Saw the Model X in Buena Park today. Fell in love. Will the 70D be enough for me?

[darku]

Excuse my ignorance. I'm all new to the world of Tesla and EVs. I will say I'm a hardcore gearhead with a penchant for BMW M cars and AMGs.

But now I have a family, and I'm also living life with a crushing commute in LA traffic So Autopilot is calling my name. Got a chance to stumble upon the Model X today, and WOW, not only does it look great, it seem very practicle to me (atleast for what I perceive as important features, 3rd row, easy access, generous room, high quality)

The one problem is, that I'm not a particularly rich man, so I'm focused on getting the 70D.

My question is, will the relatively smaller battery life/shorter distance present any problem for me in real world usage? Besides not being able to go as fast, are there any other limitations? My use will basically to cover a 30 mile commute (each way) each day, with ability to charge at night and then on weekend maybe 60 miles each way. As far as I can tell the 70D would be more then enough, but I was hoping the peanut gallery could fill in any blanks which Im not considering. I really want to get into the Model X, but unfortunately my budget is topping out with a basic 70D.

Thanks so much!

 

[pvogel]

Saw the Model X in Buena Park today. Fell in love. Will the 70D be enough f...

For that kind of usage pattern the 70D should be totally fine for you.

Plenty of battery for 120 mile weekend round trip. If your destination has a supercharger near by even better

Reserve, order. By the time the 70's are running off the line all early production issues should be solved.

 

[elguapo]

I think it will be more than enough for you. I have experienced a similar travel pattern and have an S60 and never had any issues and got the full 210 range when I needed it.

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One other thing...you say "besides not being able to go fast..." The 70D is still crazy fast. My S60 blows people's minds and it is the "slow" S. The X70D will surprise you!

 

[pvogel]

Good point elguapo! 0-60 in 6.0 seconds is way quicker than most cars on the road, and definitely quicker than any SUV with the exception of the Porsche turbo Cayenne

 

[CarlK]

Would not be a problem if you're in the Bay Area or LA area. Besides that the battery will be more than enough to cover your daily commute and weekend use there will always be a supercharger within 20~30 mile wherever you are in those areas in case you do run short when something unexpected happens.

 

[Merrill]

I also have an S60 and never had a problem going anywhere I needed to. Some things to think about are how long you keep your cars, I tend to keep them a long time so trade in value is not important to me. Now the supercharging infrastructure is wide spread and you can go just about anywhere you want to. The 60 is pleanty fast for me, do not need the P. Just could not justify the extra $13000 for the 90. So it really depends on you usage and what your family will need out of an SUV.

 

[ratsbew]

The 70D will be prefect for you. Since you live in California there are Superchargers everywhere for when you want to take the family on mini-vacations. It's good to get the kids out of the car every hour anyway.

 

[roblab]

I think it will be more than enough for you. I have experienced a similar travel pattern and have an S60 and never had any issues and got the full 210 range when I needed it.

I would agree with you as long as the person buying the 70D understands there are places where it's a LONG jump between superchargers yet, for a long time to come, and getting "full 210 range" depends on your being able to slow down. Some people do not get it. They have to drive 80 mph "because every body else is doing it" or "it's unsafe to go slow" or some other silliness, and then they write posts here about how Tesla needs to put in another supercharger because they had to use an RV park on a trip. Or even driving across town!

There is definitely a compromise when all of a sudden you don't have enough charge. You have a headwind, it's raining, it's uphill, and you have to slow down to 55, 45, then 35 and the cop pulls you over to see if you need help. Yup, happened to me, before I understood how to drive and figure my range. And time eats away your battery, too. All of a sudden you notice your range is 20% of what you had a couple years ago, and you DON'T have the "full range". Is 170 miles going to be enough?

That's why I upgraded to D plus 90 kWh. It's way easier and cheaper and less stressful to do it now.

My opinion. Roughly 100,000 miles in an S, in a little over 3 years. But what do I know?!!

 

[pvogel]

I would agree with you as long as the person buying the 70D understands there are places where it's a LONG jump between superchargers yet, for a long time to come, and getting "full 210 range" depends on your being able to slow down. Some people do not get it. They have to drive 80 mph "because every body else is doing it" or "it's unsafe to go slow" or some other silliness, and then they write posts here about how Tesla needs to put in another supercharger because they had to use an RV park on a trip. Or even driving across town!

