New Potential future owner

[jerome8283]

I’m new to the forum and considering a MYP. I have visited a store in my area and was able to sit in one and so far I like the feel. I’ve been reading some of the posts and trying to come up to speed and have a few questions.

1. I don’t drive a lot, occasional weekday and mostly weekend driving. I don’t have an indoor or covered area to park. What would you recommend in terms of charging? Would I be ok to charge it Sunday for example and not drive it until the following Saturday?
2. I’m planning a two week vacation next year. What would you recommend in terms of charging?
3. Are there Insurance discounts available for EV’s?
4. It seems the Wall Connector is recommended. Are there any members who opted out of one? What has been your experience without it?
5. The stock setup for the MYP is not ideal and would like another tire. Having a mix of low profile (or as close as possible) and all season would be preferred. Any suggestions here?
6. Is there a recommended retractable sunshade solution for the roof?
7. Does the MYP have ventilated seats?
8. Does the Tow hitch come with a cover or is that aftermarket?

Thank you

 

[Watts_Up]

1. I don’t drive a lot, occasional weekday and mostly weekend driving. I don’t have an indoor or covered area to park. What would you recommend in terms of charging? Would I be ok to charge it Sunday for example and not drive it until the following Saturday?

If you cannot charge at home, search for some L2 chargers around the places you park your car during the day or at night.

To find a convenient L2 charger should install on your phone some App such as
"ChargePoint" "PlugShare" "Volta" "EV Charging Points" "SemaConnect" .....

Typically, using an L2 charger you will get about 10% or 30 miles of charge for an hour of charging.

In my case, I mostly charge once a week to 90% one evening, like Thursday night, which give me sufficient of range for my week and weekend need.

Note: Some L2 chargers are free (see "Volta") but often limited to 2 or 3 hours.

 

[Watts_Up]

2. I’m planning a two week vacation next year. What would you recommend in terms of charging?

Get familiar with A Better Route Planner (ABRP), the Web page and the phone App.

This App will give you a good idea of finding super chargers during your trip.​

​

- I you want to spend less time for charging, drive unil you reach 20% and don't charge more than 60%​

- However, I prefer having a lesser number of charging stops and charge for a longer time,​

so I try finding a Supercharger with amenities and restrooms.​

Otherwise, instead of using ABRP, you need to seat in your car to use the Tesla navigation.
But the Tesla navigation works only from your current parking location.

 

[Watts_Up]

7. Does the MYP have ventilated seats?

No, the seats are not perforated or ventilated. And there is no choice of textile covers either.
I don't like seating on leather or leatherette during a long trip, because the seats are hot in the summer and cold in winter.
I put some neoprene covers from Wet Okole to both protect the seats and to provide nice and smooth seating like memory foam.

 

[Watts_Up]

6. Is there a recommended retractable sunshade solution for the roof?

I use fixed shades, but there is currently a QuickStarter campaign for retractable sunshade, see the following TMC thread:

Vendor - FullShade - The First Retractable Roof Sunshade for Tesla Mode 3 and Model Y

Hello friends! Like you, I'm a Tesla owner myself. Me and my team designed a retractable roof sunshade with the most efficient light and heat blockout for Tesla Model Y/3, hoping to help every Tesla owner to enjoy the driving experience a little better. I'm sharing this product and our story...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[nate704]

I’m new to the forum and considering a MYP. I have visited a store in my area and was able to sit in one and so far I like the feel. I’ve been reading some of the posts and trying to come up to speed and have a few questions.

1. I don’t drive a lot, occasional weekday and mostly weekend driving. I don’t have an indoor or covered area to park. What would you recommend in terms of charging? Would I be ok to charge it Sunday for example and not drive it until the following Saturday?
2. I’m planning a two week vacation next year. What would you recommend in terms of charging?
3. Are there Insurance discounts available for EV’s?
4. It seems the Wall Connector is recommended. Are there any members who opted out of one? What has been your experience without it?
5. The stock setup for the MYP is not ideal and would like another tire. Having a mix of low profile (or as close as possible) and all season would be preferred. Any suggestions here?
6. Is there a recommended retractable sunshade solution for the roof?
7. Does the MYP have ventilated seats?
8. Does the Tow hitch come with a cover or is that aftermarket?

