone have experience of not being able to charge at home, who would strongly recommend against it?

From what I've read on here, I think the 85D would be the most suitable option I could hope for at my budget (roughly £45K). I regularly drive 100-150 miles a day, occasionally 250-300. I would also be hoping to do a lot of long road trips where I would do 500+ a day.

I appreciate that it's difficult for others to comment on whether buying one (and which one) would be right for me, but I'd welcome any advice.

 

[Frizull]

Same situation here. Work is in Switzerland, home is in nearby France, Supercharger is midway between the two. I certainly make it work, but my daily commute is 80 km / day and I'm spending a lot of time sitting at the Supercharger (usually twice a week, sometimes double that). My car is a Model S 60D, which gives it around 310 km of range. An 85D will give you around 330 km of range when charging to 80% (which is the limit you'll set, given you'll be charging frequently and will probably want to optimize for time).

And that's not even getting into the whole AP1 / AP2 discussion given your long commute.

All-in-all, if I were you, I would seriously consider a Long Range Model 3 which would give you a lot more range, a lot more autonomous driving, and a much faster charge rate. That's certainly what I'm buying next.

 

[srredbeard]

Same situation here. Work is in Switzerland, home is in nearby France, Supercharger is midway between the two. I certainly make it work, but my daily commute is 80 km / day and I'm spending a lot of time sitting at the Supercharger (usually twice a week, sometimes double that). My car is a Model S 60D, which gives it around 310 km of range. An 85D will give you around 330 km of range when charging to 80% (which is the limit you'll set, given you'll be charging frequently and will probably want to optimize for time).

And that's not even getting into the whole AP1 / AP2 discussion given your long commute.

All-in-all, if I were you, I would seriously consider a Long Range Model 3 which would give you a lot more range, a lot more autonomous driving, and a much faster charge rate. That's certainly what I'm buying next.

And to further the recommendation for the Model 3 LR, I own both a 3 and an S. When we go into the city, Seattle, I always take the 3 since it is smaller and easier navigate in a city environment. Also, all the hardware will be the latest and greatest. If the smaller storage space will work for you I would strongly recommend a 3.

That said, I love my S, it is my daily driver and my wife drives the 3.

 

[SaveOurPlanet]

Would it not be easier to get around and park in a Model 3 in London? A LR3 would get you pretty much all the options less FSD at around the price range you want.

 

[Eagle88]

Same situation here. Work is in Switzerland, home is in nearby France, Supercharger is midway between the two. I certainly make it work, but my daily commute is 80 km / day and I'm spending a lot of time sitting at the Supercharger (usually twice a week, sometimes double that). My car is a Model S 60D, which gives it around 310 km of range. An 85D will give you around 330 km of range when charging to 80% (which is the limit you'll set, given you'll be charging frequently and will probably want to optimize for time).

And that's not even getting into the whole AP1 / AP2 discussion given your long commute.

All-in-all, if I were you, I would seriously consider a Long Range Model 3 which would give you a lot more range, a lot more autonomous driving, and a much faster charge rate. That's certainly what I'm buying next.

I am tempted by the LR3 but other than the smaller boot, there are a few financial factors that put me off. I would prefer to buy used as I'm not sure I can stomach the depreciation (although I'm also wondering how the release of the 3 in the UK will effect the price of used MSs). The possible free supercharging and road tax will also mean an S could be a lot cheaper to run. These may not be good enough reasons to not go for the 3 and I'm happy to be persuaded otherwise.

 

[Mark_T]

I'm currently weighing up whether to buy a used Model S. I live in central London and will be unable to charge at home but will have a couple of superchargers within 5 miles of me.

....I regularly drive 100-150 miles a day, occasionally 250-300. I would also be hoping to do a lot of long road trips where I would do 500+ a day.

This looks like you are going to be a daily supercharger user if those numbers are right?

You don't say which superchargers you are closest to, but most of the London ones are either very few stalls, or Westfield which is a busy location (..and charges for parking after the first hour.).

Only you know your tolerance for spending that amount of time, pretty much every day, sitting somewhere charging, and factor in that there may be a queue as well...

 

[Saghost]

I'm currently weighing up whether to buy a used Model S. I live in central London and will be unable to charge at home but will have a couple of superchargers within 5 miles of me. Most of my charging would therefore be at superchargers, with occasional charging on street or at offices/shops. I guess this type of situation is less common but also not that rare, especially for owners who live inner city. The general consensus seems to be that regular supercharging isn't ideal but shouldn't be a major issue. Does anyone have experience of not being able to charge at home, who would strongly recommend against it?