There is definitely a compromise when all of a sudden you don't have enough charge. You have a headwind, it's raining, it's uphill, and you have to slow down to 55, 45, then 35 and the cop pulls you over to see if you need help. Yup, happened to me, before I understood how to drive and figure my range. And time eats away your battery, too. All of a sudden you notice your range is 20% of what you had a couple years ago, and you DON'T have the "full range". Is 170 miles going to be enough?

That's why I upgraded to D plus 90 kWh. It's way easier and cheaper and less stressful to do it now.

My opinion. Roughly 100,000 miles in an S, in a little over 3 years. But what do I know?!!

I assume you mean your rangeis reduced by 20% not that your range is 20% of what it was. If you truly see the latter (an 80% reduction in range) you should get your battery replaced under warranty.

 

[SFOTurtle]

I assume you mean your rangeis reduced by 20% not that your range is 20% of what it was. If you truly see the latter (an 80% reduction in range) you should get your battery replaced under warranty.

Yes, no doubt that's what roblab intended. There are lots of posts on battery degradation, but with my S60 that was delivered 3 years ago this month and has just under 40k miles, my full charge is 192-193 rated miles (not range mode) and has stayed at that number for the last 9 months and 10k miles. When it was brand new, the highest I saw was 207 rated (this was before software upgrades have update the algorithm). No doubt having a bigger battery is easier for road tripping, but my S60 has been just fine.

 

[blueinsofla]

I have a similar commute with my Model S 70D and have only used a supercharger once in 5 months of driving the car. I usually charge my car 3 nights per week and that has worked well for me. IMHO, the 70D will be perfectly suited for your needs. My wife recently configured her Model X and we went with the 70D as well as she has an even shorter commute than me - now if I only had a crystal ball to determine when she might actually take delivery...

Hope you can make the numbers work...definitely a fun and comfortable ride!

-Blue

 

[Jerico]

Just a dumb question: why not an S? Faster, more range (at same battery size), more 'utility', you can have it right now, more mature product, cheaper,... What makes you decide the X over the S?

 

[darku]

Thanks for the helpful replies everyone. Sounds like I won't have any problems with the 70D! Going to pull the trigger once they make some available for the general public to test drive, hopefully sooner then later.

To Jerico, the reason for the X over the S for me basicly comes down to family needs. I've long needed a vehicle with 3 rows and captains chairs access, which is actually quite a limited market. I also need a vehicle to ease my horrid commute. So if you combine the two, you come up with the Model X. I know the S has those jump seats in the back, but they really take out any kind of trunk capacity and it would be impossible to stuff the grandparents back there even for just a 15 minute drive

 

[Roamer]

Once you experience the pure joy of traveling in a Tesla you are going to want to travel more. For local driving a 70 more than meets most people's daily needs. For distance travel the 90 is a better choice.

I fly less and drive more just because the drive is so pleasant. Depending on your life situation you may find the urge to travel increases when you own a Tesla.

 

[CarlK]

I have a similar commute with my Model S 70D and have only used a supercharger once in 5 months of driving the car. I usually charge my car 3 nights per week and that has worked well for me. IMHO, the 70D will be perfectly suited for your needs. My wife recently configured her Model X and we went with the 70D as well as she has an even shorter commute than me - now if I only had a crystal ball to determine when she might actually take delivery...

Hope you can make the numbers work...definitely a fun and comfortable ride!

-Blue

It's still a good idea to plug in everyday even if you only use a fraction of the wattage in your daily commute. Tesla recommands it and I find it better to make that a habbit instead of having to remember when I need to plug in and may miss it. I charge up only to 70%, which can cover two days commute, unless when occasionally I anticipate a longer trip the next day. This also keeps the charge state always at around the midpoint. It's supposed to be best for battery life. Don't know if that will make any significant difference but at least it will not hurt.

 

[eloder]

As an EV enthusiast but not as a Tesla owner, I wouldn't worry about the range aspect.

My sole car is a 60 mile (wintertime) to 110 mile (summertime) econo-EV. Just think of your average daily routine--if you have a huge buffer zone compared to your max battery, I think you'll be fine. Weather/cold hampering range won't be a huge issue but just keep that in mind for vacations (and Teslas definitely seem the best around, in terms of maintaining high range in sub-freezing temps).

