Poll - 60 to 75 upgrade

[BerTX]

Poll is missing the option of "Would buy at at lower price". As I keep reading all those "I got it", it almost makes me want to go do it, then I remember that it's $2200 for 10 miles realistic range, if I charge the car to a trip line (90%), which is what I charge our 85 battery to. There is no resale value gain since the buyer can always purchase the upgrade for $2K, so the bump is $2K max. If we drained our car to close to 0 often, I would definitely consider it, but then again, if that happens, I should have gotten a 90. To be honest, considering the driving pattern of the our 60D it would benefit more from the charger upgrade to 72A than from the 75KWh upgrade (it already has 80A capable HPWC), and that upgrade is $1,500 (assuming still is, since when I bought the car it was advertised as available after purchase). I know I'd buy the charger upgrade or the 75 upgrade at $500 each, so if Tesla was to bundle 75KWh+72A upgrades (both software upgrades only) I would consider $1,000, possibly as much as $1,500, not sure, but $3,500 (+tax) does not make any sense to us as it is a "nice to have" rather than "must have".

I consider the whole car to be a "nice to have", not a "must have"!

So why not add another "nice to have" on top of it? You are in a case where the 60 is not your only vehicle, and you don't need it to take a Tesla road trip. I'm in a different situation. If you didn't have the MS85, how would you feel about the upgrade?

 

[croman]

I found an immediate benefit due to a road trip. Skipping the Macedonia (Cleveland OH) charger saved us 1 hour each way and we had way less range anxiety getting from our last supercharger to our destination (237 miles). We made it with a 60D and comfortably came back with our 75D. We ended up with 2 hours of total savings by skipping another SC in Indiana but that was one that was closer to the highway and likely wouldn't have eaten that much more than charging time (which we did but at home so it wasn't lost time). The Macedonia SC is 20 miles from the highway each way. Big time diversion we could easily skip.

 

[_jal_]

I found an immediate benefit due to a road trip. Skipping the Macedonia (Cleveland OH) charger saved us 1 hour each way and we had way less range anxiety getting from our last supercharger to our destination (237 miles).

I take it you were coming from Pittsburgh or Erie. That's a stretch to cover and can see how that would save some time. Do you know about what your Wh/mi was? At 295 it looks like I can barely make it from Pittsburgh and in the winter there's no way I could get 295.

Man, as an aside, the energy efficiency now that the weather has warmed up a little is way better. Kind of incredible actually.

 

[croman]

I take it you were coming from Pittsburgh or Erie. That's a stretch to cover and can see how that would save some time. Do you know about what your Wh/mi was? At 295 it looks like I can barely make it from Pittsburgh and in the winter there's no way I could get 295.

Man, as an aside, the energy efficiency now that the weather has warmed up a little is way better. Kind of incredible actually.

Drove from Chicago to Ithaca NY. Left as a 60D arrived as a 75D. So I experienced both kinds of trips. Hit up Mishawauka, Maumee, Macedonia, Erie on the way there. Erie PA to Ithaca area was 237 miles exactly (took I-86). Made it with 8 rated miles with a 60D. Averaged 235wh/mi in that stretch (averaged 66mph but took a lot of hilly local roads to cut down on mileage and energy use -- car was awesome at recapturing spent energy going down hills). Otherwise I was averaging around 305wh/mi in all other legs (travelling around 77mph).

On way back car was far less efficient on the Ithaca to Erie PA leg because we had a lot of charge at the beginning and it was hilly area and we had to use friction brakes a lot more. Consequently we arrived at Erie with only 26 rated miles and used 274wh/mi. I did go faster on the highway, so it wasn't all initial inefficiency. We skipped Macedonia (Cleveland) and made it to Maumee with charge to spare despite going fast and not caring about efficiency (it still was more efficient than rated but I don't recall how much since I knew we'd make it). Nav said I should go <65mph but I ignored it as usual and used math. Rest of the trip was also a breeze. I used SC for as long as I needed and not any longer (So once it tapered down below 50kw, I left).

