Need Guidance on Ordering Model S- 75 vs 100

[dcmetro]

Folks,

I'm looking to order a Model S within a few days. I was set on ordering a 75 primarily due to cost difference of (19.5K) to get to 100. That's honestly a lot for non-business owners who can write-off some expenses. I was also hoping that at some point, Tesla may offer a battery upgrade program that allowed me to upgrade from 75 to 100 at a reduced price (as battery prices come down) or use the same money (20K) to go to 125 (assumption) instead of 100, when battery sizes become bigger.

Has anyone asked these questions to their local dealer? If so, what answers do you get? My guy says that the configuration of two battery cells is very different and the 75 may never get to 100 but rather to 90. Any ideas?

As you can tell, I'm quite confused on whether to order 75 vs 100. Would love to get 100 but cannot seem to justify the 19.5K for those extra 65 miles How did you non-business owners justify this upgrade?

Thanks in advance for your answers.....

 

[kavyboy]

I can only comment on my situation. When I bought, the options were 70 vs 90. I got the 70. Although I would have liked the 90, the 70 was more affordable and I couldn't justify the cost at the time. A couple of years on, and I have no regrets at all. The 70 has been perfectly fine, even for 3000+ mile road trips, and I have enough left over to just about buy a Model 3 if I want one.

Don't expect any battery replacement upgrades in the future. That's been discussed to death here, and the consensus by far is that it's not going to happen.

 

[msvoyager]

Hi,

It depends on your daily use, and how often you expect to make long road trips.
If you use it daily, but will be home each evening and you can charge at home, you wont need a 100. If you make each week long road trips requiring the use of supercharging, then you may want to consider a 100, as that will A: Increase range ( of course) and B: Decrease the waiting time at a supercharger: When your battery is charged to close 80% capacity on a 100, you may have enough to continue your trip, but maybe not so on a 75. For the latter you may have to charge to 100%, and its the last 20% that takes the longest.

 

[mdk1a]

I was in the same boat when I placed my order in late October '17 and probably spent too much time researching and deliberating between the two. I ended up going with S 75D and having owned the car for almost 3 weeks now, I still think I made the right decision.

For me, it came down to a couple of things.
1. My typical driving pattern is 40 miles round-trip to work 4-5 times a week, a few typical family activities on the weekend, and a road trip over a 2-4 hours radius every 2-3 months. And I have the 240v outlet at home, which I use to charge the car to 80% overnight. For the daily commute and weekend activities, the car's SOC has rarely dipped below 50% so far (and if it did, not by much). I haven't done the road trip yet, but as part of my research I plotted the supercharging wait times between 75D and 100D for the few typical destinations that we go to based on evtripplanner and various outside temperatures. What I found was, if I take around 4 trips a year and based on the worst typical temp in my locale (around 30F), the 75D would take around 160 minutes longer to charge (combined on an annual basis), which I'm more than willing to tolerate given the $20K+ saving.

2. You should also factor in the differences in sales taxes, registration fees and insurance rates between the two. In my case, the total differences would've amounted to something like $22K-$23K. I could've afforded it, but it simply didn't make sense given my needs. I would rather spend some of that on other more important things like PPF, paint coating, window tints (which I did) and invest the rest. Plus, I firmly believe that Tesla will release a Model S with > 100 kWh version within the next 1-2 years. I figured that with the saving I could get that better version in a few years if I chose to do so.

 

[Mygr8]

You may also want to consider how you drive. Are you a conservative or aggressive driver. As you may know, the faster you drive, the shorter the distance you can travel with the charge.

I am a little over three weeks in to my ownership. I too contemplated between a 75 and 100. I ended up with a 100D. I'm extremely happy that I decided to go with a 100D. I've already put on 2500 miles on the car by taking long road trips. If I had the 75D, I would have had to drive very conservatively to be able to make it to the next super charger. Although, I still have to slow down some times even with the 100D.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Kuhz]

You may also want to consider how you drive. Are you a conservative or aggressive driver. As you may know, the faster you drive, the shorter the distance you can travel with the charge.

I am a little over three weeks in to my ownership. I too contemplated between a 75 and 100. I ended up with a 100D. I'm extremely happy that I decided to go with a 100D. I've already put on 2500 miles on the car by taking long road trips. If I had the 75D, I would have had to drive very conservatively to be able to make it to the next super charger. Although, I still have to slow down some times even with the 100D.

