My Two Week Review - Heading towards 300,000 Miles

Hi All,

I really appriciated this forum for all the help and guidance as I was looking to make my purchase. I’ve been the proud owner of a 2023 Model Y LR for just over 2.5 weeks (Yep, weeks). I have logged about 2,500 miles. I drive over 30,000 miles per year, mostly for work. I live in cold Wisconsin so am interested in what the reality of winter driving will be but read enough feedback on this forum to move forward with my purchase.

I was planning to purchase a Toyota Camry XSE Hybrid until I switched to the Model Y thanks to the government tax incentive and Elon lowering the price. My numbers are subject to questioning but after building a spreadsheet including payments, fuel, maintenance, insurance, etc. I concluded that the Tesla was $28 per month cheaper than the Camry would have been…….over 10 years.

I know I could have driven the Camry 300,000 and for at least 10 years. Not sure I can do that with the Model Y, but gonna try.

So here are my thoughts, surprises, and disappointments.

Thoughts:
- I REALLY like this car. The tech is amazing. I don’t seem to have any of the build quality issues that some have had. (I have historically driven Corolla’s, so this is a step up for me.)
- The power is amazing. Just amazing.
- The super charger network (even in Wisconsin) is really good. They are everywhere I need them to be.

Surprises:
- I knew charging at home was going to save me money, but was surprised to find out that a full charge is less than $10. That’s great!
- Because of my long distance driving I’m simply going to have to charge at a super charge 3-4 times a week just to get home. I will have to charge to 100% at home, then use a super charger for 5-15 minutes. This is going to significantly cut into my estimated savings. Still cheaper than gas, but not nearly as much as I had hoped. For those that can charge almost exclusively at home, this is great.
- I got caught in a rainstorm and it dramatically reduced my range. I was surprised by the almost 5% loss in range just from 15-20 minutes of rain.


Disappointments:
- Super Charging is expensive. Based on 44 MPG (had I purchased the Camry Hybrid) my recent 850 mile trip to Ohio only saved me $10. I paid $60 in SC fees and would have paid $70 in gas.
- The lack of USS was known to me, but I remain disappointed. I bought the car anyway. I’m looking forward to updates that will hopefully improve some of the missing features I paid for.

Am I nervous about winter, yes. Am I glad I made the purchase, yes, so far. Do I like the car, yes!

I’m developing weird charging habits, probably uncessarily.

I arrive home and charge to 50%. Then set it to charge to the desired percentage the next morning when I need to go. Each day is different, so I’m not able to set it to one number and leave it.

I also feel I’m doing the two hardest things on the battery, but out of necessity for my lifestyle. I will charge it to 100% 2-4 times per week and leave the house almost immediately. I still will need to use a supercharger 2-4 times a week as well. This wasn’t what I hoped to do, but it is my reality.

Anyway, love the car. Hope things continue to go well.

oh, truck threw a rock and cracked my windshield on day 10 of ownership. Haha /sigh/

"0 Tesla Model Y 4" by Benespit is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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[Dantley]

Have you considered getting a CCS Combo adapter for charging at other DC Fast Chargers? Quite often the CCS rates are much lower than Tesla's SuperCharger rates. It will take you a bit more route planning but the savings may be with effort.

 

[Konicom04]

If you use Autopilot, the "quality of life" while driving as compared to any other ICE car should offset any missing financial savings you hoped for.
Its just mind-blowing for me, even with its kinks im sure you read about

 

[CuriousWren]

That $70 number for gas is highly suspect....

 

[Nemy]

That $70 number for gas is highly suspect....

Not really... he included all of his numbers + WI gas prices.

For OP, congrats! I'm glad you did your homework. Impressive! Not many people would map out 10 years before dropping $50k on a car - though I think it makes sense, especially in your position. I had the same annual commuter mileage when I started driving EV five years ago. With the discounts on the Bolt, and after I traded it in during the recall, I drove a free car for 120k miles. EVs ultimately make the most sense for people that drive the most.

So while the Y isn't as cheap as the Bolt ($24k after credits/rebates), it's a lot more fun and practical. So if/when you make it to $300k or get bored of it, the trade-in value should also be better than the Camry, so you'll "gain" some money on the tail end too.

Otherwise, I would try everything you can to extend your range and avoid public charging. When it was really cold, I would make sure the car was pre-heated in the garage then I would use a USB heated blanket, steering wheel and seat heaters to avoid running the HVAC for about 20-30 minutes of my drive. Basically, anything I could do to avoid driving the ICE.

