The future of automotive transportation is here, and it’ll take less than you might think to adjust to this paradigm shift.
This is a 2015 Model S 85. The 2016 Model S had a modest facelift that dramatically improved the car’s front-end styling, removing the “grille” that was an attempt to make the car look less alien. Not that the Model S’ styling was ever that controversial – with its muscular flanks and smooth detailing, it’s upscale and distinctive but avoids the old electric car trope of looking like some strange space pod. Nevertheless, it has a drag coefficient of just 0.24.
The styling has aged well, though inevitably it’ll need a more extensive refresh or redesign if it’s to keep looking fresh against insurgent rivals from automakers like Jaguar and Porsche. Where the Model S still looks utterly cutting-edge is inside.
The Model S’ enormous 17-inch central touchscreen looks as fresh as the day it was first turned on. Should the user interface ever start to look too old, Tesla can easily remedy that with an over-the-air software update. For now, though, it’s extremely clear and no problem to navigate for anyone who regularly uses an iOS or Android device. Turning on the fog lights or changing the air suspension setting is as simple as switching your iPhone to airplane mode.
Interior quality isn’t quite at Mercedes-Benz levels – there’s some hard plastic on the lower half of the doors and on the floor console – but there are plenty of soft-touch surfaces and a clean, uncluttered design. Everything seemed well screwed together, as well. Personally, I love the look of it but for the door panels. There have been various tweaks to the interior since 2015, including new seats. The Model S interior will receive more substantial changes soon with a Model 3-style, horizontally-oriented touchscreen.
The ambient lighting improves the ambience at night.
The cabin is spacious and, as the Model S uses a column-mounted shifter, the space between the front seats has a practical console raised slightly above the floor. If Tesla wanted to, they could easily introduce a bench seat option.
The bucket seats hold you in place relatively well but they’re not the final word in support, being relatively flat and shapeless. And though I eventually got used to the Mercedes shifter, it still doesn’t feel as intuitive as a regular shifter. Fortunately, it feels high quality. The optional dual moonroofs make the cabin even more light and airy; 2015 was the last year for this option, replaced the following year with a proper panoramic roof. Unfortunately, rear visibility is poor.
The trunk is enormous at 26.3 cubic feet and has a power tailgate, while there’s also a 5.3 cubic foot “frunk” where a typical ICE car’s engine would be.
Tesla is a tech company as much as it’s an automaker but that doesn’t mean their tech is infallible. Fortunately, only one example comes to mind: the rather unreliable speed limit recognition on the 12.3-inch screen in the gauge cluster. Most of the technology works seamlessly, however, including the remarkably accurate range meter. This came in handy when I took the Model S across the Golden Gate Bridge out to Mt. Tamalpais.
In day-to-day traffic, the Model S is remarkably unremarkable in that it feels like a regular luxury sedan with an internal combustion engine. The steering feels relatively weighty and, well, normal. The same applies for the brakes. Acceleration off the line is quick (5.4 seconds) but not interstellar, though overtaking on the freeway will push you back in your seat. Some outlets have recorded even quicker times depending on battery charge. It’s worth noting that for absolutely insane levels of thrust, a Model S Performance with the optional Ludicrous mode can slice that 0-60 time in half – just 2.4 seconds!
Where the Model S differs from an ICE luxury sedan is in the noise it makes. It doesn’t make any to speak of, really. The lack of a conventional mechanical symphony means tire and wind noise is somewhat more pronounced, though it’s nothing too objectionable. The ride quality could be better, the Tesla having a rather firm suspension tune, but again it’s nothing unpleasant. Tesla will have to be mindful of such issues, however, as rival automakers belatedly enter its territory.
Measuring two inches longer than a Mercedes E-Class and almost three inches wider than an S-Class, the Model S is a big car. It certainly feels it on the road. On a twisty road like Mt. Tamalpais, the Tesla fails to shrink around you. However, it’s remarkably competent. Grip levels are high and the car stays flat on snaking country roads. The Model S might not be designed as an M5 rival but it has absolutely no troubles tackling winding roads and has a well-calibrated traction control system. It’s a different experience from an ICE luxury sedan with conventional gears but it’s still fun-to-drive.
2015 was the last year for the 85, replaced later that year with the 90. Tesla’s model designations were based on their kilowatt-hour capacity – those with higher numbers are faster and have greater range. They now designate their model variants by range (Standard and Long) and the Performance version.
The 85 cost, appropriately, $85,000 when new. Prices have come down since then, the current Model S Standard Range now costing $75k before credits and incentives and coming standard with everything including Autopilot. The only option is FSD (Full Self Driving) at $6,000 and alternative interior color/wood trim choices ($1500).
Photo courtesy of haemaker. It was considerably less busy at 1am.
