Is anyone actually buying the 40 kWh Model S at this point?

[brianman]

What does "range charge" mean?

From the Owner's Guide:

 

[GDH]

From the Owner's Guide:

View attachment 13801

Thanks.

 

[arondaniel]

3rd MVPA, still 40kwh...

I'm getting the 40, and since this was my 3rd time signing the MVPA I doubt I'll upgrade again.

I first finalized last September, then again to add the sound upgrade and air suspension, and again this week to switch to red paint since I'm waiting till March anyway.

If I could get supercharging without spending an extra 2k like those that selected 60kwh in September I would have added that too. Can't have it all, but I think I'll be very happy with the car once it arrives!!!

 

[Dave5609]

I've been sold on the 40kwh battery since I made my reservation almost 4 years ago at the S launch event! (It's been a long wait). Still happy with my decision and think the 40 could actually be a better value than the other battery options if it meets your range needs. The car should be lighter, so you'll have a better kw/mile ratio. We've already seen that the 60 has a higher EPA/Estimate ratio than the 85 and I expect the 40 to be even better.

This car is a stretch for me and I'm been a bit disappointed about the things I feel like I've "lost" as Tesla put out more and more specifics about the 40..lower accel, no supercharging, charging efficiencies that lower range, limited mileage warranty..but still incredibly excited to get the car. Even with all the range reductions and figuring worst case of 100 miles/charge after 6-8 years it should meet me needs fine.

I think the 40 is still a great option for a lot of people that are either stretching their budget to get this car and/or don't expect to need over 100 miles range. My reservation number is R75 so I'm hoping to be one of the 1st 40's off the line with delivery in March. Waiting patiently for the EPA data..then will start bugging Tesla for my Delivery button .

 

[sircroft]

Guys,

I have been holding my judgement on the Poll. I have "reserved" the 60 kwh with pretty much all options, but realized that the price is really on the upward of my budget. I would love to get the 40 kwh from a price point of view. I drive around 100 miles/day (3-4 times a week), and who knows, this could change to a lower number in the future.

The 40 kwh, from the numbers, will fit my needs, but am I taking too much of a risk? Should I pony up the dough for the 60? I'm torn - the 85 is totally out of the question..

The other issue is I reserved on Dec 31st, 2012, so the 40 wont' be in my garage till probably 2014. I have better scope of the 60 by the end of the year. My 745i is holding up just fine till then, so i'm willing to wait , but a year is till too much.. !!!

 

[spleen]

Guys,

I have been holding my judgement on the Poll. I have "reserved" the 60 kwh with pretty much all options, but realized that the price is really on the upward of my budget. I would love to get the 40 kwh from a price point of view. I drive around 100 miles/day (3-4 times a week), and who knows, this could change to a lower number in the future.

The 40 kwh, from the numbers, will fit my needs, but am I taking too much of a risk? Should I pony up the dough for the 60? I'm torn - the 85 is totally out of the question..

The other issue is I reserved on Dec 31st, 2012, so the 40 wont' be in my garage till probably 2014. I have better scope of the 60 by the end of the year. My 745i is holding up just fine till then, so i'm willing to wait , but a year is till too much.. !!!

Personally, I would be worried about the 40 kWh battery if you regularly drive 100 miles a day and do not have an opportunity to charge in between. Given real world usage and battery degradation, IMHO, you'd be better off sticking with the 60 kWh battery, especially if you have any cold weather in your area.

 

[Doug Martoccia]

As one of the 700 BMW Active E Electronauts for the past year, I found the 85-95 mile range of the Active E to be adequate for most driving days. However, about once/month, there is a trip that was just a bit out of range. My wife also had 2-3 occasions when she pulled into the garage with about one mile of charge remaining. The AE has a 32kWh battery and I would have probably opted for the 40kWh battery Tesla except that the Tesla will be replacing a BMW E46 and with no ICE we'll need a long range EV for those once/month trips. Plus, with the Supercharger option, the effective range really shoots up. Given that the 60+SC is $12k+tax more, it would be certainly understandable to see a lot of Tesla owners going for the 40.

