Long-Term Electric Car Ownership - Everything I Wish I Knew

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Electric Vehicle ownership requires a lot of adjustments and shifts in the way we drive cars today. In this video, I talk through all of the things I wish I knew from the beginning. That way if you're new to EV ownership or are planning to purchase an EV you know what to expect beforehand without having to deal with some of the stresses and worries I had. I hope this video helps you in your own journey!

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:01 Charging
4:33 Apartment/Condo Charging
5:31 Public Charging
7:12 Range
9:00 Ownership Costs
12:08 Tesla's Quirks and Features
14:58 Conclusion

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[melangreathouse]

Jimmy, I want to address two things that you said 1. Longevity @13:28-On YouTube, there’s a video where a British Gentleman has a Model 3, with 420, 000 miles on it, and no issues. Secondly, you CAN differentiate between each model year of the Model Y. There are a plethora of videos comparing each year of the Model Y ( on YouTube). Great video! Informative, concise, wee put together, and enjoyable.

[kimfairchild]

Just at the year mark with my Model Y (even white like yours). Everything you said was spot on with my experience. The one thing that you didn't emphasize enough was that we constantly receive software updates, pretty much like Microsoft used to do for the operating systems (remember Windows 95? ). After the update, your computer was "hopefully" improved, it ran with less bugs, maybe faster, and could run more apps. For example, just yesterday, Tesla updated my car's version of the operating system. As part of the update, the Full Self driving app was updated to the new AI NeuroNet approach. Basically really powerful computers digested millions of hours of "good driver" behavior, distilled it down to an AI brain ("photons to actions"), and downloaded the brain new brain into their entire fleet. And now with my freaking car, I point at a place on a map, and it just drives there! It isn't perfect yet but it is clear that it will get better and better. Each iteration gets better (every 2 weeks recently). And this works on a ten year old car.

On charging, you were right on, charging in your garage "literally" (I timed it) takes 5 seconds. The experience is SO much better than gas stations.

I had the same experience about "range anxiety", we have to plan better which turned out to be not a big deal. It is fading now but I am really expecting charging to get faster and faster until it is faster than pumping gas, and we will see a car that drives across the US in a few years.

[dmunro]

Level 1 charging will provide 3 to 5 miles of range per hour of charge and overnight this will meet most people's daily driving needs. If you have 12-2 wire to the outlet and a 20amp 120v breaker, you can change the outlet to a NEMA 5-20 and get up to 7 miles of range per (120V/16amps) hour of charge, which is plenty for most every daily commute.

[PeterparkerSlaps]

Just got my model y for 42k inventory demo vehicle with 31miles. It has everything I want . Black paint, white seats, 7 seats . And tow hitch. I spec one out a couple years ago and it was over 70k lol

[cintrond]

Literally on the site ordering a model Y when I got the notification for this video. Thanks for the info!

[mohammedal-ahmadi]

This channel is incredible, production quality of channels with +2mil subs but surprised to see it is barely 200k, so I subscribed!

[trex]

Oh what joy, when a ford pulls up to the Tesla SC they use up TWO spaces because of the placement of the port and the sort length of the SC cord.

[CaseyHardman]

Just bought a ‘24 MYLR and have been loving it! I’m in West Virginia btw. Excited to watch this!

[youlikeitiloveit]

Just got my first electric bill with my new Tesla. I’m charging it in my personal detached garage in my complex & thankfully I don’t have to pay for it ☺️

It’s slow but I have a short work commute and my battery hasn’t fallen below 60% (even with running errands.)

It’s plugged in at night and usually 5-8 hours gets me back to 100% (80%).

[alsjogren]

The fuel cost differences vary significantly. For example, I live in Mexico in the winter. Gasoline is 24.89 Pesos per liter - or about $US5.60 per gallon. Residential electricity is priced low. There are 3 tiers based on home much electricity you use in a month. Tier 1 is about $US0.05 per KwH. Tier 2 is about $US0.065 per KwH. Tier 3, which I have never been in, is about $US0.115 per KwH. Commercial electricity rates are expensive in Mexico.

My Subaru Forester will get 30 miles one one gallon of gasoline. On the same amount of money, my Nissan Leaf will get 225 miles on the middle tier electricity rate.

Switch to Seattle, where I live in the summer, and the gas price is a lot lower at about $3.76 per gallon and residential electricity is $0.115 per KwH. Again the Forester will get 30 miles. On the same money, $3.76, the Leaf gets 94 miles with Seattle electricity rates.

