Long commute

[Loco_Nomad]

So, like everyone else I'm trying to move out of Bay Area, while many people I know moving to work from home forever schedule, I need to be physically in my office .
I'm moving from Santa Clara, CA to Roseville, CA which is 280 miles round trip I can commute 4 days a week. I don't care about 4 hour driving, but don't want to use my V6 minivan for this. So I'm planning on Model 3 LR. How do you think? WIll this work? I can run out of my warranty in just 1 year and battery warranty in just 2?

I'll have charging at home, no charge at work, but plenty of superchargers, Bay Area duuuh

I could've get a used prius and it would last 500,000 miles no issues, but it uses gas lol, not something I want with $5 per gallon...
Any input is appreciated.

 

[jjrandorin]

I think that planning on getting 280 miles a day, out of a model 3, driven at Freeway speeds, will be cutting it close unless you ALSO plan on having to stop to charge for a few minutes sometimes. If I had a 2 hour each way commute, there is no way I would do anything that would make that even longer.

I am of the mind that there is no way you would save enough money buying a new model 3 over that "used prius" to ever break even on the commute. If you said you were buying a "used BMW that used premium unleaded" maybe, but...

Shrug.. I wouldnt.. I thought you already had a model 3 though so were familiar with the range, speed, etc, but maybe I am mis remembering that.

 

[Loco_Nomad]

I think that planning on getting 280 miles a day, out of a model 3, driven at Freeway speeds, will be cutting it close unless you ALSO plan on having to stop to charge for a few minutes sometimes. If I had a 2 hour each way commute, there is no way I would do anything that would make that even longer.

I am of the mind that there is no way you would save enough money buying a new model 3 over that "used prius" to ever break even on the commute. If you said you were buying a "used BMW that used premium unleaded" maybe, but...

Shrug.. I wouldnt.. I thought you already had a model 3 though so were familiar with the range, speed, etc, but maybe I am mis remembering that.

I own 2014 S85, which goes to my a family member, I also own 2020 Odyssey for family needs and my current daily, currently I live just 1 mile away from work... did few drives from SF to Santa Barbara in Model 3 RWD LR, never had a single issue. But those were just for fun, here it is for living and work. So I was wondering if this even makes sense, I love Tesla and EVs, that is the only reason

 

[hgmichna]

Some obvious improvements would be to live closer to the job or to have a place to sleep there to reduce the commutes. Studies into this topic indicate that long commutes are severely detrimental to well-being.

That said, and if you still want to or have to commute, it depends on your ability to recharge at the job site. If you can, then a Standard Model 3 RWD would do nicely, particularly one with an LFP battery. Are they available in the US? Of course, Long-Range would do just as nicely, if you don't mind the extra cost.

 

[JoshFalken]

I routinely make a 240 mile trip (one way; not a commute) and usually arrive with 9-17% left. I charge to 100% but wouldn’t want to do that daily. Depending on the day and weather, I agree with @jjrandorin that 280 may be pushing it. Since 280 miles is your round trip, I’d just try to get lunch at a supercharger and add a few miles and then you never have to worry if you’ll make it home no matter the weather or what type of traffic you may encounter.

 

[medphys3]

No way I would do that drive long term with a Model 3. You’ll be running that battery 100 to almost 0 every drive. You’ll have no regen in the morning and no power at night. Plus you’ll be cycling your batter so much, in a few years your max capacity will probably start to decrease. Now add supercharger degradation on top of that and you’re in a vicious circle of decreasing battery health.

 

[DaveRZ]

I'm a 20 year veteran of the long-commute clan, my current commute (thankfully only 2 days a week) is 108 miles round trip, just under 3 hours with traffic.

It seems to me like you're already aware of all the down-side to your plan both to the car and to yourself and family. So that being said, NO, I would not do this. I would not buy a new car with my own money and "use it up" so quickly. Of course, I can't imagine a job or house that would be worth the 20+ hours a week of your life you'd be losing, but if the up-side is worth it to you, go for it and good luck!