Thank you

Do you like soft and cushy ride? if not, Tesla is not for you.

 

[jcanoe]

I’m new to the forum and considering a MYP. I have visited a store in my area and was able to sit in one and so far I like the feel. I’ve been reading some of the posts and trying to come up to speed and have a few questions.

1. I don’t drive a lot, occasional weekday and mostly weekend driving. I don’t have an indoor or covered area to park. What would you recommend in terms of charging? Would I be ok to charge it Sunday for example and not drive it until the following Saturday?
2. I’m planning a two week vacation next year. What would you recommend in terms of charging?
3. Are there Insurance discounts available for EV’s?
4. It seems the Wall Connector is recommended. Are there any members who opted out of one? What has been your experience without it?
5. The stock setup for the MYP is not ideal and would like another tire. Having a mix of low profile (or as close as possible) and all season would be preferred. Any suggestions here?
6. Is there a recommended retractable sunshade solution for the roof?
7. Does the MYP have ventilated seats?
8. Does the Tow hitch come with a cover or is that aftermarket?

Thank you

A1) Tesla recommends leaving the Tesla Model Y plugged in when not in use. Many Tesla owners charge away from home, i.e. at work or using public charging infrastructure as needed with no issues. If you set Sentry Mode to be active when parked at the home location this will use between 6% and 7% of the battery every 24 hours. You could turn off Sentry Mode and the Tesla vehicle would still be locked, only able to be driven with the phone key or a key card. For added security you can set a 4 digit PIN that must be entered before the Tesla vehicle can be driven. With Sentry Mode turned off (also Smart Summon turned off) the Tesla Model Y will use ~1% to 2% of the battery per week while parked.

A2) See A1; For two weeks, while you are away, you do not have to do anything different that your normal charging routine. The Tesla Model Y will maintain the low voltage starting battery as needed using power from the high voltage battery even when the Tesla vehicle is not plugged in.

A4) The Tesla Wall Connector is a good choice for home charging. You can also charge using the Tesla Mobile Connector and the NEMA 5-15 power plug adapter and any grounded outlet and be OK if you drive less than ~30 miles per day most days. I drive ~12 miles per day and mostly charge at a free (for two hours) public garage with Level 2 charging. I typically charge my Model Y about 4X per week for 90 minutes per session. This handles 95% of my charging needs. On the rare occasion that I charge at home I use a J1772 charging station made by ClipperCreek instead of the Tesla Mobile Connector because I needed a longer charging cord than comes with the Mobile Connector.

A7) The seats (black or white) UltraLeather are of a man made fabric. This material while not ventilated or cooled is heated. The Ultraleather fabric does breath and sitting on this material not like sitting on the vinyl seats of old.

A8) The optional Tesla Tow Hitch does come with a cover however this cover can be a PITA to remove and re-install without breaking the retaining clips. There are several available aftermarket covers available that are superior to the factory cover.

 

[RPM51]

I don’t drive a lot, occasional weekday and mostly weekend driving. I don’t have an indoor or covered area to park. What would you recommend in terms of charging? Would I be ok to charge it Sunday for example and not drive it until the following Saturday?

Not a problem to let it sit all week, but you would want to probably turn off sentry mode and potentially cabin overheat protection to reduce battery drain. Sentry mode uses something like 0.5 - 1 mph, they claim. Not noticeable if you charge every day, but could be problematic if the car sits for a long period with no charge. It will automatically shut off at 20% to keep you from getting stranded though. You can set sentry to auto-disable at home or favorite locations so you don't even have to think about it.

It seems the Wall Connector is recommended. Are there any members who opted out of one? What has been your experience without it?