Also, you'll be quite surprised at the speed. The thing about EVs is that they're extremely quick off the line--it really makes the car seem much, much faster than it actually is on public roads and it's very hard to get that feeling until actually driving one. My econo-EV is 0-60 in 10s but it'll leave most cars far behind off of stoplights.

I'd say do your research--read through the forums a bit, read up on some general FAQs about EV v. ICE, and do a little bit of research on the car's range and how outside conditions / speeds / etc. will affect the range. If you don't find any dealbreakers in your research, go for it--you'll absolutely love the car :]

 

[blueinsofla]

It's still a good idea to plug in everyday even if you only use a fraction of the wattage in your daily commute. Tesla recommands it and I find it better to make that a habbit instead of having to remember when I need to plug in and may miss it. I charge up only to 70%, which can cover two days commute, unless when occasionally I anticipate a longer trip the next day. This also keeps the charge state always at around the midpoint. It's supposed to be best for battery life. Don't know if that will make any significant difference but at least it will not hurt.

Thanks for the tip! I will heed your advice, though my car is leased, so I am not terribly concerned about the battery life issues you cited (at least not beyond 3 years when my car is returned and I order a new one). :biggrin:

 

[Oceanwolf]

I also confirmed a 70D. I think with some consideration, I will be OK with a 70. I wanted to be able to tow my boat to the closest reservoir which is only 5 miles away. I could not justify spending so much on a car, when someone asks I just say that I am buying the cheapest available. My ML 350 Bluetec will return to the MB in May, until the X delivered, I will drive my 2006 Mariner Hybrid. It is still a great car though my wife says after driving the ML it feels like we are driving a bar stool.

Onur

 

[vandacca]

The one advantage of a 70D is that it should be technically possible to upgrade to a 90D (or higher) sometime in the future (if you need it). I suspect (and hope) that Tesla will provide battery upgrades and if so, I plan to upgrade in 10-15 years time to the latest and greatest.

 

[roblab]

The one advantage of a 70D is that it should be technically possible to upgrade to a 90D (or higher) sometime in the future (if you need it). I suspect (and hope) that Tesla will provide battery upgrades and if so, I plan to upgrade in 10-15 years time to the latest and greatest.

Unfortunately, this is not an old technology gas car. In five years you will be wanting to upgrade but will not be able to. No, I don't know anything, but three years ago Model S was the greatest thing in the world. How long did it take? Tesla makes about twenty upgrades a week, and a great many of those are not software or replaceable batteries. My new car is worlds ahead of my old car. And it wasn't anything I could fix with a bigger battery pack.

Unlike an old Mercedes or BMW, which in fifteen years looks and drives just about the same as it did when new, and looks and drives just about the same as the new ones do, Model S and X do not stand still.

Of course, you can keep your old car, and you can spend several thousand on an upgrade battery (assuming that works). Or you can spend several thousand on an entirely updated model that hovers or flies, has full autopilot and summon, gets twice the range on half the charge, is safer, etc. Or, for all we know, there will be no cars in 15 years. Hmmmm. No need to look back. It's not the same. Although it humors me to see all the people trying to preserve their past by rebuilding old Chevys, Porsches, Model A Fords (what can you use this for??), etc. And nearly always, it's some old guy with a beard. Maybe it's the beard.

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I also confirmed a 70D. I think with some consideration, I will be OK with a 70. I wanted to be able to tow my boat to the closest reservoir which is only 5 miles away. I could not justify spending so much on a car, when someone asks I just say that I am buying the cheapest available. My ML 350 Bluetec will return to the MB in May, until the X delivered, I will drive my 2006 Mariner Hybrid. It is still a great car though my wife says after driving the ML it feels like we are driving a bar stool.

Onur

I am curious how much gas and maintenance will go into the MB and Mariner during those cars' lifetimes. And then you talk about how expensive the Tesla is. How many people do I know with a big pickup that gets 10 to 15 mpg, needs maintenance every 5000 miles, needs expensive service on their complicated drive trains and exhaust systems, who put a couple hundred or so dollars into the gas tank every month (couple thousand a year times ten or fifteen years)??

If they'd blow their money on a few solar panels, in a few years the power has paid back the investment and the power is free forever, not counting that electric is pretty cheap anyway. Free is cheaper.

Oh, yeah. All these people worried that some friend of theirs might think they are showing off with a Tesla, but with an F250, nobody thinks a thing. Weird. And you own a boat! Talk about throwing money away! To each their own.