If I HAD TO do it, I'd find a comfortable used car that gets good MPG, has a large gas tank, and had some form of adaptive cruise control. FWIW, my last dedicated commuter car was a 2015 VW Passat TDI. It didn't have adaptive cruise, but it was a GREAT commuter (if you forgive the extra pollution). Tons of torque, fun to drive, and nearly 800 miles per tank of diesel.

 

[jjrandorin]

I'm a 20 year veteran of the long-commute clan, my current commute (thankfully only 2 days a week) is 108 miles round trip, just under 3 hours with traffic.

It seems to me like you're already aware of all the down-side to your plan both to the car and to yourself and family. So that being said, NO, I would not do this. I would not buy a new car with my own money and "use it up" so quickly. Of course, I can't imagine a job or house that would be worth the 20+ hours a week of your life you'd be losing, but if the up-side is worth it to you, go for it and good luck!

If I HAD TO do it, I'd find a comfortable used car that gets good MPG, has a large gas tank, and had some form of adaptive cruise control. FWIW, my last dedicated commuter car was a 2015 VW Passat TDI. It didn't have adaptive cruise, but it was a GREAT commuter (if you forgive the extra pollution). Tons of torque, fun to drive, and nearly 800 miles per tank of diesel.

Hi @DaveRZ Im in your neck of the woods. I live in temecula but the north edge between temecula and murrieta, so basically murrieta in all but actual zip code. I go from here to Oceanside as my commute, which is like 40 miles each way garage to parking lot. Been doing this commute for quite some time, it used to be 45-50 minutes drive each way, now its an hour and 10 minutes each way.

I have been doing it for 15 years, and because I like living out here vs Oceanside, just dealt with it. When we switched to WFH with covid, It really drove home what that drive was, because I still do it, but only 3-5 times a month now instead of every day.

Luckily, even when we "go back full time" it doesnt look like I will have to do that drive every day anymore, since we have proven we can (and will) work while at home. Its been one of the "silver lining" things about the pandemic situation.

 

[tm1v2]

@Loco_Nomad I really recommend you have an exit strategy from this commute. If this was 1 day per week, sure, that seems fine. 4 days per week of this? That is life draining.

Have you looked into the Capitol Corridor? There is a station in Roseville and two in Santa Clara. It's a very comfortable train, I used to ride it regularly before the pandemic, often with my bike for that "last mile" portion. Way better than being stuck in a car in traffic. Single ride tickets are pricey but if you ride it often you can get multi-ride or monthly tickets.

The only thing is I've never ridden it past Sacramento. I think there used to be only 1 or 2 trains per day past Sac, but they were working on a track expansion to increase the schedule. Hopefully there are more trains up your way now, or will be soon.

Similarly not all trains continue south below Oakland, due to limited track, but many do.

 

[KenC]

Well, it's only a 10min supercharger stop to make it with ease, driving fast. I'd consider AP just to make it easier, mentally.

 

[DaveRZ]

Hi @DaveRZ Im in your neck of the woods. I live in temecula but the north edge between temecula and murrieta, so basically murrieta in all but actual zip code. I go from here to Oceanside as my commute, which is like 40 miles each way garage to parking lot. Been doing this commute for quite some time, it used to be 45-50 minutes drive each way, now its an hour and 10 minutes each way.

Hey @jjrandorin

Sounds like you're in the Harveston area. I lived for 16 years on the SOUTH edge of Murrieta.

My drive was from roughly Harveston to Rancho Bernardo (43 miles), then we moved to French Valley and my commute went to ~50 miles, then I changed jobs and my commute went to ~60 miles, then COVID hit and I lost that job due to the shutdown. So now I'm driving to Rancho Santa Margarita in Orange County twice a week (53 miles over the Ortega hwy)

 

[dipper]

So, like everyone else I'm trying to move out of Bay Area, while many people I know moving to work from home forever schedule, I need to be physically in my office .
I'm moving from Santa Clara, CA to Roseville, CA which is 280 miles round trip I can commute 4 days a week. I don't care about 4 hour driving, but don't want to use my V6 minivan for this. So I'm planning on Model 3 LR. How do you think? WIll this work? I can run out of my warranty in just 1 year and battery warranty in just 2?