If you are concerned about the lack of Tesla Superchargers or other charging stations or how long it takes to charge an electric car, you can rest assured this is always improving. To charge from 2% to 80% at a Supercharger took around 45 minutes; 80% is the maximum charge permitted at certain Superchargers. The new V.3 250 kW Superchargers are offering significantly faster charge speeds. A Model 3 Performance can charge 75 miles of range in 5 minutes, and from 9% to 90% in just 35 minutes.
Most buyers, however, will likely charge each night at home. I would’ve driven around 150 miles or so in one day, likely longer than the average buyer’s commute. Will range anxiety continue to be a concern for rural motorists? Probably. For those in urban areas, however, the Model S has more than enough juice for a day’s worth of driving. This Model S 85 was rated at 253 mile (EPA) range. The current Standard Range Models S has a 285 mile (EPA) range, and the Long Range version has a 370 mile range, almost twice the EPA ranges of the Audi eTron (204 miles), Jaguar I-Pace (234 miles) and Mercedes EQC (∼200 miles) . Tesla has already announced a 400+ mile version is coming soon. It seems that, for a while at least, Tesla to tout better mileage than its rivals.
I did experience some range anxiety but, in the interests of full disclosure, I stress out when my phone is at anything less than 50%. I also stubbornly insisted on using a Tesla Supercharger, likely bypassing numerous other charging stations. The lack of a wall-charger at my Airbnb also necessitated my 1am pit-stop at an empty and surprisingly clean Supercharger station in a mall parking lot in San Mateo. Tesla would do well, however, to partner with fast-food outlets and cafes and use their parking lots as combined Supercharger stations. I would have happily bought a sweet tea to pass the time.
I rented my Tesla from Turo. If you’re not familiar with the site (which I used to rent a Cadillac CTS and a Lexus GS), it’s basically an Airbnb for cars. It’s a great way to try out cars you’re unlikely to find at a regular rental agency although you generally feel more obligated to treat your rental a bit better as it’s someone’s personal car. The downside? Many cars on Turo have mileage restrictions. I had only 150 miles to play with in this Model S lest I be charged $1 per extra mile.
Those expecting a review of the Model S’ AutoPilot functionality will unfortunately be disappointed. Given I only had the Tesla for 24 hours and wanted to actually drive it, I never activated the semi-autonomous driving feature. Frankly, I’m surprised I even stretched the Model S out as much as I did given how jet-lagged I was.
I’ll leave talk of Tesla’s financial situation to industry analysts. With the Model S and now the 3, X and Y, Tesla has developed cars that are devastatingly cool and lusted after by buyers the world over. They’re instantly recognizable and lauded for their impressive in-car tech and green technology. One thing Tesla must be wary of, however, is the arrival of competitors. Apple may have owned the smartphone market because of their cool image and smart technology but eventually rivals like Samsung clawed back. Rivals like Mercedes-Benz and Porsche are gunning for Tesla and this plucky start-up has a huge target on its back.
If they keep making cars as impressive as the Model S, they’ll weather the onslaught. The Model S is a comfortable commuter and a surprisingly adept canyon-carver with a spacious and stylish interior. Driving it isn’t as strange and unfamiliar as some may think. The biggest difference you’ll notice is that you have to switch a pump for a plug and a gas station for a charging station or, even better, your own home. Welcome to the future.
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Quiet is good thats why I drive what I do other than some muted road noise on coarse chip my car is almost silent, on smooth surfaces it is, I had a turn in my BILs Leaf and that was good to drive, reasonably peppy very quiet good handling he later told me it was in eco mode there is a sport setting too, I’d like to try a Tesla though will never be a customer the prices here are astronomic, hopefully they do a proper luxury interior in cloth leather is not a nice seat material, I’m currently sitting in a leather lounge chair part of the suite bound for the dump when I move later this year.
Oh no! I wouldn’t buy a Model 3 because it doesn’t have a gauge cluster centered on the driver. They’re planning to remove it here too?
I have not driven a car with a HUD, but wouldn’t that be even better?
I’d like to drive one. Its not practical for me to own one since there are no charging stations within a reasonable distance from me, plus I like the mechanical music of an ICE.
Im not anti-electric car as long as there is always a choice of a gas-powered vehicle.
With a 200 or greater range the existence of a charging station near your house is irrelevant. The only reason most people with a range like that would need a charger is when they are on a road trip.
Exactly, you would charge it at your house, so no need for a charging station close to your home.
Same for me, Dan. We put a combined 45-55K miles on our cars annually due to a number of long road trips that are part of our travel routine. Until I can fully recharge an EV in the ~10 minutes it takes to refuel an IC vehicle (with an equivalent availability of recharging stations to fuel stations), they are a non-starter. The only use case I have that an EV would fit is my commute to work, and I’m not going to drop $70K for a dedicated EV just for that.
