Tesla

Man of Honour
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Great looking cars and incredible acceleration. Bit too silent for my liking though.

That combination is quite intriguing though. The other day I needed a double-take because it was like a Tesla teleported in front of us (from inside lane to middle lane on motorway) without any kind of 'build up' if you know what I mean that you'd see from 99% of cars? One moment it was alongside doing the same speed, the next it had somehow swerved into a gap in front and back down to a comprable speed to us with no audible or even really visual indication that it was about to happen.
 
Soldato
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So yea, a lot of money for next to nothing. A lot of that really doesn't need doing in a service, just seems to be there to try and justify the price.
 
Soldato
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Are you surprised? Premium car (up to £140k), premium price. Maintenance is never going to be cheap even when all they do is next to nothing.
 
Associate
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Hello OP, I am also a fellow Tesla owner - I've had a facelift P90D (AP1) for the last 6 months and am absolutely loving it. I've done 8000 miles for a grand total of about £50 'fuel' as I make extensive use of the Supercharger network which is brilliant. Regardless, I didn't buy it to save money but it's a great car in its own right and autopilot is genuinely a game changer. I use it extensively on every extra-urban journey I do and am so much more relaxed (particularly in 50mph roadworks etc).

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Associate
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On the points of it's quietness; and I'm not sure if it's Tesla, however isn't there the option to select a engine noise for it to make, to make it known to other road users? Or is this something that is planned? Or am I talking out my backside?

Anywho, I'd personally love to experience the acceleration of one of these. I think there's space in the market at the moment for more performance hybrid's that work on the same principles of cars like the Porsche 918.
 
Soldato
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you saying this is an issue?
Government has to raise taxes, and evs will be taxed eventually the same as petrol. just like any new technology, early adaptors get helping hand but eventually government will have to make money one way or another.

Faraday quote!

When the English prime minister asked scientist Michael Faraday what the usefulness of his electromagnetic device was, Faraday replied, “Someday you can tax it.”

Snopes considers this to be false, but it is still credible. And currently really rather aposite..:p
 
Soldato
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So I had ordered a Porsche Panamera 4E via work, got delayed, moved to BMW 530e, which just got delayed so have cancelled that now and ended up with this. Wasn't worth paying for the performance model but pretty pleased. Most items are standard spec now, but went for all packs but fully automatous as no point as it's not available to use yet. So Obsidian Black, Standard Alloys, Premium Pack, Enhanced AutoPilot, Premium Interior with Carbon Fibre Trim.




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If anyone wants a referral please let me know :) Saves £750 and unlimited free supercharging.
 
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Associate
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On the points of it's quietness; and I'm not sure if it's Tesla, however isn't there the option to select a engine noise for it to make, to make it known to other road users? Or is this something that is planned? Or am I talking out my backside?

There's an EU reg coming in that requires electric vehicles to make a recognisable noise under 20kph, EU 540/2017 I think.

Some are also using the opportunity to have the vehicle make a noise at all speeds.
 
Soldato
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Why would you want that all the time? I understand it is an issue for people with disabilities and well to put it bluntly stupid people that don't look before crossing. Tyre noise over 20mph is more than enough.

Manufactures have spent years trying to refine their cars so they make the least amount of noise as possible.
 
Soldato
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I don't own one but I can answer some of the things you have asked.

The cost of charging from empty to full isn't really relevant, it's like asking how much it costs to fill a 1999 Mondeo vs a 2017. Strangely enough its about the same. What is more relevant is how quickly it will empty that tank.

In a Model S energy consumption varies depending on how and where you drive it. Most people report something between 350 - 280 Wh/mile (lower is better) when driven normally. You can get down to 250Wh/mile if you really try. Likewise you can use much much more if you really want. Model X consumption is a bit higher. Ignore any NDEC ratings, there about as useful as advertised MPG's. The EPA rated range is a much better indicator.

The 100 has a usable capacity of 94.4kW, call it 92kW. The hidden part includes the reserve store for if you make a mistake.

Electric is about 12p/kW. 12p x 92 = £11.04 for between 280 and 330 miles.

Servicing is optional but expensive, it is a £60k - £120k car after all. As with any car that will do 0-60 in less than 5-6 seconds you can expect to wear through tyres quickly if have a heavy right foot, especially on RWD models. Breaks wear really slowly due to the regen breaking.

Getting hold of parts is really difficult if you like to DIY, Tesla don't really sell to non approved 3rd parties. There really isn't much to service mind unless something breaks.

If you constantly charge the car with a supercharger, the car will eventually start slowing down the maximum charge rate to protect the battery capacity and lifespan. This mainly effects those doing high mileage and mostly use the superchargers to do it. The change in maximum charge rate isn't huge but it is noticeable. It equates to an extra couple of minutes at the charger.
 
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Soldato
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Anyone with an update on their tesla ownership experience?

Whats the good, the bad and the ugly? How much does it cost roughly to charge from empty? Any servicing issues or hidden costs etc?

Best car I’ve owned ( to date anyway). There shouldn’t be any hidden costs, only major one is the insurance may be a little high but it’s about the same for things in the same bracket. I have a built in maintainence plan so can’t comment on servicing but most people tell me( including Tesla) their plan is a waste of money as so little is required.

Charging costs depends where you charge it, but I average 400w per mile for heavy urban traffic ( trip to the office), 350 overall and on most motorway journeys and 250 on motorway journeys in rush hit it with lots of average speed cameras. Calculate your kWh from above and then times by your home rate. Supercharging is free and I use then when it makes sense. I havwnt charged elsewhere yet but Work ought me a polar plus card for £7 per month for emergencies.

Good:
1. Auto pilot makes me much more relaxed after long journeys as normally after one I have to do a full day of work.
2. Overall the tech is amazing, speech recognition is spot on and the fact it’s linked to all the mcu functions such as Spotify is great to throw on a play list.
3. Happy with the quality
4. Fast, out accelerates most things at the lights
5. So much room in both boots
6. I find the ride so smooth and the steering perfect for my style of driving

Bad:
1. No super comfort features like massage sears which are an option in similar classed vehicles but thsts me being picky.
2. The nav/makes system is a mix of google maps and garmin. The garmin maps which it uses for routing are not as up to date as the google live ones (as these are fed from data) which means some newer routes aren’t present but you can see them on the big screen on google maps. This is required as google don’t allow offline routing or third party apps. Garmin maps arent updated often, but even with previous luxury brands with map updates this is no different, so it’s not really a bad..
3. The new led lights are really good, but they don’t beat the upgraded top end options in the competition (Audi matrix lights, bmw adaptive icon headlights etc), but these are normally expensive options anyway (even though I’d have Specced them)

Any specific questions just ask
 
Associate
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Seconded. I absolutely love my Tesla.

The range is enough for the majority of journeys and Superchargers usually aren’t too far off route (exception here that affects me is the south coast at the moment). I don’t have a home charger yet as I live in an apartment block with underground parking so I use the superchargers on a regular basis and haven’t experienced any hassles, it’s hands down the best charging network around. I try to avoid others as they all have their own systems, cards and payment techniques and it is generally a bit of a nightmare.

I have owned it for over a year now, just had its first year service, and have no plans to move on yet. If anything I’m considering upgrading to a newer Tesla as soon as Autopilot 2 becomes significantly better (which has been promised a long time ago). I currently have an Autopilot 1 car and it’s the best feature on the car, you really have to experience it to understand how much it changes your journeys - as said above, you can arrive at your destinations much more refreshed and are less stressed through the 50mph construction zones etc
 
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