⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️
Village Idiot
I've felt regret about not spending $1,000 on heated steering wheel and back seats and $5,000 on AWD. You'll get over it.
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Kind of regretting getting SR+ and not LR or AWD, anyone?
- Thread starter Richardster
- Start date
groovidad
Living the Dream!
Can you still return? If you’re in buyers remorse andWhen I order SR+, I was thinking 240 mi, plenty of mileage, I would never drive 240mi a day, and I won't be driving the EV on a road trip, so it should be plenty. What I didn't do the math is keeping the battery within 10-90% meaning my range has drop down to 190 miles. This 190miles also do not mean I can drive for a distance of 190mile. Over the past week, I have experience outside temperature of 40 to 70 degree. Reading the TeslaFi data, at 40 degree (driving mostly at 70mi/h), the car's efficiency can be down to 75%. (short distance efficiency can be as bad as 45% because the battery is cold) I don't know what would happen at below zero. Driving above 80mi/h also hurt efficiency a lot. With 75% efficiency, you will be dealing with 190mi *.75 = 142mile. So my 240mi SR+ is practically only have 142 mil during spring time. I know it will be better in the summer but I can't imagine what happen during winter. After a week of driving, I regret not getting the LR or AWD.
Can’t return, sell and get what you desire. Don’t know what your personal options are but, I wouldn’t compromise on this opportunity to be happy. For what it’s worth...good luck, brother!
I initially ordered an SR+ and began to have range anxiety before I even took delivery. So I cancelled and switched to an LR. I’m really happy I did. I can see how easy it is to get less than the full stated range under less than optimal conditions.
I still get a chuckle at the guy who posted about ordering an SR with AP and FSD. To each his own.
I still get a chuckle at the guy who posted about ordering an SR with AP and FSD. To each his own.
Promo714
Member
I have a LR and never use the entire battery in a day. Not even close. When I bought it it was the only option. I was coming out of a lease on a Model S 85 and that had a rated range of 265 but based on my driving was closer to 230-240. When I first got the S I was sure the range was going to be a problem but it never was. I know I would have been fine with the SR. I'm saying all this to suggest that hopefully you'll find your long-term experience won't be as bad as your initial concern.
Another thing to bear in mind is that many, including myself, have experienced an improvement in wh/mi consumption once the car has a few thousand miles on it. Some have suggested the tires break in, which may be true, but it could also be driving habits settle down (no more punching it at stop lights and/or showing off acceleration for friends). My total lifetime is at 247 whereas the past 5,000 miles has averaged 238.
Another thing to bear in mind is that many, including myself, have experienced an improvement in wh/mi consumption once the car has a few thousand miles on it. Some have suggested the tires break in, which may be true, but it could also be driving habits settle down (no more punching it at stop lights and/or showing off acceleration for friends). My total lifetime is at 247 whereas the past 5,000 miles has averaged 238.
latimerluis
filipeen0
I hear ya, OP. I hope you are able to run a few more tests before deciding what to do.
Im having anxiety thinking about what winter will bring, even though winters here are pretty mild. I just got my SR+ last Friday. My commute is 70 miles each way. I HOPE the distance itself is long enough that the battery will heat up early into the trip to help minimize the loss of range.
I did opt for AP + white seats, over a “base” MR or LR. AP makes me incredibly relaxed and reduces other anxieties I have from the long drive, so i think it was well worth it.
While range is king, i believe nobody should “settle” for lack of customizations when they’re buying a new car in my opinion. To each their own of course.
What I’ve been reminding myself is that I probably have more range than older Model S 60’s and even some used S 75’s, and many of those drivers have been very happy...
Im having anxiety thinking about what winter will bring, even though winters here are pretty mild. I just got my SR+ last Friday. My commute is 70 miles each way. I HOPE the distance itself is long enough that the battery will heat up early into the trip to help minimize the loss of range.
I did opt for AP + white seats, over a “base” MR or LR. AP makes me incredibly relaxed and reduces other anxieties I have from the long drive, so i think it was well worth it.
While range is king, i believe nobody should “settle” for lack of customizations when they’re buying a new car in my opinion. To each their own of course.