Ed, I think you’ve effectively convinced us a number of times now that you’re not likely to buy an EV for the reasons stated. They’re clearly not for everyone. It’s not like anyone is suggesting that they’re for for you or everyone, are they?
They’re an option with certain benefits, depending on the application. You might not find a certain other vehicles suitable for you either.
Its not practical for me to own one since there are no charging stations within a reasonable distance from me
Proof that the great majority of Americans still don’t get how EVs work. As in being charged up at night at home, and not being taken to a “filling station”. Thus having a “full tank” every morning.
Old habits die hard. 🙂
I hear this one:
“But I don’t know how to charge it.”
I reply:
“Do you know how to charge your phone?”
But those who live in a city apartment can’t just take the Tesla upstairs and plug it into an outlet in the living room. I know a lot of younger people who live in homes or apartments that require street parking. I suppose you could run a cord from the car to an outlet but there are many urban environments where you may not be able to expect that your cord will remain unmolested, whether by petty criminals or fun-loving kids after a night out.
I live in a single family home with a garage, and would install a charger in a heartbeat, so problem solved. But not everyone in urban areas can do this.
You should come visit Saskatchewan sometime – half the year all vehicles are plugged in- folks don’t mess with your power cord
When we gave my Mother In Law my wife’s old C-Max, non-Energi version she was saying, but I don’t know how to drive a Hybrid. Which is true because she gets horrible mileage with it ~35mpg, but fact is she doesn’t have to drive it any differently than any other car, she just doesn’t get the 40mpg or better that we got with it.
Proof that the great majority of Americans still don’t get how EVs work.
Nope, I get it. Charge it every night; check.
Old habits die hard. 🙂
Indeed. I’ve got 20, maybe 30 years left on this earth, after that I don’t care what anyone drives. Until then, I’m pretty sure unleaded gas will be readily available so I can keep my old clunkers on the road.
Now get off my lawn.
I’d prefer to charge at home…. way better than ten visits to the gas station a month ( see below). But I am a DRIVER and want an instrument cluster. Get rid of that, and I buy a volt or leaf or audi or I3
Last month:
342.7 mi – 12.648gal 27.09 mi/gal 5/3/19
351.5 mi – 13.09gal 26.8mi/gal 5/6/19
273.3 mi – 11.83gal 23.10mi/gal 5/11/19
264.3 mi – 12.0gal 22.0mi/gal 5/16/19
301.9 mi – 12.83gal 23.53mi/gal 5/20/19
342.8 mi – 13.20gal 25.96mi/gal 5/21/19
299.2 mi – 12.59gal 23.7mi/gal 5/23/19
294.3 mi – 12.71gal 23.1mi/gal 5/28/19
285 mi – 12.1gal 23.5mi/gal 5/30/19
323.8 mi – 12.62gal 25.6mi/gal 6/1/19
Who needs 120 visits to the gas station a year? I’d much rather park-n-charge each night….
That is the thing I miss about our first generation Fusion Hybrid you could go ~650 miles on the tank and still not be all the way to E. Unfortunately they shrunk the tank on the newer models.
A terrific review. My curiosity about Tesla has only increased over time and hearing firsthand experience is great. I’m enjoying seeing the ever increasing numbers of them on the road.
A few thoughts that may make me sound like a grump, even though I’m not. I’m just a realist.
Electric is the wave of the future no doubt but as one with rural roots there are some distinct hurdles to jump for electric. As one example (and I know this is a fluid situation) there are 12 Tesla supercharger stations in Missouri, a state with a population of over 6 million; looking at Tesla’s supercharger map, such isn’t unusual. So one station per every half-million people? There’s some work to do, especially when one of those stations is in a town of 3,500 with nothing else nearby. My suspicion is electric and fossil fuels will have a long term overlap, perhaps with the migration toward one being more urban and the other more rural.
Another I’m curious about is the self-driving feature. I simply have not explored how it works although I’ve read it functions off the striping on the roadway. If that’s the case there are more hurdles there as snow plows tear up stripes and work zones can cause all manner of modification to striping for lane shifts, etc, rendering such dependence unreliable during certain times of the year and in certain isolated locations. Again, this is curiosity, not grumpiness or naysaying.
Overall this review certainly heightens my desire to experience a Tesla.
My car has Honda Sensing which to me is a less evolved version of Autopilot. It does not park the car or pass cars automatically but it does keep you in your lane by adjusting steering and maintains a following distance by adjusting throttle and brake as needed. That being said, it works best in good weather and long Interstate highways where the roads are well marked and striped. The system does not work when there is no road striping to follow. Also, in moderate snow, the sensor becomes snow covered and shuts the system down.
I mostly use it in good weather on Interstate highways on long trips. It’s excellent in those situations. I once did a nine hour road trip to Ohio and the Accord did most of the driving. I only took over when I exited the highway.
