Potential new owner has a few concerns [potential purchase in belgium]

[Nickage87]

One huge (huge) mistake people make is the exact one you said, which is "My commute is only 40 miles round trip, if the car has 200 miles max range I would only have to charge every X days". It doesnt work like that.

The TL ; DR version of that is, if the car has 0-100 250 miles range, you will not be driving it from 0-100, hardly ever. You will be charging to a max charge rate of 90% of 250, and "running it down to" a minimum charge rate of somewhere between 20-30% on average. So, you will be charging to approximately (when new) 225 miles of range, and driving down to approximately 75 ish miles of range, or approximately 150 miles. If miles rolled off at 1:1 (they dont) thats charging every 3-4 days, not every 5-6 days. Since miles dont roll off at 1:1, it will be charging every 3 days or, 2-3 days.

Like I said, I could not imagine leaving my car at the grocery store while It charged and I went home, on a every couple of day basis, but if that enthuses you, then go for it.

Great, I was about to post the same message.

 

[MentalParadox]

I could easily charge my car every single day with minimal hassle. Even if I can only get an hour of charging in per day, that should still be enough for the next day's activities. I have two public chargers, one free and one not, both within 500 feet of my door. This isn't America. People won't steal or vandalize your car if you look away for a few minutes.

The "long cable from the window" idea is interesting. That brings me to another question. Our regular power outlets are 220 volts. I've heard you need some kind of converter to change the regular power from the outlet into something the Tesla can use. I heard this can be extremely expensive, like $10,000-$15,000. Is that true...?

 

[jjrandorin]

(moderator note: moving this thread to the sub forum that includes belgium, as you should get more "local" responses there)

 

[duanra]

I could easily charge my car every single day with minimal hassle. Even if I can only get an hour of charging in per day, that should still be enough for the next day's activities. I have two public chargers, one free and one not, both within 500 feet of my door. This isn't America. People won't steal or vandalize your car if you look away for a few minutes.

The "long cable from the window" idea is interesting. That brings me to another question. Our regular power outlets are 220 volts. I've heard you need some kind of converter to change the regular power from the outlet into something the Tesla can use. I heard this can be extremely expensive, like $10,000-$15,000. Is that true...?

No it is not. You have a connector coming with the car that will do the job. It is like this in North America anyway.

 

[Puma2020]

The 220V shouldn't be an issue. I charge here in the USA using 240V.
The amperage will be the gating factor. You will have to make sure that the extension cable you use, can handle the # of amps the car will be charging at. You can set the car to charge at a lower # of amps. If you get a extension cable that is rated for 20A, and the circuit you plug that into can handle that much power, make sure that you tell the car to only charge it at 80% (or less).

 

[duanra]

The 220V shouldn't be an issue. I charge here in the USA using 240V.
The amperage will be the gating factor. You will have to make sure that the extension cable you use, can handle the # of amps the car will be charging at. You can set the car to charge at a lower # of amps. If you get a extension cable that is rated for 20A, and the circuit you plug that into can handle that much power, make sure that you tell the car to only charge it at 80% (or less).

Actually Tesla recommends not more than 90% unless you need more.

 

[alexgr]

I'm a Belgian ... lower-middle class guy and buying this car would really stretch my budget,

I should say that Belgian lower-middle class guys are doing not that bad!

Surely they can't all be paid shills?

Well, considering Ford and GM PR budgets, they all can be paid probably at the rate of a Belgian lower-middle class guy.

I experienced this first-hand when during my test drive, I made a tiny scratch on the wheel rim. They charged me 400 euro (450ish USD) to fix it.

Ouch. I guess they want to feel important. That's bad.

They also said that if they had to do even the simplest repairs like work on the front headlights, that cost would go into the thousands of euros as apparently the bumper is full of radars and other sensors, and they'd need to be replaced as well. That'd be a nightmare and a hard pass, if true.

That is probably true, but (1) many tech-rich cars like MB and Audi will have the same issue and (2) you probably going to have a comprehensive insurance policy for the first 5-6 years, right? After 6 years, most likely you will be able to find replacement parts and non-authorized mechanics to fix the car for less than the price billed at a Tesla service center.

Another concern is tyre wear. I heard Teslas were notoriously hard on their tyres, costing over $200 for each tyre, and needed to be replaced almost every year. Can I extend their life by not driving like a lunatic? I tend to be quite relaxed in traffic.

I would say, yes. In 18 months and 30,000 km, I have the tires at about half of their life. And I do drive fast sometimes.

