Model S consideration

[Erik]

Hey guys,
I am a Dutch 35 year old man and I am interested to buy the Model S. I love the design and I also like the sustainable approach of the brand. However, I am still a bit hesitant to really seal the deal and buy one. I was wondering if I could get some input from you guys to see how the Model S is perceived among its owners or knowledgeable enthusiasts.

For instance, I am a little bit worried about the infrastructure. Where and how charge the car and am I going to have enough energy to get around every day? It's a 50 kilometre (31 mile) drive to work every day. And I also assume it is quite a difference between owning an electric vehicle and a gas powered car. Is it much of a hassle or is it really easy to change from a gas to electrical?

What are the cons the Model S that I might need to be prepared for and what are the pros that absolutely make the Model S worth every penny in your view?

I would love to hear your opinions! Thanks in advance!
Erik Jansen

 

[Alsjemenou]

Hey Erik,

I don't own a Tesla, I drive an absolutely fabulous Dacia Logan (Which is almost the same I guess, at least the radius is comparable). I know that for the entire population to switch to electric driving, the electricity infrastructure simply cannot cope as it currently is. However, I assume you will be one of the few in your street who is about to have one so that shouldn't be an issue. I would advice you though to lease the batteries, rather than buy. As buying new ones in 10 years will be an expensive joke.

Please post your pics to this forum, once you have bought one.

Good luck! And greetings from Spain or Portugal, not sure where I am haha

 

[jerry33]

I've had my Model S for over 25,000 km. The only time I charge away from home is on trips. 50 km is nothing to the Model S. The other week I drove to a nearby town that was about 175 km away and still had about 80 km left when I got home.

It's much less hassle than a gas car because you start every day with a full charge (plug it in every night, just like an iPhone). It is a hassle to change back to a gas car because electric driving is just so much better that the gas car you liked before will just seem awful.

The main con in the Model S is where the cup holders are placed. There are a few software features that are missing, but they upgrade the software frequently so it just gets better.

 

[ggr]

Oh, no, not cupholders again!

Seriously, though, plugging in at night takes almost no time, and you never have to remember to allocate extra time to go to some other smelly place and pay big money to a global conglomerate that is destroying the atmosphere. After about 10 minutes you'll be in love with the car, and after about 10 days you'll wonder how anyone could ever want to go to a petrol station.

I disagree with Alsjemenou's comment about leasing a battery. Tesla's entire point is that there won't be a serious problem with a properly managed battery, and anyway, you can't... you can only buy a Tesla with the purchased battery included. Our Roadster still has about 95% of its new battery capacity after 5 years and 50 million meters. Others have had even more experience.

 

[Ole]

It all depends on your charging opportunities..

My daily commute is 35km each way, plus another 2x15km on Thursdays. I plug in when I get home, and plug in when I get to work. Both places I charge at 230V/13A, which gives about 10km range per charge hour at current driving conditions (dark, cold, wet, heavy traffic so speed is either 2km/hr or 110km/hr - and yes the speed limit here is 80).
In other words I could easily get away with charging either at home or at work for 7 hrs.

With a 50km commute, same charge capacity requires 10 hrs of charging to get back to where you started. So if you are limited to charging either at home or at work you may require an occasional top-off. Fortunately the Netherlands has a couple of superchargers; a monthly trip to one of those should be more than enough!

An electric car is much less hassle than an ICE: No fuel, no oil changes, no odd drips or pings, no gear box, no delay between pressing the accelerator and the acceleration.
The only thing you have to refill is washer fluid - get the kind in bags rather than plastic cans, and that's no hassle at all.

 

[Erik]

Really appreciate your quick answers! Seems like my 50 kilometer trip will definitely not be an issue.

After thinking about it some more and also after doing some more reading I am also wondering about the technology though. The Model S is state of the art right now but is it still going to be in a couple of years since I want to stick with this car for a long period of time. It seems a lot of research is being done and Tesla is also coming out with the new Model X. Should I wait till this car is released? It is likely that this car will be more advanced than the Model S.

 

[Chipper]

Really appreciate your quick answers! Seems like my 50 kilometer trip will definitely not be an issue.

After thinking about it some more and also after doing some more reading I am also wondering about the technology though. The Model S is state of the art right now but is it still going to be in a couple of years since I want to stick with this car for a long period of time. It seems a lot of research is being done and Tesla is also coming out with the new Model X. Should I wait till this car is released? It is likely that this car will be more advanced than the Model S.

Should you wait or buy now??? Look at it this way, there will ALWAYS be a more advanced car coming soon. If you decide to wait, there is still going to be an even better one coming soon after that. But in the mean time you have missed out on months (years) of trouble-free driving and the joy of an already ahead-of-its-time vehicle. Your choice!

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

Regarding the infrastructure: Have you discovered the Dutch and Belgian subsection of TMC yet?

