haha I am sure I will regret it when my wife looks at our savings account. The AWD is just outside of our budget to spend on a car.
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haha I am sure I will regret it when my wife looks at our savings account. The AWD is just outside of our budget to spend on a car.
ElectricIAC
Good-Natured Rascal
Just be sure to charge to 90% daily and you should be fine. My average commute is about 50% longer than yours and in winter I’m just about using between 70-85% charge in my P3D+
I also have an SR on order and plan to see how it’s improvements stack up. (Kind of like a best case vs worst case)
And you get a whole lot more than more than just range.
Hope OP doesn’t end up like one of these folks. Must be a thread along these lines like once a week. They realize how much they love the car and realize it’s a long term keeper and then realized the crippled their investment with a small battery.
Most of the thumbs up folks haven’t a clue what it’s like when you get a 3 week run of temps that never go above single digits. And unless you test drive in those conditions a range test is pointless.
SR+ Change battery for LR battery possible?
I've had my Model 3 for three weeks, and I'm thinking of trading ... | Tesla
sounds like you were in a similar situation as me as i am replacing my commuter Civic. I am sure I would love the LR AWD, who wouldn’t? But I have a family I have to put first financially and 10k is a lot of money to spend if the SR+ will do the job.
I guess that’s not the point of the post. I don’t think anyone is denying the the AWD LR version is better but for some, including myself that extra 11k is just the straw that broke the camels back financially when it comes to a car. The post was more to verify that the range in the SR+ is suitable for that type of commute not to argue if the AWD is worth the price tag. For me with the added 11k the car stops making sense financially. As it stands today I am only going to have to come out of pocket (monthly) another $20 for the model 3 SR+ over my current civic lease when gas savings are added in. 11k would change that to a monthly increase of $172. Although I agree with the posts saying the AWD is better, I don’t want to spend that money unless I absolutely have to.
ElectricIAC
Good-Natured Rascal
With Model 3 resale values where they are the lease in it’s current iteration is a rip-off. Worst of all is that there’s no buyout.
pl8dlikafiddle
Member
OP, do you have an enclosed garage to charge the car in or will it be parked outside? In very low temps, it’ll be more challenging. Key is the have the car preconditioned before leaving the house - this helps keep consumption reasonable.
For what it’s worth, I have a close friend with a 2017 Model S 75D (100% charge for his car is 236 miles right now) that lives near Dalton, OH and his commute is 120miles round trip. He charges to 90% everyday and always returns with more than 20% charge.
With a supercharger in between your commute, the SR+ will be fine for this commute.
For what it’s worth, I have a close friend with a 2017 Model S 75D (100% charge for his car is 236 miles right now) that lives near Dalton, OH and his commute is 120miles round trip. He charges to 90% everyday and always returns with more than 20% charge.
With a supercharger in between your commute, the SR+ will be fine for this commute.
hey there! Yes I do have a garage and the car will be parked in the garage and charged overnight. I am having a 14-50 outlet installed.
do you think I am going to have to frequent the supercharger? I was hoping to only have to use in rare instances.
When I went through the decision of choosing the SR+ vs LR I looked at the total difference in price ($6,000 at the time), less the difference in eventual resale value. I figured I would get back at least $3K more on the LR model so my real cost would be more like an extra $3K.
The concern I have with the SR+ is that while 250 miles of range seems very reasonable, what will the range be in 3-5 years after battery degradation? And how much of a hit will the car take on resale value if the final range drops down to more like 200 miles? For now nobody really knows. But if the car battery degrades that much it may make it too low to be considered a viable commuter car.
Look at the Nissan Leaf. It started off at 73 miles. But with battery degradation some of the older models can barely go 35 miles now. How much is a car with 35 miles of range worth?
The concern I have with the SR+ is that while 250 miles of range seems very reasonable, what will the range be in 3-5 years after battery degradation? And how much of a hit will the car take on resale value if the final range drops down to more like 200 miles? For now nobody really knows. But if the car battery degrades that much it may make it too low to be considered a viable commuter car.
Look at the Nissan Leaf. It started off at 73 miles. But with battery degradation some of the older models can barely go 35 miles now. How much is a car with 35 miles of range worth?
The 250 miles is more like ~165 if you account for a few percent capacity degradation, charging 90%, and not expecting to discharge below 20%. In bad conditions, I’d expect 1/2 to 1/3 the rated range. If the roads are dry, and the temps aren’t much below freezing, you can probably get 120-140 with 20% buffer. But if you get a string of very low temps, combined with precipitation, range is massively impacted and you won’t be able to make it without charging.
