Category: Lifestyle

Two years ago today, we took delivery of our 2018 long range, rear wheel drive Tesla Model 3. We named her Scarlett because we broke from our decades-long grey car theme and went red.

We have driven her over 22,000 miles in those two years (she is our only car) and I wanted to reflect again on our experiences.

Driving is fun again. I grew up as kind of a gear-head (although without a lot of the mechanical part; I just loved cars and learning all about them). In recent years, I had lost the rush from driving. Some of that may have happened during our mini-van years, but I think a lot happened because cars became pretty vanilla. Enter Scarlett. With a 0-60 in just under 5 seconds, a virtually silent motor and incredible handling, I actually enjoy driving again. Almost enough to want to give up my bike and go back to two cars.

Driving is almost free now. Our Volkswagen Passat got decent gas mileage (about 20mpg around town) but needed premium petrol to avoid costly maintenance cleaning out the fuel lines. At about $3.50 a gallon, these last 22,000 miles would have set us back almost $4,000 in just fuel. I geeked out the other day and actually sat down and added up our Supercharging costs (traveling out of town) and our home charging (most of our charging we simply plug in at night and we’re fully-charged by morning). We have spent a total of $646 for electricity. Including road trips. And that’s not taking into account our solar, which supplements our charging, further reducing our costs.

Driving is guilt-free. Because we have solar, our electricity is at worst subsidized from our utility and at best free. Our local electric utility also sources 90% renewable energy and is 80% carbon neutral. So that extra little trip to the store or across town has very little impact on the environment. And it’s fun (see above).

Driving is virtually maintenance-free. In two years, we have rotated the tires once and replaced the cabin air filter once. Total cost: $126.50. That’s it. Total.

I roll my eyes when I see articles about range anxiety and charging, which seems to be the single most prevalent negative perspective for EVs. I did chuckle a bit when I saw a recent headline from the AAA that said “owning an EV will cure range anxiety.” I chuckled because this is so true.

After about two of our first shorter test road trips, we quickly realized that the Supercharger network and even the slower Level 2 charger locations are robust and easy to find and use. Now, we plan 1,500 to 2,000 mile vacations with no worry or concern. Even worst-case scenario, we can plug into a standard 110 outlet. And a side benefit is when we stop to charge, I will usually Yelp a nearby coffee, lunch or dinner spot. We have found some really good restaurants this way and have rarely been disappointed. And it’s fun (see above).

Fit and finish were some early concerns with the Model 3, but we’ve had very few warranty issues. And they all have been corrected by our awesome Tesla Ranger. And what is a Tesla Ranger? Rather than multiple brick and mortar Service Centers, Tesla (always thinking outside the box, literally) has a group of mobile service technicians driving an outfitted Model S who come to us when we need service. My guess is Tesla has figured out this is cheaper in the big picture. But it’s also brilliant customer service. We schedule a service (like a tire rotation) and he comes to our place of work or home, does the work and moves on. We don’t have to drop the car off, take the courtesy van to work, get picked up later to go get the car, and so on. Zero lost time on our part.

In fact, the only time we’ve been to the Oregon Service Center in Portland was February 10, 2018 when we took delivery. The only time.

So, yeah, as I’ve said many times before, we’d do this all again. The two comments we’ve often heard from the beginning and still hear are:

• We absolutely love our car.

• I don’t think I could ever go back to a gas car.

Come by Wildcraft Cider Works at 232 Lincoln Street Sunday, September 8, 2019 between 3:00 and 6:00 pm. See up close and learn more about electric vehicles and talk with owners about their experiences.

We will be showing Scarlett, our Tesla Model 3, and others will be available for test drives. The event is part of the BRING! Home and Garden Tour and the National Drive Electric Week EV Showcase.

Today, I want to talk a little more about the emotional, subjective experiences. And besides, it’s nice to spread out birthday celebrations a bit, especially for that first birthday.

FIT AND FINISH

There were some initial comments about the fit and finish of the early Model 3s. I have to say we had hardly any issues. Our frunk lid (front trunk) sat lower than the rest of the fenders, our driver’s side passenger door was a little misaligned and our frunk secondary latch broke twice, rendering the frunk inaccessible. And we had some interior trim that was a little loose.

That was it.

And for each issue, we have Mobile Ranger Service (since we are 100 miles from a Service Center). That means we pretty much have a personal service tech who comes to us. 

Free. 

You see, Tesla has figured out most service issues don’t need a brick and mortar level of overhead. So they have outfitted older fleet Model S vehicles as service vehicles and every service visit we’ve had has been while we are at work, resulting in no down time for us. 

None.

COMFORT AND RIDE

It was a risk purchasing any car without ever even sitting in it or driving it. Our first “test drive” was after handing them the check, signing the paperwork and driving out of the delivery center in Portland.