I have only the mobile charger that came with the car, a $40, 240v (14-50) adapter, and the 120v (5-15) adapter it came with. A Wall charger would be a total waste of money for us and I would never buy one. I would buy a spare mobile charger over a wall connector. I drive 40-100+ miles a day, more on weekends, and it charges so fast with the mobile (14-50) at 32a it's a non-issue. Any faster is completely unnecessary for my usage and I wouldn't even notice it. I set it to max charge to 80% unless I am going on a trip. It's always back to "full" within a few hours of plugging in. The biggest benefit of the mobile connector is you can take it with you on trips. We used it at our vacation rental for a week (120v) 5-15. There were no other usable chargers nearby. Worked great to replenish the 15-25 miles a day we were driving. If you need to mount a charger permanently "outside" in the elements, then you should get the wall connector though. (I know they stopped giving away the mobile connector with new purchases) but I would still only buy that one, personally. We would have been screwed on our vacation without our mobile charger. A better route planner showed a Tesla destination charger at a restaurant 10 miles away so I planned to use it, but they were always ICEd (idiots parked there with their gas cars) and unusable when we tried to use them. The nearest supercharger was a 90-mile roundtrip away. The mobile charger plugging in daily overnight to a 120v outlet saved our vacation without interruption.

I’m planning a two week vacation next year. What would you recommend in terms of charging?

I only use the Tesla nav in car now. It is incredibly accurate for longer trips, especially with the new updates and roundtrip functions added. If you are not near any superchargers, then check A Better Route Planner. See above reply for mobile charger info. I would definitely get one from Tesla ($200). Plus any adapter you may want for faster charging at campgrounds, 240v outlets etc.. I just jumped in the car the other day and did a 6-hour roundtrip. Entered the destination in the Tesla nav while pulling out of the driveway and went with zero planning. I changed what supercharger I wanted to stop at for a better restaurant option while en route, but that's it. It is super easy and very reliable.

The stock setup for the MYP is not ideal and would like another tire. Having a mix of low profile (or as close as possible) and all season would be preferred. Any suggestions here?

Our MYP came with the Michelin all seasons. Works fine for us. Certainly wouldn't spend any money to change it until they wear out. We have been on a 1700-mile road trip and another 500-mile road trip with no issues. Drive it at least 40 miles a day normally. Tire wear isn't even noticeable, mostly daily driven on the freeways and in chill mode around town.

Is there a recommended retractable sunshade solution for the roof?

I thought I would need this but don't. It has been 100-110* for weeks in Texas with full sun. My car is totally fine. It's never felt hot on our head, kids in car seats daily. Non-issue. The dark tint and UV coating do their job.

Does the MYP have ventilated seats?

No. AC and pre-conditioning the cabin 1-2 minutes before you drive works great though. Have black seats and never felt hot in the car. The car will cool 20-30 degrees in about a minute. Hitting the fan button on the app while walking to the car in a parking lot is sufficient time to cool it for us with 100* cabin temps. You can see this in real-time on your phone app. The automatic 105* cabin overheat function keeps the temps reasonable so it cools the rest of the way really fast. I LOVE this feature in 100-110 Texas heat, especially loading little kids or infants into the car. It is NEVER too hot inside.

Does the Tow hitch come with a cover or is that aftermarket?

Comes with the factory cover. Looks the same with or without the hitch from the outside.

 

[karkrazy]

My opinion… don’t over-think too many things. Reality may be different from what you thought or read on TMC.

To your questions:

1. I don’t drive a lot, occasional weekday and mostly weekend driving. I don’t have an indoor or covered area to park. What would you recommend in terms of charging? Would I be ok to charge it Sunday for example and not drive it until the following Saturday?
2. I’m planning a two week vacation next year. What would you recommend in terms of charging?

If you shutoff sentry mode and cabin overheat protection, the drain is minimal (~1%/week). Not really much to worry about IMO. And my SOC has been 40-50%.

Are there Insurance discounts available for EV’s?

I’d suggest you shop for quotes now - EV’s are inherently more expensive to insure, not cheaper. It’s similar across the board with other makes/models. You can find some deals but you’ll have to shop. Or there’s always Tesla Insurance.

It seems the Wall Connector is recommended. Are there any members who opted out of one? What has been your experience without it?

You don’t have to have a WC. I have only used the Mobile Connector and it works fine. Know plenty of other ppl that use that only too.

Good luck!