I've noticed that I'm using around 270wh/mi now that the weather is more pleasant. I was using around 320wh/mi prior. Sometimes it drops to 240 or below when its 70s. That's amazing. Even with AC I don't notice a huge dent in efficiency like with heat.

I think even with winter, in a 75D, I could do the trip and make it to all superchargers, its really the Erie PA to destination leg that's a big issue (I might not be able to skip the cleveland charger in winter but I could make the trip). I know of two campgrounds on the way that might be necessary but where there is a will, there is a way.

 

[ssrajputev]

241 this time again.. last mile took about 20 minutes of supercharging at painful rates.. of course absolutely no regen after leaving the charger. All new experience!

I'm down to 100 mi on the first charge as a 75. I'm probably won't get to a super low charge until Monday. I hope my reading increases to something closer to 249 than the 236 I got this time. It's supposed to take 3 full discharges and charges to get to the more accurate number.

Yeah, the lack of regen part was something I was not used too. I live on top of two small hills. When I left on Tuesday morning and was going downhill, I assumed the car would naturally slow down. But, the car kept on accelerating to over 40 MPH...I was like, MF! LMAO

 

[croman]

I forgot what it was like having no regen on a full battery. My Leaf always got charged to 100 but it's been 5 months....

 

[whitex]

I consider the whole car to be a "nice to have", not a "must have"!

So why not add another "nice to have" on top of it? You are in a case where the 60 is not your only vehicle, and you don't need it to take a Tesla road trip. I'm in a different situation. If you didn't have the MS85, how would you feel about the upgrade?

Absolutely valid points. Not sure what decision I would make if we didn't have an 85 too (funny thing though, since the 85 is a P, a 75D would actually make the 2 cars have the same or better rated range). I think if I was planning road trips, I would have gone for a 90. That said, in 4 years of Tesla ownership, I did only 1 road trip where 75 would have been nice to have over software limited 60 - I only say this because even on a road trip, one rarely charges past 90% and with 60D charging to 100 is the same as 86% on 75D (and, again due to increased efficiency, that's only 7 rated miles less than the P85D 90%).

 

[davinci2017]

Nice to have a dozen or two miles more, sure. Not nice to to have to pay 2 grand for it though

 

[MiaGiada]

And done.

 

[Sawyer8888]

$9K > $7K > $2K > ?

This is less complicated than most math problems. The price will go down again and when it does, we will buy.

 

[gabeincal]

$9K > $7K > $2K > ?

This is less complicated than most math problems. The price will go down again and when it does, we will buy.

What's the next step? $500? No way it'll go further and if it disappears forever, you'll be kicking yourself...

 

[xyeahtony]

What's the next step? $500? No way it'll go further and if it disappears forever, you'll be kicking yourself...

the price might drop again but honestly who wants to wait for that. i think $2k is a fair and reasonable price for a 15-20% increase in range.

 

[whitex]

the price might drop again but honestly who wants to wait for that. i think $2k is a fair and reasonable price for a 15-20% increase in range.

I don't think people are saying it's not fair or reasonable, because it is. It's just not worth for some people who would never use it. It's like adding a roof storage box to your car for a fair and reasonable price. Yes it adds more storage capacity to your car, but some will find if they use it, it causes drag, height issues, possible wear on the car. Same as charging to 100%, no regen causes higher Wh/m and higher brake usage, and it's bad for the battery to keep charging to 100% daily. Yes, you can only charge to 100% when you know ahead of time you'll need it, just like with the roof storage, you could only put it on when you need it, but for those who would only use it once a year it's not worth paying $2000 for it, but maybe a lower price would make it worth it.

So again, not a matter of fair and reasonable, because I think $2K for 10KWh capacity is reasonable, it's just a matter of whether it is worth getting for some people considering its utility is only for pre-planned trips, that's all. So maybe the answer of whether it's worth $2000 is depends on how many times will you charge to 100% and what your alternative is (if it's an extra 30 minutes due to route change, or do you have to pay for a tow). The lower the price, the lower the threshold of "how many times do you have to charge to 100% to make it worth the price".

