In this installment I am going to review the overall electric vehicle experience, including charging.
I found that getting around in a Tesla is no different than with any gas-powered vehicle, though when you first slide behind the wheel it feels more like a command center than a driver’s seat. The navigation not only gives directions but with a 15” screen, you also have a very workable map. The sound system is good though I really didn’t use it much. I did little more than scratch the surface of all the menus and digital tools contained on the screen.
The big difference, of course is having to find a location to charge the battery instead of pulling into any one of the easily accessible gas stations to fill the tank. Since my flight left early Friday afternoon and I knew I would be short on time getting to the airport as it was, I set aside some time on Thursday evening to charge the car.
After picking up the car on Monday evening with the battery at 72%, and driving about a hundred and thirty miles, the battery was now at 44%. Much of the driving done at night and in the early morning hours, meaning the headlights were likely a much bigger factor on battery life than had I only driven in daylight. With the published range of the Standard Model 3 at three-hundred and five miles, I traveled just over 42% of the maximum. Since I started with a charge of 72% and not 100% (a full battery charge is not recommended as regenerative braking does not kick in when the battery is fully charged. Regenerative braking converts braking into electrical energy and charges the battery), It seemed to me the car had performed as expected – though I have to say for a newbie behind the wheel of an electric car, it is a bit stressful watching that percentage dwindle.
So, where to charge?
I was under the impression that the navigation screen will direct you to charging locations, which led me to believe there was a map listing all the superchargers, or any other available charging locations. In searching the menu’s, I found no such map, list, or anything else leading me to a charger. I googled “Tesla Superchargers” from my phone while I had some time and found the nearest Supercharger was ten miles away. Not all that convenient, but not terrible. So, I set off on a charging quest. After a quick stop, I navigated to where my phone indicated a Supercharger was located but became confused by what looked like a private parking garage. I pulled into an adjacent parking lot and typed “superchargers” on the Tesla Display search bar, which I should have done in the first place, and the car began to direct me right back to the parking garage where a dozen (or so) Superchargers were located. Also, I received a message on the screen saying something about “preparing for charging.”
I backed into a spot, got out and inserted the nozzle into the charging port (which I had found the previous evening behind a lens cover. I didn’t want to look like I had never charged an electric car before). I climbed back in the car where the display gave a graphical charging status. The battery was set to charge to 80% but having more driving to do and determined to return the car with the charge above 70%, I was able to adjust the car to charge up to 92% by sliding the level indicator upward on the screen.
It took thirty-four minutes for the battery to reach 92%. I utilized the time to call my wife, giving her charging updates she so quickly grew tired of. When finished, the display indicated the cost was $21.93. All I did was place the charger into the port, I didn’t give any payment information leading me to believe the car itself is programmed with payment information through the rental company and factored into the daily rental cost. When I returned the car the next day, the battery was at 77%. I removed my bags and was off to the terminal.
While waiting for the plane, I did a quick google search of gas prices in Spring Valley and El Cajon and came up with an average of $4.50 a gallon. Using my wife’s Audi which gets 29 miles a gallon in city driving (I drive an SUV that gets 24 MPG) I found the cost of gas would have been $20.17, slightly less than the electric charge. Even more so had I not made a twenty-mile round trip to a supercharger.
In summary, at the current price of gasoline, the added cost of a Tesla may not bank out in all parts of the country depending on local fuel prices, but the car is fun to drive, loaded with useful technology and is powered by a renewable fuel source.
DE Haines
Twisted Words OF D.E. Haines 