I'll have charging at home, no charge at work, but plenty of superchargers, Bay Area duuuh

I could've get a used prius and it would last 500,000 miles no issues, but it uses gas lol, not something I want with $5 per gallon...
Any input is appreciated.

You are 6 months late. Toyota was giving away Prius Prime. $5000 Toyota discount. $1000 to $2000 off from dealer. $4500 IRS tax credit (probably not great with Biden plan). Could get a Prius LE for $19000 before tax (minus above discounts).

I took the plunge for Prius Prime for wife, and eventually for my girl.

Actually smoother/comfortable than my Model S. Did a trip from SD to Bay Area. Got 56 mpg average with only one 25 miles EV. Most trip at 75-80 mph.

Just bought Comma.ai for handless autopilot like experience. Will see if it is better than Tesla. Some say it is.... Will see.

Maybe wait a little, Toyota said this week their chip problem is behind them. Once their inventory is built up again, these cars can be had for cheap.

Prius Prime is not hip, but really cheap to own as a money factor. The joke is... people thinks you are an Uber driver with this thing. For good reasons.

But if EV is required, then oh well.

 

[RoBoRaT]

So, like everyone else I'm trying to move out of Bay Area, while many people I know moving to work from home forever schedule, I need to be physically in my office .
I'm moving from Santa Clara, CA to Roseville, CA which is 280 miles round trip I can commute 4 days a week. I don't care about 4 hour driving, but don't want to use my V6 minivan for this. So I'm planning on Model 3 LR. How do you think? WIll this work? I can run out of my warranty in just 1 year and battery warranty in just 2?

I'll have charging at home, no charge at work, but plenty of superchargers, Bay Area duuuh

I could've get a used prius and it would last 500,000 miles no issues, but it uses gas lol, not something I want with $5 per gallon...
Any input is appreciated.

I've been commuting Menifee to San Diego for 3 years, 160 mile round trip, with LR AWD Model 3 since December 2018.

I logged 105K miles since then, 100% SoC is 275 miles, down from 305 miles so about 12% degradation.

The 160 mile commute eat about 200 miles 80% efficiency, leaving close to ~20% SoC at end of the day.

Depart Menifee really early at 4 AM. No traffic at 75-80 mph gets me to San Diego at about 1 hour 15 minutes.

The afternoon commute is a different story. Average 2 hours for the same 80 mile return.

I charge every night off peak hours ($0.11 per kWh but really almost zero $ due to Solar power arbitrage) using 240V Wall Connector at 44 miles per hour.

Back up is NEMA 14-50 240V outlet. Back up of back up is a Supercharger 2 miles from home. So far the Wall Connector is holding up but had to SC once in while when I forget to plug at night.

I say it's doable but your 280 miles is nearly double my 160 mile commute. Imagine the hours spent on the road and plus the time spent at SC on the way back. I have less than 1 year with my commute - so I just do it, looking forward to no more long commute.

BTW, I use AP or NoAP as soon as I enter the freeway (and HOV lane). The car mostly drives itself until it exits the freeway. That is true on the 4 AM leg. I intervene more during the PM drive.

I now have FSD Beta so even the city street is now AP at 4 AM, not so much during the PM rush hour city drive.

With a long day at work the long drive in the afternoon gets more tiring. Thanks to AP it makes the long drive, specially stop and go rush hour, a little less stressful.

You've got long and tedious days ahead of you. Have a safe trip and heads up!

 

[afadeev]

I'm moving from Santa Clara, CA to Roseville, CA which is 280 miles round trip I can commute 4 days a week. I don't care about 4 hour driving, but don't want to use my V6 minivan for this. So I'm planning on Model 3 LR. How do you think? WIll this work?

I would NOT do it in any car, and that goes for Model 3 or S.
6+ hours of round-trip commute * 4 times / week == 24+ hours on the road / week. And does not include charging down times.

That's no way to live.
Unless you are in desperate straights, I would look for either another job, or relocate closer to the current job.

I can run out of my warranty in just 1 year and battery warranty in just 2?

