Ordered a CPO Model S!

[Skotty]

Charging note: I'm planning on using the L2 EVSE in my garage that I used for my Volt. It's a GE Wattstation. At this point, I'm very happy I went with the GE Wattstation and not one of the cheaper L2 units that were available at the time, as the GE Wattstation will do 32 amps, whereas many of the others at the time would only do 16 amps. In my opinion, 16 amps would be too slow, but 32 amps is sufficient.

I also got the plug in version rather than the hardwired version, but unfortunately, it's a 6-50 plug which Tesla doesn't support anymore. Otherwise, I would have had the option of just plugging directly into the wall, though I think I probably would have still used the L2 EVSE because it doesn't require dragging out the UMC.

So I definitely need to make sure the car has the J1772 adapter with it. In fact, I'd like to get a 2nd J1772 adapter, so I can keep one with my garage EVSE, and keep one in the car.

I tested the EVSE on an extended test drive of a Model S late last year. It recharges about 21 miles of range per hour. The car has dual chargers and thus is capable of quite a bit more, but 21 is enough to hold me over for awhile. The car by itself will tap us out for awhile, so any thoughts of a HPWC will need to wait awhile.

 

[Skotty]

Wife snuck onto the lot and grabbed a picture a couple days before delivery. Was going to post a pic but Upload a File isn't working. :-/

 

[Skotty]

Trying to upload photo again... here it is!

Delivery scheduled for Friday, 3/18.

 

[CLLACAB]

Have the same set up: a. Volt with a J1772 and the Tesla. It was always a pain plugging/unplugging the adapter and scheduling the two cars to make use of the lower rates. Finally gave up and had the NEMA 14-50 installed. Well worth the cost.

 

[Rico]

Good looking car! Congrats

 

[Zaphod]

Hope you can get some sleep between now and delivery looks great. Keep us posted on the how the delivery goes and overall experience.

 

[Galve2000]

Charging note: I'm planning on using the L2 EVSE in my garage that I used for my Volt. It's a GE Wattstation. At this point, I'm very happy I went with the GE Wattstation and not one of the cheaper L2 units that were available at the time, as the GE Wattstation will do 32 amps, whereas many of the others at the time would only do 16 amps. In my opinion, 16 amps would be too slow, but 32 amps is sufficient.

I also got the plug in version rather than the hardwired version, but unfortunately, it's a 6-50 plug which Tesla doesn't support anymore. Otherwise, I would have had the option of just plugging directly into the wall, though I think I probably would have still used the L2 EVSE because it doesn't require dragging out the UMC.

I agree 32 amps is sufficient. you will probably get roughly 20 miles per hour of charge at 32 amps which is decent.

you may consider getting a second J1772 adapter that you leave permanently on your GE Wattstation. Although IIRC the Wattstation has a built-in holster that having the adapter connected to would interfere with.

I would also call a bunch of the Tesla service centers to see if they have any NEMA 6-50 dongles for the UMC lying around. IMO getting rid of this adapter is one of the worst decisions Tesla has made. using the UMC all alone is a much more elegant solution and i presume it would give you a (somewhat) better rate as it is most likely wired to a 50-amp breaker.

then again it would be sad to not use your GE Wattstation since you have it.

 

[Skotty]

I agree 32 amps is sufficient. you will probably get roughly 20 miles per hour of charge at 32 amps which is decent.

you may consider getting a second J1772 adapter that you leave permanently on your GE Wattstation. Although IIRC the Wattstation has a built-in holster that having the adapter connected to would interfere with.

I would also call a bunch of the Tesla service centers to see if they have any NEMA 6-50 dongles for the UMC lying around. IMO getting rid of this adapter is one of the worst decisions Tesla has made. using the UMC all alone is a much more elegant solution and i presume it would give you a (somewhat) better rate as it is most likely wired to a 50-amp breaker.

then again it would be sad to not use your GE Wattstation since you have it.

I do want to get a second J1772 adapter. The GE Wattstation does have a holster that won't work with the adapter attached. I'm planning on just custom building my own holster for the plug with adapter attached and mount it next to the GE Wattstation. I think that is a better idea than plugging and unplugging the adapter all the time.

 

[Cowby]

I do want to get a second J1772 adapter. The GE Wattstation does have a holster that won't work with the adapter attached. I'm planning on just custom building my own holster for the plug with adapter attached and mount it next to the GE Wattstation. I think that is a better idea than plugging and unplugging the adapter all the time.

or you could buy this holster from your local SC like i did....

Tesla — Replacement Wall Connector Cable Organizer

it'll hold the umc adapter as well

 

[Galve2000]

To be honest I find using the J1772 adapter a bit cumbersome. I installed a Clipper Creek CS 100 three years ago when I was driving around in a Chevy Volt, and I went with something that would give me a full 80 Amps b/c i wanted to "future proof" and not have a proprietary connector like the Tesla HPWC.

funny how things change over time. I never thought that 2.5 years after installing the 80 amp EVSE I would be more likely to use a ChAdemo adapter (and a supercharger) rather than charge at 80 Amps. My personal opinion is that 80 Amps is not really practically useful over 40 amps, although others probably disagree. for me it is either charging overnight on level 2, or Level 3 DC all the way. Still the cost of the 40 amp Clipper Creek unit was only $250 cheaper than the 80 amp one, so i would have gone with the 80 amp in any case, but the availability of Level 3 DC chargers was something I did not anticipate.

I find the J1772 adapter often gets locked into the Model S even when the car seems unlocked, that the "proper" way to remove the adapter along with the J1772 plug doesn't always work as well as I intended. maybe it is my fault. I don't spend much time in my summer home in winter and even in the summer, I am there most weekends, meaning a charge (and use of the J1772 adapter) only once a week. perhaps this is why I still have not gotten the hang of it.

