We had a local Earth Day event, and there were some EV's on display. I had received an email about the event but assumed all they wanted was full EV's, so I didn't volunteer to display. Got there and they had 4 Tesla 3's, a Tesla Roadster, Audi eTron (from the dealer), Nissan Leaf (3), a Bolt and a Volt. Perhaps a few more but I didn't do a full inventory. Two of the Tesla owners were hard core Tesla fanboys/girls. Shirts, cell phone holder, etc all in the Tesla livery. The male was explaining to me how inferior my Prime was since it had an ICE in it. By his math, his Tesla 3 had 19 moving parts, mine had over 2400. Had a brief discussion about that. I asked him what it cost to run his Tesla per mile. He said it was cheaper than mine, but had no facts to back it up. Didn't spend much time with him as he was in the preaching vs. discussing mode. A few people expressed interest in my Prime, so I went and fetched it in the parking lot and put it on display. I got a bit of traffic from current Prius owners. When there were just me and a different Tesla 3 owner left, he gave me the complete tour of his car. The infotainment system is probably 20 generations ahead of the Prime. The entire dash is a very large, iPad-like display. Extremely responsive, super clear, everything the Prime is not. The difference was stunning. His car was the extended range model with full autopilot (about $60K before rebates of about $15K he told me). Good range, super fast, and very nicely appointed. Glass roof, etc. They don't sell Teslas in Nebraska, so he and others went to Kansas City (about 200 miles) to get theirs. One lady said she waited almost two years for hers. Comparing the two side by side, the styling on the 3 is vastly nicer than the Prime, which looks like a bunch of parts cobbled together. For me, the Prime is the vehicle of choice, since I usually drive short trips locally for many months, then head out into the wilds for a long trip. We looked on his Tesla display and on my upcoming road trip there are vast swatches with no supercharger available. So, with an ICE I have zero range anxiety and can go anywhere I want. But, the Tesla 3 is a nice car.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I respect your rational observation and candid assessment of your needs. I too think Tesla 3 is a nice car, but unfortunately, I cannot afford it in the configuration I want. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
I find a lot of my fellow Tesla owners pretty distasteful for the same reasons a lot of people hated the super-smug contingent of Prius owners a few years ago. As someone who has one and has no financial stake in them (I have no direct financial positions in Tesla) I honestly wouldn't buy another one. It's "shiny" and showy, but the build quality simply isn't there (I feel like there's pretty much always something wrong with our Model S, and the loaners we've gotten when we take it in to service have also had surprisingly glaring faults). On top of it all, the insurance premiums for Teslas are surprisingly high, with the Model S topping the list of most expensive cars to insure.
Careful, or you may be called a short-seller by our resident fanboys. Interesting feedback nevertheless. If not Tesla, then what? While there're other EVs with a comparable range, I don't think any has the 'wow' factor of Tesla... maybe Jag and Audi, but those are rather high-end offerings.
I still have not had a close encounter with any T. Have seen a few zooming along on opposite lane over the last few years, but very, very rare in my neighborhood. I might change my opinion on them if I can actually see it close up and maybe test drive it.
The Bolt is pretty nice for a commuter car, as is the Leaf. I am sure some people buy a Tesla for the "wow factor", but that would not include me. Of note, a high percentage of EV's are leased. The technology is rapidly changing, range increases with every model, etc. Rather than have a 10 year old EV with a range of 75 miles, just keep that one for a few years and lease the next one. There is a big market for Fiat e500's - these can be had for less than $10K in CA. One of the guys in the EV group was seeing if anybody else was interested, so they could buy a few and save on shipping.
I was actually contemplating buying a used EV as a commuter beater, was looking at i3 primarily (~$15k at auction), not much choice otherwise. But for a new, most 'peasant' offerings in $30-40k bracket are just electric versions of regular hatchbacks and whatsnot, i.e. pretty much a regular car with reduced cargo space and no spare. They don't scream 'future!' in a good way. And those that attempt it - like Clarity,- you look at them and think 'geez, do you have to try this much?"
Jags and Audi’s are SUVs only for the time being so they compare to model S and X in that price range. Model 3 would compare to Bolt and Leaf Plus (and maybe the i3). Still there’s no comparison in infrastructure. Tesla is really it. Unsupervised! iPhone ?