From what I've read on here, I think the 85D would be the most suitable option I could hope for at my budget (roughly £45K). I regularly drive 100-150 miles a day, occasionally 250-300. I would also be hoping to do a lot of long road trips where I would do 500+ a day.

I appreciate that it's difficult for others to comment on whether buying one (and which one) would be right for me, but I'd welcome any advice.

Driving 150 miles per day and not being able to charge at home or work is tough.

The car is certainly capable of it, but it likely means most of an hour out of your day spent sitting at a Supercharger instead of doing other things most every day. Is that worth it to you?

Also, are you sure there's no possibility of charging at home or at work now or in the near future?

In that situation, I probably wouldn't buy an EV unless I could telework from the Supercharger with equal productivity to what I'd have somewhere else.

 

[aerodyne]

I think the OP should look at the depreciation of a used MS. I think it will be much less than a new M3, as the used cars have recently taken a huge hit, doubt that will continue as you get a better car for the same money as SR+.

Highly recommend 85D. I have lost LESS than 1% range in 4 years

 

[Eagle88]

This looks like you are going to be a daily supercharger user if those numbers are right?

You don't say which superchargers you are closest to, but most of the London ones are either very few stalls, or Westfield which is a busy location (..and charges for parking after the first hour.).

Only you know your tolerance for spending that amount of time, pretty much every day, sitting somewhere charging, and factor in that there may be a queue as well...

I would mainly be using the superchargers at The Crystal (near home) and Bluewater (passing regularly). Canary Wharf is also near home but I think this would be less convenient. I've got no idea how busy any of those get.

I would only be doing the longer journeys of 150miles+ once or twice a week so I estimate I could probably keep it to a couple of surpecahrger visits per week. I don't think that would bother me but if I had to queue to charge it might be a deal-breaker.

 

[sandpiper]

I would mainly be using the superchargers at The Crystal (near home) and Bluewater (passing regularly). Canary Wharf is also near home but I think this would be less convenient. I've got no idea how busy any of those get.

I would only be doing the longer journeys of 150miles+ once or twice a week so I estimate I could probably keep it to a couple of surpecahrger visits per week. I don't think that would bother me but if I had to queue to charge it might be a deal-breaker.

Sitting at a charger gets old quickly. I really really hate to be the rain cloud, but if I couldn't charge at home or at work I wouldn't want to own an EV. I'd more likely buy a hybrid of some sort, or maybe a PHEV, and then go full EV when home charging becomes available.

 

[Mark_T]

I would mainly be using the superchargers at The Crystal (near home) and Bluewater (passing regularly). Canary Wharf is also near home but I think this would be less convenient. I've got no idea how busy any of those get.

The Crystal only has 2 stalls, and even Bluewater only has 5.

You can check if they are in use from the map in the car, but of course that can change at any moment.

I love my Model S, but I wouldn't buy it if I had your mileage needs and no home charging option...

 

[.jg.]

You would probably end up trying to schedule lunch whilst charging but I guess you would quickly grow tired of this constraint. Of course, if you are travelling 100 - 150 miles a day, you could also use superchargers that are further from home. Have you considered street charging where you live? Several London boroughs have invited suggestions as to where they should place street chargers. Then there's this guy (@EVMaps) in Margate, who persuaded his local council to let him have a personal street charger outside his home, complete with a parking space marked for his personal use:

EV Maps on Twitter

 

[4EVar]

I'm currently weighing up whether to buy a used Model S. I live in central London and will be unable to charge at home but will have a couple of superchargers within 5 miles of me. Most of my charging would therefore be at superchargers, with occasional charging on street or at offices/shops. I guess this type of situation is less common but also not that rare, especially for owners who live inner city. The general consensus seems to be that regular supercharging isn't ideal but shouldn't be a major issue. Does anyone have experience of not being able to charge at home, who would strongly recommend against it?

From what I've read on here, I think the 85D would be the most suitable option I could hope for at my budget (roughly £45K). I regularly drive 100-150 miles a day, occasionally 250-300. I would also be hoping to do a lot of long road trips where I would do 500+ a day.

I appreciate that it's difficult for others to comment on whether buying one (and which one) would be right for me, but I'd welcome any advice.

