thesimpleHOUSE

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.

YOU DON’T NEED TO “FILL UP”

With a gas car on a trip, usually, you will pull in to a station, fill up to 100%, then go on with the rest of your trip. That mindset has been so ingrained in us that when we got Scarlett, we thought we had to always get to 100% when charging on a trip. Old habits.

Yet, that isn’t the case and isn’t even the best way to go with an EV. So some rethinking and retraining has been occurring in our minds.

First, when charging an EV, getting from 90% to 100% takes a proportionately longer time. So while you may be able to go from 20% to 90% in 30 minutes, it could take another 30 minutes to go from 90% to 100%. And with Superchargers every 100 miles or so along the road, it isn’t necessary.

Second, if you can plan your charging around lunch or coffee stops, as I mentioned in my last post, the time it takes to charge can overlap with the time you would have been parked anyway.

I mentioned how we charged in Ukiah. We stopped, plugged in and went to lunch. By the time we returned, I think we were at 85% or 90% charge with plenty of distance to get to our next stop in Sacramento, just 150 miles away.

Having learned this, on our way home, we had planned to stop again in Eureka. Our lodging this time was not near the Supercharger. After our experience on the way down, we decided to see if there was a dinner spot near the Supercharger. We found a German restaurant across the street and decided to charge that evening while eating dinner. This time, it worked seamlessly AND we found a wonderful restaurant with amazing food at reasonable prices. Thank you, Yelp!

We did the same thing at the charger in Crescent City for lunch and found another excellent restaurant. And it was maybe four blocks from the charger.

I think we are now getting into a change of our habits while traveling and charging. We are slowly getting past the need to “fill up” and shifting our thinking to be more strategic. Now on a road trip, I think we can reduce that 30 minutes extra charging time to 10 or 15 minutes tops.

But for now, we’re back home for a while and charging in our garage during the sunny days that are still left to us this fall with our solar.

This takes zero extra time and costs almost nothing.

One of the many comments I hear about charging our car on a road trip is the assumption that it takes a lot of extra time and prolongs the trip. It is true that a fill up at a gas station may take only 5 or 10 minutes and charging an EV could take up to an hour. But, keep in mind that the 98% of the time we’re not road tripping and are in town, we charge at home, which SAVES us time because we don’t have to go to a gas station at all. Those weekly 5 or 10 minutes aren’t used at all.

With a little planning, however, and a couple of realizations about charging, it can most often not take any more time than filling up at a gas station.

Really. Here’s my logic. Part One Planning.

PLAN YOUR STOPS

Tesla Superchargers are located about every 100-150 miles along most major roads. It’s true that if you want to take back roads in the middle of nowhere, you’ll REALLY have to plan your route. But for the more common road trips, you can usually find a Supercharger every couple of hours along your route. As an example, on the first leg of our recent 2,000 mile road trip, we went from Eugene to Eureka the first day and Eureka to Sacramento the second day.

On the first leg, we had lunch in Coos Bay at a great BBQ sandwich place. No charging there. The charger is in Bandon. So we went a little farther and stopped at Bandon. It’s right by a supermarket and we bought some snacks for the afternoon leg of the trip. Then we continued on to Eureka where our motel was located.

We booked a motel close to the Eureka Supercharger partly for convenience and partly because it was a last-minute booking since we had to leave a day early due to the fire that closed Interstate 5. We decided to plug in and charge that evening and did a little shopping in the adjacent mall. Not much to see and we did just kill a half hour or so. Fortunately, it was a fast charger. But we got bored and decided to top it off in the morning.

The next morning, we plugged in and it was decidedly slower. We should have just done more the night before. But there was a good coffee shop in the mall for us to get a mocha for the trip out. So we walked over, got our coffee, then walked back to the car. We weren’t full, but had plenty of charge to continue on, so we did.

Our next stop was Ukiah, which hit right at lunch time. So we plugged in, walked to a nearby brew pub and had a very good lunch. When we returned to the car, we were almost completely charged this time, so we continued on to Sacramento.