But, in fairness, I had geeked out for the previous two years, watching every YouTube video about the Model 3 that came out.

Every one.

So we had a pretty good idea what the level of comfort and ride was going to be like. And we were not disappointed. Our Passat seats were fine around town, but horrible on longer trips. With the newer design of the Tesla and massive adjustability and lumbar support, Scarlett is WAY more comfortable than our Passat. We took a 2,000 mile road trip in September and had no comfort issues at all. Plus, Scarlett is 6” wider than our Passat and that helps in the shoulder room category, too.

The ride is something a lot of people commented on. The more expensive Model S has adjustable air suspension. The Model 3 does not. Some complained it is a harsher ride. I wasn’t too worried about that because I have always liked a little firmer suspension and ride.

Scarlett is a firm ride. The suspension is solid and around town on streets with lots of potholes, it’s bumpy. But for the most part, and especially on the open road, it is awesome and very responsive.

DRIVING EXPERIENCE

Driving is fun again.

I don’t really know how else to word that. I’ve always enjoyed cars, used to build scale model cars, subscribed to Motor Trend magazine, was always watching for the newest car to hit the market. One of my favorite cars was my 1975 Porsche 914. Just flat out fun to drive. Then after the mini-van segment of our lives, I bought my 2013 Turbo S Beetle. Also fun to drive. But in the ensuing couple of years after selling the Beetle, the Passat was ok. Just ok.

But the acceleration of Scarlett (0-60 in just under 5 seconds), the ability to climb hills effortlessly, pass a slower car with instant acceleration and know that you’re not sucking $5 worth of gasoline to “romp on it” has brought back my love of driving.

The biggest challenge is we live in a very walkable neighborhood. So it makes sense to walk and not drive when we’re home on the weekends.

But I often don’t want to. Scarlett is fun, really fun to drive. And, charging mostly with solar, there is very little guilt driving rather than walking.

But we still walk often.

And drive as well.

Happy Birthday, Scarlett!

On February 10, 2018, we took delivery of Scarlett, our 2018 Tesla Model 3. After waiting 681 days (not that we were counting), we drove to Portland to take delivery of a car we had never seen, sat in or driven. (The picture above is her birthplace in Fremont, CA). We found out we were only the second Model 3 to be delivered to anyone living in Eugene. Scarlett was one of the first 6,000 Model 3s manufactured.

In the world.

So what has this last year been like? After all, that’s a pretty big risk, buying a car sight unseen, never having even seen one “live”. There are now a lot of “one year reviews” being posted by those fortunate enough to get an early Model 3. Well, I thought I’d share our experiences over this last year and just how we feel about the car.

There are enough thoughts and feelings that I’m spreading this into two posts. Part Two will come tomorrow on her actual “birthday.”

HISTORY

Our previous cars were Volkswagens. We owned a 2001 Passat and a 2003 Beetle. We sold the Beetle when we moved downtown because we found our location allowed us to only need one car. And, we had committed to our next car being all-electric (EV). The Passat was well past 100,000 miles and we were hoping it would last until we could buy an EV. Volkswagen let us know in no uncertain terms around 2008 that “we have no intention to ever make an EV.” I wish I had saved that email.

The Think City came  out in 2010 and very quickly disappeared. 100 miles of range, $42,000 cost and manufactured in Indiana. Bankrupt by 2011.

The Leaf also came out in 2010 and we were not impressed. We didn’t like the styling and the range at about 73 miles was lacking. Then the Tesla introduced the Model S in 2012 with about 250 miles of range. A lot better. Beautiful car. But it was $60,000, which was the equivalent of about $65,000 in today’s dollars. Even with one car, that was still too much.

Then in 2016, Tesla announced the Model 3. It was two years out, would have 220 miles of range and have a base price of $35,000. Within days, they had a waiting list of 450,000 people who plunked down $1,000 to hold a spot in line.

We loved the idea, but had no idea how many years it would take if we took spot 450,001 in line.

So we waited. But we would soon find out some good friends of ours got in on the first day of reservations and were early in the line. They didn’t want to wait two years, so they bought a Model S. Which actually moved them up in line a bit.

Then they called us and asked if we wanted to assume their reservation. We talked (briefly) and said “yes.”

So the 681 day wait began and we were able to configure and order Scarlett on January 27, 2018. She wasn’t $35,000, but she had a much larger battery (310 miles) and we are glad we upgraded the range. We were able to take delivery on February 10, 2018.

So here are our impressions.

FUEL COSTS

I’ve blogged about this a bit recently, but now with the full year, it’s official.

We’re saving a good chunk of change driving an EV. 