What I’ve been reminding myself is that I probably have more range than older Model S 60’s and even some used S 75’s, and many of those drivers have been very happy...
larger batteries last longer also - the lifetime of a battery is related to the number of charging cycles -- eg: 900 miles would be 3 charging cycles on a LR and about 4 charging cycles on a SR... less charging cycles means better battery health in the long term. Plus, with a LR, one is much less likely to need to charge to 100% or to discharge to near zero... and it's faster... yeah, the SR should only be considered if that is the max budget for them
As you found out 80MPH cruising will drastically reduce your range. You'll need to slow down to achieve the EPA rated range, but this would be true in any car.
Another trick that works in a bind is to follow a semi truck with Autopilot set to 2 car distance. This will lower power usage noticeably and give 15-25% range but this is a controversial recommendation because semi's can throw up rocks and can be dangerous to be behind in the case of a tire blowout. I only do this when I need to, but it works wonders.
SR can work fine for people who stick around the metro areas and don't take long road trips. Buyers need to think long and hard about how they're actually going to use the car, keeping in mind that most Tesla buyers end up driving more than they initially planned to because the cars are so nice to drive.
Regarding drafting semis, read this thread: Ouch Model 3 windshield replacement costs $1,600 ! | Tesla
Regarding drafting semis, read this thread: Ouch Model 3 windshield replacement costs $1,600 ! | Tesla
My biggest fear with ordering an SR+ was regret for not purchasing a LR model. Using ABRP to map out what we felt was the longest trip we might take yearly (1300km+), the difference in travel time was 90 minutes, with one less stop. For us that wasn’t worth the extra range, especially when day to day driving is rarely more than 20km.
One thing I found helped was to stop displaying range and switch to battery percent. I know my drive to work is 7.5km, and seeing more than that gone each trip was discouraging. Now, I still know 1% is roughly just under 4km, but mentally it’s a lot easier to see my drive to work being 2%.
That said, I currently have no regrets (even in a northern Canadian city) and am confident the SR+ will have more range than most will ever need daily. Sure, you might appreciate more range now and then, but (for example) would you buy a truck just for the peace of mind that you could haul lumber if you needed to?
One thing I found helped was to stop displaying range and switch to battery percent. I know my drive to work is 7.5km, and seeing more than that gone each trip was discouraging. Now, I still know 1% is roughly just under 4km, but mentally it’s a lot easier to see my drive to work being 2%.
That said, I currently have no regrets (even in a northern Canadian city) and am confident the SR+ will have more range than most will ever need daily. Sure, you might appreciate more range now and then, but (for example) would you buy a truck just for the peace of mind that you could haul lumber if you needed to?
Looking at your TeslaFi, those short trips are always going to be ugly on efficiency. We have a P85D which has the same range as your SR+ and much worse efficiency as we have the 21” wheels. We get range anxiety maybe a couple times a year, usually after forgetting to plug the car in and trying to make two days on our 80 mile round trip commute.
You said you don’t drive the car long distances. What is your daily commute round trip? If that is 100 miles or less and you have home charging, you should be fine for the vast majority of your drives. You will be waking up every single morning with a full tank. If you occasionally do longer drives, just set the car to 100% to give you that extra buffer.
Getting the LR probably won’t solve your range anxiety issues, you will still come across times when you get low on range (I forgot to charge one morning, so started with 170 miles, had to do my 80mile round trip commute, then drive 140 miles round trip down to the service center and back to pick up the P85D. Ended up stopping at a SC for a bathroom break and that was enough to supplement the range. Just know your charging locations.
When shopping for something like a car, or a computer, or a large TV, there are things almost no one says:
1. "Man, my computer is just too fast!! I am really sorry I spent the money on the faster one"
2. "Wow, my TV is just too big! (although this does get said sometimes by people who have significant others who dont think there should be a TV at all in the room that the TV was put in).
3. "There is just too much range on my EV! Glad I got the one with the shorter range"
There are reasons for purchasing the slower / shorter range / smaller product, but in general, people would be served with buying the one they can AFFORD, not the one they think they need. Thats not a hard and fast rule, for sure, but in general, when you have a faster computer, you know you can pretty much do what you want with it, and not be limited by the device.
Same with EVs. most people would likely be better served with buying the longest range EV they can afford, and if the choice is shorter range and autopilot, or longer range and no autopilot right now, since tesla lets you add autopilot after the fact to me there is really no contest. It should always be the longest range battery first, then other options after that.. unless you live in the city and never see driving out of it, or the tesla is a second car that will only be used to commute to work and back or something.