Not just that.
Expecting to use 85% of Model 3 LR's theoretical battery range each and every day is impractical, and unrealistic.
If you HAVE TO do it, at least look into Model S AWD/LR.

 

[XPsionic]

4 hours commute + work? Hell you might as well sleep in the back of the car for 4 days a week and drive home on the weekends!. You won't have time at home other than to catch a quick sleep and head back out anyway...

If I were to make this trip, I'd save the supercharging for lunch time or on the way home when SoC is low for a quick top up just to make it home. Sounds totally doable, but miserable.

 

[Loco_Nomad]

@Loco_Nomad I really recommend you have an exit strategy from this commute. If this was 1 day per week, sure, that seems fine. 4 days per week of this? That is life draining.

Have you looked into the Capitol Corridor? There is a station in Roseville and two in Santa Clara. It's a very comfortable train, I used to ride it regularly before the pandemic, often with my bike for that "last mile" portion. Way better than being stuck in a car in traffic. Single ride tickets are pricey but if you ride it often you can get multi-ride or monthly tickets.

The only thing is I've never ridden it past Sacramento. I think there used to be only 1 or 2 trains per day past Sac, but they were working on a track expansion to increase the schedule. Hopefully there are more trains up your way now, or will be soon.

Similarly not all trains continue south below Oakland, due to limited track, but many do.

No, I am not familiar with the area at all, just drive by from Bay to Tahoe and that is it, been in Sacramento few times, but don't know anything, so have to still do the research how to make my commute easier lol

 

[tm1v2]

No, I am not familiar with the area at all, just drive by from Bay to Tahoe and that is it, been in Sacramento few times, but don't know anything, so have to still do the research how to make my commute easier lol

Well first I'm going to repeat what we're all saying: Doing this commute 4 days per week is NOT sustainable. Have a plan to get out from it. I don't know why you're moving all the way to Roseville while keeping a job in Santa Clara, but seriously, you need to change jobs or move back closer, because you will drain your life away doing this commute 4 times a week. I hope this is just temporary for you!

With that out of the way, back to the train option...

Capitol Corridor Bay Area & N. California Rail Transportation

Capitol Corridor is an intercity passenger rail service that operates between Silicon Valley/San Jose and the Sacramento region. Commute or explore with us.

www.capitolcorridor.org

https://images.capitolcorridor.org/trainschedule/Train_Schedules.pdf

The seating and train cars are comfortable (much nicer than Caltrain). Most seats have a folding tray table or shared full-sized table. There's a cafe car with hot coffee, snacks, simple breakfast items, beer, etc. In the morning you can nap and then get your coffee + breakfast on board. Phone tethering works well for me on most of the route. They have WiFi too, it used to be slow but they say they've upgraded it. It's not luxury but I think it's much nicer than driving yourself (even with autopilot).

Looks like these are the only trains that go all the way between Roseville and Santa Clara right now:

Train 527 westbound (southbound)
6:12am Roseville
9:32am Santa Clara / Great America
9:40am Santa Clara / University

Train 538 eastbound (northbound)
3:11pm Santa Clara / University
3:19pm Santa Clara / Great America
6:32pm Roseville

If you need to leave work later the schedule shows bus connections at Sacramento for later evening trains. Obviously transferring to a bus is slower and less nice though. Hopefully they'll have more through trains soon.

 

[tm1v2]

Also you get more bay views on the train than driving.

When there's a delay it can be real bad, but overall it was a lot more consistent than driving through pre-pandemic commute time traffic. It would be even better if we could invest in modern track routes that aren't like 100+ years old...

 

[TexasTezla]

Life crushing commute you are talking about. 20+ hours per week in a car? Is there a major reason you are moving so far away from work? Not asking to know what that is but just cant fathom someone doing this for anything but a MAJOR reason! I used to do a commute of 85 miles each way for 2 years and it was SOUL DESTROYING! I moved right back to near where I worked. Longer in bed, longer with the family, mentally MUCH better and fitter too. Sitting in cars for hours on end is NOT healthy! Anyway, good luck to you! I hope you are young!!!