A year ago I posted a one-year snapshot of my 2022 Long-Range AWD Model 3 ( Model 3 - One Year Later ).
Now, with a second trip around the sun, here are some updated stats.
The most important thing is that this car remains an astonishing revelation. Anyone on the fence about buying a Tesla… should just do it! By far the most delightful automobile experience I have ever had.
Maintenance continues to be a dream compared to all of the many ICE cars I’ve owned. Like the first year, I refreshed the windshield washer fluid several times. For a lot of people, that would have been the end of the maintenance story.
Me, I had a bit of tire drama. Shortly after 21,000 miles, heading down my driveway one morning, my habitual glance at the TPMS as it awakened told me something was amiss. Stopping and backing back up, a careful examination of the suspect tire and a bit of spit revealed the reason: a nail in the sidewall junction. Over the next 24 hours that small nail brought home two important lessons: the tire repair kit I religiously carried was inadequate for the very rigid tires fitted to Tesla’s. And with my DIY option on hold, none of the local tire shops would repair the tire, given the location of the puncture.
All’s well that ends well, though. Amazon showed up a day later with the much improved repair kit I had ordered and soon enough I was able to fix the tire myself.
The story didn’t end there, though. A high percentage of tire punctures happen to worn tires. And that was true in my case. The Tesla Service Center had cautioned me months earlier to begin thinking about new tires when I had dropped by for my annual safety inspection. When the TPMS alerted me to that nail I quickly began making plans to to address that.
So, at 21,476 miles I had a new set of OEM All-Season Michelin’s installed. Most expensive set of tires I’ve ever put on a car. And the worst mileage. Definitely a cringeworthy moment.
That said, if expensive tires and poor tire life are the worst maintenance issues I ever have to deal with, I’ll take them!
Battery stats continue to remain good. The first year my nightly charge protocol was to bring the pack back to a nominal 62% SOC. For most of the second year I reduced that to 55%.
It’s easy to see the seasonal ebb and flow of efficiency, as ambient temps rise and fall. My efficiency took a hit around 11,000 miles heading into its first winter; and then again around 24,000 miles, as it headed into its second.
Likewise, Full Rated Range and battery degradation in general. The BMS will report slightly varying numbers, depending upon temperature and other conditions. I’ve seen Full Rated Range as low as 349 in cold temperatures. More typically it reports 350-351. Full Rated Range when new was 358 miles.
Same thing with Nominal Full Pack (NFP), as reported by SMT. The 78.1 kWh reported here is a probably a bit high. Just happened to be a happy couple of driving hours for the car yesterday, after which this two-year snapshot was taken.
As for battery degradation in general, there was a modest decline in pack capacity during the first year of ownership. That largely stabilized entering the car’s second year, and so far there has been little additional loss.
There were 20 software updates during the second year; for a total of 50 since picking up the car.
The Model 3 rocks!
Now, with a second trip around the sun, here are some updated stats.
The most important thing is that this car remains an astonishing revelation. Anyone on the fence about buying a Tesla… should just do it! By far the most delightful automobile experience I have ever had.
Maintenance continues to be a dream compared to all of the many ICE cars I’ve owned. Like the first year, I refreshed the windshield washer fluid several times. For a lot of people, that would have been the end of the maintenance story.
Me, I had a bit of tire drama. Shortly after 21,000 miles, heading down my driveway one morning, my habitual glance at the TPMS as it awakened told me something was amiss. Stopping and backing back up, a careful examination of the suspect tire and a bit of spit revealed the reason: a nail in the sidewall junction. Over the next 24 hours that small nail brought home two important lessons: the tire repair kit I religiously carried was inadequate for the very rigid tires fitted to Tesla’s. And with my DIY option on hold, none of the local tire shops would repair the tire, given the location of the puncture.
All’s well that ends well, though. Amazon showed up a day later with the much improved repair kit I had ordered and soon enough I was able to fix the tire myself.
The story didn’t end there, though. A high percentage of tire punctures happen to worn tires. And that was true in my case. The Tesla Service Center had cautioned me months earlier to begin thinking about new tires when I had dropped by for my annual safety inspection. When the TPMS alerted me to that nail I quickly began making plans to to address that.
So, at 21,476 miles I had a new set of OEM All-Season Michelin’s installed. Most expensive set of tires I’ve ever put on a car. And the worst mileage. Definitely a cringeworthy moment.
That said, if expensive tires and poor tire life are the worst maintenance issues I ever have to deal with, I’ll take them!
Battery stats continue to remain good. The first year my nightly charge protocol was to bring the pack back to a nominal 62% SOC. For most of the second year I reduced that to 55%.
It’s easy to see the seasonal ebb and flow of efficiency, as ambient temps rise and fall. My efficiency took a hit around 11,000 miles heading into its first winter; and then again around 24,000 miles, as it headed into its second.
Likewise, Full Rated Range and battery degradation in general. The BMS will report slightly varying numbers, depending upon temperature and other conditions. I’ve seen Full Rated Range as low as 349 in cold temperatures. More typically it reports 350-351. Full Rated Range when new was 358 miles.
Same thing with Nominal Full Pack (NFP), as reported by SMT. The 78.1 kWh reported here is a probably a bit high. Just happened to be a happy couple of driving hours for the car yesterday, after which this two-year snapshot was taken.
As for battery degradation in general, there was a modest decline in pack capacity during the first year of ownership. That largely stabilized entering the car’s second year, and so far there has been little additional loss.
There were 20 software updates during the second year; for a total of 50 since picking up the car.
The Model 3 rocks!
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