We categorize all of our spending in Quicken, so it was easy to know how much we spent on gasoline. Even as we got down to one car and living in a walkable neighborhood, we were spending on average $62.50 per month on gasoline. Add to that the almost $1,000 per year on service and it started getting expensive. In fairness, comparing a 17 year old car to a new car, the service costs will be a lot lower at the front end anyway. However, we don’t even have regular oil changes or tune-ups, so our front end service costs are zero.

Calculating the fuel costs charging at home with a solar system (another variable that makes it harder to calculate and also skews the numbers a bit, too), is difficult to calculate. We don’t have any separate metering on the 240v dryer plug we installed to charge at home.

But I had been tracking our electric bills and solar as best I could for the few years we’d been in the house. And I overlaid the year with Scarlett compared to previous years. In the months where we used more electricity than we produced (winter), I calculated the difference at full retail ($0.088/KWh). Then in the months where we produced more than we used (summer), I calculated the difference at the amount we sell our surplus back to our utility ($0.026/KWh).

All that resulted in an increase in our electric bill after purchasing the car of $7.70/month. So even ignoring service costs, we’re saving $55/month on fuel.

CHARGING (aka FILL ‘ER UP!)

Probably the single most common question we are asked is “what if you run out of charge?”

Sometimes I get a little snarky and respond with “what if you run out of gas?” Because it’s pretty much the same thing. If you run out of charge or run out of gas, you haven’t planned well.

Charging an EV requires a different mindset. And that took a little getting used to.

Usually, you would go to a gas station about once a week telling the attendant “fill ‘er up” and spending 10 minutes topping off the tank. On a vacation, it would be the same.

With an EV, it’s a little different.

For the day-to-day “fueling” we either plug in during the day on the weekend when we’re out walking and the sun is shining, to take advantage of our virtually free solar electricity, or, during the winter, we plug in at night and we are fully charged by morning. The day-to-day charging takes us realistically about 20 seconds (10 to plug in and 10 to unplug and wrap the cord).

On trips, we found we could time our charging usually at one of the Superchargers, which are located almost everywhere (12,000 world-wide; they don’t say how many are in the US alone). We then would Yelp a nearby restaurant or coffee shop and time our charging with a lunch, dinner or coffee stop. When finished with our food or drink, we would walk back to the car, unplug and be on our way. 

Many times we were charged to “full” but sometimes not. But with the frequency of Superchargers and the inherent need to stop and rest or eat or get coffee, we shifted our “fill ‘er up” mentality to charging to wherever it was and going on our way. So again, very little extra time; certainly no more than filling up with gas, then driving to a lunch spot.

(tomorrow: more of the emotional experiences)

This is the final blog on our road trip. I’ve focused mostly in this series of blogs on the features of the Model 3 and the techie stuff that sets it apart from gas cars.

I think one of the coolest things about Scarlett is the driving experience and handling. And that is something that bridges ICE and EV.

After all is said and done, it’s just flat out fun to drive.

When I was a kid, I was enamored with cars. I subscribed to Motor Trend magazine. I built 1/25 scale plastic model cars. I knew a lot about a lot of the muscle cars on the market in the early 1970s.

My first car was a bright red 1974 Chevy Nova SS. I got it my senior year of high school and it was fast. I upgraded to chrome mag wheels, white letter tires, air shocks. About the time I got it, however, gas prices started climbing. And I was getting about 8 mpg.

I called the dealer where we purchased it and asked about the mileage. He asked “OK, what motor?” 350 V8. “What carburetor?” 4 barrel. “What transmission?” 4-speed. Then he said: “what do you want?”

My love for good handling cars moved on to my next car, which was a Porsche 914. That car was not as fast, but you could go into a corner almost as fast as you wanted. Good around town car. A lot better gas mileage (about 20 in town). But the maintenance was very expensive. And it occurred often. And you couldn’t do it yourself. And the seats were horribly uncomfortable. But it was so, so fun to drive!

Then I got married and we had kids and went practical. Can you say “mini-van?” Yes, two of them over the years. So my love of driving kind of got shelved for a while. After the kids grew up, I had a VW Beetle Turbo S for a lot of years and that rekindled some of that love of a fast, well-handling car.

Then I met Scarlett. It’s interesting that I would buy such an expensive car without ever driving it first. I hadn’t even SEEN a Model 3 in person. Ever.

But I had watched all the Youtube videos on Tesla and on the Model 3. All of them.

Ask Brenda.

Every one.

So when we took delivery, I pretty much knew what to expect.

I was not disappointed.

This road trip was the first big test of how Scarlett would do on a long trip. We had done a couple of 500 mile trips before, but not a long, extended trip. She did really really well.

