Pros & Cons of Tesla Ownership


This is written one week  before the forth anniversary of
ownership of a 2012 Tesla Model 'S'.  The car has approximately 112,000 miles
and has driven coast to coast twice, and Colorado to California
and back just less then a dozen dimes.


&
Thumbs up
on just being an electric car


Overall we would certainly consider purchasing another Tesla as
battery packs increase in size and range, even though the company continues
to have recurring parts and service issues. We all
expect that Tesla is working through those issues in-time and
hope for their long term success. It seems
that Tesla's success is the only disrupting technology pushing
the automotive industry to inovate into green electric energy future now,
rather then kicking-the-can further down the road. Thank you
Tesla Motors for doing the kicking.
We certainly enjoy early adapting &  supporting Tesla
and all thing electric, even through the
growing pains.


@ 112,000 miles / <4 years


---> Pros <---

-- All the normal EV benefits including quite running, no
shifting, easy smooth acceleration.

-- Range, range, range.  Testa has the market on range, and,
as noted above we have traveled cross
country and achieved +/- 225 miles of fairly 'secure' range
when charged to full capacity. Sometimes less,
sometimes more.

-- Cross country supercharger (DC/DC fast
charging) grid.  An excellent viable travel grid if only we
can keep the car functioning to use it.

-- Tesla continues to be the leader in everything Energy Storage, Electric
Vehicle, Battery and Charging Technology and associated
with future energy security and independance.
There is no better company to support with early adaptation in
today's market.


--->  Cons  <---

-- Cons are growing pains where Tesla is concerned, as well as
differences in generational
expectations of product performance. The younger generations today do not
expect products to last a lifetime, yet older generations
trend towards that expectation. I am older,
used to the longer, forever, expectation, so my Cons are colored
by that long term value hope. Tesla is pushing the envolope, and our future
generations need that push, so we hope that Tesla
will continue to push, and push hard.

===

-- 4 windscreen replacements.  (one on warranty, three @ +/- $1,500 ea.)

-- 4 sets of tires

-- 3 of 4 doors no longer 'present' on touch, one door no longer opens from inside
or outside, Tesla declines to warranty.

-- Rear hatch leaks water.  warranty repair ineffective.

-- Front window 1/4 glass howls in windy conditions.  Tesla declines to warranty.

-- Front airdam failure @ 2 yrs.  One of four airdams (two forward under grill, two
rear in wheel wells) failure.  Tesla declines to warranty.

-- MCU/CID crash @ 3 yrs, 5% conductivity to maps, internet, and other functions.
Tesla declined to warranty until we refused to fundrepairs, then learned that
they found MCU/CID physically damaged by Tesla personnel, either on initial build
or subsequent service which they then agreed to warranty.  After repairs we then
found several important features, including the GPS,
non-functional causing more grief.

-- 4 auxiliary battery replacements (3 proactive on failure warning, one from
systems crash and subsequent tow / rental car / weeks to repair, all
800 miles from base.

-- 80% failure rate on TPMS system.  After 3 years of failure warnings and
subsequent crash of whole system, Tesla admitted the early (pre- 56k units) system
was defective and upgraded the system to the new Continental brand on
warranty.

-- 1 traction battery pack replacement (proactive on contractor warranty recall).
Received another car's used pack, rather than new parts.

-- 1 traction motor replacement (proactive on armature whine).  Recieved
another car's used motor, rather then new parts.

-- Original order not fulfilled correctly due to salesman's terminology gaffe and Tesla's
refusal to correct same (a single 10kW A/C charger rather then the "full charging
capabilities" as specified to Tesla salesperson).

-- Overall concerns about inability to replace various components without Tesla
service and/or reprogramming of same.  This leads to Tesla's defacto control
of product from future 3rd party repair, escalates cost basis,
and leaves consumers unavailable to non-Tesla options for future viability.



--->  In general  <---


If we could hope for a few perspectives for Tesla, they would be to 1) keep pushing,
keep developing, keep accelorating the energy markets, 2) Tesla
has done well to be a forward looking company, but history is often an
overlooked part of future success, so we might consider that
"Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it",
and by this thought, remember that part of the planet's energy future is keeping
legacy products on-the-road for lifetimes, not just a
couple of years to the recycling pile (parts, service, and support of
legacy products), and, 3) Tesla's beginning, and rightfully so, has been the
marketing of zero to sixty times, drag racing, heavy sturdy cars.
Its time to look to efficiency. Remember the inovation of the
c2000 gen1 Honda Insight revolution.
CD + RR = Range.
Bigger traction packs are nice, and necesary, but without
substancially improved efficiencies
simply a band-aid to future energy needs. Dr. Paul MaCready's old edict:
"Do more with less"

---> just our 2 cents <---