My first 650 miles with a BEV

[semipro]

If you are a two car family keeping one ICE and getting an EV just makes sense even if there is not much or any public charging network as long as you have home charging and you don’t need huge current 20 amp breaker at 240v is fine for most.

Our experience also. In addition to the Leaf we have an older hybrid for road trips.
It's nice not to have to stop at filling stations too.
We only charge occasionally away from home and usually at destinations determined, in part, by the availability of a charger (e.g., our favorite restaurant).

 

[EbS-P]

First mobile service appointment is wrapping up. They are convenient but my issue can not be fixed via mobile service the wiring harness failed on the chassis side. Got new cameras for full self driving for free. Mobile service drives a Model X. With all rear seats removed. One expensive service wagon!

 

[EbS-P]

First mobile service appointment is wrapping up. They are convenient but my issue can not be fixed via mobile service the wiring harness failed on the chassis side. Got new cameras for full self driving for free. Mobile service drives a Model X. With all rear seats removed. One expensive service wagon!

Update for what it’s worth. Tesla is charging 185$ hourly labor rate. Not sure what the other dealers are charging but I bet it’s close.

 

[DBoon]

you don’t need huge current 20 amp breaker at 240v is fine for most

Agreed - I have a 6.6 kW (40A) charger at a condo but only a 3.3 kW (20A) charger at my rural home. It cost me about $2k all in to add the 6.6 kW charging capability, but the 20A/240V outlet was already in the barn. Cost to add charging - $200 for a TurboCord that plugs right into the existing 20A outlet, and $60 for a NEMA 14-50 adapter to that plug so that I can use that same TurboCord to plug in and charge at my friend's house near Boston.

I have no plans right now to spend $2k to add 6.6 kW charging at my rural house. The 3.3 kW charging works just fine.

 

[begreen]

Yes, our 25 amp charger is on a 30 amp circuit I put in. It's fine for our home charging needs.

 

[Todd]

Yes, our 25 amp charger is on a 30 amp circuit I put in. It's fine for our home charging needs.

How long does it take to charge from say a 50% full battery pack?

I think I’d have to upgrade my little solar system to be able to handle something like this unless I have full sun. Probably have to use my gas genny on cloudy days since I’m off grid.

 

[EbS-P]

How long does it take to charge from say a 50% full battery pack?

I think I’d have to upgrade my little solar system to be able to handle something like this unless I have full sun. Probably have to use my gas genny on cloudy days since I’m off grid.

15 hours for me to get 125 miles of range at 3.1 Kw.

 

[begreen]

How long does it take to charge from say a 50% full battery pack?

I think I’d have to upgrade my little solar system to be able to handle something like this unless I have full sun. Probably have to use my gas genny on cloudy days since I’m off grid.

Additional solar may help depending on how often you need to charge and the other loads on the system. Depending on the vehicle, you may be able to choose a lower charging rate. Our Volt is settable at 8 or 12amp for 120vac charging or 16a level 2 charging. The 2019 Volt and Bolts can do 32a level 2 charging.

 

[woodgeek]

Agreed - I have a 6.6 kW (40A) charger at a condo but only a 3.3 kW (20A) charger at my rural home. It cost me about $2k all in to add the 6.6 kW charging capability, but the 20A/240V outlet was already in the barn. Cost to add charging - $200 for a TurboCord that plugs right into the existing 20A outlet, and $60 for a NEMA 14-50 adapter to that plug so that I can use that same TurboCord to plug in and charge at my friend's house near Boston.

I have no plans right now to spend $2k to add 6.6 kW charging at my rural house. The 3.3 kW charging works just fine.

I set up my GF with 2.9 kW charging (240V @ 12A) with a $40 dryer cord splitter and a 12AWG extension cord and L1/2 EVSE I had from a previous EV that I had sitting in my garage.

She's borrowing my 2015 Volt, and it only charges at 3.3 kW max anyway.

 

[begreen]

An interesting benefit for an offgrid setup is that the EV car/truck can run the house at night if it's charged during the day.

 

[DBoon]

How long does it take to charge from say a 50% full battery pack?

For my Chevy Bolt, it would take 10 hours on a 3.3 kW charger to charge half the battery. Mine seems to do that always 10% faster, so maybe it runs a little better than 3.6 kW.

 

[Todd]

For my Chevy Bolt, it would take 10 hours on a 3.3 kW charger to charge half the battery. Mine seems to do that always 10% faster, so maybe it runs a little better than 3.6 kW.

I’d definitely have to upgrade then from my little 2.5 kw system, charge somewhere else or pay $30k to get electricity brought in here. We’ll see what happens in the next few years, ain’t happening here yet.

 

[DBoon]

I'm guessing that you are trying to charge at times when you have a lot of surplus electricity? If that surplus is from a solar PV array, there are inverters and charging systems that will sense excess solar PV production and send it to an charger for your car. I think they developed these for states where there is no net metering, or poor rate structures for PV production.

If I didn't have net metering from my solar PV array, I would probably upgrade the barn charger to 6.6 kW, but I don't have much need to do so or financial incentive either.

 

[EbS-P]

Time for some actual number after one full year of driving. 7500 miles and 3200kw. My actual cost taking into account free super charging is …… $56.75 per 1000 miles.

For total annual savings of $1240. I don’t recall what my insurance premium on the model X is but my it’s probably less than that a year.

total CO2 emissions cut 3000 kg (using the US grid average). But in reality being 20 miles from a nuclear plant and charging 90% of the time at night it’s probably more than that.


Tesla is going in for work next month. No big failures but once I know that cost I will report back.

 

[EbS-P]

The model X went in for service appointment today 32,200 miles.