Last question is about charging. I live in a small apartment. No garage. My car is parked on the street outside. Charging at home is not going to happen. The nearest Tesla charger is quite far away, in the nearby city. I guess I could go there every week to charge, but that does sound like quite the hassle. There are, however, small non-Tesla charging stations in my town. Slower 22 kW ones, but within walking distance of my home. Can I charge a Tesla at a non-Tesla charger, or am I forced to use the Tesla ones?

Not being able to charge at home = a real problem.
22 kW is a very good charger IMHO. It is better to use this charger than the Tesla Supercharger for regular charges. Tesla is compatible with most charging stations with an adapter. EU Teslas have CCS connectors, and if you can find any charger with CCS around you then this is likely work the best for you.

Also, if you drive daily, consider that you will need to charge at least once in 3 or 4 days at minimum, not once a week. Your car's sentry mode will eat into the range and the real range in colder weather will be lower by as much as 40%.

 

[MentalParadox]

I should say that Belgian lower-middle class guys are doing not that bad!

Well, I'll be honest. My *income* is lower/middle class. I mean, I'm basically a factory worker. I did come into a fair amount of money recently, enough to purchase the vehicle and still have a fair bit left. That's probably why I'll just pay the whole sum at once, and not get a loan or something like that. Meaning my only concern in terms of money, is the maintenance cost.

I could charge my car daily. I did some more asking around, and turns out the Model 3 is perfectly compatible with 2 public charging stations very close to where I live. I could also use a long cable to charge my car, assuming I can park close enough to my apartment.

 

[duanra]

40% is when temp goes bellow -10c.
Not sure it happens too often in Belgium.

 

[MentalParadox]

(moderator note: moving this thread to the sub forum that includes belgium, as you should get more "local" responses there)

I already posted a similar question in that sub, but I thought I'd get more responses by posting it again in a more populated, international one.

 

[MentalParadox]

40% is when temp goes bellow -10c.
Not sure it happens too often in Belgium.

Extremely rarely. Happens maybe once every 2 years.

 

[alexgr]

Extremely rarely. Happens maybe once every 2 years.

Even in -1C your car will use quite a bit of energy to warm up before driving, so I wouldn't be surprised to see 30% or more of your combined rated range to disappear.

 

[alexgr]

40% is when temp goes bellow -10c.
Not sure it happens too often in Belgium.

Yeh, and until 10 days ago I didn't think -25C happens in Oklahoma....
Maybe we need to start buying Chevy Tahoes to warm the Earth a little bit.

 

[one2many]

We use the plug that comes with the car 220v into a standard plug.
Folks dont walk much in the US, we even drive to get mail from our
street boxes.

 

[alexgr]

Well, I'll be honest. My *income* is lower/middle class. I mean, I'm basically a factory worker. I did come into a fair amount of money recently, enough to purchase the vehicle and still have a fair bit left. That's probably why I'll just pay the whole sum at once, and not get a loan or something like that. Meaning my only concern in terms of money, is the maintenance cost.

I could charge my car daily. I did some more asking around, and turns out the Model 3 is perfectly compatible with 2 public charging stations very close to where I live. I could also use a long cable to charge my car, assuming I can park close enough to my apartment.

I wonder if some extended warranty/maintenance plans are available for Tesla in Belgium. Maybe you can consider investing some money in such protection plan and take a loan on a small fraction of your car cost. If 0% or near 0% loans are available they are better to take than to pay cash, but this hugely depends on specifics of the country's financial system.

 

[duanra]

Well, if you want to see the effect of temperature, wind, weight, road conditions on your range, i suggest you play around with abetterrouteplanner.

 

[MentalParadox]

Well, if you want to see the effect of temperature, wind, weight, road conditions on your range, i suggest you play around with abetterrouteplanner.

Interesting website! Looks like I could go to work and back about 4-5 times before needing a recharge. From 90% to 38% charge in four trips.

 

[duanra]

Interesting website! Looks like I could go to work and back about 4-5 times before needing a recharge. From 90% to 38% charge in four trips.

This site is pretty accurate. However you need to factor in that your battery will lose a little sitting around. The car manual states 1% per day. That is in ideal condition.
Anyhow, according to your number, you have a lot of margin.
By the way, to have real info about the car, I suggest that you download the car manual.
It will be a lot more factual than what you read online (me included)

 

[alexgr]

Interesting website! Looks like I could go to work and back about 4-5 times before needing a recharge. From 90% to 38% charge in four trips.

It would be ideal if your work has a charger at parking (preferably a free charger).

 

[MentalParadox]

It would be ideal if your work has a charger at parking (preferably a free charger).

It might, I'll have to look into that.

One other question: these very long charger cables, where might I get those? Are they long enough to reach the fourth floor of your average apartment building?