In all of these stops, we spent extra time only in Bandon (partly because it’s a wasteland for much of anything near the Supercharger) and in Eureka (mostly because we didn’t take advantage of our stop better).

Total “extra time” in four “fill-ups” (which should have only been three): probably about 30 minutes. This is 45 minutes total less the 15 minutes we would have spent for two gas fill ups. Had we planned it better, we could have reduced that to about 10 or 15 minutes extra. Not too bad for 11 1/2 hours of driving.

Next: Part Two – You Don’t Need to “Fill Up”

I’ve talked a little bit about battery range and some of the shorter road trips we’ve taken in Scarlett. Most have been just a few hundred miles with limited need for charging along the way. I think our longest road trip so far has been Eugene to Seattle and it went seamlessly; we even found a wonderful Thai restaurant for lunch in Vancouver just a short walk from the Supercharger there.

However, now we are planning our vacation. It will be a two-week 1,700 mile jaunt  from Eugene to Southern California then back up Highway 1 all along the coast and home. We decided since both National Parks we wanted to visit were on fire, we’d hug the coast and revisit Hearst Castle, Big Sur, San Francisco and the Napa Valley.

Math has always been a passion of mine (you can see that from some of my previous posts) and so planning a 1,700 mile trip in an electric car does take a bit more planning. There are not yet chargers at every freeway interchange (as there are gas stations), but with 310 miles of range on a charge, as I planned out our trip, I discovered a few nuggets I want to share.

First, Tesla planned the Supercharging network impeccably well. All along our route, there are Tesla Superchargers about every 100 to 150 miles. A Supercharger will gain us about 180 to 200 miles in about 30 minutes. And a coffee or lunch stop about every two to three hours is a driving tactic we have done for a while. I can’t physically do long driving stretches without a break. I’ve never been able to and thought it was just me; now I’m learning it’s actually healthier.

From the website Driving Tests:  “Take frequent breaks. Never think that you must make a long drive in one stretch. Take a break approximately every two hours. If you are driving on an interstate highway, state sponsored rest areas will provide you with a great place to stretch your legs, grab a snack, and use the restroom. Other great places to take a break from a long drive include gas stations, local restaurants, and parks.”

Taking a 15 minute coffee break or a 30-45 minute lunch break matches not only the recommended rest pauses, but the timing for charging as well. It’s almost like someone thought that through at the front end.

There are Tesla Superchargers conveniently located at every needed point except one. As we head up the coast, deciding to stay on Highway 1 instead of 101, we will need a slight boost in charge on our trip from Petaluma to Eureka (almost 300 miles via Highway 1). But our planned lunch stop is about halfway at Fort Bragg. And Fort Bragg has just installed several Level 2 chargers (240 volt, gaining about 40-50 miles of charge in an hour). Two are at City Hall, right across the street from our planned lunch stop. In the time we will eat lunch, we will be able to boost our charge enough to easily make it to Eureka, where there is a Tesla Supercharger. Plus, the first hour is free.

Which brings me to Sabbath. My wife and I have been trying to slow our pace of life and truly rest a little more and not be so driven to accomplish a task, do way more things than we need to and simply chill. We find we are much more comfortable about life and our demeanors are much more relaxed. It’s a little better understanding of the scriptural principle of Sabbath rest.  And it’s changed our lives for the better.

This has been a little longer post than normal, but I wanted to set the stage for my next series of posts. I plan on blogging about each day or two of our trip and evaluate how it goes; from the pure relaxing vacation aspect, and also how Scarlett performs on very long trips and charging.

One added benefit of Supercharging has been the conversations we’ve engaged in and the people we have met at the charging stations. Tesla owners are a tight-knit community and it’s fun being a part of something that is revolutionizing the way we travel. Tesla’s Mission Statement fits our lifestyle choices and sums it up well:

“Tesla’s mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”