Time to say farewell but happy memories - Update

[DJP]

As I can't amend the title of the original post I have started a new one and a link to the original is above. I am acutely aware this is a Lexus forum but it was Lexus that started me on the electric journey and a number of posters asked that I give an update on Tesla ownership. So here it is, in brief, and intended to be helpful and informative.  I will of course respond if desired and if this in even a teeny weeny way helps move Lexus along the electric drivetrain journey then so much the better.

The drive is fantastic . For those of you in a hybrid, imagine driving as you do now solely on the Battery and multiply the experience by 10. Beautifully serene and silent, then ridiculously fast and still silent. The lack of engine noise hides the sensation of speed somewhat, and you need to be aware of that. The acceleration is immediate and it's almost impossible not to grin like a child. The regenerative braking takes about 5 minutes to get used to and then becomes second nature, if you anticipate the road ahead correctly the brakes only need to be touched when you need to come to a complete stop.  

Parking is not easy. It's a big car and the "hips" make it difficult to park squarely, despite the dipping mirrors and rear camera. I have never before struggled but there's something about the Tesla that makes it a slight struggle. I've only used the auto parallel parking once and it was perfect but very quick and frightened the life out of me.

Fit and finish is much better than I expected, no rattles, squeaks or vibrations. I have done 3k miles in the 2 months since I got it and so too early to get carried away but the initial signs are very good.

The technology is amazing, the 17" touchscreen is a delight to use and having the full screen as a nav very helpful when venturing to pastures new. There is a  secondary Garmin nav in the instrument binnacle as a back up in case the permanently connected to 3/4G data connection drops, which can happen in remote of rural areas. This connection also gives Spotify and web access etc and the voice control is a million times more accurate than the ones I've experienced before.

The range and charging. I bought the 60 kWh which has a 75kWh pack and was software limited to 60kWh. Real world mileage between 160-200 miles depending on conditions and speed. Rain, cold and speed impacts on range dramatically. Driving in mild/warm conditions at or around the speed limit improves range considerably. This is of course no different to "normal" cars but the refuelling process is not as quick. That said, I charge at home overnight using Economy 7 drawing 8kW of power, equivalent to a cooker. This gives me a full "tank" every morning and I only have to consider refuelling if my daily drive is going to exceed 150+ miles. I've used the Tesla Supercharger network half a dozen times, and the Battery has been recharged sufficiently in the time it takes to go to the loo and grab a coffee.

Since purchasing Tesla have dropped the 60 kWh Battery option and reduced the price of "unlocking" the 15kWh to turn mine into a 75kWh. I paid to unlock so now have the 75kWh, which equates to a usable Battery of 72.6kWh.

The attached pic shows that I have a lifetime average of using 330Wh per mile. Real world range is so far 220 miles, compared to what Tesla say is the average for my car, 239 miles. Ignoring the fact that the Superchargers are free, using Economy 7 means I am paying 2p a mile for fuel, compared to 15p a mile (based on 35mpg I used to get on my NX).

A couple of explanations of the pic icons, the greyed out speed limit icon shows adaptive cruise is ready to be activated, and the greyed out steering wheel shows autosteer is also ready. A double pull on a steering column lever will activate both, and the car with drive using the camera, radar and sensor suite. The driver must maintain contact with the steering wheel, and if the car doesn't sense occasional hand resistance, i.e. up and down torque resistance, not a tight grip, the car will nag and eventually disengage "autopilot" and bring the car to a stop.  

The power meter on the right shows the energy burn over the last 30 miles (other options available) with the wiggly line showing deviation from the "typical" usage. This photo was taken whilst I was stopped at traffic lights by a passenger. The radar sees the car in front, and often the car in front of that as the radar bounces underneath the car in front. 

Downsides? The only part of the financial equation that stacks up is the "fuel" cost, everything else requires a healthy dose of man maths. That's not a problem in itself, man maths to one degree or another is employed as soon as you deviate away from the cheapest vehicle that will get you from A to B. Long journey's take some thought and research into your travel pattern is a must IMO before you buy. There are Tesla owners doing 30k miles a year plus, so high mileage in itself is not a barrier. Not having the ability to charge overnight would be a major challenge, but some do it, particularly if you live close to a Supercharger.