This is where I see the self-driving car predominating and I’m looking forward to it. The thought of getting on I-95 just north of the Richmond I-295 beltway (two miles from my home), flipping a switch and settling back into auto-drive until I hit the St. Augustine or Daytona Beach exit ramp is something I dream of. Easy to control due to the limited access highway, and boy could I get caught up on a lot of reading in those ten hours.
Auto drive in the city? No thanks. Too complicated, too many things can go wrong, and I prefer to control my own vehicle with all those idiots around.
Well, the Honda Sensing still requires some attentiveness. It will scream at you and will shut off the system If you take your hands off the wheel for more than 20 seconds. Also if the road striping suddenly disappears or is faded, you could end up starting to drift. Also, (very) rarely, it misidentifies an object ahead and either applies the brakes unecessarily or not at all, requiring human intervention. It also sometimes freaks out if the car in front of you acts erraticaly (swerving etc.) However, it has also saved me many times. Slamming on brakes, quicker than I could react when a car turned in front of me one time or correcting the steering when an unexpected curve came up on a strange road on a dark night.
The best lane-keep assist is offered at Autopia in Disneyland. For over forty years they’ve offered (and I’ve enjoyed) a completely hands-off driving experience that has always kept me within my lane and never failed, as if by magic. The “corrections” could be a little smoother but I suppose it keeps you more attentive this way.
I’m not sure what your point is about the Superchargers. Teslas, like all electric cars, are intended to be charged at home overnight, so you have a “full tank” every morning. Their range is between 240 and 370 miles. Where are you going to have a problem getting somewhere in MO with that range and with a Supercharger to top up its range if it’s getting low?
Your comment about “one per half-million” is rather irrelevant as I don’t think Tesla envisions selling a half-million cars in MO even in Elon Musk’s most expansive moments. They’re not even up to that level of production yet. I strongly suspect Tesla sales in MO are probably pretty scarce except in the two big cities. It seems like a rather conservative place, automotively speaking, from everything you’ve said.
The Superchargers are there to serve Tesla owners if they’re on a long trip, either cross-country, or regionally. They’re not intended for regular daily use.
Yes, nobody is suggesting that new gas cars are going to be banned or unavailable for a very long time to come. EVs are a niche segment, and although likely to grow, there are many obstacles yet to their universality especially in places like MO.
Think of EVs as imports once upon a time. I’m quite sure imports like the VW were an oddity in MO in 1959, and were so a lot longer there than in some other parts of the country. And although you’re driving a VW yourself now (60 years later), import brands are hardly universal yet in MO, right, given the preponderance of pickups and such?
As to Autopilot, it’s a driver assist system. No, it won’t likely be able to provide much assistance in a snow storm or such. It doesn’t actually work just off lane striping; its visual input is much broader than that, taking in everything, but yes, at this stage it can be tripped up sometimes by lane striping issues. It’s a work in progress. How far and how quickly it will evolve remains to be seen.
My point was to explore where EVs still have room for growth and for any pitfalls besides the ongoing range concern (however valid that may be); we all know the downsides of ICE powered vehicles. I’m fascinated with EVs but nothing in this world is perfect. 🙂
There are 13 supercharger stations in Missouri with two more “coming soon” per the Tesla site. But each station has what appear to be between five and ten “pumps” so the situation per person may be less dire than it seems. The Bass Pro Shop even has a cluster. If one is able to charge at home it seems like one could get around or out of the state without running dry by using the existing stations. Of course there will likely always be some specific route that isn’t covered.
I think gas stations in the US will hop onboard soon, the oil companies aren’t just in the oil business, they’re in the energy business and aren’t completely stupid enough to ignore other revenue stream. It’s been happening in Europe for a while now, Shell was the first one to figure it out.
I have watched the Tesla Model S with fascination for some years now, waiting for a ‘feet of clay’ problem to appear. So far, none has. The S is a handsome, reliable, and fast luxury car. I find the interior a bit spartan feeling, but not in a cheap way; it’s a sparse-look deliberately chosen; automotive Danish-modern if you will. An acquaintance has one and has been very happy with it. He has had a few niggling problems (window regulators and (? something small), but everything has been taken care of quickly and easily. Nothing that would put me off BMW because of the same problem. Minor problems quickly fixed are, well, only minor annoyances, not off-putting unless there are a lot of them, and there haven’t been in his case.
He has only had a range problem once, and that (he admits) was his own fault -a country road detour to get around a major highway traffic accident led him into the hinterlands of his own free will. He escaped the obvious fate, but just barely. Arguably he could have had the same problem in a gasoline powered car in the exact circumstances.