I would give this advice to any first time EV owner (like me). If someone is an EV vet and already knows how their life changes or not with EV usage, it doesnt apply. The single biggest hangup most new EV drivers (like me) is "how far can I go before I have to charge... and how long will charging take, and where can I charge?"
Its my belief that never really goes away, not yet at least. We see road trip summaries all the time here by someone saying "I went from XXX place to YYY place in my tesla and it was fine! I stopped at ZZZ, AAA, and BBB". No one gives a road trip update talking about what gas stations they stopped at, but because there is still "worry" about "where can I charge" veteran tesla owners try to show everyone "hey you can do it!" by these posts (which are appreciated by the way).
We will KNOW the charging infrastructure is ubiquitous when people talk about their road trips in an EV and dont memtion where or when they charged once. When that happens regularly, we will know that no one is even thinking about the charging aspect... but we are not there yet.
until we get there, one is served by buying the longest range EV they can afford.
OP if you are still within your return period (so wont lose money), you should hurry back to tesla and try to buy a long range model 3. Especially since you live somewhere cold, you are looking at severe losses during the winter time, and you get real winter, unlike I do. Also, you have this concern NOW, at the beginning of your ownership. Next winter, this will eat at you, and you will be focused on the range number so much it will probably make you upset.
if you DONT have the choice to return it and exchange it, then just know that everyone is right, you CAN make it anywhere you really need to, you just may need to charge more than you expected. Change your mileage left to PERCENTAGE instead of range. Thats the single biggest thing you can do to help yourself get over focusing on the number. Your range anxiety will lessen with usage (it generally does for everyone), but since you have not gone through your "real" winter yet, it will return when you go through your first winter. You will get through it either way... I just think if you CAN (and can afford it) try to get an in stock long range one. You will likely never be sorry you had "extra" range even if you dont use it much.
1. "Man, my computer is just too fast!! I am really sorry I spent the money on the faster one"
2. "Wow, my TV is just too big! (although this does get said sometimes by people who have significant others who dont think there should be a TV at all in the room that the TV was put in).
3. "There is just too much range on my EV! Glad I got the one with the shorter range"
There are reasons for purchasing the slower / shorter range / smaller product, but in general, people would be served with buying the one they can AFFORD, not the one they think they need. Thats not a hard and fast rule, for sure, but in general, when you have a faster computer, you know you can pretty much do what you want with it, and not be limited by the device.
Same with EVs. most people would likely be better served with buying the longest range EV they can afford, and if the choice is shorter range and autopilot, or longer range and no autopilot right now, since tesla lets you add autopilot after the fact to me there is really no contest. It should always be the longest range battery first, then other options after that.. unless you live in the city and never see driving out of it, or the tesla is a second car that will only be used to commute to work and back or something.
I would give this advice to any first time EV owner (like me). If someone is an EV vet and already knows how their life changes or not with EV usage, it doesnt apply. The single biggest hangup most new EV drivers (like me) is "how far can I go before I have to charge... and how long will charging take, and where can I charge?"
Its my belief that never really goes away, not yet at least. We see road trip summaries all the time here by someone saying "I went from XXX place to YYY place in my tesla and it was fine! I stopped at ZZZ, AAA, and BBB". No one gives a road trip update talking about what gas stations they stopped at, but because there is still "worry" about "where can I charge" veteran tesla owners try to show everyone "hey you can do it!" by these posts (which are appreciated by the way).
We will KNOW the charging infrastructure is ubiquitous when people talk about their road trips in an EV and dont memtion where or when they charged once. When that happens regularly, we will know that no one is even thinking about the charging aspect... but we are not there yet.
until we get there, one is served by buying the longest range EV they can afford.
OP if you are still within your return period (so wont lose money), you should hurry back to tesla and try to buy a long range model 3. Especially since you live somewhere cold, you are looking at severe losses during the winter time, and you get real winter, unlike I do. Also, you have this concern NOW, at the beginning of your ownership. Next winter, this will eat at you, and you will be focused on the range number so much it will probably make you upset.
if you DONT have the choice to return it and exchange it, then just know that everyone is right, you CAN make it anywhere you really need to, you just may need to charge more than you expected. Change your mileage left to PERCENTAGE instead of range. Thats the single biggest thing you can do to help yourself get over focusing on the number. Your range anxiety will lessen with usage (it generally does for everyone), but since you have not gone through your "real" winter yet, it will return when you go through your first winter. You will get through it either way... I just think if you CAN (and can afford it) try to get an in stock long range one. You will likely never be sorry you had "extra" range even if you dont use it much.
