So here's the situation. I'm taking a job out of state and will be long distance commuting on a bi-weekly basis. Spending 10-11 days out of state and then coming back home for 3-4 days. I've currently got a 2015 Model S 85 and love the car. The problem is the charging for this drive turns a 7 hr drive into a 9 hour drive. The benefits are that it has free supercharging for life. The downfall is that the AP is very basic and charge rates are slow. I've run ABRP for this to determine drive time. Thoughts are surrounding picking up a 2018-2020 Model 3 with FSD possible, minimum of Nav on AP to make the drives safer and possibly in the future let the car do the work for me once FSD is more advanced. I'm going to be doing this for a couple years until oldest kids get out of high school. We'd keep the Model S for the wife and she'd sell her car. I know it's going to cost me for the supercharging for the drive with a Model 3 but i'm saving 1-1.5 hrs per leg in the Model 3 and I also really want FSD which my Model S isn't capable of due to hardware. I've done quite a few road trips in the Model S and it's comfortable even without the air suspension, but I'm unsure on the comparison with the Model 3. I'd love some input from the forum on this as with everything the forum members have been great and it's a community I really appreciate.
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Model 3 Purchase for new family situation
- Thread starter MadScientist23
- Start date
Is it possible to rent or borrow a Model 3 to try on the trip?
Then you can compare stuff like comfort, handling, cruise control and lane keeping, etc.. Range and charging may not be an exact comparison, though the newest RWD cars with LFP batteries will have nearly the range of earlier LR cars with some capacity loss (but newer LR cars will have more range than the earlier LR cars).
Then you can compare stuff like comfort, handling, cruise control and lane keeping, etc.. Range and charging may not be an exact comparison, though the newest RWD cars with LFP batteries will have nearly the range of earlier LR cars with some capacity loss (but newer LR cars will have more range than the earlier LR cars).
So, seven hours on the road. At 60mph, that’s 420 miles. At, say, 280 miles on a newish 3LR per leg, that’s likely a single SC stop roughly halfway. With a charge-up at your destination. You’re going to be stopping for food and human reasons, so that works. About 20 minutes to get to 80% at the midway stop.
So, it all works. But I would suggest getting a M3 with the heat pump if winter cold temperatures are present. My 2018 M3 goes from 220-250 W-hr per mile to the mid 300’s in cold weather; my understanding is that heat pump equipped cars warm up faster and don’t have as big a hit on range in the cold.
So, it all works. But I would suggest getting a M3 with the heat pump if winter cold temperatures are present. My 2018 M3 goes from 220-250 W-hr per mile to the mid 300’s in cold weather; my understanding is that heat pump equipped cars warm up faster and don’t have as big a hit on range in the cold.
Depending on the location of the SuperChargers (relative to other reasons for stopping), it may take less time to have more smaller charging stops at lower state-of-charge when charging speeds are higher (this can apply to the current Model S 85 as well as any proposed Model 3).
EVRider-FL
Active Member
Since you can now buy EAP again, I would do that rather than buying FSD on the Model 3. Right now the only thing FSD gives you over EAP is traffic light and stop sign control and the option to enroll in FSD Beta. You can always subscribe to FSD later if you decide it's worth doing.
Black306
Active Member
Personally, I wouldn’t want to be behind the wheel for that kind of commute on a regular basis. I’d rather maximize time with the family. Flying isn’t an option?
Yes-a-butta. If he's going some 420 miles, that's 7 hours with one's butt in the seat. And there's at least one meal time somewhere in there. So, juice the car up to max before leaving; with LR, that's 300-350 miles (depending upon year and battery health); chug until one gets hungry or can't hold it in any more, take a short break, because, after 20 minutes, one'll be up to 240 to 280 miles, get back in the car, and one is at one's destination.
Now, if one was trying to drive a 12 hour stint, then maybe the quickie-stop-then-drive method using all that SC 250 kW goodness that kicks in at 10% SOC might make more sense. Otherwise, not worth the trouble.
This is an interesting option, not sure how feasible it is when it's a 500 mile trip one way but I'll look into it. Currently I'm considering 2018-2020 M3's not new ones.
It's 500 miles from south central Kansas to the south Denver area where the job and apartment will be. I know my MS is slow on the charge through my trips and to keep it to the low range of % otherwise it's unbearably long. I'm using ABRP to evaluate them right now as I've had good luck with it's predictions and accuracy especially when it's using my car data. I'd love to get into a heat pump model for the winter months but not sure if I'll be able to. With ABRP it is saying that the fastest travel time is actually 3 charging stops along the way each one from 9-27 minutes (Picture below from ABRP with researched values of reference 230 wh/m at 65).
I've looked into this but the flights aren't regular between my local major airport (ICT) and Denver. I'd actually lose more time with my family by flying. I've done this before with another job driving from Kansas to Mississippi but it was about 11 yrs ago.
Per ABRP the fastest is shown above in the picture and it's not bad. Now compare that to my MS 85:
I know an hour or a little more doesn't seem like much but when I leave work from Colorado on a Thursday evening at 5 PM, getting one less hour behind the wheel from 1 to 2 AM makes a big difference.
