Tesla Model 3 SR+ with 100 mile round trip commute

[bnikel]

Hi All,

So I recently placed an order for a Model 3 SR+ which at the time of ordering has an estimated range of 250 miles. I drive 100 miles a day round trip, 50 miles to work and 50 miles home which is roughly 15 miles back roads and 35 miles highway (65-70mph). My wife and I have a bigger SUV we use to cart the kids around in and for long roadtrips. So this car would be used souly for my commute and maybe trips to town on the weekend. I live in Ohio so it can get quite cold however if the roads get to bad I do have the ability to work from home so the RWD doesnt concern me.

My biggest concern is the range, I have gone over this in my head 100 times. I typically account for 30% range loss due to weather (cold, rain, snow, heat) which is 67 miles if I take 30% off the 90% charge of 225 range. Which still leaves me with 158 mile range which is more than enough for my commute, heck its almost enough to go to work, back home and back to work.

I am having a 14-50 outlet installed so I do plan to charge every night from home. There is also a super charger on my way to work if I ever have a power outage and cant charge the car from home.

The biggest thing is I cant go to the AWD LR model, so its essentially the SR+ or no Tesla for me. I couldnt afford the extra 9k (closer to 12k after taxes and finacing charges) and even if I could, I just couldnt get the wife to sign off on spending that much on a car haha.

ok I will stop rambling...I wanted the opinions of the group, do you think I will be ok in this model for my commute? Does anyone else have a similar commute in this car? Let me know your thoughts.

 

[linux-works]

I strongly suggest reconsidering awd. its WAY more fun (wish I had gone awd) and you'll get enough range to not even THINK about it.

 

[OCR1]

Well, I guess any Tesla is better than no Tesla. The SR+ will be able to handle your commute. But I would want to have more of a buffer than that personally, so I would try to get a long range car, possibly even a used one if you have to meet a price point.

 

[SlimJim]

Also at freeway speed the range will get shorter

 

[linux-works]

btw, I immediately jumped to the base model when I picked my m3. I stupidly didn't consider the awd enough - the price was a show-stopper for me and I didn't see the value 'in an extra motor' (lol).

been driving my rwd for several months now and really like it a lot.

then, my friend who bought an awd comes over and lets me try his. in 10 seconds or less, the change is felt immediately. feels more in-control (better balance with that motor up front, I think) and the POWER change was day and night, for me.

yes, its a LOT more money to folks like you and me. I declined and went with the base model.

I'm advising you to find a way to upgrade your view to the awd. you'll own this for a while and you won't regret it.

 

[bnikel]

Thanks

btw, I immediately jumped to the base model when I picked my m3. I stupidly didn't consider the awd enough - the price was a show-stopper for me and I didn't see the value 'in an extra motor' (lol).

been driving my rwd for several months now and really like it a lot.

then, my friend who bought an awd comes over and lets me try his. in 10 seconds or less, the change is felt immediately. feels more in-control (better balance with that motor up front, I think) and the POWER change was day and night, for me.

yes, its a LOT more money to folks like you and me. I declined and went with the base model.

I'm advising you to find a way to upgrade your view to the awd. you'll own this for a while and you won't regret it.

Thank you! To be honest I dont really care about the speed. I am coming from a Honda Civic that goes 0-60 in like 8 seconds lol. It’s all about the range. I would gladly take a slower care if it meant I could get a little more range.

 

[jjrandorin]

I think you will make that drive fine, even in the winter, as long as you charge to 90% daily at home. During the dead of winter you will likely go 90-20 or so though.

If it were me, I think I would wait and possibly target a used AWD though, because when you account for battery degradation over the years, it might get a little tighter in the dead of winter after a few years. In an AWD, model 3, even a used one, you could make that drive even after degradation.

If you are not in a hurry, maybe target a used AWD one during the summer, or save a bit more. If you dont want to do that though, I believe you would be ok with the SR+ with your specific circumstance.