 

[jerome8283]

Thanks all for your responses as experienced owners. I will respond to some of you since I have follow up questions.

 

[jerome8283]

Do you like soft and cushy ride? if not, Tesla is not for you.

I like having the option to enable a softer ride. Is this an option? Is the firm ride due to the performance tires and suspension?

 

[schen72]

I have a wall connector but truthfully I don't really need it. With the amount of driving I do, I can easily survive with just the 110V mobile connector. I also have 3 SC stations within 5 miles of my home if I really needed it. I typically just let the SOC hover around 50-70% and not worry about always being "topped off" because I can easily charge higher if I needed the extra range.

 

[RPM51]

Is the firm ride due to the performance tires and suspension?

Yes. No there is no option on the car to automatically soften the ride without going to aftermarket suspension or changing tires/wheels/tire pressure. 2022 MYP ride is improved over older models, and not bad at all in my opinion. Could it be better? Always, but our family has zero issues with it, nobody has ever said a word about the ride quality and my wife would definitely say it if she thought it was bad. Forum complaints are WAY overblown and clearly not from anyone that has ever owned other performance cars. We drive our MYP daily with little kids on crappy cracked and broken Texas roads. It rides less firm/harsh than my previous german sports cars. It does not ride floaty like a typical family luxury sedan, it is firm (as a 500+ hp car on low-profile tires always is) but it's not harsh. Slow down for giant potholes, broken patches, railroad tracks, and speed bumps like anyone with common sense would in a high-performance car and it's pretty much a non-issue 99.9% of the time IMO.

I wouldn't want a car this fast to be floaty and sway all over the place.

 

[jerome8283]

Yes. No there is no option on the car to automatically soften the ride without going to aftermarket suspension or changing tires/wheels/tire pressure. 2022 MYP ride is improved over older models, and not bad at all in my opinion. Could it be better? Always, but our family has zero issues with it, nobody has ever said a word about the ride quality and my wife would definitely say it if she thought it was bad. Forum complaints are WAY overblown and clearly not from anyone that has ever owned other performance cars. We drive our MYP daily with little kids on crappy cracked and broken Texas roads. It rides less firm/harsh than my previous german sports cars. It does not ride floaty like a typical family luxury sedan, it is firm (as a 500+ hp car on low-profile tires always is) but it's not bad. Slow down for giant potholes, broken patches, railroad tracks, and speed bumps like anyone with common sense would in a high-performance car and it's pretty much a non-issue 99.9% of the time IMO.

I wouldn't want a car this fast to be floaty and sway all over the place.

It all comes down to what car your coming from. Each person should understand their uses and expectations.

 

[jerome8283]

A1) Tesla recommends leaving the Tesla Model Y plugged in when not in use. Many Tesla owners charge away from home, i.e. at work or using public charging infrastructure as needed with no issues. If you set Sentry Mode to be active when parked at the home location this will use between 6% and 7% of the battery every 24 hours. You could turn off Sentry Mode and the Tesla vehicle would still be locked, only able to be driven with the phone key or a key card. For added security you can set a 4 digit PIN that must be entered before the Tesla vehicle can be driven. With Sentry Mode turned off (also Smart Summon turned off) the Tesla Model Y will use ~1% to 2% of the battery per week while parked.

A2) See A1; For two weeks, while you are away, you do not have to do anything different that your normal charging routine. The Tesla Model Y will maintain the low voltage starting battery as needed using power from the high voltage battery even when the Tesla vehicle is not plugged in.

A4) The Tesla Wall Connector is a good choice for home charging. You can also charge using the Tesla Mobile Connector and the NEMA 5-15 power plug adapter and any grounded outlet and be OK if you drive less than ~30 miles per day most days. I drive ~12 miles per day and mostly charge at a free (for two hours) public garage with Level 2 charging. I typically charge my Model Y about 4X per week for 90 minutes per session. This handles 95% of my charging needs. On the rare occasion that I charge at home I use a J1772 charging station made by ClipperCreek instead of the Tesla Mobile Connector because I needed a longer charging cord than comes with the Mobile Connector.