The only incident of real significance or interest actually put him into a newer Model S, at the expense of his insurance company. He was driving at speed on an interstate highway, and somehow struck a heavy piece of metal. He didn’t puncture a tire, but somehow, the piece of metal punctured the frame/floor of the car. Although the hole (he told me) didn’t really look significant, the car was totaled by the insurance company. It seems no repair shop was willing to accept the potential liability of making the repairs.
In summary, unless my insurance company we’re going to charge me a substantially higher premium because of the potential expense of accident repairs (see above), my reading and personal observations would cause me zero hesitation in choosing a Model S as a primary vehicle. I won’t though, simply because in my current circumstances I don’t put enough miles on my primary vehicle to obtain any advantage from a pure electric. I only drive some 6,000 miles a year (on average) since retirement. There’s no way for me to offset the price premium (and cost of charger installation) so an S would be a pure vanity purchase for me even assuming I could stretch to an $85K car . However I would impressed and a bit envious if one of my friends with none of that peeking-through-my-fingers-awaiting-disaster feeling that I have for my friend who purchased a beautiful Alfa Romeo.
Interesting thoughts on why one wouldn’t work for you. Have you considered a used Leaf or some other plug-in for your low mileage routines? They’re dirt cheap in the used market….
Count me as another who remains intrigued by these. As someone who never has and never expects to spend north of $70k on a car, much of this is academic at this stage. But how these age is what I am watching. High end Euro iron drops value like a pair of cement shoes in a river once out of warranty because of the insanely expensive repairs that WILL be needed. If Tesla can avoid this trap along with the rust monster, these could be hugely popular used cars that keep resales high and lease rates low.
I could see myself in an older one in several years if the value proposition is right.
The Tesla Model S depreciates much less than gas engine counterparts. As in, 17% after 3 years, which is more than excellent.
https://electrek.co/2019/06/17/tesla-holds-value-better-than-average-car-study/
Rust? Did you say rust? Its whole body is completely made of aluminum. No worries on that account. 🙂
I just did a quick check, a 2013 model with 60-70K on the odo is still in the $33-35k range. No BMW sedan is anywhere near that high, and even the nicest 7 series cars of that year are $5-10k cheaper.
They are indeed holding their values nicely. But as of now, they are still cool and the uninitiated will think you are driving a new one because the Model S had not changed much in years. It will be interesting to see if Tesla can keep that streak going. I suspect they may be able to.
Given that the Model S is nearly as wide as a typical full-size pickup or old-school land yacht (nearly 78″), I’d say a front bench wouldn’t go amiss even with the thicker doors of modern vehicles.
I’m not sure how they would put a bench in with that dash, not that they would since those have been relegated to the history books in cars.
I can’t quite imagine why Will suggested a bench seat option in the front.
Probably to maximize the seating. I believe a rear facing third row is an option on these as well.
Yes the rear facing 3rd row is or at least was an option, but not a practical one for most people in my opinion based on seeing it. I remember when the car was new reading a story about someone supposedly getting pulled over for having the kids riding in the cargo area, but of course saw that they were in seats with seat belts.
“I’m not sure how they would put a bench in with that dash,”
Hey, it never stopped GM with the current full-size SUVs. They even have a floor hump to contend with.
That is not a bench seat, that is buckets with a combination console/jump seat. Because it is not a bench someone could possibly ride there with a short driver. Our F-150 has the bench and the center seat is all but unusable if my daughter is behind the wheel because she drives with the seat almost all the way forward. Our F-250 on the other hand has the buckets and console/jump seat so she could drive it and someone ride in the center.
Nice review, thanks for sharing. I’d lean more toward the 3, personally, as I like the size of it better and it weighs about a thousand pounds less. Given how well it reportedly handles and its instant “throttle” response, it would be on my short list for a sport sedan. As a two car household, I wouldn’t have range anxiety. Take the ICE on long trips.
I hope Tesla succeeds. American car company building cars in America, I find it so odd that ire is directed at them from certain sectors. The CEO is…interesting, to be generous and apolitical, and after reading about Bolivia’s plans to destroy the Salar de Uyuni to harvest the lithium reserves I’m curious about the environmental tradeoffs of a large shift to battery power, but I think the company adds a compelling product to the automotive market.
I for one would love to have a Tesla. Maybe when they, or other EV(s), come down in price, or become more mainstream (the charging stations more so than the cars… please read on…).
Will I miss the sound of an ICE? Sure. Will I miss going to the gas station? Not at all.
As to charging stations? They seem to be popping up like mushrooms around here.
Thing is, it would be great to have one now while commuting to work. However, by the time I am ready to buy one, I’ll be retired and not need the efficiency…. although I may kinda like it. If the world is headed that way, then I say bring it on.