 

[adric22]

I'm just the "common man" so any Tesla is out of my price range at the moment. We did lease a Volt and a Leaf, which we've been very happy with both. We wouldn't even have been able to afford those if not for the gas savings we get in return. However, if I were to ever even consider being able to buy a Tesla it would probably be a used S40 in a few years. Hopefully that would put it in a price range I could afford. being that my Leaf has a real-world range of about 70 miles, and I've been driving it as my main car for 2 years now, I'm pretty sure the range of an S40 would be plenty for me, even with some degradation on it.

So I'm glad Tesla is offering the low-end model. I think in time, many people will buy these base-model versions that might have otherwise been in the market for a $40,000 vehicle. With the gas savings, it probably makes it around the same cost.

 

[Chas F]

Guys,

I have been holding my judgement on the Poll. I have "reserved" the 60 kwh with pretty much all options, but realized that the price is really on the upward of my budget. I would love to get the 40 kwh from a price point of view. I drive around 100 miles/day (3-4 times a week), and who knows, this could change to a lower number in the future.

The 40 kwh, from the numbers, will fit my needs, but am I taking too much of a risk? Should I pony up the dough for the 60? I'm torn - the 85 is totally out of the question..

The other issue is I reserved on Dec 31st, 2012, so the 40 wont' be in my garage till probably 2014. I have better scope of the 60 by the end of the year. My 745i is holding up just fine till then, so i'm willing to wait , but a year is till too much.. !!!

I have a reservation for the 40kWh and feel like I have been continually defending my decision of these forums. I tend to push back on someone that automatically says "you shouldn't even consider anything less than the 60kWh" without consideration for individual circumstances. My daily commute is only about 30 miles.

In this case however, if you are driving 100 mile/day, I think you should stick with the 60kWh. It sounds funny to here myself say it, but i assure you I'm not saying it flippantly. I think you would find yourself sweating the last few miles of most days, not being about to push the car like you really want to. Also, you would always operating at the extremes of the battery's range so it will degrade faster than usual. In 5 years, you could really find yourself with a car that no longer meets your needs.

Go with the 60kWh.

 

[nanimac]

Guys,

I have been holding my judgement on the Poll. I have "reserved" the 60 kwh with pretty much all options, but realized that the price is really on the upward of my budget. I would love to get the 40 kwh from a price point of view. I drive around 100 miles/day (3-4 times a week), and who knows, this could change to a lower number in the future.

The 40 kwh, from the numbers, will fit my needs, but am I taking too much of a risk? Should I pony up the dough for the 60? I'm torn - the 85 is totally out of the question..

The other issue is I reserved on Dec 31st, 2012, so the 40 wont' be in my garage till probably 2014. I have better scope of the 60 by the end of the year. My 745i is holding up just fine till then, so i'm willing to wait , but a year is till too much.. !!!

I don't think you'll have to wait until next year for a 40. i reserved at the end of November and finalized last week with a projected May/June delivery. Am guessing it would be late summer/early fall for you..still a wait, but probably not as long as you think

 

[shokunin]

My reservation number is R75 so I'm hoping to be one of the 1st 40's off the line with delivery in March. Waiting patiently for the EPA data..then will start bugging Tesla for my Delivery button .

Dave, please let us know when you get your "delivery" button. Hoping the 40's ramp up just as fast as the 60's did in January. Unfortunately we're also competing with standard suspension and red paint configurations as well.

 

[htsai14752]

I don't think you'll have to wait until next year for a 40. i reserved at the end of November and finalized last week with a projected May/June delivery. Am guessing it would be late summer/early fall for you..still a wait, but probably not as long as you think

Hi nanimac,
I have decided to get a similiar config as yours except for gray seats. I'm a few numbers in front of you @ P#14,831, I've been jumping around from 40 when I made the reservation to P85->85->P85->60->40. Decided to finalize on 40 for the most practical needs. I have an ICE car for long trips. I definately don't want to drive a nice car on long distance road trips. It adds wear and tear and who knows what will happen. You don't want to get stranded with an electric car so many miles from home. Even with that said I'm planning to pick up my car from the factory and make 1 road trip home to LA. :smile: I can't wait!

 

[4sevens.com]

If anyone wants to sell their 40 reservation please contact me