The competition? There isn't any. Yet. The sooner it arrives the better as that can only be good for everyone. The Jag I Pace seems to be the closest one to actually coming to market, the rest are vapourware. Unfortunately ask Jaguar about a nationwide network of high speed chargers and its a mumble about "that's on the way". Where, when, how are met with more mumbling.

Sorry, I did say brief.. That's about as brief as I can be.

Hope the mods don't mind me posting this, it was born out of genuine interest from Lexus owners.

 

 

 

 

  

[NemesisUK]

Thanks for the update David. It good to get a feel of real ownership. I was very close to purchasing the 90kWh but a number of disappointments with Tesla customer services soured my experience.

I hope you continue to enjoy the drive, there should be no reason not to, they really are cutting edge cars.... 

[Shahpor]

Also, thanks for the update.

It is interesting to see real world usage in regard to range.

I have heard that parts supply can be a problem for Tesla, which has LED to them keeping customers cars for a long time when they need work?

I am also curious as to the service cost/interval considering the lack of mechanical components?

[DJP]

Thanks for the update David. It good to get a feel of real ownership. I was very close to purchasing the 90kWh but a number of disappointments with Tesla customer services soured my experience.

I hope you continue to enjoy the drive, there should be no reason not to, they really are cutting edge cars.... 

 

Sorry to hear it didn't work out and you have touched on a good point. The "customer experience" can be very patchy indeed. Individually the staff are all very well meaning, helpful and believe passionately in the product that they don't actually try and sell you.

 

However, they either do not have enough staff and/or their systems need beefing up. This will be especially true when the Model 3 arrives in a couple of years.

 

The rush to get deliveries out at the end of each quarter causes unnecessary problems but they seem to rely on the memory of these to fade the minute you drive away. And they pretty much do!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[DJP]

Also, thanks for the update.

It is interesting to see real world usage in regard to range.

I have heard that parts supply can be a problem for Tesla, which has led to them keeping customers cars for a long time when they need work?

I am also curious as to the service cost/interval considering the lack of mechanical components?

 

Another very good point, and one of the reasons I didn't buy one the first time around was parts and insurance. They have not supplied some parts as quickly as one would like, and that has historically resulted in delays with increased insurance claim costs as well.

 

The accreditation to become an authorised repairer was onerous and expensive, and both this and the parts issue has/is getting much better. I believe the European facility in Tilburg where the cars are assembled has also started holding more stock for common parts.

 

They are certainly areas where the school report would read "could do better", but they are aware and addressing. They will need to as the mass market won't be as forgiving as the early adopters.

 

As far as servicing its 12 months or 12.5k miles but not a requirement unless you have finance. The warranty of 50k miles 4 years is not dependent on the car being serviced.

 

The cost is broadly in line with other premium makes, curious as the component list is much less. That said they have a very proactive, preemptive approach and will replace parts where an improvement has been made.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[DanD]

Thanks David... very interesting indeed.

As a matter of interest, how frequent are the services, what do they consist in given that there is non conventional engine, and how much to they cost?

[DJP]

27 minutes ago, DanD said:

Thanks David... very interesting indeed.

As a matter of interest, how frequent are the services, what do they consist in given that there is non conventional engine, and how much to they cost?

Here's a link which will give you all the answers. There is much talk about the servicing cost given the lack of components, and I know of quite a few owners who don't have the car serviced by Tesla at all. It doesn't affect the warranty and some say it looks like money for old rope. I'm on finance so don't have a choice, but to be honest in the same way I didn't think twice about Lexus servicing my two IS's and NX, I would stick with the manufacturer just for piece of mind.

Tesla maintain that the service centres aren't and never will be profit centres but who knows. As I mentioned above they are very proactive in replacing parts that have been modified and improved, and given it's at the cutting edge I'm afraid I'm erring on the side of caution.

I don't think I'd want to run one out of warranty either!

https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/support/maintenance-plans

 

[ganzoom]

Pretty sure our cars arrived on the same boat from across the pound, and it looks like we are doing pretty similar mileage :) 

I wouldn't under play the fuel saying though, I pay 8p per kWh for over night charging, which equates to roughly £80 in 'fuel' costs to do 3000 miles in a 2.5 ton SUV that will accelerate to 60mph just as quick as my old Nissan 350Z coupe :).

