What it's like to drive a Tesla

[jasontaylor]

I've been driving a Tesla Model S for almost 1 year now.  It's easily the best car ever made and it still puts a smile on my face every day!

Ya, it's expensive to buy, but do the math:
- my Tesla is saving me $550 per month in gas
- that amount goes up on average 12% per year (average increase in gas prices)
- conclusion: my car will pay for itself in about 9 years

By the way, the idea that driving a Tesla is somehow inconvenient is small minded. Here is some more simple math:
- I used to fill up at least once per week
- on average it takes 10 minutes to go to the gas station, full up, and pay
- that works out to at least 520 minutes (over 8.5 hours!) per year waisted fulling your car with gas
- now I just plug it in when I get home (to a normal 240 volt socket NOT a charger)

I road trip my Tesla almost every weekend during the summer up to my cottage ... even done it in -20C temps.  Never been even slightly concerned about running out of juice.

Two other points:

1. You CAN plug in a Tesla Model S to just about any electrical outlet.  The idea that you have to buy to have access to a special charge is flat out wrong!  I've plugged my car into a 110v wall socket, standard EV charging station used by other EV's, 240V 40AMP plug, etc.  The car has the charger onboard, and it comes this a special extension cord with multiple adaptors for different plug types.

2. People who have never owned a Tesla Model S and know little to nothing about the technology, how it's made, it's safety rating, etc. should spend more time increasing their knowledge instead of pretending they have any!

[InSaNViSioN]

the emissions emitted when making this car are much more refined than the C02 emitting from exhaust pipes, and after the car is made it never pollutes

[TRANSFICT]

2:36 CORRECTION yes you can actually plug in anywhere there is an outlet, however, standard 110 outlets will give you a slow charge rate (6mi./Hr charge) but you can also use 240 circuits for dryers or RV's for a faster charge.

[Dude]

WOW!! Wisdom... Like a breath of fresh air. Thank you!

[ThinkingBetter]

LOL, you can always fetch a situation like that. Key is to ensure you are not driving on poor quality worn out tires that might fall apart. I'm driving almost 100 miles every day mostly on freeways near SF. A few years ago I got a nail in the right rear tire and I realized it from the alarm indicator in time to drive to a gas station to get more air. I then succeeded getting home and used a plug repair kit to fix it. A punctured tire is not on the top 10 of the worries of my life.

[zazzledelacruz]

Right. The average new car purchase is $30K now. There are electric cars for $20K-$30K now. The Nissan Leaf price dropped about $6K when they opened the plant in Tennessee.

[bctopper]

You can say the same thing about combustion engines and gas stations. Gas stations aren't everywhere. It took time to place the gas stations where they are today, and if you aren't careful, you could be driving with no gas station in sight and be stuck - same as an electric car. Difference is charging stations are just beginning to pop up, just like gas stations did.

[lhrmeonom]

He also did air quotes when he said the supercharging station is free. It is free now and always will be, as Tesla has said during the announcement.

[BalazsBiroYT]

I think there is an error in the video when he talks aboutmcharging.

If you want to charge really fast, yes, you need to drive up to a Supercharger. But, you can plug it in anywhere they allow it. It's just that the spped of charging will depend on the voltage & amperage you can get.

(Also, I'm pretty sure there are no traditional gas stations in the middle of the sahara either).

[ThinkingBetter]

Keep in mind there is enough space for a spare tire in the front of the car. You can buy it for a few hundred bucks in E-bay if you really want to drive around with it. Model S still has plenty of space in the trunk for any cargo you might carry with you. Furthermore, it's increasingly common that new cars come without a spare tire and some of these come with a repair kit instead. Modern tires are less prone to experience catastrophic failures. In my case, I rather have the front cargo space.

[strokedriedrie]

Its exactly the car for us Dutch people, because in Holland is the longest ride 200 miles at the most.
By the way who drives for fun more than 200 miles or 322 Km a day, in the US are also not many people who drive that far and long as specially that your not allowed to drive faster then 130 Km/h or 81 Mile/h. In Holland if you drive from Maastricht almost farpoint south to farpoint north Groningen  it takes at least 4 hours to drive that distance.
But for money saving a electric car has to go at least 2000 mile or 3200 Km before a reload, and the battery's have to go on for at least 10 years or more.

[Dangrousdave]

I'm glad this video presents somewhat unbiased information on the new Tesla model S. When I saw that CNN posted this, I was expecting just the opposite. We need to highlight the incredible things about this car, and at the same time show the things that can be improved without chopping electric cars as a whole into pieces.

[rodrigoamor]

True, but not in the conventional way with electric cars since they don't need to shift. Also the oil change is only once every 5 years last I checked.

All the info you need can be found in the teslamotors website and other big review sites like motortrend, cardanddriver or consumer reports

[AlexanderMccarthey]

Also, we're switching to battery switching over charging. That means you won't have to wait and you may not need a place to switch out the battery just a place a place to buy one.

[rodrigoamor]

They require a lot less materials because no exhaust, suspension, gear box, engine etc. The batteries are 98% recycable and even if all the electricity you charge it with is produced from coal, you still emit 40% less emisions than a gas powered vehicle.

The electricity cost is estimated to being 1/4 the cost of if you used a gas powered car. Meaning if you spend 2000 a year on gas, you would spend about 500 dollars a year driving the same range on a Model S paying electricity.

Hope that helps

[dwc]

Well, I do, when I'm on a road trip - which is mostly what I use my motorcycle for, and why I haven't bought a Zero or Brammo yet, still riding my BMW RT. But if I needed it for my day-to-day, getting around town needs, instead of relying on public transit, I'd make the switch now.

[ThinkingBetter]

Since the beginning. Every good product design is a combination of design decisions where some must be conservative (e.g. pedal position and feel), some must follow market trends (e.g. green trends) and some must enable market differentiators (e.g. frunk). The trend of car companies dropping the spare tire is partly the result of a general green trend targeting maximum mileage and in the case of Model S, the size and weight of the wheels make it a right choice everything considered.

[bebomac]

Good video, but still seems to be some misinformation. While charge times change depending on voltage, you can plag a Model S into any outlet, anywhere, any time.

[ThinkingBetter]

The extra 2 seats are optional. While SOME people might drive with a small child, most will not. If they added a constant weight of a 19" or 21" wheel it would cost some range for everyone. If any car should lead in dropping the spare tire, it should be Model S. Many things can break in your car but if you carry a tire repair kit, at least most likely you can fix it. Most people agree with Tesla Motors decision on this topic.

[netgeek]

The price went up on his model because he bought the low end model. Originally Tesla was going to sell a 40 Kwh model. Elon decided that model had too short a range for most users about 140 miles. The 40Kwh is still considerably larger then the Volt and the Leaf at around 24 Kwh. But a Business decision was made to make the cars get at least 200 or so miles on a charge. The benefit was users who bought the low end got upgraded to the 60 Kwh battery but only could use 40 Kwh of it.