I think your thinking is right in choosing a Model S over a Model 3. although waiting for supercharging gets old very quickly, free miles never gets old. I always smile whenever I charge for free. Don't worry about battery degradation etc. If you factor the cost of the car over 10 years and write it off, it's worth it. And you get to drive the luxury of a Model S!! Go for a late 2016 facelift and you can't go wrong.

 

[Eagle88]

I think your thinking is right in choosing a Model S over a Model 3. although waiting for supercharging gets old very quickly, free miles never gets old. I always smile whenever I charge for free. Don't worry about battery degradation etc. If you factor the cost of the car over 10 years and write it off, it's worth it. And you get to drive the luxury of a Model S!! Go for a late 2016 facelift and you can't go wrong.

Thanks for all the responses. @4EVar what is the main reason you would go for a facelift? Looks or features? Facelift options with free supercharging are obviously rarer.

 

[Ianf]

You ought to factor in the parking situation too. You got somewhere reliable to park a 5m long car where it won’t get dinged? Pod-point or similar nearby (gym/cinema/supermarket) to top up to launch you on to the supercharger for your longer trips? You’ll need to factor in a couple of hours a week to fast charge with a chademo or ccs adapter, or 2x 4h sessions on AC to keep topping up for the odd errand mileage.

 

[Eagle88]

You ought to factor in the parking situation too. You got somewhere reliable to park a 5m long car where it won’t get dinged? Pod-point or similar nearby (gym/cinema/supermarket) to top up to launch you on to the supercharger for your longer trips? You’ll need to factor in a couple of hours a week to fast charge with a chademo or ccs adapter, or 2x 4h sessions on AC to keep topping up for the odd errand mileage.

There are Source and Polar charging points nearby (Source seem quite expensive in comparison to other charging providers). Parking is generally ok in my area.

 

[tpnicho]

I have a used 75D and live in kent, very close to Bluewater, I can very, very, rarely get a stall. I love my 75D and can do about 240/250 on a full charge but given the price i think if i was in your shoes I would grab a Model 3 for all the latest tech and future proofing for that 250kw supercharger output!

That being said I haven't driven a 3 and the S is a truly nice place to spend a few hundred miles!

 

[Eagle88]

I have a used 75D and live in kent, very close to Bluewater, I can very, very, rarely get a stall. I love my 75D and can do about 240/250 on a full charge but given the price i think if i was in your shoes I would grab a Model 3 for all the latest tech and future proofing for that 250kw supercharger output!

That being said I haven't driven a 3 and the S is a truly nice place to spend a few hundred miles!

That's good to know as I have no idea how busy any of the superchargers in the South East get. Do you know if it is a similar story for other superchargers in the London area?

 

[4EVar]

Thanks for all the responses. @4EVar what is the main reason you would go for a facelift? Looks or features? Facelift options with free supercharging are obviously rarer.

If you go for a late 2016 model (free supercharging), the facelift version could be AP1 (no side cameras) which is great but won't be upgradeable to AP3 when available. Or AP2.0 which has side cameras and is upgradeable. Current features are mostly the same but AP1 won't get any more software upgrades. However, AP1 is a very reliable and solid system with some features that current models don't have (eg reads speed signs, auto-steer by following the car in front, more reliable high-beam and auto-wipers), and you can pick them up much cheaper than AP2. And to the lay person, looks the same as a brand new one.

 

[jerry33]

I'm currently weighing up whether to buy a used Model S. I live in central London and will be unable to charge at home but will have a couple of superchargers within 5 miles of me. Most of my charging would therefore be at superchargers, with occasional charging on street or at offices/shops. I guess this type of situation is less common but also not that rare, especially for owners who live inner city. The general consensus seems to be that regular supercharging isn't ideal but shouldn't be a major issue. Does anyone have experience of not being able to charge at home, who would strongly recommend against it?

From what I've read on here, I think the 85D would be the most suitable option I could hope for at my budget (roughly £45K). I regularly drive 100-150 miles a day, occasionally 250-300. I would also be hoping to do a lot of long road trips where I would do 500+ a day.

I appreciate that it's difficult for others to comment on whether buying one (and which one) would be right for me, but I'd welcome any advice.

I'd go for a 100 if I was doing 100-150 miles a day. Not that the 85 won't do it, but a 100 will do it better. Particularly because you are not charging at home, a 100 will charge faster.