I love our Tesla. I get A LOT of questions about it. So I thought I would dive into some common ones for everyone so that you can be a little more educated. Might be helpful to those of you that are considering electric!
Must be really expensive?
No-- not really. It did not cost more than buying a truck. We paid extra for the bigger battery (called long range) with our Model 3. The cost for purchase was around $52,000. That does not cover the cost of registration or sales tax. We also decided to upgrade our electrical in our garage and had an electrician do that. This is not necessary but I can fully charge my car overnight with the charge upgrade ability.
Is the electricity expensive?
Are you scared to run out of charge while traveling?
Nope. The car has an amazing interface and when you put in your travel destination it will tell you if you need to stop and charge. So far I have traveled from IL to home and still have 36% charge left. We have the larger battery so we can go about 350 miles (estimate) on a charge. The car will also alert you if the battery is low and recommend super charge stations where you can get juiced up really quickly!
How does it handle?
It is amazing if I am being honest. The horsepower and torque are a bit insane. People can get sick in the back seat of you take off fast. But it handles like a dream especially in the rain. If you upgrade to the bigger battery you get AWD and I love that the car seems grounded all the time.
How long did you have to wait for delivery?
About 3 months and almost the entire car was made in the USA. So if you are looking for an American made car this is for you.
Could you customize it?
Yes. I was able to pick the battery size, color of the car and the rims. The interior is REALLY simple and I actually have loved that. It is super easy to clean and has a ton of space inside.
What about the interface?
The interface or computer (tablet) on this computer is amazing. Nothing compares on the market. I am not just saying that I test drove a ford mustang mach e and their computer system was just not as quick and easy to use compared to the Tesla. I will share I was really scared this car would be too techy for me but everyone that has drove this car or rode in it agrees it is not hard to get used to the tech. I also love the app that comes with the car so I do not need a key to drive/unlock and I can turn the air on while in the office before getting out there so I do not melt.
Any strange things?
I mean yes... It gets confused sometimes and thinks there are people/items in the way. The cameras are really sensitive. I am used to it now and laugh it off but if the car alerts you there is a person in the garage it can scare you. We did not pay for self driving but it does lane correct you. Here the car thinks I am running over a person. I was parked in the garage. No people. It also will sometimes get really mad if you have curse control on (I adore the adaptive curse control by the way) and will actually try to slow down on the highway if you drive to close to the walls (especially the cement ones in Milwaukee).
Would you recommend it?
Yes. I would if it fits your life style. I say that because I have a short commute and I have a diesel Jetta that is meant for long trips or when we are doing outdoor things. There are some places in WI (north woods) I would not want to depend on trying to find a charge right now. I think soon the market will have more awesome electric options but if you are looking for a quality car to get into electric this one is awesome. 10/10 recommend after a couple months of driving.