Axles need replaced both front control arms uppers are being replaced

It’s kind of fun following along on your repair estimate it’s kind of like going to Vegas. ( I’m guessing I’ve never been). every time you get a ding on your phone you know you lost some more money. $3,700 and counting…..

 

[peakbagger]

Its odd as I have heard various reports that firms that use Teslas as fleet vehicles report long life and low service costs. With things like driveshafts wearing out so quickly it just does not line up.

 

[EbS-P]

Its odd as I have heard various reports that firms that use Teslas as fleet vehicles report long life and low service costs. With things like driveshafts wearing out so quickly it just does not line up.

It’s a model X performance. No one buys vehicles that do 0-60 in 3.0 seconds as fleet cars. It’s Bad design choices as they tried to use as many parts from the model S as they could. I have not heard of any issues with axel with the 3 or Y

 

[EbS-P]

Well my first Tesla service experience went well. They fixed their mistake when cameras were installed and diagnosed at a cost of 92$ upper control arms needed replacing in almost instantly. New axles and wiring harness. $2900. I decided to get a third party warms last summer. And they will cover it $2600. But Tesla doesn’t work with insurance or third parties (so I was told) I I paid the bill and was told I will receive a check in 14 days.

It’s a 2.5 hour drive. Our one year old made the trip up and back without mom and she is my new favorite road tripper.

They parking lot was clear full of cars. But dropped off Friday and was finished on a Tuesday. It was not the greatest experience I’ve had getting repairs done but it went fine. Being able to chat right with the tech doing the work was nice.

 

[EbS-P]

Well here is my one year electrical usage. I am averaging about 1100 kWh a month for a 100% electric house with about 300 kWh of car charging included. Duke now estimates my car charging cost based on vehicle and monthly mileage as I reported in my home profile.

 

[begreen]

Well here is my one year electrical usage. I am averaging about 1100 kWh a month for a 100% electric house with about 300 kWh of car charging included. Duke now estimates my car charging cost based on vehicle and monthly mileage as I reported in my home profile.

View attachment 312095

No summer cooling load?

 

[stoveliker]

No summer cooling load?

Seems like the yellow heating line is combined heating and cooling (all electric home, so heatpump with two bumps per year).

 

[begreen]

Seems like the yellow heating line is combined heating and cooling (all electric home, so heatpump with two bumps per year).

I guessed that, but it was labeled heating so I didn't want to assume. The lighting load seems high, but probably comes down in summer. It's confusing because the dollar amounts seem to be for the month, while the bar graph title says for a year.

 

[EbS-P]

No summer cooling load?

yellow line is the average home built 1948-1973, 2600-3200 sq ft In my “area” the green is an efficient home. And blue is my consumption.

My usage breakdown the colored bars above is not graphed. The heating will change to cooling next bill cycle but I’ve been running both this month.

Edit… none of those usages are measured it’s just based on the average household usage for the period from some model.

 

[EbS-P]

Time for an update. Third party warranties are available now for batteries and drive units. Did some math and if I use my free charging it basically pays for the warranty. So I have been trying to charge at the super charger as much as possible. Only times I have plugged in at home is when I had a road trip the next day and one day where I had a charging error and could not charge. Another 300 mile trip tomorrow and I will break 650 kWh for the last 30 days.

A couple observations. If the dc fast chargers is within 5 minutes of somewhere you were going anyway this really hasn’t been a big deal.

But then there is the cost if it wasn’t free. I would have paid about 160$ for 440 kWh. I wish Tesla showed how many miles I drove of the last 30 days.

Thoughts on my first real road trips. Same route twice stoping at the same charger up and back each time. The EV takes 45 minutes longer only if you don’t ever stop. Add a drive through, bathroom stop and a fill up in there it really only takes 20-25 minutes more.

I got to use the self driving for most of the two trips. It’s ok I don’t like how it drives in stop and go traffic. Definitely programmed by California drivers. Other than that is really quite nice and probably something I would splurge on for a road trip vacation if I could get it by the month. Right now enhanced autopilot (which drives itself on interstates) which is all my Tesla can do (and chime at green lights) costs $6000 if were to buy it. I do think for an attentive driver it adds a level of safety.

We had a Doctors appointment go long and we were late getting back home. I wasn’t sleepy but it had been a long day and the traffic was light for the last 90 miles. It made the drive more enjoyable. There is a difference in cognitive load at 70 mph on a nearly empty interstate and say 85 mph with lots of traffic.

My biggest issue is keeping enough pressure on the steering wheel but not too much. I was raised in a farm and when you drove you had two hands on the wheel with a firm grip. “You never know when a tire could blow out” or you “get a little too close to ditch and into the soft dirt” the consequence is my firm grip will sometime be enough to disengage autopilot when the car makes a fast correction. But with one hand like I would drive a tractor I don’t put enough pressure on the wheel and it thinks I took my hands off the wheel. First world computer self driving problems.

I have 12k miles on the tires about 18 months and I have one down to wear bars in the next 2-3k. I think it got out of alignment or it’s a bad tire. It’s going to eat tires. But it Charges for free!! How many time do think I’ll spend that money I saved?

A second silver Model X just like ours now lives on our street. So I get to see what I look like driving around. Definitely not turning heads while in motion. Still getting stares when the doors go up. But it’s much less this summer. By now everyone has seen my or my neighbors doors.

 

[woodgeek]

When out neighbors got a LEAF in 2015, they spent the first couple months playing the free (L2) charging game at grocery stores and such. Boasted about never paying for electrons. After a few months they got tired of the game, and just started plugging it in at home.

Free charging on road trips is nice. My DCFC electrons cost ~3X what my L2 costs.

And my LEAF and Bolt ate tires too... about 20k miles before I wanted to change them out.