Moving to Tesla . . . .

Thanks! It was a chore, but somebody had to use up that excess battery charge. Sitting in the garage with the very efficient heat pump heater running was not getting it done and it was boring. That's one of the marinas at Lake Hefner not far from my house.

I officially love this car more every time I touch it. Best I've owned to date since 1973.

 

Not a bad idea. Our winds have been horrible, 20-30 mpg and gusty. I would like that to calm down a bit to remove variables. I'll use the covers if we do any serious road trips in the "boonies", but I really do hate the aero cover look.

Love this car. It takes everything I liked about the Prime times 1,000 or more.

 

I've had the Model 3 for two weeks and I absolutely love it. Every time I walk into the garage I smile. I love the red.

Our weather has been cold and crappy for most of the two weeks. I've not been able to do any real tests yet, but for my first 447 miles my average Wh/Mile is 226. This includes in-town and 70+ mph driving with temp as low as 17° and as high as 64°. Average temp for that two weeks is 47° so not very warm. Winds have been very gusty, 10-30 mph. My driving efficiency is 87.59%. I credit that to my years driving a Prius and Prius Prime and the Model 3 LR AWD. Except for the first 2 "play" days in Standard mode, I drive it in Chill mode. I also use the hold mode so regen is at maximum all the way down to zero mph. One pedal driving is very good in hold mode. It's extremely strong regen compared to a Prime. The fun continues.

Tomorrow I get it tinted with 35% FormulaOne LLumar Stratos. This will give good heat/UV rejection and maintain good night vision, especially with the auto dimming side mirrors. Pics to follow.

 

I was a bit surprised as well. Obi Wan Prime trained my foot very well.

I was in error on the tint % above. I thought it was 35% but it actually is 30% FormulaOne LLumar Stratos. Cloudy day, ice storm moving in so not as bright and shiny looking but here's the same parking spot as the previous pic (post #120) with the new tint.

 

Having read everything I could find on Tesla from owners and reviewers for almost two years, I was very aware of issues perceived and real going into this. Eyes wide open and no rose colored glasses.

After two full weeks, I can find NOTHING wrong, just like I mentioned in posts 117 & 119 above. I've been over it with multiple OCD style check lists and it's perfect. I know there are many here that will not believe this but it's true. I've been under it, checked torque values, been all over inside it, checked every millimeter of paint (showing and hidden), and there's nothing wrong. As a matter of fact, there's a LOT that is right that I've not seen in other new cars. The Kansas City delivery team went above and beyond setting the vehicle up specifically for "me", sight unseen.

I am very aware that when a new model comes out like the model Y that there are occasional manufacturing issues until it gets dialed in as with ALL vehicles just like the new Gen dangerous brake skip issues with the 2010 Prius I owned and Entune on the Prime I owned AND loved. ALL vehicles. At this point of maturity, the Model 3 is dialed in manufacturing wise.

Hands down, this Model 3 is the best car I've ever owned. I've been driving since 1971. I installed my own suspension lift kits on my 4Runners and work on my own vehicles so a wrench or stinky grease does not scare me. 30 years as a Fortune 500 Network admin, software and evaluating and breaking it for a living does not scare me either. The Model 3 is amazing.

Again, this Model 3 is the best car I've ever owned. Yeah, it's only been two weeks if somebody wants to pick at something.

 

The Y's do seem to be getting better. The Model 3 went through the same progression. I'm sure the cybertruck will have early issues as well. I didn't need the extra space and less range of the Y. I have the 4Runner to fall back on for our hauling/offroading needs.

I also loved my Prime. I was ready for more EV and less gasoline and it's very nice to see my album art driving down the road. I was always amazed with what I could do with 25-30 miles of EV range. In comparison the Model 3 feels almost unlimited. The tech is amazing.

Keep reading everything you can and you'll know when the time is right.

 

That depends on the voltage you use to supply the charge and the % level of battery from and to points. The big DC super chargers are very fast. I've gotten up to 400 mi/hr of charging at our supercharger. The rate slows as you battery gets more full. My EPA and actual range is 353 miles so 30-40 minutes is a good time estimate.

If you're charging on a 120V 20amp outlet it could take 35 hours if you are in the 30% range going to 90%. That's about 5 miles/hr of charge.

Charging a Tesla is a bit different mindset than a Prius Prime. Tesla allows (not recommends) you to access all 100% of your battery range 0-100%. They don't protect you from yourself like Toyota does. The Prius Prime display may say 100% full but that's only the range they allow you to use. The actual battery % is less for longevity. These batteries don't like being at zero or 100% for very long. Tesla allows you to charge to 100% but they tell you that's only when you intend to drive it immediately after like a road trip. They will also let you drive it down to zero but that's just as bad for battery health.

If I'm not road tripping and am staying around town, I charge to 90% and then not again until I reach 30%. In my Model 3 that's about 8-9 days.

 

The heat pump in mine worked just fine the other morning @15° with no preheating.

 

Cloudy day above vs sunny day below. Tint looks darker, color pops more. White balance was good and no color corrected applied or needed. OK I'm done with the pics.

 

It keeps on getting better. Even though I ordered Oct 22nd which was well before the Free Supercharging offer, I took delivery in 2020 so I still got the one year free supercharging. Sweet.

 

My wife's Blue Model 3 LR AWD will arrive in March.