Wednesday this week, I collected my first-ever electronic vehicle (EV), a Tesla Model Y, here are some initial thoughts.
I no longer own an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) car. My wife drives one, but she too admits that her next car will be an EV. We decided to have “both types” of cars while our children learn to drive.
There were 4359 deliveries of the Model Y in September, making it Australia's third top-selling vehicle behind only the Toyota HiLux (5170) and Ford Ranger (4890); more here.
Below are eight facts and some history about our decision to purchase a Tesla.
I considered purchasing a used Tesla Model S in April 2020, as I was becoming impatient with the ANZ Model Y release. We felt it was a little tight for a family of 5, we decided against it. The Tesla Model Y has always been my preferred EV but timeframes of release into ANZ were unknown due to Covid impacts at the Shanghai factory.
I had tried to secure a Hyundai IONIQ 5 (EV of the year), but these were sold out in minutes when released in small batches since 2021. I loved the 1980's retro design; my wife loathed it. Also, something to consider is the non-Tesla charging network for other EVs; especially if you do country driving.
A home charger has been installed, costing around $2,000. The unit was $795, and our long-time electrician, who knows our 1930’s home very well took the best part of a day to install the unit. His costs were circa $1,200.
We purchased the rear-wheel drive Model Y with 20-inch induction wheels and black paint, both optional extras. Our son chose these, and we feel good about the choice after seeing so many white Model Y’s. We didn't choose the white interior option ($1,500). Apparently, the seats clean easily with baby wipes, but after 3 children, I will be happy not to see a wipe again. Our car cost $79,175, and it now costs $82,719.
We ordered the car on June 11, within 24 hours of the Model Y ANZ release. It was delivered 144 days later. Orders today show a delivery window of Feb to May 2023 - similar to ours.
We didn't select Full Self Driving (FSD), but we will use Autopilot on highways. FSD costs $10,100, and I don't see the value.
The range of our Tesla is quoted at 455km, and we can charge the battery to 100% weekly. The Performance model battery should be charged to 80% to avoid degradation, and a full charge range is 514kms. When considering this, the RWD is equivalent to the range of the Performance, which was one of the reasons we chose it. The Performance model also costs over $100,000.
The Tesla aftermarket equipment is vast and fuelled by Tesla fanatics on YouTube. We purchased a range of them for our Model Y (I am not a car fanatic), but the consumption of these videos probably drove some purchasing during those long Melbourne lockdowns!
A mentor challenged me to do a weekly VLOG in 2022, and I will be doing a couple of videos on the Model Y as I seek to improve my video skills; I will let you know when these become available. I purchased a Go-Pro and some peripherals to do this.
I trust this answers some of the non-EV experts' questions I have received over recent months.
Do contact me to share your thoughts or questions.