Belgium and the Netherlands

I don’t understand Dutch, but that subsection seems pretty lively with plenty of activity. Since you’re in Holland, I’m guessing those guys and gals are the real experts on the infrastructure you’ll encounter when (if) you by a Tesla. If I were in your shoes I’d start up a thread there as well (or of course if there’s already an appropriate thread, start posting in that thread…)

I also know of a dedicated Swedish Tesla forum outside of TMC. Perhaps there’s something similar in Dutch somewhere on the Interwebs…

Regarding pros: The reduced CO2-footprint. It seems to me that there currently isn’t a better entity to give money to in exchange for product than Tesla. Tesla/Elon will never stop to relentlessly strive for the highest possible degree of electrification no matter what kind of transport. Can the same be said about any other car manufacturer at this point in time?

Cons: The S currently can’t be equipped with factory mounted trailer hitch. There is a third party option available in the US. Don’t now about Europe though. You also might want to check out the rear seats with regards to whiplash protection. And there doesn’t seem to be a way to get one of those cassettes with a collapsible safety net curtain that can secure smaller items in the trunk, or behind the front seats if the back seats have been folded down. Such cassettes can for example be ordered, or are perhaps even comes standard with wagons from VW, Volvo, BMW, Merc, Audi, Opel et. al. for instance. And if you’re interested in the rear facing third row child seats for the trunk in the S, then you should search this forum for the thread that’s about that it can get a little too hot for comfort back there if the sun gets strong enough. Don’t know if it gets that hot in Holland though.

Regarding tech/Model X: My understanding is that the X is merely an even bigger car based on the same tech that's already in the S. The X will come with 4WD though. So if 4WD is something you absolutely want, then perhaps it could be worth the wait. Then again: My guess is that Tesla will release a 4WD model S before the X will be available in any significant numbers. The 4WD Model S will cost more though. And the (4WD) Model X will cost even more still. But again: It’s my understanding that 4WD will be the only significant tech ad on in the X compared to the S you can buy today.

 

[stevezzzz]

Welcome to TMC, Erik! It's a great place to hang out and learn about all things Tesla.

My my advice to you is simple: do it! Model S has incredibly high owner satisfaction ratings in the US and it's no wonder: once you've driven MS, you can't go back.

 

[Alysashley79]

Another thing to keep in mind in regards to will the s keep up with the tech that's out there. That's the really nice thing about the s. Via over the air updates the s constantly updates. So yes there are a few things that have changed since the very first car came out like parking sensors but most of these things can be retro fitted by tesla. Most of hath techie things however are simply software updates that we all get for free every time tesla does an update.

 

[ABVA]

Hey Erik,

I don't own a Tesla, I drive an absolutely fabulous Dacia Logan (Which is almost the same I guess, at least the radius is comparable)

with all due respects, Dacia Logan appears to be a good car, however it is no where near Tesla. I checked out specs for Dacia and compared those with the MS, they are altogether in a different league my friend.

 

[jerry33]

After thinking about it some more and also after doing some more reading I am also wondering about the technology though. The Model S is state of the art right now but is it still going to be in a couple of years since I want to stick with this car for a long period of time. It seems a lot of research is being done and Tesla is also coming out with the new Model X. Should I wait till this car is released? It is likely that this car will be more advanced than the Model S.

1. The Model X is basically the same car with a different body.

2. A Tesla is a high tech product. It will always be better six months from now. The only way to be happy with a high tech product is to purchase the best you can and then never look at another ad or visit the forum until the one you purchased needs replacing. If you're always waiting for a better model to come out, you'll never purchase one. This goes for any high tech item, not just Tesla.

 

[AmpedUP]

The reason I'm not waiting on the Model S is because I KNOW it will be a classic in the years ahead, and having an "original" MS will always have a cool factor to it. So, I can have my fun now, knowing that there won't be anything nearly like it on the road for another 2-3 years, AND I can have my fun later, when I am driving a classic that will be seen as a the first of its kind.

 

[cablue]

I have the same distance for my commute each day. It is nothing! I have plenty of miles to spare. In fact, I wish I had a longer commute, because driving it is so much fun! Going home, sometimes I actually drive an additional 10 miles into the foothills and come back just because I'm having too much fun driving it and I don't want it to end. We've had our 1st one for a year now, and we're still totally sold on Tesla.

 

[callmesam]

The 2012 Model S will still be rocking harder than any other car on the road. Except the newest MS.

In 2016, the MS will still kill almost every performance car being contemplated (not to mention current sedans on the road).

It will seat 7, carry 38 cubic feet of storage. I fit a 9' longboard inside.

The AWD Model X will be incredible.

The AWD Model S will be in Supercar territory.

The Gen III will (likely) have autopilot + killer performance.

I truly believe that the value of the car will hold really well, regardless of the age.