I see these cars everyday. Some of you guys talk about them like they’re rare. I suppose where range anxiety is a concern, maybe they are rare. But on my commute between Baltimore and Howard Counties (thru Baltimore City, albeit on the expressway), I see at least six of these a day. While not as ubiquitous as a Corolla or Camry, they’re more common than a lot of regular cars anymore.
Since Elon Musk was born in 1971, I doubt the ’56 Chevy was his inspiration regarding the “fuel filler” location for the Tesla, but one wonders with these pictures below. ;o)
Photographed about an hour ago on my walk around our building here at work during lunch. Like I say, they’re all over the place ’round these parts!
For comparison regarding the “refueling location”: Closeup on the Tesla…
…and the ’56 Chevy. Coincidence? Homage? Or just where they engineered it?
Cadillac had the fuel door/taillight first, and to me were more iconic and memorable than the Chevys versions. I think it’s more likely to be the inspiration for that IMO
Since Elon Musk was born in 1971, I doubt the ’56 Chevy was his inspiration regarding the “fuel filler” location for the Tesla
His company is named after a obscure 19th century inventor, propelled by a power plant last feasible in the early 20th century. I don’t think Elon is one those guys whose worldly knowledge begins and ends with their own generation.
That’s true, Matt.
Heck, the guy has his own space program and named his space capsule (Dragon) after an obscure Peter, Paul and Mary song from the early sixties.
And the booster that puts it up there is an homage to a famous spaceship from a movie that came out when he was about to turn six.
As to Nikola Tesla, his ideas on the transmission of electrical power were, um, shall we say, interesting, if not quite shocking…
My La Quinta hotel, in Katy, TX, had a couple of Tesla chargers as well. I thought it was fascinating.
The Walgreens Pharmacy near me has a charger too, but I don’t think it’s a dedicated Tesla charger.
In a newer shopping area not too far away, there are like 10 of them all in a row at one end of the parking lot.
Here at work, the Howard County (Maryland) government moved in taking over most of the building in which our company resides, and on the far end opposite my office are two chargers; one of which you see in the picture shown above.
Like I said, they’re popping up like mushrooms. And that’s a good thing.
Walgreens has the most extensive charging network in the US.
https://www.walgreens.com/topic/sr/sr_electric_vehicle_charging_stations.jsp
However they are Level 2 chargers, at least around here, so you are getting a max of ~25mph out of them, you’ll need an adapter to charge a Tesla, and you’ll pay through the nose as the going rate in my area is 4x what I pay at home.
Is that cheaper than gasoline for an ICE that gets oh, I don’t know, about 25mpg or whatever the current US fleet average is?
Well of course it all depends on oh so many factors.
However here is my experience base on our C-Max Energi which isn’t necessarily the most efficient EV but on the other hand we know exactly what it gets when run on Gas.
I did some quick math of the last few 100% EV trips on the car. It shows that out of every Battery KWh I get about 3.6 miles. Of course those 100% EV trips are by nature mainly on local roads at lower speeds where an EV does its best. The other thing is that is KWh out of the battery is not equal to the KWh out of the wall as there is some loss in the charger doing its thing, as well as turned into heat in the battery, not to mention any power drawn to condition the battery while it is charging. A quick search showed that the Leaf’s internal charger is 92% efficient at level 2 (240v).
So redoing the math at the wall at 92% efficiency gives you 3.3 mpKWh.
At home that KWh costs me $.0125 while at the charging station I checked it is $.050 with a membership, and $0.60 w/o.
If I want to go 39 miles it will cost me $1.48 at home rates and $5.92 w/membership. That 39 miles will use 1 gallon of gas and yesterday regular at my local Costco was $3.059 So by my math it costs about the same to drive one of my Panthers ~20mpg as it would to drive our C-Max on public charger electrons. You can probably guess just how many times I’ve used a pay public charger.
Doing the math on this Tesla’s ratings you get 258/85*.92= ~2.75 miles per KWh for 3.059 I could get 6.19 KWh at a public charger which would get you 17 miles. So a higher energy cost per mile than my old Panthers.
Of course gas and electric prices do vary from area to area and I’ve made a huge assumption on charger efficiency, though based on one data point so not totally out of the air. Tesla’s charger may be more efficient than the Leaf.
DCFC are harder to calculate the cost per KWh since they typically bill by the minute, not all DCFC are the same power, and the KWh per minute varies depending on the vehicle and SOC of the battery, in other words as the battery approaches full the charge rate drops off, so a 20-80% charge will typically be quicker than a 40-100% charge.
So yeah this whole we need more public chargers for the general public to want to have an EV is a load of BS, at least if the general public was capable of doing the math and then actually could be bothered to do the math.
Thank you! That does help a lot. And no, the general public is not so good at math. 🙂
If you need a charge you pay the going rate, same with gasoline. If you can at all plan ahead you plug it in at home. Most people have multiple cars, no need to use the electric for every trip across the country.