 

[Art84]

+1 for looking at CCS adapter.
If your road trip routes are predictable, check the Electrify America stations along those routes. If the station charge per minute, then charging cost often up to 3 times cheaper than supercharger (if to convert back to $/kwh), because tesla charging pretty quick, at about 170-180kWh

 

[ghuie32]

Please keep us updated on the winter commute. Wondering how much of a difference it would be with Battery drain during the cold weather vs Summer.

 

[Konicom04]

Please keep us updated on the winter commute. Wondering how much of a difference it would be with Battery drain during the cold weather vs Summer.

I got the M3P in December and honestly don't think winter puts as much of a stress on range as it is generally accepted.
Tesla's heat pump is super efficient

 

[gad1976]

Have you considered getting a CCS Combo adapter for charging at other DC Fast Chargers? Quite often the CCS rates are much lower than Tesla's SuperCharger rates. It will take you a bit more route planning but the savings may be with effort.

I will absolutely look into this. If the time commitment is big, I'll just pay more for the convince of the Tesla SC network and forgo the expected savings. But if it's fairly convenient this could save a lot of money. Thanks!

 

[gad1976]

If you use Autopilot, the "quality of life" while driving as compared to any other ICE car should offset any missing financial savings you hoped for.
Its just mind-blowing for me, even with its kinks im sure you read about

I do have the advanced auto pilot package and greatly enjoy and appreciate the features. After only two weeks I'm still seeing what the car can do and learning to "trust" it, and when I can't. Mostly I do freeway driving and it seems to shine in these situations. I "sold" my wife on this purchase because of the money I was gonna save. But even if it comes close to the overall cost of a hybrid, that'll probably be good enough. I like the many unique features of an EV.

 

[gad1976]

That $70 number for gas is highly suspect....

I'm not a math major so don't mind my math being challenged.

I went on a two day trip this weekend Friday/Saturday and here was my experience.

I wasn't able to charge enough at home to do this entire trip as 461 miles is greater than the capacity of the MYLR.

I spent $25.53 in charging for the car.

$6.59 to charge at home from 11% to 100%. Then three super charger stops. $2.66, $10.50 & $6.16. I arrived at home with 12% battery left after traveling 461 miles.

My spreadsheet below shows that Tesla, even with SC's was cheaper than the Camry Hybrid I was planning to buy, and cheaper than my current 2009 Prius (and I included my 99 Suburban for laughs.)

So I am saving with my Tesla, but not a lot over the Camry, had I purchased it.

I am planning to take a two week vacation to the east coast later this month and we will be charing almost exclusively via SC. I expect this will total more than just gas for the Camry Hybrid would have cost, but maybe I'll be wrong.

If I could always charge at home I would save a lot of money. For me that just won't be a reality based on the distances I need to travel for work.

As I become more comfortable with the MYLR I may be able to push the limits a little more and charge at SC's less. This of course will require me to charge the battery to 100% a few days every week to save money on SC's.

(My numbers on the Camry Hybrid assumes I could actually get 44 MPG. I was looking at the XSE Hybrid that claimed 46 MPG, but since I didn't actually purchase it, I don't know what real world numbers are.)

 

[gad1976]

Not really... he included all of his numbers + WI gas prices.

For OP, congrats! I'm glad you did your homework. Impressive! Not many people would map out 10 years before dropping $50k on a car - though I think it makes sense, especially in your position. I had the same annual commuter mileage when I started driving EV five years ago. With the discounts on the Bolt, and after I traded it in during the recall, I drove a free car for 120k miles. EVs ultimately make the most sense for people that drive the most.

So while the Y isn't as cheap as the Bolt ($24k after credits/rebates), it's a lot more fun and practical. So if/when you make it to $300k or get bored of it, the trade-in value should also be better than the Camry, so you'll "gain" some money on the tail end too.

Otherwise, I would try everything you can to extend your range and avoid public charging. When it was really cold, I would make sure the car was pre-heated in the garage then I would use a USB heated blanket, steering wheel and seat heaters to avoid running the HVAC for about 20-30 minutes of my drive. Basically, anything I could do to avoid driving the ICE.

Not really... he included all of his numbers + WI gas prices.

For OP, congrats! I'm glad you did your homework. Impressive! Not many people would map out 10 years before dropping $50k on a car - though I think it makes sense, especially in your position. I had the same annual commuter mileage when I started driving EV five years ago. With the discounts on the Bolt, and after I traded it in during the recall, I drove a free car for 120k miles. EVs ultimately make the most sense for people that drive the most.

So while the Y isn't as cheap as the Bolt ($24k after credits/rebates), it's a lot more fun and practical. So if/when you make it to $300k or get bored of it, the trade-in value should also be better than the Camry, so you'll "gain" some money on the tail end too.

