Cost of Tesla ownership, real time experience
 

I've been a strong advocate of the electric auto's for awhile but I'm been mostly curious about the Tesla and the advanced they have made. Still, I wonder about actual cost of ownership now that there are more and more on the road. In the early days of availability I think Tesla provided some rapid charging stations free of charge but I'm thinking that that was unsustainable. I've been wondering just how things are managed these days and how much it really costs to own and travel in one.

A friend of mine purchased a Tesla in MN and drove down here. He had to stop about every 300 miles and recharge, which took, on average 30 minutes. They had no problem finding charging stations.

Several years ago we spent some time in Colorado (2018, I believe) and all the Walgreens had chargers.

My friend sent me this video. Maybe it will help you.

How Much Does It Really Cost To Own A Tesla Model 3 Over Time?

In what universe can you charge a Tesla in "30 minutes"?

https://evcharging.enelx.com/images/...esla-table.jpg

If you can find a Tesla 220V charging station, you can get from 40% to 80% charge in 1 hour, but a full charge takes 3 hours...

"For most Teslas, it only takes about an hour to charge from 40% to 80% on a 220V system, but another two hours to go from 80% to 100%."

Well it took them 3 days to get here. If they had to wait 8 hours a charge, it would have taken them much longer. Maybe you should buy one and then tell us how long it took.

Tesla Superchargers are super fast
Tesla has their own network of public vehicle chargers known as Superchargers. These 480-volt vehicle charging stations are designed to charge Teslas with incredible speed.

Superchargers recharge at different rates for each of the Tesla models:

Tesla model Miles of range per 15 minutes of Supercharging
Model 3 175 miles
Model S 163 miles
Model X 142 miles
Model Y 158 miles.

This shows a half an hour would give a full charge

That's about 1500 miles +/-. that's a minimum of 5 stops (probably 6), at a minimum of 30 minutes a pop? You're adding 3-4 hours to the trip (assuming you don't have to deviate from your route to find a charging station)...

No thanks...

Not exactly. The charging rate for the Tesla Superchargers is non-linear; the lower the charge level the faster the charging. You can charge to about 80% very quickly but the last 20% will take considerably longer. Apparently, a typical scenario involves about 20 minutes at a Tesla Supercharger to go from about 20% to about 80% every 2 hours or so, depending on where you are. You will spend less time charging if you only go to about 80% but stop more frequently at a Tesla Supercharger. Not all Tesla Supercharger are the same; some will charge faster than others.

When I can recharge the battery on an electric vehicle as quickly as I can fill a gas tank, then I'll consider an electric car. Until then, NOPE!

I have heard enough to decide that I don't want to buy an electric car. But, for me, the biggest issue is that, even with a fast charging time, there is no guarantee that you won't need to wait in line to plug in.

And if there is a problem with the electrical grid or even just a power failure you are SOL. A least gas can be delivered to you if you run out in the middle of the road. Imagine being stuck in a bad traffic jam and running out of power.

For most owners, the majority of their driving is local and they are charging at home at night so charging time is not an issue. For that scenario, they are never spending time at a Tesla Supercharger station but you are spending time at gas stations for a gas car. For road trips, you will spend more time charging than it would take to fill the tank of a gas car. How often are you on road trips that are longer than the range of the car so it would need charging?

My drive from Atlanta to the Villages
 

I just drove down from Atlanta a couple of weeks ago. What would normally take 6 hours in my gas Audi, took about an extra 40 minutes as we stopped in Tifton GA to supercharge. It was a V3 and took about 35 minutes. I love my Tesla - it will do 300 miles which is fine that’s about what my bladder or legs can take before needing a rest - and what’s the hurry? It is a stress less drive also as the car basically drives itself. To get gas it about 10 minutes so its an extra 30 minutes at most.

We stayed in the Hampton inn which had a Tesla charger and loved that I plug it in overnight and have a full charge in the morning - no extra cost.

If there is a problem with the electrical grid or even just a power failure then you are still SOL with a gas car since you can't pump gas without power.

If it hadn't been for Covid we would have been on a lot of trips that year. I don't need the hassle of waiting an indeterminate amount of time to charge a battery on a long trip.

Another reason I don't want an electric car is that most of them are as ugly as a fat plumber's butt crack.