 

[fallen888]

how did everyone find out about the price drop. I didn't receive any notification from Tesla. Was there some announcement or did everyone hear about this on the boards

I read on a Facebook group that the price of the 75 dropped. So that prompted me to log into My Tesla and check the upgrade price.

 

[ssrajputev]

Got my badge changed today.

 

[caltechkid]

Got my badge changed today. View attachment 223907

Love the license plate!

 

[gabeincal]

I don't think people are saying it's not fair or reasonable, because it is. It's just not worth for some people who would never use it. It's like adding a roof storage box to your car for a fair and reasonable price. Yes it adds more storage capacity to your car, but some will find if they use it, it causes drag, height issues, possible wear on the car. Same as charging to 100%, no regen causes higher Wh/m and higher brake usage, and it's bad for the battery to keep charging to 100% daily. Yes, you can only charge to 100% when you know ahead of time you'll need it, just like with the roof storage, you could only put it on when you need it, but for those who would only use it once a year it's not worth paying $2000 for it, but maybe a lower price would make it worth it.

So again, not a matter of fair and reasonable, because I think $2K for 10KWh capacity is reasonable, it's just a matter of whether it is worth getting for some people considering its utility is only for pre-planned trips, that's all. So maybe the answer of whether it's worth $2000 is depends on how many times will you charge to 100% and what your alternative is (if it's an extra 30 minutes due to route change, or do you have to pay for a tow). The lower the price, the lower the threshold of "how many times do you have to charge to 100% to make it worth the price".

Very well put, thank you!

 

[ssrajputev]

Love the license plate!

Thank you!

 

[[email protected]]

There is reference to a "dozen or two miles" more.. . Our 2014 60 has 49K and burns about .313 kwh average over that gross...adding 15kwh would net almost 48 miles...our 2-3 times weekly missions are Santa Rosa to San Jose/Sac, so we usually charge for 10 minutes on the way back at Fremont or Vacaville or even Petaluma. For us, the 2K would eliminate the stops, so a no-brainer...alas, we have a 60kwh battery...which range charged to 197 the other day, so down about 4% from brand new....J

 

[Sawyer8888]

I don't think people are saying it's not fair or reasonable, because it is. It's just not worth for some people who would never use it. It's like adding a roof storage box to your car for a fair and reasonable price. Yes it adds more storage capacity to your car, but some will find if they use it, it causes drag, height issues, possible wear on the car. Same as charging to 100%, no regen causes higher Wh/m and higher brake usage, and it's bad for the battery to keep charging to 100% daily. Yes, you can only charge to 100% when you know ahead of time you'll need it, just like with the roof storage, you could only put it on when you need it, but for those who would only use it once a year it's not worth paying $2000 for it, but maybe a lower price would make it worth it.

So again, not a matter of fair and reasonable, because I think $2K for 10KWh capacity is reasonable, it's just a matter of whether it is worth getting for some people considering its utility is only for pre-planned trips, that's all. So maybe the answer of whether it's worth $2000 is depends on how many times will you charge to 100% and what your alternative is (if it's an extra 30 minutes due to route change, or do you have to pay for a tow). The lower the price, the lower the threshold of "how many times do you have to charge to 100% to make it worth the price".

Exactly. Whitex could not have said it any better.

Everyone's situation is different. Our case does not justify the upgrade, despite today's reasonable price.

What's the next step? $500? No way it'll go further and if it disappears forever, you'll be kicking yourself...

Comments like this make me smile. To suggest the price will stay the same or increase is denying what we have already experienced with Tesla, not to mention every other technological advancement since the beginning of time. Even if the option to upgrade is eventually discontinued, that would hurt Tesla more than it would hurt us. So I believe that this is the least likely of all outcomes.

If I threw money at this today, I would be kicking myself for the 360 or so days each year where those extra few miles were never utilized.

Instead of the battery upgrade, I just invested in full-body protection using Xpel. I also just had Photosync applied, which is some of the best tint available. I had this done this week, shorty after the $2K battery upgrade was announced.

Despite the higher expense compared to upgrading to a 75, protecting the car's paint and the car's interior as well as my own skin was a much higher priority and a much wiser and more practical investment for me.