 

[bnikel]

I think you will make that drive fine, even in the winter, as long as you charge to 90% daily at home. During the dead of winter you will likely go 90-20 or so though.

If it were me, I think I would wait and possibly target a used AWD though, because when you account for battery degradation over the years, it might get a little tighter in the dead of winter after a few years. In an AWD, model 3, even a used one, you could make that drive even after degradation.

If you are not in a hurry, maybe target a used AWD one during the summer, or save a bit more. If you dont want to do that though, I believe you would be ok with the SR+ with your specific circumstance.

Thank you! The current lease is up in my car (honda Civic) so I either have to sign a new lease or go with the Tesla. I have been keeping an eye out for used / existing inventory over the last 7 months or so with no luck on the model 3’s. I did however see a good amount of model S’s for sale but most of those far exceeded my price range lol

 

[jjrandorin]

Thank you! The current lease is up in my car (honda Civic) so I either have to sign a new lease or go with the Tesla. I have been keeping an eye out for used / existing inventory over the last 7 months or so with no luck on the model 3’s. I did however see a good amount of model S’s for sale but most of those far exceeded my price range lol

I wouldnt recommend an S since the range on those doesnt fit what you are looking for, for the older ones that would be in the price range of a new SR+. Since you have a lease expiration you have to account for, it sounds like SR+ or no tesla, and given those choices I would tell you the SR+ will work. Keep looking to see if you can find a LR AWD in the low 40s though.

 

[Kevin-rf]

This coming from an LR AWD, with a 95 is mile mostly highway commute . In the winter I typically charge to 80% leaving with about 230ish miles each morning, and on the cold, cold days getting home with 70-80 miles left on the battery.

This is my second winter and I factor about 3 miles of range lost for every two miles driven.

With the SR+, if you charge to 90%, you'll probably be arriving home with a little under 50 miles left. Also, can not say enough about scheduling your charging so you leave with a warm battery. Drastic improvement on your morning commute efficiency. You also didn't indicate if you have a supercharger along the route. A short 5 minute topoff is all you will need on those sideways days.

 

[bnikel]

This coming from an LR AWD, with a 95 is mile mostly highway commute . In the winter I typically charge to 80% leaving with about 230ish miles each morning, and on the cold, cold days getting home with 70-80 miles left on the battery.

This is my second winter and I factor about 3 miles of range lost for every two miles driven.

With the SR+, if you charge to 90%, you'll probably be arriving home with a little under 50 miles left. Also, can not say enough about scheduling your charging so you leave with a warm battery. Drastic improvement on your morning commute efficiency. You also didn't indicate if you have a supercharger along the route. A short 5 minute topoff is all you will need on those sideways days.

Oops I thought I mentioned that! There are two superchargers. There is one exactly half way though my commute right off the highway and another right by my work.

 

[linux-works]

if you enjoy driving, don't discount the fun factor of the extra front motor.

I know its a lot more money. its what stopped me. but I regret it, now. really wish I found a way to wait longer or save (etc) for awd.

you buy it once and own for at least 4 years, right?

quoted range from tesla is very optimistic.

I would now pick a clean used awd over a new rwd. yes, I got convinced that much, how much better it is. its the proper m3, the way it should be. totally convinced of that, myself

just give it more thought.

 

[Seabay]

I feel like it’s a comfort issue as I have a similar situation. My SR+ more than handles my 80 mile commute. But there has been one day when I had extra errands and couldn’t get an opening to charge at work and the supercharger near my office was overflowing and I had a time crunch.
It was only once but it was a concern. 99 percent of the time, no problem.
Having said that, if I get a big enough bonus to make me forget the difference, I’m trading. If not, I’ll stand pat. It’s all about the money and not overextending.

 

[Kevin-rf]

If you have superchargers on your commute, I wouldn't give range a second thought. You are not in California where the supercharger lines can stretch into weeks. It's easier than you think. The last time I drove through Ohio, yes from Boston, never saw a crowd at a single supercharger.

