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Is it worth it?
- Thread starter mrobins64495
- Start date
pdk42
Active Member
It's clearly a complex topic, but those who have done detailed analysis do agree that EVs definitely consume fewer natural resources over their entire lifetime compared to ICE vehicles. There's an "effective mpg" measure that tries to bundle all these things up into a simple number. The model 3 gets you too about 160 mpg(e). That's still pretty good.
This is a very balanced and informed article:
https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/defaul...er-Cars-from-Cradle-to-Grave-exec-summary.pdf
rubberfish
Member
Am I missing something. But I’ve never understood the need for a HUD. Even existing cars we’ve always had to glance down, as you can’t actually make out the speed in your peripheral. And in the m3 you instead glance left. It’s not like you have to actually move your head. There’s also speed alerts.
If you’ve never used an HUD you won’t realise how absolutely fantastic they are. Nothing beats having key information written, so to speak on the road in front of you.
'Dirty secret' gas boosts climate warming
Unfortunately thinking that changing from ICE to BEV is going to make a massive difference to the environment is not necessarily as black and white, or as green, as people would like to think. My decision to go electric has nothing to do with environmental issues, and I’m not yet ready to hug a tree.
WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
I haven't done the sums for Model-3, which is more frugal / better than Model-S, but for Model-S the saving on fuel is about £100 a month for each 10,000 miles driven a year. I don't know what your previous mileage contract price was, nor how much your monthlies have gone up, but maybe the fuel cost saving offsets that, Either way, might be worth doing the sums. Model-3 with off-road home-charging and an Off Peak tariff should be around 2p per mile for Fuel.
And what if it turns out you are wrong? ... doing it anyway, and then finding out you were wrong about climate change, seems like a reasonable approach to me. And if it turns out that you were right you haven't lost much, if anything, anyway,
There are reasons for doing it even for climate change deniers
There is a finite amount of oil (OK opinions will vary as to how much there is in the ground ... but it is finite). So worth leaving it there, rather than our generation squandering it, so that future generations have some left for things that renewable energy can't easily solve.
"Yeah but there is a huge amount in the ground" ...
The answer to that is that use of Fossil Fuels has increased year-on-year at pretty much straight-line growth (barring some "oil price crisis years"). At 3.5% p.a. increase when we have used exactly 50% of absolutely all the oil in the ground there are 20 years left until we have used up the whole of the other half. 20 years ... that's it. If we found 4 times as much oil, as there ever was, that would last us another 40 years.
We might even have already passed that "peak oil" point ... and to get the second half out we will have to do all the fracking and tar sands stuff. perhaps you are Pro that too ...
Driving EV is much nicer than driving ICE. Far safer in an accident too. I am happy to pay a premium to increase my chance of survival.
Having an energy efficient, well insulated, home is much more comfortable than draughty house, and cheaper to heat ... and cooler in summer. Happens to need less fuel too ...
We have lived in a Passive House for 5 years. Neither of us have had a winter cough or cold since we moved in, its a known health benefit, and that is despite being surrounded by people "dying" in the office every day of winter.
All sorts of good reasons for doing it ... many of them unrelated to climate change.
WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
I think zero cost for Tesla is unlikely ... could take the view that Service is not required, and I only service at around 30-40,000 mile interval ... but I'm doing that in a year, so for me its "once a year" ...
Be interested to hear what other folk think on that one.
What's the deal with Road Tax on Tesla and the others? Luxury tax applies to Tesla in year-2 ...
Any other savings applicable to you? - e.g. London Congestion Charge. Business Purchase perhaps? (zero/tiny% benefit-in-Kind tax)
And just a by-the-by, I have seen people decide that paying the "overs" on mileage works out cheaper than contracting (initially) for higher mileage. I expect you have considered that and it doesn't apply in your case.
Can you get your Electricity cost down to 2p/mile? (consumption is all a bit subjective anyway 'coz if you do lots of short trips you will use more for Climate on the car ... and I doubt you will get 35 MPG from the others in that instance either ... so maybe "evens" on that ...
interbear
Active Member
In response to the OP, I believe the correct answer is yes. Definitely, yes. And I don’t even have mine yet 
All fair points.
In terms of the maintenance, I am viewing it as subjective for no servicing. I think given that it’s a lease the tax is covered for both years as is breakdown. So the only expense would be tyres.
I did look at mileage, and 35p an extra mile worked out too £££ it’s cheaper to put up the additional cost as it workable out at about 12p.
In terms of consumption I would of thought 35mpg is achievable. I’ve assumed one charge a week on the LR model, which assumes 200 miles to a battery. But who knows.
Unfortunately no congestion charge saving for me, I will be driving it to work once a week in the city but I’ll be based in Greenwich just outside the zone.
That all being said, went to see the more practical (by numbers) BMW today and tbh... it was just boring... didn’t get the same feeling I got from the Tesla at all... so that made the decision for me.
All those calculations show just how expensive all those cars are, 66p per mile, nearly £13 a day for my 20 mile commute.
It than simply comes down to do you want to be paying 66p per mile to run a combustion car which is 95% the same as your last combustion car, or pay the same amount to try something that is totally better.
There are a few EV owners who do go back to combustion cars after EV ownership, but 99 times out of 100 once you have owned an EV you simply woudlnt want to go backwards in time.
The answer is surely YES, its worth it, much more so than an equivalent priced 4 cylinder unit.
Ofcourse it could, my wifes old diesel Civic cost us 27p per mile all in, including fuel, deprecation, servicing, insurance. That was over 90k and if we kept it for longer than figure would have fallen to about 24p per mile by the time it hit 120k.
However as we all know its not just about cost per mile. She swapped the Civic for a Lexus. Because of less mileage and higher initial cost the Lexus is still at more than double what her Civic costs per mile. At 90K things will be closer, but It'll never get close to the Civic simply based on a purchase cost of £31k versus £13.5k, but try convincing her to swap back into a Civic
.As for our current X, I haven't even worked out the costs, but even with good residuals of 65-70% at 2.5 years because of the high purchase cost cost per mile is about 55p just on deprecation, doing slightly more mileage per year than the Civic.
For me is the X worth about x3 the cost per mile of the Civic? Absolutely 100%without doubt.
WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
I think you might get better tyre wear on an EV, not sure why but I've read that the lack of "jerk" on gear shift is one reason, and changing driving style to lift-off earlier, to try to stop on Regen alone, is another.
I have been getting 40K miles out of a set of tyres on my Model-S ... despite a fair bit of spirited driving ... that's unheard of for me, compared to all previous cars, and I'm not shy about doing 0-60 in sub 3.5S
On Model-S I work on the basis of 3-miles-per-kWh, and have read that Model-3 is nearer 4-miles-per-kWh. Those figures are battery-to-wheels; I haven't see reliable info on the charging loss (difference between the juice you buy from grid, and how much the battery actually gains). You will also have loss from the car sitting still ... for example, if you leave Sentry Mode on whilst parked that will use some juice.
Yup, Fart Mode is only optional in the BMW
I think I must have had Fart Mode enabled on all my previous cars. It’s strange, because I can never remember reading about it in the manual...Yup, Fart Mode is only optional in the BMW
Is It Worth It - For me, a resounding Yes! I’ve owned 23 previous cars over the last 42 years, including a Leaf and a Kona Electric. The Model 3 is by far the best car I’ve ever driven.
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