Otherwise, I would try everything you can to extend your range and avoid public charging. When it was really cold, I would make sure the car was pre-heated in the garage then I would use a USB heated blanket, steering wheel and seat heaters to avoid running the HVAC for about 20-30 minutes of my drive. Basically, anything I could do to avoid driving the ICE.

Intri

Not really... he included all of his numbers + WI gas prices.

For OP, congrats! I'm glad you did your homework. Impressive! Not many people would map out 10 years before dropping $50k on a car - though I think it makes sense, especially in your position. I had the same annual commuter mileage when I started driving EV five years ago. With the discounts on the Bolt, and after I traded it in during the recall, I drove a free car for 120k miles. EVs ultimately make the most sense for people that drive the most.

So while the Y isn't as cheap as the Bolt ($24k after credits/rebates), it's a lot more fun and practical. So if/when you make it to $300k or get bored of it, the trade-in value should also be better than the Camry, so you'll "gain" some money on the tail end too.

Otherwise, I would try everything you can to extend your range and avoid public charging. When it was really cold, I would make sure the car was pre-heated in the garage then I would use a USB heated blanket, steering wheel and seat heaters to avoid running the HVAC for about 20-30 minutes of my drive. Basically, anything I could do to avoid driving the ICE.

I'm intrigued by the idea of a heated USB blanket. I'll look into it. Thanks.

 

[Nemy]

Intri

I'm intrigued by the idea of a heated USB blanket. I'll look into it. Thanks.

For reference, this is what I used, though I bought it years ago and there might be better ones now. I also said usb but I meant 12v (cigarette). I just found that my feet always got cold before everything else so this extended my range.

GREAT WORKING TOOLS Heated Car Blanket, 12v Heated Blanket for Car Electric Blanket 12v Washable 3 Heat Settings Auto Shutoff 55" X 40" - Blue https://a.co/d/6dAor7L

 

[shyboy]

Anyone calculated the oil changes and other maintenance cost that you have to pay to use ICE vehicles vs EV?

 

[jay1122]

From pure $$ value perspective, there is no way Model Y beats Camry Hybrid if you are aiming at 300K life time mileage. On paper it is comparable between fuel cost and annual maintenance. But, when you need out of warranty repair for that tesla, it is going to cost you an arm and leg. Thousands are common. If you are unlucky to need battery, 5 digit bill. Just pray you get lucky and never need it.

 

[nate704]

From pure $$ value perspective, there is no way Model Y beats Camry Hybrid if you are aiming at 300K life time mileage. On paper it is comparable between fuel cost and annual maintenance. But, when you need out of warranty repair for that tesla, it is going to cost you an arm and leg. Thousands are common. If you are unlucky to need battery, 5 digit bill. Just pray you get lucky and never need it.

Limited spaces of the Camry already lost to MY to $$ for values.

 

[jay1122]

Limited spaces of the Camry already lost to MY to $$ for values.

That is only if you care about the cabin and cargo space. I would rather have a 2 seater EV sports car. Wish the Chinese can bring the Neta GT speedster to US and keep it at a budget price. Looks fantastic. But clearly never gonna happen due to geopolitical reasons.

 

[Tha_Ape]

Anyone calculated the oil changes and other maintenance cost that you have to pay to use ICE vehicles vs EV?

ICE maintenence costs are often over exaggerated on EV forums.

I spent $35/yr on oil changes for my Prius, let's say it's a "regular" car, make that $70. No major maintenance needed until 100k (+8yrs generally) which cost me $240 for my Prius. So a whopping $30/yr ($65 total) for a hybrid Prius.

I spent about that much on 2 airfilters and a can of Kool-it for my Model Y.

I think the EV will be cheaper in the long run, but it's not saving you "$1000s", more like $100yr max in maintenance. It's in the noise.

Where you DO save money is on gas, but me coming from a plug in Prius, even that savings is minimal. For people coming from gas guzzlers that require premium fuel, it's likely more significant. But standard maintenence in modern ICE cars isn't really that much.

 

[whisperingshad]

Interesting that your prius gets bad mileage(maybe the cold) I get 50+ mpg with my prime.... Supercharging is pricy, though not too much more than charging at home in cali( 40 cents a Kwh). Gas around 4.50 right now here so that helps with the save

 

[Konicom04]

None of my friends would even remotely consider buying an EV even after my exhausting bragging about how fantastic and seamless the driving experience is.
I don't honestly think there is any monetary savings in owning one.
There is a huge advantage of owning one for me, because of the tech, lack of gas station visits, Its just me tho.
Most do not care about gas stations visits, or the feel of gears shifting, and quite frankly enjoy the road trip freedom of longer stints