 

[Cowby]

Keep at it...there's a trick to it...took me awhile to get the hang of it but once gotten it's super easy to pull apart out of the MS and the adapter now. Pm me if u want me to sms a short video to you...alas, I don't know how to post videos here

 

[spectrablue]

Delivery scheduled for Friday, 3/18.

Beautiful car!

Please keep us posted and include details about delivery experience, condition, any items not corrected/refurbished.
Talking with the employees at the KC service center, they convinced me that they are one of the best delivery locations, in terms of quality and number of repairs for CPO certification. Because of this I'm now planning on paying to have CPO shipped to KC location instead of flying myself to where the car is located and driving back home. (I'm located in Kansas).

 

[ldgrmnmc]

Thanks for this thread......I'm right now debating between a probably used (CPO) S versus a brand new Volt......certainly, the Volt is cheaper, but what did you think about it? How was it to live with daily? Other than the size.

 

[Galve2000]

ldgrnmc:

as much as I loved my 2012 Volt, there really is no comparison between the two cars.
I say CPO Model S all the way! splurge for an 85 over a 60 or a 70 (I have not checked the CPO site in some time so I do not know what is available these days.)

I would also ask that you tell us a bit ore about your driving habits (ie if you have a 200 mile round trip daily commute with no where to charge at your destination, I would look a little closer at a Volt.) otherwise, if you can make the range work for you, you will love, love, love, love, love love the Model S.

 

[Skotty]

Thanks for this thread......I'm right now debating between a probably used (CPO) S versus a brand new Volt......certainly, the Volt is cheaper, but what did you think about it? How was it to live with daily? Other than the size.

The Volt is a good car, and the new ones are improved in almost every way over the older ones.

I can't speak about the newer ones (2016+), as I've never driven one. But I'll comment about the older ones (mine was a 2012).

The electric drive is great. Transition between gas and electric is seamless. Gas engine is great on the highway, but not so great using gas engine around town (it's pretty quiet and subdued cruising on the highway, but a bit noisy and at times harsh in mixed city driving).

My 2012 had a high pitched whine at certain speeds, high enough in frequency to be annoying, but quiet enough that many don't notice it at all (possibly even beyond some people's frequency range of hearing), and I only notice it when driving with the radio and all other sounds off. All in all, the whine was a detractor, but one I could happily live with, as I usually listen to music or movies or something when I drive, and it doesn't happen at all speeds.

Front to back room is a little cramped if you are big and carrying kids in car seats in the back seat. It's doable, and not a huge downer, but I did have to scoot my seat up almost uncomfortably far for my kids in the back when I would drive them around. Mind you, I'm a full 6 foot tall bulky guy who likes his seat back most of the way, so not a problem for everyone.

It feels quick at certain speeds, but gun it from a stand still and you realize it is a bit limited on oomph. It's comparable to other non-performance cars, but even a base Model S is much quicker off the line. I think Chevy might have dialed back the available power from a standstill as a conservative measure to not tax the drivetrain and battery too much.

All in all, a great car, but one I didn't love. But I didn't love it for 3 critical reasons: (1) I'm a performance junkie, and it was quite slow compared to my previous 412 HP Mustang GT, (2) I have an unusual commute situation that has me frequently taking long highway trips that ended up being mostly driven on gas with the Volt, which is far less than ideal, and (3) I just really wanted a Tesla and to support the Tesla mission. These items won't pertain to many other drivers.

Finally, just to reiterate, my commentary is based on the 2012 Volt. I have no experience with the new 2016+ Volt, but it seems it is improved in pretty much every way from it's predecessor by looking at the stats.

 

[ldgrmnmc]

Thank you for the reply.....I'm coming off of a 2007 911 4S, so performance of a Volt will be a bit of a downer in that respect....and yes, I'm also 6'4" with kids. so, the back seat will get used a bit....although my wife does most of the family driving, I still haul them around some. The Volt definitely wouldn't be a car that we would take on a trip, but a Tesla COULD be....one big advantage

 

[Galve2000]

you will love road tripping in yr Model S! and b/c you have to stop for 20-30 minutes every 150 miles it will be a much more restful journey. road trips in a Model S can take longer than with an ICE, but they are not soul crushing and punishing in the same way. you will actually enjoy your journey!

 

[chriSharek]

I have a 2011 Volt with almost 90,000 miles on it and will take delivery on Tuesday, 3/22 of my Model S. My 16 year old will get the Volt. I realize this is a Tesla forum, not a Volt forum, but I concur with most of what Skotty said above. Unlike him I absolutely LOVE my Volt. My son will continue to love it. I actually traded in my Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 (that would probably smoke his mustang due to the AWD) for my Volt. I too am a performance junkie. HENCE, that's probably why he and I are here. The Tesla isn't just about sustainability, not just about performance, not just about a rEVolution, or even just technology. It's all of that. I too once considered a Gen 2 Volt, but didn't see the point when there already is a car with 250 mile range, the performance, and now the infrastructure (Superchargers) to drive anywhere, anytime. I have never bought a car as expensive as this; but, you're getting more than a car. You're also getting free upgrades to maps, software upgrades, and new features as you own the Tesla. 5 days . . . and counting.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[jmsurpri]

Sorry to hijack, but I too have a 2013 Volt and it will remain in the family. It has been a great, zero maintenance vehicle that my wife now drives and will most likely go to one of the kids when they are driving age. I've been in my 85D for a couple weeks now and it is obviously better than the Volt in every way. The only complaint I have so far is the rough ride, which I've detailed in another thread.

 

[Skotty]

I do think the Volt would make a great teenager car. I didn't keep mine for that because my oldest is still years away from driving and we wanted the money to help cover down payment and taxes on the S.