Oops that is $0.50 per KWh with membership, $0.60 w/o, though the math was done with the correct numbers.
I have a friend who leased one of the first C-Max Energi while she was living in an apt and couldn’t charge at home. She then proceeded to charge it frequently at pay stations, until I sold her and her boyfriend their first house. She also managed to run out of lease miles 2 years into a 3 year lease. So yeah not so good at math.
I have driven a few Tesla cars now, as many of my clients have them.
They are all amazing automobiles. One trip around the block tells anyone with a functioning brain cell that this is the future, not gas or diesel. There is one moving part in the motor, No oil changes, no tranny flushes, nothing.
I get a real kick about the charging thing. I’m not sure about the USA, but in Canada, 85% of the population lives in urban areas so range isn’t going to be much of an issue. That said, even on 110 V, I could easily charge my car up to full after a day’s driving.
Last week, it was announced that EV’s made up 15% of the car sales in British Columbia in May. Gasoline fell $0.40 a litre the next day.
On a 110v outlet you are looking at 4mph.
It would charge sixteen hours (or more) and on a big day, I drive 50 km.
So yeah these long ranges that is the other thing that many people claim is needed for mass adoption is BS as a Leaf would be more than adequate for most if not all of your use. However if longer trips aren’t a rarity then one of the new crop of PHEVs could be perfect.
Depending on the actual range of the upcoming Escape/Corsair PHEVs one might be in our future for the wife’s car. From what I’ve read the Plug-in range should be between 30-40 miles which will take care of getting the wife too and from work. Then the gas engine is there for the weekends where we can frequently do 100 miles or more per day and it should be doing that are near 40 mpg from what I’ve read so far.
From a commercial point of view Tesla were right to make the car look like a big 2011 Hyundai. Customers did not need the excuse that wierd styling would have offered to avoid the car. From a designer´s standpoint, this car ought to have looked as modernist as a 1974 Citroen CX looked when new (and, arguably, in 1989). I wish the interior was more elegant. Its not bad but is not even strikingly simple.
All that aside, I have ltttle doubt we have passed peak ICE. Some will remain for peculiar applications like the person who insists on driving non-stop across Europe on a weekly basis. For the rest of us a 350 km range is more than enough.
Good bye petrol.
I’m really glad you got to sample the Model S and enjoyed it! Personally, I’ve yet to drive a Model S, but I have driven a Model X and unfortunately was very turned off by it.
Sure, the acceleration is unbelievable, especially in “Ludicrous” mode, and the tech is impressive in a very ostentatious way. But I found the interior to be a horrendous mishmash of surfaces and materials, with overall poor fit-and-finish and bizarre ergonomics that makes me longing for a GM Dustbuster minivan.
The Model X’s windshield that extends so far up into the roof was also a problem for me, as after only a few minutes of driving left me with a nauseating level of motion sickness I’ve never experienced in a car.
Additionally, the vehicle is so technology laden, that glitchiness prevented me from even being able to open the doors. Sometimes, having a few manually-operated features can be best.
Tesla certainly has been a success story, but I’m weary of how long it can ride simply on its coolness factor. I’ve had the fortune of speaking with a decent amount of Tesla owners over the years, and the enthusiasm from them isn’t what it once was from the early adopters.
The unfortunate truth is that the large majority of Tesla owners care less about saving the planet and more about image. When the Model S first came out, it was a head-turning status symbol. Now after all these years and no redesign, it’s just another expensive car in a sea of other high-end cars. These buyers have moved on, often back to vehicles with internal combustion engines.
If Tesla really wants to remain competitive, they really need to work on quality control and new product development.
with overall poor fit-and-finish…
Yeah I’ll stand up and notice when they fix that part of production – when it has the fit and finish befitting the price tag. The company has existed for roughly 15 years at this point, basic manufacturing should be figured out.
I laugh at journalists who fawn over Teslas while point out things like paint imperfections that they would roast any conventional automaker over.
Poor “visible” fit and finish is the buyer’s problem. Nobody is forcing anyone to accept and pay for a car that they feel has poor fit and finish. If buyers genuinely felt the fit and finish was poor and walked away and didn’t pay until it was resolved, then those issues would subside. Same goes for ANY car or actually any good, from a wallet to a house.
Different people see different things though. Most of the Teslas I’ve seen and been in I thought had good fit and finish. I may not have always been bowled over by the material or design choices but nothing looked ill-fitting, loose, or misaligned. That’s just my own anecdotal data though so who knows, Brendan’s sample may well have been worse than the ones I’ve seen.
Sorry Brendan, I thik you have just been drinking the koolaid from BMW, et al,
This is a very informative and timely review for me! My 17 year old son and I were having a deep discussion about Tesla over dinner last night. We were looking at the models, prices, ranges, etc. He’s always been a big fan of them. I was trying to explain to him that while they mesh with a lot of people’s driving habits, I don’t know that it works well for me. I drive 200+ miles in a day about half the working days of the month, and every now and then drive 500+ miles in a work day.