I’d say 50 miles each way is fine if you expect to mostly drain the pack every day from your commute, and don’t drive in weather much worse than 40’s and light rain. You would probably have to stop to charge in some situations. If you have easy access to superchargers along the way, this shouldn’t be so bad. Be aware charge rates with a cold battery are very poor. It takes at least 30 minutes to warm the battery a little bit when it’s cold. To achieve full charge speeds after the car is parked in very cold windy weather, it takes well over an hour if the car is parked, mostly never if the car is moving while heating.
You probably won’t need to charge more than a handful of times a year to be able to make the trip. But it is something to be aware of. I get around 1/4 the rated range in really awful conditions if I drive aggressively with the heat hammered. The car is wonderful and I’d assume you’ll be happy with that compromise, but it’s reasonable to be aware of these things before making the decision. In warm to hot weather, everything’s great. But when it’s super cold, snowing hard, and you have no choice but to leave the heat cranked and drive 12 mph through deep snow, range is worse than you’d expect.
I’d say 50 miles each way is fine if you expect to mostly drain the pack every day from your commute, and don’t drive in weather much worse than 40’s and light rain. You would probably have to stop to charge in some situations. If you have easy access to superchargers along the way, this shouldn’t be so bad. Be aware charge rates with a cold battery are very poor. It takes at least 30 minutes to warm the battery a little bit when it’s cold. To achieve full charge speeds after the car is parked in very cold windy weather, it takes well over an hour if the car is parked, mostly never if the car is moving while heating.
You probably won’t need to charge more than a handful of times a year to be able to make the trip. But it is something to be aware of. I get around 1/4 the rated range in really awful conditions if I drive aggressively with the heat hammered. The car is wonderful and I’d assume you’ll be happy with that compromise, but it’s reasonable to be aware of these things before making the decision. In warm to hot weather, everything’s great. But when it’s super cold, snowing hard, and you have no choice but to leave the heat cranked and drive 12 mph through deep snow, range is worse than you’d expect.
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youngmcdonald
Member
I made a 2400 mile cross country drive in the snowy and rainy conditions with little to no range anxiety with my new Model 3 SR+. There’s always going to be something more expensive to buy, so get what you can afford “today” without dipping into your savings. It’s just a car.
The average range considering all weather and road conditions for SR+ is about 185 miles and more like 165 miles for 90% charge, so you will be fine. On warm days, you’ll almost never have to worry about it. Just don’t drive at insane speeds. Long range adds about 65 extra miles to this equation.
Another reason to get a cheaper car that suffices YOUR needs is that if you get into an accident where it’s your fault, it’s 12k fewer dollars at stake.
The average range considering all weather and road conditions for SR+ is about 185 miles and more like 165 miles for 90% charge, so you will be fine. On warm days, you’ll almost never have to worry about it. Just don’t drive at insane speeds. Long range adds about 65 extra miles to this equation.
Another reason to get a cheaper car that suffices YOUR needs is that if you get into an accident where it’s your fault, it’s 12k fewer dollars at stake.
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ElectricIAC
Good-Natured Rascal
To be fair, the S/X of old appeared to be a lot more realistic regarding range outside of *ideal* conditions.
Uncle Paul
Well-Known Member
Your choice of a + should work out great for you. On most any day, you should be easily able to drive to work and back home. You also have the perfect situation with a couple Superchargers along the way.
As you drive, your on board computer will constantly calculate your remaining range. If it gets below what you are comfortable with, an easy 10 minute stop for some juice will eliminate any worries.
Of course, the Long Range would be even better, but $11,000 is still a lot of money.
You will save a ton on fuel and the autopilot will certainly make your long commute more enjoyable.
Since you drive a lot, over time you will learn to love your Tesla even more. No more stopping into dirty gas stations, no more monthly gas bills, no more oil changes, tune ups and typical ICE hassles.
If you could talk your employee into installing some charging spots for his employees, you would find the world just a little brighter.
As you drive, your on board computer will constantly calculate your remaining range. If it gets below what you are comfortable with, an easy 10 minute stop for some juice will eliminate any worries.
Of course, the Long Range would be even better, but $11,000 is still a lot of money.
You will save a ton on fuel and the autopilot will certainly make your long commute more enjoyable.
Since you drive a lot, over time you will learn to love your Tesla even more. No more stopping into dirty gas stations, no more monthly gas bills, no more oil changes, tune ups and typical ICE hassles.
If you could talk your employee into installing some charging spots for his employees, you would find the world just a little brighter.
Thank you! And I 100% agree. I am sure anyone with a SR+ would love a long range but for me, it is either go with the SR+ or sign another civic lease. The LR AWD is just not in the cards right now.
there have been whispers of my employer putting in chargers at work as more EVs keep popping up. So who knows!
