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Road trip a Brand New M3P?

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Hey everyone. Pretty new here. I’m picking up a M3P on Saturday and , unfortunately, we have a family emergency in Colorado we need to attend to. It’s a 700 mile trip one way.

I’ve mapped it out on the Tesla site and ABRP so no worries there.

What is kinda giving me pause is all the talk about failures of motors and batteries etc. I usually don’t worry about such things as I’m very familiar with car forums. Complaints are what people post. But this is my first Tesla and EV so I gotta ask.

I will have owned this car about a day and a half by the time we leave for a 1,400 mile road trip. If this were any other car I had just purchased, I wouldn’t give it a second thought. So……pack up the Tesla and go? Or drive the wife’s ice? Should I even worry about it breaking down?

Thanks so much!
 
I would guess - I don't have Tesla's data - that infant mortality on these cars is quite low. Minor issues maybe likely but I wouldn't worry about getting stranded, anymore than I would driving any random car. Yes such issues happen but keep in mind how high volume the Model 3 is. The quantity of reports about such problems here doesn't alarm me in any way.

That's just my take, I make no promises. :)

Also back when I was briefly watching the "Waiting Room" threads (while waiting on my car!), I frequently saw posts about picking up a new Model 3 hundreds of miles away from home, and driving it straight home. Basically a road trip on day 0. It's not uncommon at all.

Same for ICE cars from the traditional automakers, especially these days of crazy dealer markups - it's not uncommon to buy a car from out of the area, to get a better price or a specific set of options, and road trip it home right away. (Plus with an ICE car it gives a head start on engine break-in.)

"Infant mortality" is a real thing, but I think the risk with a new Model 3 in 2022 is quite low. No means of transportation is risk-free!
 
Hey everyone. Pretty new here. I’m picking up a M3P on Saturday and , unfortunately, we have a family emergency in Colorado we need to attend to. It’s a 700 mile trip one way.

I’ve mapped it out on the Tesla site and ABRP so no worries there.

What is kinda giving me pause is all the talk about failures of motors and batteries etc. I usually don’t worry about such things as I’m very familiar with car forums. Complaints are what people post. But this is my first Tesla and EV so I gotta ask.

I will have owned this car about a day and a half by the time we leave for a 1,400 mile road trip. If this were any other car I had just purchased, I wouldn’t give it a second thought. So……pack up the Tesla and go? Or drive the wife’s ice? Should I even worry about it breaking down?

Thanks so much!

I dont think you will have any problems, but if this is a family emergency, you need to look at it as "what will make both myself and the others going on this trip with me the most comfortable".

If thats "lets take the new car we just got and enjoy it on the trip", then do that.

If that would add extra stress, either to yourself, or anyone else you are taking with you because they "dont want to add anything else new while we are dealing with XXXX and YYY (whatever is driving the family emergency), then take the ICE car if that makes you all more comfortable.

I dont think there is a huge chance of "we will get stuck" but there definitely will be extra "watching the battery meter" and "how come this car has a 300 mile range and the range is going down much faster than that !?!?!?!" if either you or your passenger(s) dont quite understand how that works yet.

TL ; DR -- Do whatever makes the trip less "emergency" feeling, and doesnt add any extra stress. Maybe taking your new car makes the trip a bit more fun (if thats possible, we dont know whats driving the trip after all).
 
I dont think you will have any problems, but if this is a family emergency, you need to look at it as "what will make both myself and the others going on this trip with me the most comfortable".

If thats "lets take the new car we just got and enjoy it on the trip", then do that.

If that would add extra stress, either to yourself, or anyone else you are taking with you because they "dont want to add anything else new while we are dealing with XXXX and YYY (whatever is driving the family emergency), then take the ICE car if that makes you all more comfortable.

I dont think there is a huge chance of "we will get stuck" but there definitely will be extra "watching the battery meter" and "how come this car has a 300 mile range and the range is going down much faster than that !?!?!?!" if either you or your passenger(s) dont quite understand how that works yet.

TL ; DR -- Do whatever makes the trip less "emergency" feeling, and doesnt add any extra stress. Maybe taking your new car makes the trip a bit more fun (if thats possible, we dont know whats driving the trip after all).
My mother had a stroke. She’s stable but we are going to get her home etc and make sure she has everything she needs. Taking the Tesla sure make it more comfortable and enjoyable compared to the wife Jeep!
 
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Keep in mind that Tesla's in-car software is as good as ABRP. If you look at your battery and its getting near that 30% mark, just hit the supercharger location marker on the maps and you have a whole slew of available superchargers on your way. Its actually easier than many cars...it literally tells you where the source of power is automatically :D.

I feel my Tesla is the best road trip car I've had...comfortable, quiet, and a crap load of power when I want to pass :D
 
I should proofread my posts. Good lord 🙄

As long as taking the tesla makes it potentially a more enjoyable trip with what you are going through as a family, then there isnt any more risk than taking any other new vehicle.

The vast majority of the issues with model 3s and Ys that I see tend to be cosmetic. Its not like I have never read a thread about a new model 3 or Y having a major issue, but its rare enough that I tend to remember them. There definitely isnt a rash of "I broke down on the side of the road" or something.

Things do happen, and I do want to be clear that I have seen a few threads like that, but I saw more threads like that in BMW forums when I was heavily active in those, than I do here since I have been active here (which is near the end of 2018).

Wishing you and your family the best.
 
Hey everyone. Pretty new here. I’m picking up a M3P on Saturday and , unfortunately, we have a family emergency in Colorado we need to attend to. It’s a 700 mile trip one way.

I’ve mapped it out on the Tesla site and ABRP so no worries there.

What is kinda giving me pause is all the talk about failures of motors and batteries etc. I usually don’t worry about such things as I’m very familiar with car forums. Complaints are what people post. But this is my first Tesla and EV so I gotta ask.

I will have owned this car about a day and a half by the time we leave for a 1,400 mile road trip. If this were any other car I had just purchased, I wouldn’t give it a second thought. So……pack up the Tesla and go? Or drive the wife’s ice? Should I even worry about it breaking down?

Thanks so much!
Only reservation I had on taking my m3p on a long road trip was the possibility of being stranded due to damage of the 35 series tires. That and rock chips on sunroof and windshield.
 
My M3P did not have any infant mortality problems, data point of 1.
Funny enough, on my first long trip with the month-old car, it shut down on me.

On the highway.

At midnight.

In winter.

In a foreign country.

Like failure-message and powertrain-loss shut down, not just computer reboot. The emergency button in the car routed to the local responders and they were not helpful at all. After some time I found out how to do a full reboot, and then everything seemed to work as normal…and car never failed again.
 
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867 miles so far and all is good! Even mom is doing better!

BTW…I put 18” Tsportline wheels on and my efficiency went from 332 wh/mi to 273. Seems significantly more efficient.
 

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