Traveling by Supercharger can be more expensive than ICE

[drdumont]

And for how long will the current gas price slump last?
In the Dallas area, Diesel is now a few cents cheaper than gasoline (hasn't been this way in ages), and gas is a little less than $2/gallon in the big chain stations. Using my Kroger benefits I could buy gasoline for < $1, but only once a month.
I'll stick with electricity @ .$.12/KWh, thanks...

 

[alexgr]

I thought Tesla said they wouldn’t make the superchargers a profit center? After paying $14.56 for driving 140 miles from home charger to Supercharger and topping off, I realized it would have been cheaper to drive my pickup. At the current cost of fuel which is $2.25 per gallon here this equates to an ICE getting 21.5mpg. Not too impressive. A regular car comparable to a Model 3 would easily get 30mpg, probably more like 35-40mpg.

Are the supercharger rates here in Montana just excessively high, or is that the normal across the nation.
Makes me really miss free supercharging....

Superchargers are not very cheap but they are the cheapest fast charging option when compared to EA and others.
My trip from San Diego to Tulsa,OK (1400 miles) cost me $75 because ... first charge nearly free at home, one supercharger was free (for unknown reason), and many of the superchargers along the road were about 22-25 cents/kW if I remember correctly. Also, my energy use was about 0.26 kW/mile.
At home, I spend about $25-30 a month (!) on charging. I am okay with spending on par with ICE vehicles on occasional road trips. 90%+ of my (and most people) daily driving is within a single-charge range from home.

 

[Iain]

These guys went Coast to Coast for $136.26. I know my other car ( 12 mpg ) would be far more.

Starting Point: Red Bull Garage, New York City, NY
End Point: Portofino Hotel, Redondo Beach, CA
Time Taken: 48 hours, 10 minutes
Distance Traveled: 2,835 miles (4,562 km)
States Visited: 12 (NY-NJ-PA-OH-IN-IL-MO-OK-TX-NM-AZ-CA)
Supercharger Stops: 19
Energy Used: 832kWh
Cost of Energy: $136.26
Cost per Mile: 4.8 cents

 

[trm2]

Well I still have lots of questions, why does a Motel 6 not sell rooms for $6.
Why cant you play a CD backwards.
Is it true that the Rolling Stones do no gather moss.
Why do I stay at a Hilton and not a Motel 6.
Although this point case is interesting it does not apply broadly my guess.
Life is life.

Because Germany doesn’t have Motel 6? I can attest that the Hilton in Cologne is fairly nice.

Meanwhile, all of us in california are crying about all the mention of $2 gasoline. Haven't seen that in a few decades.

I can go fill my car with regular unleaded for $1.75 a gallon right now or $2.15 for premium (or even free with my grocery store discounts) except my Tesla, that would be really really bad to fill with gas.

 

[KenC]

These guys went Coast to Coast for $136.26. I know my other car ( 12 mpg ) would be far more.

Starting Point: Red Bull Garage, New York City, NY
End Point: Portofino Hotel, Redondo Beach, CA
Time Taken: 48 hours, 10 minutes
Distance Traveled: 2,835 miles (4,562 km)
States Visited: 12 (NY-NJ-PA-OH-IN-IL-MO-OK-TX-NM-AZ-CA)
Supercharger Stops: 19
Energy Used: 832kWh
Cost of Energy: $136.26
Cost per Mile: 4.8 cents

To be fair, if you compared it to a BMW 3-series, highway mileage might be around 28mpg, so 2800 miles would be roughly 100 gallons of fuel. At $2 a gallon, it's not all that bad, ~$200 in fuel to cross the country in a comparable sporty sedan. Percentage-wise, yeah, it's probably 50% more, but in the grand scheme of things, I don't think the difference will stop anyone.

 

[jkdman123]

These guys went Coast to Coast for $136.26. I know my other car ( 12 mpg ) would be far more.

Starting Point: Red Bull Garage, New York City, NY
End Point: Portofino Hotel, Redondo Beach, CA
Time Taken: 48 hours, 10 minutes
Distance Traveled: 2,835 miles (4,562 km)
States Visited: 12 (NY-NJ-PA-OH-IN-IL-MO-OK-TX-NM-AZ-CA)
Supercharger Stops: 19
Energy Used: 832kWh
Cost of Energy: $136.26
Cost per Mile: 4.8 cents

That’s the Cannonball Run!!

 

[thewallaby]

I didn’t look at the kWh charge, I’m simply going by two facts. One, I drove 140 miles and two, it cost me $14.56 to top off to the same 90% charge I left with.

This Model 3 isn’t overly efficient compared to my Model S. I’ve never achieved rated range in the 3 or my MX, the MS would regularly achieve rated range and often exceeded it.

I don't know how you drive but there are tons of model 3s videos on youtube driving in winter conditions and hardly exceeding 280 wh/mile. If you hit 370 it means you had fun all the way there. An ICE car driving it like you stole it would probably average 5-10mpg. Do you math again.

 

[Redbrick]

I think there are a fair amount of people who are viewing their personal circumstances as the norm, rather than the exception. You, in particular, seem to be a bit of an absolutist for instance.