First off, I think many of us would love a Long range dual motore but as @bnikel mentions, for many of us that extra 9k (15k for we Canadians as we lose the $5k rebate on those) is just over our budget.
That said, while I'd love longer range (who wouldn't), you have more than enough power for your daily commute. It gets cold here in Ontario and I think overall I run about 67-68% efficiency with my SR+. That's driving a 70mile a day trip (return) and doing 20kms over the limit (which takes more power) which typicaly leaves us with an extra 130-150kms each day.
Plug in each night, and enjoy your SR+
That said, while I'd love longer range (who wouldn't), you have more than enough power for your daily commute. It gets cold here in Ontario and I think overall I run about 67-68% efficiency with my SR+. That's driving a 70mile a day trip (return) and doing 20kms over the limit (which takes more power) which typicaly leaves us with an extra 130-150kms each day.
Plug in each night, and enjoy your SR+
For the record the difference is $9,000
Cheaper to typically charge at home (free for me with Solar)
longer warranty
better audio system (gosh, I sure would want that alone with 100 a mile commute)
AWD (sure would like that with 100 mile commute in snow locations)
72 more miles (less need to stop at superchargers on long cold commutes, probably the difference between never and sometimes)
1 Year Connectivity (live traffic is something I'd want on a 100 mile commute) but that is only $100
Better Acceleration (with optional power boost for even more) SR (spunky) AWD with boost (insane).
More $$$ back on Trade or Selling in the future.
Faster charging at home.
Faster charging at supercharger.
P.S. OP isn't the only one contemplating this same choice and reading this thread.
Absolute no brainer for $9,000
If $9000 for a ~5 year investment will break the bank perhaps OP shouldn't be even considering a Tesla at all.
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Didn’t read all posts, but from what I saw, there’s absolutely no way you’ll consider an AWD, and I don’t know why people are trying to convince you to do something out of your price range.
From everything I’ve read, researched, discussed with owners of the SR+ They all love the car (except those who have experienced the AWD or Perf) and think it’s super quick and fun.
the range meets your demands, and if you learn how to properly heat the batteries, you’ll be in a great position.
someone mentioned a 5 minute top up at a supercharger, I would argue, even 3 minutes just to warm the batteries in extreme conditions will get you home with range to spare.
don’t stop at a supercharger on the way to work as the battery won’t be in the sweet spot, only on the way home and it will be optimized. It might cost you 1$ depending on your local rates. And take about as long as fuelling up a gas car. (But you’ll be able to sit in your warm car while it’s happening, unlike a gas car)
Keep your tires at the right inflation, and check regularly (the car has a tire inflation page that shows the current pressure)
Don't exceed your 70mph speed you mentioned. On really cold days, keep a pair of driving gloves and just drop your interior temp a few degrees and use the seat heater if you plan not to stop and are worried.
if you used the guidance system on the return trip, the car will tell you if you need to slow down to make your destination (lots of warning I gather). The cars are smart.
Any chance of plugging in, even to a 110V at work? (While unnecessary, it can be piece of mind and help you warm the batteries)
Hope there was some useful stuff in my comment for you.
Cheers.
From everything I’ve read, researched, discussed with owners of the SR+ They all love the car (except those who have experienced the AWD or Perf) and think it’s super quick and fun.
the range meets your demands, and if you learn how to properly heat the batteries, you’ll be in a great position.
someone mentioned a 5 minute top up at a supercharger, I would argue, even 3 minutes just to warm the batteries in extreme conditions will get you home with range to spare.
don’t stop at a supercharger on the way to work as the battery won’t be in the sweet spot, only on the way home and it will be optimized. It might cost you 1$ depending on your local rates. And take about as long as fuelling up a gas car. (But you’ll be able to sit in your warm car while it’s happening, unlike a gas car)
Keep your tires at the right inflation, and check regularly (the car has a tire inflation page that shows the current pressure)
Don't exceed your 70mph speed you mentioned. On really cold days, keep a pair of driving gloves and just drop your interior temp a few degrees and use the seat heater if you plan not to stop and are worried.
if you used the guidance system on the return trip, the car will tell you if you need to slow down to make your destination (lots of warning I gather). The cars are smart.
Any chance of plugging in, even to a 110V at work? (While unnecessary, it can be piece of mind and help you warm the batteries)
Hope there was some useful stuff in my comment for you.
Cheers.
pl8dlikafiddle
Member
In my opinion, no and I would buy the SR+.
My point is mainly that the supercharger is there in the occasion that you feel you need it.
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