Appreciate your input. Here’s what I’m thinking:
Pros
Relatively Close Superchargers - Right now I have 2 supercharger locations near me that are about to go online. One is 5 minutes from work and the other 10 minutes from home.
$2,000 Option - That $2,000 prorated cost everyone got hung up on was a FUSC option at a time when supercharger locations were very limited in number. You would have to increase that comparison number now with the current state of supercharging available.
Supercharger Network Increase - There are only going to be more supercharging locations in the future, not less. They will become more prevalent at convenient locations like malls and rest stops - places where you would want to stop for longer than your traditional ICE fill-up.
Unknown Future Charging Rates - As
@Yinn mentioned, we don’t know what the supercharging rate will be in the future. It could go up or down. New Jersey supercharging
cost is different than most because they charge you based on time with respect to kWh being used.
Long Term Ownership - I plan on keeping my P3D until it’s either run into the ground or the cost of keeping it alive no longer makes financial sense. At the very least, if I’m done with it and I can still make money from it, I will use it as part of the Tesla Fleet Sharing Program.
Road Trips - It’ll make me want to take more road trips. With “fuel” being free, I’m more inclined to use that money toward better hotels and food. I’m not really saving money here, but I am getting to experience more.
Principle - And then there’s the Principle of the matter. I agreed to pay Tesla X amount of dollars for my Tesla. Normal dealerships give inconsistent discounts all of the time. Manufactureres add incentives throughout the entire year. It’s what you signed up for when you inked that paper.
Cons
Bay Availability - With more Teslas coming online, the percentage of open charging spots will go down by default. Even more so if Tesla opens up supercharging to other manufacturers - Elon talked about this in a recent Conference Call. He’s ok with them making an adapter for their respective cars as long as they contribute to the cost of the Supercharger Network. (This should all be alleviated by additional supercharging locations. Hopefully, Tesla is paying attention to some algorithm on their end when it comes to bay use per car per location)
Home Charging - It only costs me an additional $62.50/month right now to charge daily at home in order to travel 1,250 miles. This is super convenient. Plug it in when I get home, and then I don’t have to think about it. Five minutes before I leave I can warm or cool the cabin. $5,000 at my current electricity rate is 100,000 miles at $0.05/mile. I drive ~15,000 miles per year. It would take me ~7 years to spend that at home.
Opportunity Cost - I could take that money right now and invest in the S&P 500 and get an average annual return of 8%. That’s roughly $400+ in paper gains yearly in the short term, more in the long. I could also scoop up Ford stock at the current 7.7% dividend for $385 a year in cash flow or let it it ride on Tesla stock.
Non-Transferable - Unfortunately, FUSC does not transfer with the P3D if and when I were to sell it. My game plan in to keep the P3D, but if this were transferable there would still be some value over a P3D without it
@BLKTSLA
Conclusion
At the end of the day, $5,000 is a significant chunk of change. The ultimate question that I have to ask myself is:
Q: Would I pay $5,000 right now if FUSC were an available option?
A: Yes
Let’s pretend you own and ICE and we put it another way:
Q: Would you give Exxon $5,000 right now to get unlimited fuel for one of your cars?
A: Yes, who wouldn’t! At 8 cents per mile in fuel ($2.30 per gallon @ 30mpg) it would only take 62,500 miles to break even after 50 months of driving 1,250 miles per month. Keep in mind that an Exxon station might not be around the corner, but every time you go to one you get free gas, so it makes sense to go out of your way for it. Also keep in mind that you won’t have the convenience of topping off at home.