[raffiefoxmew]

Unfortunately the primary reason a lot of folk don't want to switch yet, is misinformation.

They hear stories how EVs were in the 2009-2014 era, before supercharging became en-mass and before the cars were refined with longer ranges.

I've genuinely, not in jest, had someone ask if using the sound system cuts miles off the car. Or if I floor the accelerator for fun sometimes, will the tires be used up in just a few hundred miles.

Just stuff that really became redundant pretty quickly after the early EV adoption phase, which unless you go for a cheaper EV car made before 2018 now, is unlikely to be an issue.

[mehdihashemi]

Very good video. Informative and not annoying. Thank you

[That-Guy_]

I'm in Houston too and have a Model 3 rwd and my wife has a Model Y LR. Best cars we have ever owned. I would recommend getting Tesla solar panels and powerwalls as well. I have not paid for electricity in 4 years and charge both cars for free at home with the free nights electricity plan. I have an 11.34kw solar system with 2 powerwalls.

[andrejohnson]

I still watch Tesla vids even though I own a Mach E GTPerformance, great video all the pros and cons you mentioned are spot on I live in Cali so can relate

[TB-upxi]

I live outside of Sydney Australia, similar climate to Houston, maybe a few degrees colder in winter... 23F to 32F (-5C to 0C) winter mornings - similar summers - average low 90's (34C) summer days but a dozen or so extreme 110-115F (43-46C) days a year.

I have had my 2023 Tesla Model 3 RWD for just on 12months and 24, 000km / 15, 000 miles.

Unlike your experience with the model Y I almost always exceed the advertised range and economy. I have a lifetime consumption of 175Wh/mi (109Wh/km), and sit around 161Wh/mi (100Wh/km) in summer and 188Wh/mi (116Wh/km) in winter. I average 320mi between charges (EPA is 272) and have physically driven over 350miles between charges.

My regular commute is a 100mile round trip to work, I have been as low as 146Wh/mi (91Wh/km) on this drive.

I drive semi-regularly to Melbourne (600 miles), I can sit on a flat freeway all day long at 70mph in good weather and still be under 200Wh/mi (125Wh/mi). It's faster and cheaper to do this trip in my EV than previous ICE car.

I can charge my car overnight for $0.08 AUD ($0.052 USD) per kwh. I have less than 1/3rd wear on my tyres and my insurance is 20% cheaper than the Audi A4 it replaced at $675 USD a year (Australia has universal personal injury that is the same for everyone except inexperienced drivers and paid as part of annual registration so the insurance is for vehicle damage only).

I have paid less than $150 USD in fuel, $0 services, $0 tyres and brakes and my insurance is cheaper (and the car cost me $20k less) - My Audi cost me $17k over 4years / 50, 000 miles in fuel, services, tyres and brakes.

EV ownership in Australia is a no-brainer.

[MatthewBrooksimages]

I am also in Texas (Austin), we drive an EV not a tesla though and we have so much ranger anxiety when we make a trip to houston because there isnt a level three charger anywhere between the cities. But so many tesla stops, definitely considering one for the next car.

[floodtheinbox]

Mine works well for me. I live in southern Illinois so we do experience cold winters but not a ton of snow and for the majority of the year it’s fairly temperate. I’m about 80/20 charging primarily at home, and my commute to work is less than 100 miles round trip. The insurance cost on these cars is high, but between the cost of energy and the lack of maintenance, I’ve more than made up the difference in cost versus driving a fairly modest small car over the past year, not even factoring in the comfort and convenience benefits.
It’s also quick as shit, which is fun lol

[martinleepgg]

You put your views and points across very

[jezzarisky]

I’ve become more and more interested in electric bikes and swapping my car out for that. Public transit is decent where I live and getting better, and a solid electric bike would really be all that I need 95% of the time coupled with it, plus way cheaper than an ICE or EV. The only reason I haven’t yet is mainly due to my older apartment not having bike storage and living up two floors severely limits what I want to haul up daily.

[BlackhawkPilot]

Your emphasis on the Form Follows Function mantra is right on. In retirement I am driving a BEV with 100 mile range on a good day. But I have only driven beyond that a few times and used my 2004 F150 60K miles pickup. My 2015 Mercedes compliance BEV with a Tesla model S driveline but not the large battery, has been great and only degraded about 10 % in nine years of use and has a Total Cost of Ownership (not Operation) of about 45¢/mi being used as my daily driver or for someone with a daily commute of 75 miles or less.