Model 3 for commuting

[DwightKSchrute]

Phantom braking is less of an issue now.
Eap is not worth the 6 k. I would say so having purchased it .
Also not crazy about the 20 inch rims on the performance model if you have potholes on your route.

 

[Bigsakius]

I have a 2022 m3p that I commute 170-190miles a day. I usually use autopilot and for the most part its decent but occasionally do get random phantom braking. No rhyme or reason for it. Also as far as range you should be ok. I charge to 90% and usually get home with about 20-25% depending on weather etc. I usually cruise between 60-75. So far I have racked up 32k miles in 11 months and just now replaced tires. No other maintenance or repairs besides washer fluid. You’ll be fine

 

[APT21]

I currently daily an M3P with 19s. The extra rubber definitely makes me feel a bit more comfortable vs the stock wheels.

 

[Andy7]

I agree with those who like the lane keep assist and the traffic aware cruise control. I use them both on superhighways and local roads and find them to be excellent. The LKA follows curves in the road with ease and keeps the car centered in the lane without wandering. My hands are always on the wheel and my right foot is ready if needed, but it rarely is. It changes lanes well, perhaps a little slower than I would, but that's OK and of course I can override it. I have "self driving" and rarely use it, but it is better than it was.

 

[Kevy Baby]

I didn't know they moved dumb summon to EAP? Crazy

They didn't "move" it there.

• Overly simplified, EAP has all of the features of FSD except city street navigation
• The Summon feature is present on both FSD and EAP
• Being able to move the car forward and backwards in a straight line is an element of the Summon feature and many people refer to this as "dumb summon." Technically/pedantically, this is not true as the feature is still watching the surroundings and will adjust steering (and/or stop the vehicle) if it is veering too close to objects.

You can get the specifics of what is included in AP, EAP, and FSD here.

 

[Kevy Baby]

ALSO, you can test it out with a monthly subscription first: use it for a month and decide yourself.

Potentially correcting myself: can you get EAP on a monthly subscription? Since I already have it, I am unable to check

(And if anyone cares, if you "own" EAP, you can "rent" FSD for $99/month.)

 

[ngng]

They didn't "move" it there.

• Overly simplified, EAP has all of the features of FSD except city street navigation
• The Summon feature is present on both FSD and EAP
• Being able to move the car forward and backwards in a straight line is an element of the Summon feature and many people refer to this as "dumb summon." Technically/pedantically, this is not true as the feature is still watching the surroundings and will adjust steering (and/or stop the vehicle) if it is veering too close to objects.

You can get the specifics of what is included in AP, EAP, and FSD here.

Dumb summon was part of AP1 back in the day, same with turn signal initiated lane change. That's why I said they "moved it".

 

[Nick_Oh]

The M3P should serve you just fine in terms of range, and if you’re trying to optimize your mileage, just google/youtube your way through all the tips & tricks.

If you’re in stop-and-go traffic for extended periods of time, autopilot may become nauseating (literally), as the car likes to accelerate and decelerate pretty aggressively when managing distance against the car in front of you. YMMV tho. I know some people who get physically nauseous, others who don’t bat an eye. I personally don’t get sick, but I also don’t like how “jerky” my M3 behaves in dense traffic. Cars following behind me don’t seem to like it either. I’ve gotten a few middle fingers while autopilot was engaged.

If you’re on wide open roads or otherwise cruising at pretty constant speeds, autopilot is a dream. But as others have said, don’t get complacent, and be ready to intervene at any moment. Be extra careful if someone is tailgating you. The autopilot **WILL** mess up at some point, likely due to phantom braking.

Also—be mindful of charging infrastructure on both ends of your commute. Being able to charge while you’re at home & work could save you a ton of time/stress.

 

[Kevy Baby]

If you’re in stop-and-go traffic for extended periods of time, autopilot may become nauseating (literally), as the car likes to accelerate and decelerate pretty aggressively when managing distance against the car in front of you.

Something that really helps with this is to switch to Chill mode (Controls > Pedals & Steering > Acceleration). It doesn't completely get rid of the jerky motion, but it significantly reduces it.

 

[Bowtiepower00]

I have a ‘23 SR+, the phantom braking is real, and happens frequently- but you can usually tell when you are in conditions that cause it and prepare accordingly once you get used to it. Other vehicles I have owned,
Toyota Tacoma for example, did the same thing.

The standard AP is awful at highway speeds compared to other vehicles I have had, namely our previous VW Atlas Cross Sport and current Volvo XC90. That being said, it doesn’t jerk the car around if you are changing lanes without signaling, etc, like many other vehicles do, which I like.

I do find the AP useful in heavier traffic that is not full stop and go- provided you don’t mind having cars dive bomb the gap between you and the car ahead.