My sentiments and situation exactly! I've driven a Model S and took a good look at a Model 3 in a show room. Both were impressive, but not suitable for my needs. And then there are the quality issues I keep hearing about like what @a_gray_prius mentioned. However, a full on BEV might be appropriate for my wife's next car. We just could never afford the initial outlay for the Tesla.
A thing I discovered yesterday is that Tesla Model 3 tires cost $322 a set (Tire Rack prices) more than the same model tires (Michelin Energy Saver AS) for my Prime, simply because of their size. Since the total maintenance cost on my 2004 Prius was dominated by tires, that difference probably overcomes any difference in maintenance cost caused by the ICE, which on a Prime is around 0.3 cents a mile.
Yeah, larger tires always cost more. PRIME is a bargain in that aspect. I don't know what size Tesla Model 3 uses, but Honda Clarity which came with larger 235/45-18 tire was the same way. In addition to higher tire cost and more gas needed for HV drives, having no free maintenance like Toyota offered, even with 3 year lease on Clarity, the cost of maintenance for Clarity came to be much higher than PRIME. That was one of the reason I decided not to get Clarity.
Oh boy do I know. I've been the target of personal attacks here. It's nuts. I actually found it kind of remarkable that one long time member here made a post about buying shares and afterwards all their posts were very positive towards the company. You know how people are really surprised when they find out politicians had their important policy positions shaped for only a few thousand dollars? I'm still in awe how little money it takes to influence peoples' behavior. Do you happen to have access to Manheim data? If so could you help me out (I'm interested in picking up another used car)? Honestly, we're absolutely willing to deal with the continuous issues. However, we feel like we'e been really let down by service and how they've treated us and the problems we've had. It's such a huge departure from the "wonderful" experience other owners on the internet seem to have. Honest question: what about a used Leaf or i-MiEV (which I'm partial to because it's a quirky kei car)?
I don't think I trust the Leaf's battery system. Don't know anything about the i-MiEV. At any rate, my wife still loves her '07, so I'm not complaining. She just wants me to keep it running.
I picked up a Spark EV for commuting and found that even with its limited range, I use it more and more.
Nice write-up in the original post, JB. I feel the same, Teslas are beautiful cars and I love the technology and everything it represents, I am just a bit nervous about some of the negative stories that we hear... that, and the price tag, LOL. On a different note, I had the windshield in my PIP replaced last summer after taking a rock and it cracking right across, and the Speedy Glass guy was telling me he gets lots of Teslas with cracked windshields, he suggested because of the high torque and the way the frame twists puts pressure on the glass. Hmm, had not heard that one before, take it for what it’s worth. The Leaf is a fine car too, my wife drives a ‘16 SL we bought new. The car has been solid with minimal maintenance as advertised (and still have all capacity bars at 50K KM), but I honestly find the fit and finish a step below the Prius, IMO. Small things like the leather seat upholstery where the material is pulling away from the heated seats, the rubber around the door was out of alignment, the two driver side doors were crooked and had to be re-aligned a few times, the paint on the this car scratches VERY easily, and so on. I do find my Softex seats in the PIP more comfortable than the front seats in the Leaf (and it sits pretty high too because of the battery). The Leaf has nice torque off the line of course because of the electric drive and corners better than the Prius, but honestly I find the PiP more comfortable for plain cruising on the highway. Also, I find it funny that a car like the Leaf with 172km range comes with Cruise Control (non-adaptive though, in 2016). Also, whenever we get reminders from Nissan for oil changes... LOL. Just my $0.02.
$60k is luxury car pricing territory, which can buy you quite a bit of amenities. Comparing that to a $30k Prius Prime is like comparing Apples and Potatoes. At the end of the day, the best plug-in car is the one you can afford.
To dip my toe in the EV pool, I ended up picking up a used Smart Fortwo Electric Drive for under $5k. It has a real world range of about 50-75 miles depending on weather and driving style. I found out it works well for my daily needs and is quite fun to zip around in. I started using my ICE car less and less. I’d love a Tesla for the range, but they are out of my price range and I’d never be able to afford upkeep. So far in the 1.5 years I’ve owned my smart ev it’s only cost me $150 in maintenance items (front and rear wipers and the cartridge with silica beads for the battery pack) and will soon need tires (6-8 months from now). The prime was a way to get a family member to dip their toes into an EV and seems to have succeeded. iPad ?