Good luck with your decision.

Superchargers are usally spaced so close there is no need to worry even when driving a 60kw model. I’ve never encountered this problem in my 75D. Of course that could hold true if you’re trying to skip a charger and use every 2nd one

 

[dcmetro]

Good points...thanks for your suggestions. Really appreciate it.

 

[arcus]

S75 here and similarly to @kavyboy I find it sufficient. We do like road trips (the first one was when my car still had the temp tags ). There are still some spots in the country where you might be stretching it to reach to the next SC, but between PlugShare and A Better Route Planner you will be able to find some sort of charging nearby (be it destination charging or L2).

I also doubt there will be a battery upgrade program in future - unless you bought a car with larger battery that was locked down, then you can purchase an OTA upgrade. If anything, the battery capacity will increase in future as the density of the cells is improved or other technological advances happen.

 

[dave4444]

A battery upgrade/swap is uneconomical after purchase. If you plan to charge at home every night a 75 will be just fine for all but the most extreme commuters. The extra 25kwh is just added weight to the car which will cost you more $ in charging since you need to transport all that extra weight around with you everywhere. If you cannot reguraly charge at home a 100 may be better as you would likely need to go several days between charging at work/public/superchargers.

 

[gork]

As someone who very recently wrestled this same question, I'd like to share my thought process.

I went 100D and it will make a lot of difference for the trips I take around here where SC's are sparse. A 75D would likely be capable of many of the routes but it takes the car out of the 10%-60% butter zone where supercharging is maximally efficient, and I'd spend at least 2-3x as much time at the SC since I'd have to get the car closer to full before leaving each station. I can see it being less of an issue in other areas. Spend a little time testing some routes with abetterrouteplanner.com which does a good job of planning for minimum charge time and see how the routes work to places you frequently drive.

If you rarely drive long trips, go ahead for the 75D.

 

[majestyk]

I just emerged from the same battle. Just remember there isn't a wrong answer, but it definitely depends on your specific situation.

I ended up going with the 100D.

In addition to the reasons listed by the others above that picked the 100D (they are very valid points, and all played a part in my choice), I plan on keeping the car a long time. So I figure, although I am paying more now, I will ultimately recoup the cost of that extra utility over 8-10 years period. But, I also take long road trips up and down the west coast. (To that end, if you do the same, order before Jan 31 so you can get free supercharging - that was a major bonus for me, personally too).

Also, I took into account that although Tesla states that you will get 240 miles or so for the 75D, that is under ideal conditions at 100% charge (which is not a good thing for the batteries). The ideal range for day-to-day operations is maybe half that. And also driving under city conditions will reduce the range further.

Just remember, the entire industry is centered around range. The fact the cars are fenced and priced on range makes it obvious how important it is to this type of car. Plus, as I am sure you have heard many times, you'll never hear someone say "I have too much range".

Anyhow, feel free to reach out for questions by PM. Literally just ordered 4 weeks ago, lol.

 

[Qbenjamin]

I'd be willing to bet that there are some sort of thoughts about your question that every potential Tesla owner will ask in the initial stages. I had no knowledge of the TMC forums prior to my purchase, but I went against my natural impulses and purchased the smaller battery for the same economical reasons. Definitely one of the better decisions I could have made over a depreciating asset. I've done a couple of road trips in my car just to do it, and even with my small battery, making it to the next SC wasn't an issue (keep the speeds under 70 mph).

Can't argue with yourself over not spending additional money unnecessarily.

 

[dcmetro]

For me, the daily trips are going to approx 50 miles and weekends 100-125 at best. So no worries there, even at 90% charge. We take road trips about once a Qtr. However, I was leaning towards 100D, just to be on a safe side honestly and to keep the car a more desirable option, from a resale option. However, that's not the right way to think I realize as %wise, both would depreciate or reduce in value equally. Typically, I've always gone with highest options for most cars but the outcome isn't as expensive too. It's surely a tough choice. Also need to think about PUP and Sunroof. I'm leaning towards glass roof as it looks cooler to me. Don't use sunroof much expect few days in a year. How many folks went with Sunroof and did you use it? Don't care about XM Radio.