Scarlett is quick (0-60 in about 5 seconds), nimble (you can corner almost as fast as you want), handles so well (especially on winding roads) and the seats are comfortable. And we got just under 140 MPGe. Whether we were on the boring part of I-5 South in California (thank goodness for audiobooks) or making our way North on Highway 1 through Big Sur (the highlight of the trip for me), the Tesla Model 3 hugs the road, is responsive and fun to drive. Usually I will need Brenda to occasionally drive for me on long trips because I get tired. Either the driving gets boring or my rear starts to hurt or I just get tired. 

Brenda drove zero miles on our 2,000 mile road trip; she said she is OK with that, so I’ll choose to believe her.

My youthful love for driving has returned full bore.

Thank you, Tesla!

Our last car was a 2001 VW Passat. It was virtually the same size as Scarlett except Scarlett is about 6 inches wider. Both cars have a rated trunk space of 15 cubic feet. I had thought this was quite generous, but did a little checking and it’s actually pretty average in a mid-size sedan. We do also have a frunk (front trunk), but it’s not very large.

Regardless, we easily packed two suitcases, three duffle bags, two backpacks, a camera pack, tripod, two pillows, a large box with our french press and coffee (essentials) and our window cleaning kit in the rear trunk. In the rear sub-trunk (below a panel where the gas tank would normally be), we had a 100 foot extension cord, our 110 and 240 volt charging cable/connector  and a very large, bulky 240 volt extension cord (just in case).

We did use the window cleaning kit often. It’s a two-bottle wine carrier where I have a spray bottle of diluted alcohol-water as well as a number of cleaning rags. When you don’t go to gas stations, you have to clean your own windows. Alcohol doesn’t streak and cleans really well.

We also used the 110 charger at our hotel in San Francisco. It was valet parking only, we weren’t driving at all for a few days and Brenda noticed they had parked the car right next to a 110 outlet. Why not? We only got about 3 or 4 miles per hour, but we were there for three days. This allowed us to get all the way to 100% charge when we left. At no additional charge.

We saved the frunk for our sodas and cooler. We took a 12 pack of ginger ale cans (Brenda’s) and about 3 four-packs of Reed’s ginger ale (Bill’s) as well as a soft-side cooler to ice the sodas. The bummer is our cooler died about halfway through the trip and started leaking water everywhere. Frunk got wet and ginger ale cardboard holders disintegrated. We regrouped on that one and actually found a Big Lots, a very nice Igloo cooler on end-of-season sale so we bought it. It fits perfectly in the frunk. And it’s red. Geeky, I know.

Overall, the trunk space worked very well for us. Frankly, it’s about the same as the Passat and the rear seats fold down, if needed, too. The advantage is the frunk, but in reality, that’s almost more of a novelty. We were very happy and impressed with our Passat trunk and Scarlett does not disappoint. Good trunk volume and space.

If you own a Tesla and you live on the Left Coast, there are two places that many owners feel they have to go with their cars: the Kettleman City Supercharger and the Tesla Factory Tour.

In this particular road trip, we were able to do both. We had originally planned on National Park road tripping through Yosemite, but it caught fire, so we cancelled and rebooked through Glacier, then it also caught fire. Frustrated, we decided to do Southern California, Highway 1 and Big Sur. Those placed us perilously close to both the KCSC and the Factory.

On our way down, we stopped at the Kettleman City Supercharger. It is one of the largest in the US with 40 charging stations. It also has a coffee bar and very clean restrooms. This was our first stop of the two. The KCSC is controlled access. The doors are locked and you get a door unlock code on the navigation in the car. This allows it to be open 24/7, although the baristas are only there during daylight hours. We found them friendly and had a couple of mochas during our pause. The mochas were actually, surprisingly quite good.

We had some interesting conversations with them and another couple who had just taken delivery of a new Model X and were road tripping as well. More on the conversation with the barista a bit later.

A few days later on our trip, as we approached our time in San Francisco, we detoured a bit to Fremont and the Tesla Factory. All Tesla owners can have a free factory tour and we had scheduled it in advance. It was probably one of the most fascinating experiences I’ve had. At 4.6 million square feet, the Tesla Factory is the largest footprint building in the US (third largest in the world).

The 60-minute tour takes you through the entire process from start to finish on Tesla production. Our tour guide was very informative and personable. 

Every Tesla in the world is manufactured in this factory. From stamping the frame and body parts to assembly to finish, it was educational to see how the cars are made. The robots and assembly line automation were also amazing. The left side of the picture above is Brenda and me (and Scarlett) in front of the factory. That and inside the showroom are about the extent of the pictures allowed.

Now back to a conversation I had with our 20-something barista at Kettleman City. When we arrived, I mentioned how I couldn’t really decide if this Supercharger or the Factory Tour were the “Mecca” for Tesla owners. I was mostly trying to make conversation.

Her response was: “What’s Mecca?”

Face palm. California, please do a better job of educating your youth in comparative religions.