Just for Fun: Tesla

Just for Fun: Life with Tesla Model 3s

Are you a car guy or gal? I am! I’ve owned all sorts of cars, ranging from sports cars to luxury cars. And the Tesla is one of the most interesting I’ve ever owned.

Economics

Believe it or not, the Lower Mainland has some of the lowest electricity prices in North America – and the highest gas prices. Sounds like the perfect breeding ground for electric vehicles, doesn’t it? No wonder that it seems like every third car is a Tesla!

Here is my take on the economics of Tesla ownership, compared to the Subaru Outback it replaced. As a realtor, I drive a fair bit – about 30,000 km per year:

1. Fuel Savings: (30,000 km/yr) * (10.5 litres/100 km) * $1.90/litre = $5,985 /yr. Observation of my fuel bill shows electricity consumption increased by much less than $1,000/yr – so let’s call the fuel savings $5,000/yr.
2. Maintenance: there is ZERO maintenance on the Tesla – saves around $2,000/yr.
3. Writing off the depreciation against my business saves me easily $2,500/yr.

Total savings ~ $9,500 / yr. Purchase price, after rebates but not including GST, was ~ $45,000 – so less than 5 years to recoup the entire cost of the car! Not too shabby at all.

Ownership Experience

In a word: amazing!!!

1. Charging – it takes 10 seconds to plug the car in at home. And you never have to stop at a gas station! Tesla’s supercharger network is excellent – I’ve never had to wait for a charger while travelling, and a typical charging stop is only 15 minutes. The time passes quickly while I watch Netflix, grab a bite to eat or go to the bathroom.
2. Reliability – both cars have been nearly perfect. One had a problem with wind noise on the passenger side at highway speeds. Reported through the Tesla app, and a service tech came by the house and changed the rubber seal. Problem fixed, zero cost, no dealership visits!
3. Over the air updates – this is the first car I’ve ever owned where the car gets better year after year!!
4. Software – Tesla is, first and foremost, a software company. And it shows: the user interface is minimally intrusive and very easy to use (although it does take a little getting used to, being very different from other cars!) The voice command system works very well, with the result that I seldom need to ever manipulate controls. I can change music, climate control settings and most common functions without my hands ever leaving the wheel. The car is fully integrated with the app on your phone: walk up to the car, and it unlocks automatically. Climb in, and you will find your seat position is already set; your climate control preferences are set; your radio stations and the music you were listening to is already on. Stop the car and walk away – it automatically locks up when you leave.
5.  Autopilot – works incredibly well. It’s very relaxing engaging Autopilot on the highway, and letting it drive – particularly in stop and go traffic. In the early days, I had to intervene frequently for safety; however, the software has improved enormously over the past couple of years, and it’s very, very rare that I have to take over now.
6.  Little Easter Eggs and Features that delight – oh gosh, there are so many! Entertainment options are comprehensive. The car features karaoke for the singers amongst us; a light show to make your kids laugh after dark; internet radio – listen to radio stations from around the globe; Netflix, YouTube, Zoom video calling and on and on. The navigation system is superb, and integrates with your phone’s calendar – just get in the car, and the navigation is already set to guide you where you are going! The windshield wipers are driven by a neural net (AI) that learns your preferences for wiping frequency, for goodness’ sake!
7.  Aesthetics – probably the most divisive aspect of the car. The controls of the car are almost Spartan, compared to the vast array of buttons festooning a Japanese and Germans car. I love it; but I’ve heard comments from drivers’ transitioning from a Mercedes that it feels too basic, and the exterior is boring. However, the seats are incredibly comfortable and supportive for long drives, the view out is panoramic because there is no dash in front of the driver, and I love looking out through the glass ceiling! Wish it had a sunroof though.

Driving Experience

It’s tricky to write about the driving experience of these cars because they are so good that they invite comparison to sports cars, costing many times as much. Really, a fair comparison is to a family sedan such as a Toyota Camry or a BMW 3-Series – but that really doesn’t do justice to what the Tesla has to offer! So my comments below will often unfairly compare the humble Model 3 to cars that are so much more expensive.

Power: the acceleration of these cars from any speed is just breathtaking!   Even the basic Model 3 will leave most cars in the dust; and when I’m driving the Performance model, I go out deliberately trolling Corvettes, Porsches, Ferraris and the like.   I had the opportunity to test drive a Model S Plaid;  I’ve never felt acceleration like that before in any car! Step on the accelerator and your head is forcefully snapped into the headrest under 1.5+ gee of acceleration!! You can see forward, but all side vision blurs in an instant. It’s an incredible rush – and no wonder you have to buy supercar insurance.

Handling: because the batteries are in the floor, the centre of gravity is low, and the cars corners quite flat. However, they are heavy – much heavier than a similar size sports cars, and you will feel that in a twisty road. They can hunker down and corner well, but they do not like being flung in one direction and then another. Also, compared with a Porsche, the steering wheel really does not communicate “road feel” well. However, as I remarked earlier, the car will out-handle anything in its price bracket, and just the fact that the car evokes a comparison to a Porsche 911 is a compliment!  If you are used to a Mazda or Toyota sedan, you will certainly have no complaints about handling.

Comfort: The ride in the Model 3 is firm, much firmer than in a Toyota Camry or a Mazda 3 or 6, and some drivers may object to that. I don’t – the ride is similar to what you would expect from a sports car, or a sports sedan. A BMW M (Motorsport) driver will feel perfectly at home in the Tesla Model 3. It’s worth noting that the much more expensive Model S has an adaptive air suspension, similar to that found in a Rolls Royce or Citroen, and it provides a very smooth ride while retaining excellent handling. At 2.5x the price, unfortunately.

Safety: To be honest, safety was one of the biggest reasons I bought the Tesla. The US National Highway Transportation Safety Authority gives the Model 3 a five star rating in all the ways they measure safety, and there are numerous reports of people walking away from spectacular crashes with no injuries (for example, California Doctor drives Tesla off cliff deliberately). But that misses the most important safety aspect: the car’s Autopilot capabilities where it avoids the accident in the first place! YouTube has many videos, showing Teslas automatically taking over braking, accelerating or swerving to avoid being in an accident in the first place. For example, here’s a compilation of “Tesla saves” on YouTube.

Check our other blogs under Real Estate News – that might give you answers about buying or selling a home.

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