I'm surely going to decide and be done with this by this weekend

 

[DIL]

My rationale included a different parameter: I recently ordered 75D but 100 was tempting. I’m interested in the performance, not just the range. While the 100 is significantly faster (real world 0-60 clocked at 3.6 sec) it is also about 250 lbs heavier. So I’m using part of the savings to get forged wheels and high performance tires. In real world driving 75D is plenty fast but, according to these forums, passing speeds (40-60 or 60-80) are much quicker in the 100.

 

[Qbenjamin]

For me, the daily trips are going to approx 50 miles and weekends 100-125 at best. So no worries there, even at 90% charge. We take road trips about once a Qtr. However, I was leaning towards 100D, just to be on a safe side honestly and to keep the car a more desirable option, from a resale option. However, that's not the right way to think I realize as %wise, both would depreciate or reduce in value equally. Typically, I've always gone with highest options for most cars but the outcome isn't as expensive too. It's surely a tough choice. Also need to think about PUP and Sunroof. I'm leaning towards glass roof as it looks cooler to me. Don't use sunroof much expect few days in a year. How many folks went with Sunroof and did you use it? Don't care about XM Radio.

I'm surely going to decide and be done with this by this weekend

The depreciation is much greater on a car that has a ton of options and upgrades.

 

[arcus]

Also need to think about PUP and Sunroof

I always had a sunroof on my cars and I enjoyed them. On Mode S though, I find it rather limited because of an excessive noise (regardless if it is just open at "vent" position (12%) or least-noisy 45%. It is still almost unbearable, not to mention it cancels out the music volume (I listed at 3-4 most of the time). Maybe it is just the sheer size of it (as compared to standard rounded rectangular shape on most of the other card), I don't know.

When closed though, we do enjoy the openness above us, the cabin looks brighter and feels bigger because of that. I guess you will get the same feel with glass roof.

PUP as a package - I don't have any regrets.

 

[claud_face]

I also had the battle between 75D and 100D. Chose to the 100D and am very glad I did. I live in Chicago and the winter takes a big toll on the range. Also, I do go on trips here and there and especially in the winter I'll take any extra range I can get.

Plus, I do not try to save range by driving slower, turning off heat, etc... I drive it like I would any other car. Hate the idea of taking it easy in order to get more miles out of it.


I chose to glass roof over sunroof. Best decision for me. Confirmed this when I recently sat in a model s with the sunroof. I am 6'3 and it feels WAY more open with the glass roof. Due to the ~2" less glass all around as well as the center bar. To me going with the glass was a no brainer as I also never really used the sunroof in any of my past cars I had.

Finally, PUP is also worth it in my opinion. I love music and am in Chicago. Subzero and upgraded sound was worth it to me. However, if I didn't care for the music I would not have gotten it. Definitely not worth it for subzero and the biofilter IMO.

I cannot compare the speed between the 75D and 100D, but I do hear it is quicker. Although I bet it is pretty minimal.

For me the decision became very obvious when I found an inventory 100D fully loaded EXACTLY how I wanted it with a 12.5K adjustment with 50 miles on it.

There were no 75D with my exact specs in inventory. Not even close. If there was I would have went with the 75D. Now that I have experienced this winter I would again be in a tough decision between the two...


Just my personal experience going through the same decision making....

 

[Mygr8]

If a Demo vehicle is available (with your preferences), I would highly recommend considering it. In reading the forums, it appears many owners who have bought custom cars have had to visit the SC multiple times to address various issues. I've had my MS 100D for almost a month, which was a demo with 2500 miles on it and have only found a few things which need to be addressed. Plus if the car is a demo, I would assume many of the issue would have been addressed already. My 2cents.

As to PUP and Glass Roof, I decided on the PUP and Glass Roof. I'm very happy with the decision. The sound is fabulous and the sub-zero is very useful...even in Texas

 

[DIL]

Okay @dcmetro youve got some great feedback. What are you thinking?

 

[dcmetro]

Thanks for all your suggestions and experiences, folks.

I just ordered my Tesla! Went with 75 and skipped PUP as the only thing of value for me is the upgraded sound. For that, I will add that sub and perhaps the Amp (aftermarket), once I take the delivery. Excited and can't wait to get rid of my MB GL SUV and drive the Tesla!