Overall I really appreciate the input guys. I don't have experience with a M3 but I love my MS.
Black306
Active Member
I had a 2014 S without air springs for 4 years prior to my 2018 LR AWD 3. I like the handling and ride of the 3 way more then the S. Had the 3 been available when I bought the S there is no way I would have bought the S.
That's great experience to relate to. Sounds like a similar situation to what I'm looking into. The S is still a great car and we need it as we have 5 kids and I installed the jump seats to transport everyone when needed. Wife's current PHEV (Pacifica) does ok but I don't want any more hybrids if we can avoid it. Even now it takes the whole battery to just to get to and from work for her so any other errands and she takes the MS out.
No, she used to be completely against vans actually. But wife would keep the MS if we got a M3Presumably, she is waiting for an electric van?
RayK
Active Member
I'd say that 230Wh/mi is probably a bit low, especially for a 4,000' difference in elevation, that will be done a couple of times per month (given your stated schedule). Yes, I know that a round trip will average things out but my own 2018 LR RWD has a lifetime efficiency figure of 235Wh/mi after almost 25K miles in temperate CA climates over mostly flat terrain. I've made some long distances trips to L.A., Tahoe and Southern Oregon but a majority of my driving has been in-city.
So, using Southwest's Low Fare Calculator, a check of flights between DEN (Denver) and ICT (Wichita) can be had for around $200 round trip. This is leaving DEN Thursday evening at 7:45PM and arriving ICT at 10:05PM for $109. You could also take a flight Friday afternoon for the same price. The return trip from ICT to DEN on Tuesday runs $81 and can be an early bird (5:50AM) or late morning (10:40AM). All flights are non-stop. You can save a total of about 8 hours flying vs. driving, taking into account the need to arrive early at the airports.
With 2021 M3 LR ABRP shows me just 2 stops. That is about the time to go to restroom first stop and get a fastfood on second stop so no time lost.
I know this isn't the type of advice you were asking for, but it makes me sad to think that your kids are in middle school and they're only going to see you every other weekend.
For your children, that's the equivalent of their parents getting a divorce. Can you work remotely?
Whatever the job pays, you'll be buying a car and sacrificing your relationship with your children to earn it.
No experience with the S, but I have driven the stretch from Centennial to Topeka, with stops at Simon, Colby and Hays, and just looking at my logged ABRP data from my trip exactly a year ago, it appears I drove faster than you are planning, and those charge times seem good, as mine were in the 14 to 21min range. Just looking at my data, I started with 62% SOC, and recharged at about 13%, so I didn't go as low as you are planning. There are lots of ways to drive, that'll save you an hour over your S, I like the drive faster method.
My 3 is a LR-AWD with EAP, and highway driving is a breeze. Not sure how much extra utility FSD will give you, until it's been thoroughly beta-tested. I recall my calibrated efficiency was about 235Wh/mile @ 65mph in ABRP for the trip, so pretty good. But since I drove quite a bit faster than that, my overall trip efficiency was 277Wh/mile.
My 3 is a LR-AWD with EAP, and highway driving is a breeze. Not sure how much extra utility FSD will give you, until it's been thoroughly beta-tested. I recall my calibrated efficiency was about 235Wh/mile @ 65mph in ABRP for the trip, so pretty good. But since I drove quite a bit faster than that, my overall trip efficiency was 277Wh/mile.
So the work situation is that I'm an Aerospace engineer and have worked on atmospheric aircraft for about 16 years. I'm tired of working for another business jet that a millionaire is going to fly around. I want my work to have meaning and working on the progression of manned space flight is impactful. I have personal reasons why some of my kids have to stay in Kansas (previous marriage) and there just isn't any work in my field in Wichita anymore, at least not that I have any passion for. I'm stuck going out of state for my work and trying to find the best way to do that for a couple years until the rest of the family moves with me.
I do appreciate the perspectives but making this work the best way possible is the best option right now.
blackT3$!@
2021 LR Model 3
I have a similar work situation. I drive between Pensacola, FL and Tampa, FL 2-3 weeks out of the month which is a bit over 400miles. I have a 2021 LR model 3 which I only have to stop once for about 25 mins if I start at 100% from home. Going home from the customer site on Friday afternoons at about 50% charge I have to stop 3 times. I don't stay the weekends as I want to be home as much as I can and my company pays for travel expenses during the week and to drive home. With all that being said, the Tesla is my wife's daily driver (105 miles round trip per day) and I either drive my personal Ford Expedition or my company rents me a traditional rental car. I am 6'4" 240lbs. I do not like road tripping in the Tesla, too small and no vented seats so in the Florida heat I get swamp butt. My preference is driving my gas hog Ford Expedition which is more comfortable to road trip in, plus I put my bicycle in the cargo area of the Expedition.
I wouldn't purchase a model 3 just to reduce your commute time by an hour, keep your model s which hopefully has heated/cooled seats as the model 3 only has heated seats.
I wouldn't purchase a model 3 just to reduce your commute time by an hour, keep your model s which hopefully has heated/cooled seats as the model 3 only has heated seats.
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