So, it would work for me maybe 80% of the time but the other days would be problematic. I could charge at home of course, but have no charging ability at my client destinations. There are no Superchargers on my rounds, I’ve looked. The best I can do is some area Nissan dealers and the airport have public chargers.
And we are getting ready to embark on a 1800 mile round trip to do some college visits for him in the course of a long weekend. Could I make that work with a Tesla and the charging stations? Yes, but I’d rather not have to. I’d rather stop when the passengers want to, not when the car needs a 30 minute rest.
I fully understand some people don’t have these limitations, or don’t mind them, and I think the 3 or the S is a great buy for the technology you get.
But for the price of an extended range 3, I can get a new ES hybrid with the “Ultra Luxury” package, get 45 mpg, and not have any range issues. That’s a better overall compromise for a lot of drivers.
My doctor neighbor always leases the newest and showiest car she can. Panamera, 911, Maserati SUV, you name it. She had a Model X but it got returned after about 4 months. She said it was the worst car she had ever owned. That’s just a single owner’s experience, but there does seem to be less general satisfaction with the X than the S or 3, for whatever reason.
Yup an ES Hybrid would be a much better fit for you and it would have much better fit and finish too.
A friend of ours bought a new Model S two years ago, and he’s been very happy with it. With a 400 km range, and with most of his driving in town that works. There’s a Tesla dealer close to his work so charging is no problem – he takes it there on his lunch break or after work. It’s worked out okay for longer trips as well – he can either charge it on the way or plug it in overnight at his destination. The only problem was a minor accident earlier this year when someone backed into the left rear fender. Good thing it was the other guy’s fault – the repair bill for it was around $7000 (Canadian) not including the loaner. They gave him a Porsche Panamera Hybrid – nice, but he prefers the Tesla. For me, I like the ride and I look forward to taking one for a spin, but I find the back seat of the Tesla difficult to get in and out of, and I’m just under 6 feet. I like plenty of room, and it feels just a little tight for me. Oh well. They’re a little out of my price range at the moment and if I ever buy an electric I’d give it a good test drive to make sure I’m comfortable in it. For now I’ll stick with gas or maybe hybrid.
I was car shopping a couple of months ago and seriously considered a used S.
I have a garage for daily charging, and my regular commute is pretty short. Range would definitely be a concern for road trips, but realistically that’s a handful of days a year.
The problem I discovered is the impressive way that Tesla’s are retaining value. At this point, for Me, the numbers just don’t make sense.
In 5 to 10 years when I’m shopping again will the numbers work? I don’t know, but I suspect they will be a lot closer.
One of the things that may be helping the early Model S and X are the lifetime of the vehicle free supercharging that was eventually dropped.
In the US, 64% of that Tesla’s energy consumption comes from fossil fuels (27% from coal), 19% from nuclear, 17% from renewables.
In Australia, all transport makes up 19% of Co2 emissions, cars 45% of that, so 9% total. I believe the US breakdown is quite similar, though with less coal reliance than here. If everyone went electric tomorrow, there’d be a good drop in Co2 emissions, but still less than 9% (a rise in the dirty power to feed the cars). Electric cars are excellent for urban use, but the perception that owning one makes a real difference is misplaced. It’s only when we change the way in which most power is generated is changed that we’ll ever change human Co2 output.
The Lexus LS 400 of 1990 was a gamechanger. Quality and refinement unmatched by any of the posh brands, with driving dynamics at least on par. Rightly, people rushed for them.
Startling as it was, Toyota had in fact been working up to it for years. The ’88 Cressida was (arguably) practically as good a car, just kept down by a dowdy image. Toyota had – has – huge reserves of cash to arrive at the breakthrough Lexus.
This thing is just as much of a breakthrough. The sales figures compared to those of the posh Euro models reinforces that. Posh buyers do indeed buy brands, but they’re not totally vaccuous. They also buy resale, and aren’t going to sit in a tesla it was cheap inside. They’re not going to keep buying a car if it was rubbish: it has had no failures of it’s brand-new tech in five years.
In 2009, Top Gear were ridiculing the Lotus-based Tesla car. And it did seem promises being made were possibly in need of some questioning. Yet within just a few years, the company had made this, a car that was not just electric but one fully competitive on all measures with brands 100 years old. It is an utterly astounding achievement. It too changed the game for good, but starting from nowhere at all.
A minor niggle in your typically excellent review, William. Lots of us here are old – please know that 5.4 secs to 60 IS absolutely interstellar! And a question. The interior of the car looks a bit tired in the pictures, especially for a 4 yo machine. Is that just the pictures?