First of all, congrats on your purchase and welcome to Tesla! While people will have different experiences and opinions about the minimum necessary range, let me share mine, based on my own experience.
Some of the feelings and concerns you are having (e.g. range anxiety) are not unusual for new Tesla owners. Trust me, you will feel much better after some time and with some experience. Here are a few things to consider:
- The first few months are not going to be representative of your normal driving patterns. New Tesla owners tend to spend way more time behind the wheel, and also drive faster than usual. The car is so much fun!
- It will take some time to make the nightly charging an automatic routine. So that the car is always ready for you in the morning. The car should be plugged in every night, regardless of the remaining charge level. That's different from what we are used to with ICE cars.
- While keeping the maximum charge level below 90% most of the time is advisable, it is OK to occasionally charge it to 100% before a long trip.
- It is also OK to occasionally go below 10% if you have to.
- If your daily commute is within 150 miles, SR+ (or even SR) should be sufficient. As long as you charge every night, you should never have an issue.
- If you have any concerns whatsoever, try to locate (or even install) a charger near your work, or visit a Supercharger on your way, make a quick coffee stop. (You know how many coffees the LR upgrade would cost?!)
- Even if you pay for a charger installation at your work place out of your pocket, it will cost you way less than the LR battery upgrade!
- And if you do need to drive 200 miles or more every now and then, how often will this really happen? Would those few occasions justify the extra cost of the LR for you? Only you can answer that!
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iaflyer
Member
I have a RWD LR model, so theoretically 325 miles of range. Welllll... twice my wife has driven to visit a relative 90 miles away, so 180 miles RT. First time, dead of winter. She could not make it back without a supercharger stop (out of the way) - second time was this week. She left with 92% and made it home with 8%. This is driving at 75mph (I know how efficiency goes down as speed goes up)
First time it was cold out (although we store the Model 3 in a garage, temp in there is about 40 in the winter) and there were headwinds half the trip, I calculated we lost about 40% range. Second time, it was a warmer (45 degrees) but more wind, lost 30% range.
Anyway - the environmental conditions really affect the range because (a) 325 miles is the EPA rated range, so that's optimum conditions and (b) there aren't "gas stations" to easily stop at which makes a drop in range more concerning.
The Model 3 is good for 90% of our driving, in town. Usually I leave home at 85% and by the end of the day I'm at 60%, so not that much driving. But long distance trips have been a killer with cold temps for us.
Now of course it's a small part of our driving, but when a 325 mile range car can't do 180 miles with a bit of comfort when it's cold... get the biggest battery.
First time it was cold out (although we store the Model 3 in a garage, temp in there is about 40 in the winter) and there were headwinds half the trip, I calculated we lost about 40% range. Second time, it was a warmer (45 degrees) but more wind, lost 30% range.
Anyway - the environmental conditions really affect the range because (a) 325 miles is the EPA rated range, so that's optimum conditions and (b) there aren't "gas stations" to easily stop at which makes a drop in range more concerning.
The Model 3 is good for 90% of our driving, in town. Usually I leave home at 85% and by the end of the day I'm at 60%, so not that much driving. But long distance trips have been a killer with cold temps for us.
Now of course it's a small part of our driving, but when a 325 mile range car can't do 180 miles with a bit of comfort when it's cold... get the biggest battery.
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The sever losses you will experiment during winter will be on short trips when the car has been sitting outside unplugged. For road trips it doesn't apply.
The loss won't be bad.
The loss won't be bad.
Not necessarily. I've taken several extended winter road trips and the Model 3 comes in at about 60-70% of its rated efficiency pretty consistently when traveling at 70+ MPH with the heat on. It isn't a major inconvenience as long as you're expecting it, so adjust your charging plans accordingly.
iaflyer
Member
Well I disagree - depends on the speed limit I guess. In Michigan, it's mostly 70 Mph with some stretches of 75 mph. She had the temp at 68 (20c). Still had 30% range loss. It's still a significant loss.
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