 

[DJP]

6 hours ago, ganzoom said:

Pretty sure our cars arrived on the same boat from across the pound, and it looks like we are doing pretty similar mileage :) 

I wouldn't under play the fuel saying though, I pay 8p per kWh for over night charging, which equates to roughly £80 in 'fuel' costs to do 3000 miles in a 2.5 ton SUV that will accelerate to 60mph just as quick as my old Nissan 350Z coupe :).

 

True, I was comparing it to the cost of running my NX, which certainly wasn't 0-60 in 5.2 secs! I'm paying 6p per kWh on E7 and have so far not needed to top up at home outside of those hours. 

[Vintagesixtysix]

Very interesting and certainly starting to notice one or two more on the roads.

Do both of you guys charge from the house mains?

Or have you had a specific charging point installed?

I was offered a subsidised installed charging point ( some kind of grant) a while ago..... don't know if I missed a trick for a future "e" vehicle or are they totally unnecessary?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Lexus OC

[DJP]

Very interesting and certainly starting to notice one or two more on the roads.

Do both of you guys charge from the house mains?

Or have you had a specific charging point installed?

I was offered a subsidised installed charging point ( some kind of grant) a while ago..... don't know if I missed a trick for a future "e" vehicle or are they totally unnecessary?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Lexus OC

 

If by mains you mean plugging in using a standard 3 pin plug then yes you can but it's very slow, about 6 miles an hour.

 

I use the mains but had a charge point installed on the side of my garage. It draws about the same current as your electric cooker, and gives about 20 miles an hour.

 

You can get a grant providing the charger you buy is on the OLEV list, which the Tesla one isn't. You don't have to have a Tesla one so could get one that qualifies but I took the view I wanted the one designed by the manufacturer of the car. I'm sure the gubbins inside is much the same and no doubt I've paid a premium but for the sake of a few quid I wasn't bothered. IMO it's also very nice looking compared to most of them.

 

The unit cost £450 and I used Tesla's approved installer which was another £500. Obviously the cost of the install depends on the work involved and should be the same irrespective of the unit purchased.

 

I set the charge limit required e.g. 80% and the start time, e.g. 3.30 AM (Economy 7). Based on my normal mileage I usually only need an hour or twos charge a night.

 

For the odd occasion I do more than 200 miles I fill up for free at one of Tesla's Supercharger locations.

 

Can't recommend it highly enough.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk

[ganzoom]

10 hours ago, Vintagesixtysix said:

Very interesting and certainly starting to notice one or two more on the roads.

Do both of you guys charge from the house mains?

Or have you had a specific charging point installed?

I was offered a subsidised installed charging point ( some kind of grant) a while ago..... don't know if I missed a trick for a future "e" vehicle or are they totally unnecessary?

 

The totally 'free' home charger offer ended about 3 years ago, I don't think you even needed an EV to get a charger installed than :)

As for charging from the house, all you actually need to charge any Tesla is a 32amp commando socket, the actual socket is about £10 but your have get an electrician in to wire it up to the mains, still not a massive job.

Biggest difference in mindset for EVs is moving away from the idea of filling up your car every week, running around till the fuel is gone before filling up again. Instead it's more a case of charge up the car to the amount you need/want to use for the day the night before. Battery life is kept longer by keeping the charge status between 20-80%, so unless you absolutely need maximum range that day you have nothing to gain from charging the car to 100% overnight. Infact in the last 3K miles/8 weeks of owning a Tesla I've only fully charged the Battery twice!! I left the house this morning with 65% full Battery, when I get home tonight it'll be about 25-30%, and i'll charge it back up to 60-70% overnight.  

[Spacewagon52]

I can see full EV becoming the norm for most domestic car use.

 

The future calls ..... but no too loudly! I will enjoy my V8 for a little longer me thinks.

[Vintagesixtysix]

Thanks both...good to understand the practical plugging in side of ownership.

I'm sure one day wireless will be available even for this size of Battery (which will also reduce in size).

 

I'm in the NHS this morning so feels more like we'll need to go back to an IT starting handle this morning!

 

 

Sent from my Iphone using Lexus OC