That being said, the car is a wonderful commuter, and I love it. I prefer to drive without AP, using only the CC when the roads are relatively empty. We are three weeks into ownership, around 2000 miles total. My wife and I work opposite schedules so she drives it to work at night and I use it during the day, saving the wear and tear, and cost of fuel on our other vehicles.

 

[Kevy Baby]

I have a ‘23 SR+, the phantom braking is real, and happens frequently- but you can usually tell when you are in conditions that cause it and prepare accordingly once you get used to it.

This is so odd: I can't remember the last time I had a phantom braking incident (and I have 67,000 miles on my car, so I do drive a fair amount)

The standard AP is awful at highway speeds compared to other vehicles I have had, namely our previous VW Atlas Cross Sport and current Volvo XC90. That being said, it doesn’t jerk the car around if you are changing lanes without signaling, etc, like many other vehicles do, which I like.

I do find the AP useful in heavier traffic that is not full stop and go- provided you don’t mind having cars dive bomb the gap between you and the car ahead.

Again: my experience is just the opposite. Easily 90% of my miles are using AP on the highway and I have virtually ZERO incidents with it.

I am not saying that you are not experiencing what you say: just that our experiences are so vastly different.

 

[Petermcg]

I’ve a daily 206 mile commute (90% four-lane divided highway) and use FSD autopilot for all but 15 minutes of my drive. The occasional phantom braking (once every other day) isn’t bad if you’re paying attention like you should. You’ll learn to anticipate when a situation arises (like cars crossing far ahead) that will trigger an unnecessary slowdown.

It’s a HUGE effort reducer to not have to manually drive the whole way. I love this feature.

 

[Bowtiepower00]

This is so odd: I can't remember the last time I had a phantom braking incident (and I have 67,000 miles on my car, so I do drive a fair amount)


Again: my experience is just the opposite. Easily 90% of my miles are using AP on the highway and I have virtually ZERO incidents with it.

I am not saying that you are not experiencing what you say: just that our experiences are so vastly different.

Without knowing exactly what “phantom braking” means to every driver, I can say that I haven’t had any random panic stops on an empty road in bright daylight.

But shadows from semis and other large vehicles, particularly on corners, while driving on less than stellar road surfaces (but while on a divided multi lane highway) will cause it. The Tesla is not the only vehicle I’ve driven that does it- but I’ve owned vehicles that don’t, so I consider that to be phantom braking.

I have also had the AP shut off in the middle of a curve and start beeping at me to take control under these same road conditions. Again, not necessarily a Tesla specific issue- but not one I experienced in the VW or Volvo.

 

[Nick_Oh]

This is so odd: I can't remember the last time I had a phantom braking incident (and I have 67,000 miles on my car, so I do drive a fair amount)


Again: my experience is just the opposite. Easily 90% of my miles are using AP on the highway and I have virtually ZERO incidents with it.

I am not saying that you are not experiencing what you say: just that our experiences are so vastly different.

I get a phantom braking incident on nearly every long drive. For the sake of argument, I’ll arbitrarily define a long drive as 100mi+.

But as others have mentioned, the conditions are somewhat predictable, at least in daytime. SoCal roads are notoriously shoddy in some areas, e.g. a dark patch of repaired aslphalt may stand out against the surrounding road (which is greyish in color). And so autopilot thinks that’s an object…

Or maybe the road was patched but the patch isn’t flush with the ground… and the patch is darker…

Police lights at odd angles trigger it (e.g. police car driving along the overpass ABOVE me). So do cars with similar lighting. I had a motorcyclist drive past me and he had custom blue/red/purple/pink LEDs on his helmet. My M3 decided to slow down quite aggressively. Maybe the “average color” in a certain area of its vision registered as “police lights”.

Merging lanes are tricky too. Sometimes the car spazzes out with odd steering and braking. Maybe because it’s recalculating the “middle” of the lane in real time.

Night driving in general can trigger it. Havent figured out patterns but my guess is that “edge case” light reflections/shadows are messing with the autopilot software.

Of course, YMMV.

 

[ngng]

I’ve a daily 206 mile commute (90% four-lane divided highway) and use FSD autopilot for all but 15 minutes of my drive. The occasional phantom braking (once every other day) isn’t bad if you’re paying attention like you should. You’ll learn to anticipate when a situation arises (like cars crossing far ahead) that will trigger an unnecessary slowdown.

It’s a HUGE effort reducer to not have to manually drive the whole way. I love this feature.

Four-lane divided highway without weird merges and barriers is the perfect use for basic AP. Even better, every current gen Tesla has basic lane keep and TACC included in the vehicle price.

 

[Cachris]

Just my 2 cents, but we have a M3 plus. I wish I would have opted for the LR. My commute is 120 miles and the car is set to charge to 180 miles (80%). By the time I get home the car is at 40ish miles left. If you have any other stops you have to supper charge.