A7) The seats (black or white) UltraLeather are of a man made fabric. This material while not ventilated or cooled is heated. The Ultraleather fabric does breath and sitting on this material not like sitting on the vinyl seats of old.

A8) The optional Tesla Tow Hitch does come with a cover however this cover can be a PITA to remove and re-install without breaking the retaining clips. There are several available aftermarket covers available that are superior to the factory cover.

This was very helpful, thank you. I have a Tesla Supercharger right around the corner.

 

[gx9901]

I’m new to the forum and considering a MYP. I have visited a store in my area and was able to sit in one and so far I like the feel. I’ve been reading some of the posts and trying to come up to speed and have a few questions.

1. I don’t drive a lot, occasional weekday and mostly weekend driving. I don’t have an indoor or covered area to park. What would you recommend in terms of charging? Would I be ok to charge it Sunday for example and not drive it until the following Saturday?

In my opinion, not being able to charge at home turns one of the biggest benefits of driving an EV into one of the biggest liabilities. Instead of basically having your own gas station at home and the car topped off every morning, you would have to do a lot more planning around when you need to charge the car. But having a nearby Supercharger does mitigate this somewhat. Perhaps you can scout out the Supercharger to see what kind of traffic it gets and if it'll work for you. It seems that one problem with DC-fast charging in USA is that the rate of EV sales far outpaces DC-fast charger installation, so many places are starting to get congested.

5. The stock setup for the MYP is not ideal and would like another tire. Having a mix of low profile (or as close as possible) and all season would be preferred. Any suggestions here?

I live in a snowy winter climate, so I got a set of 19" wheels with dedicated winter tires (Michelin X-Ice Snow) to go with the set of stock P-Zeros on Uberturbines. I think MYPs now get Michelin all-season tires standard, so maybe that could be good enough for you if you don't get much snow in the winter.

 

[RPM51]

In my opinion, not being able to charge at home turns one of the biggest benefits of driving an EV into one of the biggest liabilities. Instead of basically having your own gas station at home and the car topped off every morning, you would have to do a lot more planning around when you need to charge the car. But having a nearby Supercharger does mitigate this somewhat. Perhaps you can scout out the Supercharger to see what kind of traffic it gets and if it'll work for you. It seems that one problem with DC-fast charging in USA is that the rate of EV sales far outpaces DC-fast charger installation, so many places are starting to get congested.

I agree. I thought he meant he just had to charge outside at home. Like no garage or carport. If you can't charge at home "at all", I am not sure if I would go this route unless you have a close non-busy local supercharger or do little driving. Our local superchargers in Dallas can get overcrowded and have lines sometimes 10-20 cars deep (I assume due to all the high-income apartment dwellers in the area). I see lines at our local shopping center I go to with 16 stalls and don't even bother ever using it. However, I have never seen this issue outside of busy metro areas in small cities though. So it depends on WHERE you live, good recommendation from gx9901 to go scope it out. I have never waited anywhere for a stall out on a road trip or even during off-peak hours in a major metro area, but major metro superchargers can SUCK. Future plans to open up Tesla superchargers to other EV's could make this situation worse if not done thoughtfully.

Stress-free EV experience of being always charged up when I leave with >60-80% charge would quickly change to constant range anxiety If I could only charge off-site. It would be like owning a gas car again, with 95% of the gas stations in town being closed. You can certainly do it, but it defeats a HUGE convenience benefit, and it costs 3-4x more than home charging. About 28-34cents/kWh to supercharge vs 8cents/kWh at home for us.

 

[jerome8283]

I have a garage but not large enough to accommodate a car so I would likely install the unit in the garage and extend the cable out to the car in the driveway. Or, look into other charger options as someone else mentioned. I was just weighing my options to understand. I could get the charger for the convenience and piece of mind.

 

[jerome8283]

Those who purchased recently, did you test drive before buying? It seems test driving is not too much of a thing for Tesla.

 

[karkrazy]

Yes, test drove multiple times, LR and Performance. You just cannot hit them during EOQ/EOY. That’s when Tesla sells everything they have on hand. So there’ll be no demos for the month (e.g. March, June, Sept, Dec)