I assure you, I've solely owned BEVs for more than 3 years now...and our 1300 mile round trip jaunts through the Midwest haven't been negatively impacted by utilizing electrons over molecules.

Okay, fair enough. Consider this though....what would your experience be like making that same trip with the same car after 15 or 20 years? The ICE car gas tank is still the same size...same experience... I look forward to your response....

 

[Redbrick]

Are you talking to me? I just drove 1.036 km from Munich, Germany, to southern Italy and back, and I did it not in a long-range Tesla, but in an SR+.

Enforced charging stops make such a trip an hour longer (about 10% of the total travel time) than in a liquid fuel burner and half an hour longer than in a long-range Tesla, not counting a lunch break that I would have anyway. Is this a good reason to use a different car? No, because the SR+ has already saved me hours at gas stations over the 8 months that I have it. Overall an ICE car would waste more of my time than even the lowly Model 3 SR+.

If I did more long-distance travelling, I would use a long-range Tesla instead, and the comparison would come out even better for the electric vehicle.

Note that I'm not discussing convenience. I'm discussing time. Whether a charging stop is convenient or not is a separate question with rather subjective answers. I also don't discuss the poisonous gases that internal combustion engines blow into the noses of pedestrians and bicyclists or the noise, although those are also well worth discussing.

Man...I remember driving all over Italy from Rome to Ravello in a lil' gas manual rental...was an awesome experience...beautiful country...only filled up once maybe twice...Oh I would love to do that again...not in a tesla though...I can't imagine trying to find a charging station in the mountains...beside that tesla would be too crazy big me thinks.

 

[KenC]

Okay, fair enough. Consider this though....what would your experience be like making that same trip with the same car after 15 or 20 years? The ICE car gas tank is still the same size...same experience... I look forward to your response....

In 15 or 20 years, I expect there will be 10x more superchargers, and they'll be faster, so any difference in trip time for the average driver between taking an ICE or EV will be nil. Replacement batteries could be cheaper than an engine rebuild. Unlike the ICE, the EV has gotten continual software updates. By then, FSD has finally reached Stage 4. Hahaha...

 

[KenC]

Man...I remember driving all over Italy from Rome to Ravello in a lil' gas manual rental...was an awesome experience...beautiful country...only filled up once maybe twice...Oh I would love to do that again...not in a tesla though...I can't imagine trying to find a charging station in the mountains...beside that tesla would be too crazy big me thinks.

After college, I rode my bicycle all over Italy. Hard, but enjoyable. I'd like to do it again someday, but maybe a bike with battery assist!

Rome to Ravello(185miles) only needs a stop in Ceprano, for 7mins, 3euros. 150kW.

 

[JohnSnowNW]

Okay, fair enough. Consider this though....what would your experience be like making that same trip with the same car after 15 or 20 years? The ICE car gas tank is still the same size...same experience... I look forward to your response....

I've never kept a vehicle more than 6 years...and the average lifespan of a car is 12 years.

So my response would be: Whatever BEV I would have in 15-20 years would provide a completely different experience (and one would assume "more betterer").

 

[RoccoR]

One of the first few questions I ask people that inquire about buying a Tesla is, How long is your commute and how much do you drive in the winter? Most people don't know how cold weather affects battery packs and the estimated range. Since I am in a location where it gets VERY cold during winter the answers matter a lot. It sounds like your number one issue is estimated range during winter. How do you solve it and still remain a Tesla owner? A bigger battery pack. Having read fpl reviews I don't know what i will do later on. It sucks but it is what it is. I would never go back to an ICE, especially a Range Rover, as my daily but my commute is only a few miles and we have a minivan for longer drives.

 

[Nickage87]

One of the first few questions I ask people that inquire about buying a Tesla is, How long is your commute and how much do you drive in the winter? Most people don't know how cold weather affects battery packs and the estimated range. Since I am in a location where it gets VERY cold during winter the answers matter a lot. It sounds like your number one issue is estimated range during winter. How do you solve it and still remain a Tesla owner? A bigger battery pack. Having read fpl reviews I don't know what i will do later on. It sucks but it is what it is. I would never go back to an ICE, especially a Range Rover, as my daily but my commute is only a few miles and we have a minivan for longer drives.

If the commute is only few miles why not use a bicycle? Its like 100k in savings account in 5-7 years.

 

[SSonnentag]

If the commute is only few miles why not use a bicycle? Its like 100k in savings account in 5-7 years.

Bikes don't do so well in the snow and ice. They also don't allow taking equipment to and from work.

 

[KenC]

I’d consider an ebike with snow tires. Studded if it’s often icy.

 

[run-the-joules]

Bikes don't do so well in the snow and ice. They also don't allow taking equipment to and from work.

not with that attitude they don't.

 

[PACEMD]

E-bike with a plow............

 

[SageBrush]

This thread revives in me the ardent desire to be able to 'disappear' threads.

It has the same 'no sh1t, sherlock' vibe as someone being amazed that some hotels are more expensive per night than staying at home

 

[drtimhill]

I’d consider an ebike with snow tires. Studded if it’s often icy.

Good idea .. add a couple extra wheels for stability, maybe a canopy for bad weather. We could call it .. um .. a "car"