That said, I would still recommend the much more fun LR AWD, but I'm biased. ;-)

 

[OCR1]

It would be interesting to take a poll of SR+ owners to see how many of them would purchase the SR+ again versus upgrading to LR AWD.

 

[mreynolds767]

With the long range (awd or used lr Rwd) you won’t have range anxiety

You can make do with the SR+ as long as you have a supercharger along the way for a quick stop on those rare days (have other errands to run, it is really, really cold, etc...)

don’t think it has been mentioned but the speed you travel on the highway makes a big difference as well; if you normally drive 65 this will be much less of a concern than if you normally drive 75

 

[bnikel]

if you enjoy driving, don't discount the fun factor of the extra front motor.

I know its a lot more money. its what stopped me. but I regret it, now. really wish I found a way to wait longer or save (etc) for awd.

you buy it once and own for at least 4 years, right?

quoted range from tesla is very optimistic.

I would now pick a clean used awd over a new rwd. yes, I got convinced that much, how much better it is. its the proper m3, the way it should be. totally convinced of that, myself

just give it more thought.

Haha I appreciate the enthusiasm for the speed but my concern / reason for this post was to see if the range in the SR+ was adequate enough to support my commute.

12k is a lot to pay for fun, I can

If you have superchargers on your commute, I wouldn't give range a second thought. You are not in California where the supercharger lines can stretch into weeks. It's easier than you think. The last time I drove through Ohio, yes from Boston, never saw a crowd at a single supercharger.

That said, I would still recommend the much more fun LR AWD, but I'm biased. ;-)

There is a super charger on my way and another one close to my work. But I would like to not stop at them unless in an emergency situation. I would like the car to be able to handle my round trip commute 99 percent of the time. With the understanding that there may be a time or two when I have to super charge due to an accident, really, really bad weather etc.

 

[mswlogo]

If you have a long commute in a cold geography get a long range. Period.

Start with 250 miles all shiny and new.

Now take 10% off because you’re not gonna charge it to 100% every day.

Now at 225 miles.

Now take 20% (or more) off for how much reserve you want to have. The colder it is the more reserve you want. Because you could get stuck in traffic or a planned charge destination is down or full or you could hit a detour.

Now your down to 175 miles (routinely not factoring in cold weather).

Now let’s apply losses due to cold weather. 30% is a reasonable AVERAGE loss for winter. But when it’s below 10F out you can see 50% loss.

Also there are losses that just happen. Like when you first get in things start consuming battery before you get moving. And things keep running when you park it.

Now if you can charge at work or don’t mind stopping at a SC on those cold snaps (which generally don’t happen that often) you’d be ok. You could also top off to 100% in the morning on those frigid cold snaps.

Also keep in mind the car won’t get 250 miles forever. Count on losing 5% after a couple years.

More range is way more convenient.

My commute is 10 miles round trip and I wouldn’t blink an an eye at getting the longest range available. I do 120 miles (one way) trips on weekends with charging available at the destination (my cabin).

 

[Matsayz]

Why not lease the Tesla? You leased the Civic right?

Having that Supercharger on the way to work makes this a no brained, you’d be fine anyways but even in the dead of winter you’ll be able to stop for 15-20mins and get that extra “buffer” to make you feel better.

The extra money for an AWD for your situation isn’t worth it. You might regret not having AWD come winter but you seem to have lived through it with a Civic so you’ll be fine. Snow tires do wonders.

Last option, move out of Ohio...

 

[jrweiss98020]

There is a super charger on my way and another one close to my work. But I would like to not stop at them unless in an emergency situation. I would like the car to be able to handle my round trip commute 99 percent of the time. With the understanding that there may be a time or two when I have to super charge due to an accident, really, really bad weather etc.

Sounds like you have NO problem. Buy the car!