NWR EV thread (was "Anyone buying a Tesla Model 3 (or any BEV) ?")

Alex Lake · Apr 30, 2019

I hear that ordering for these beasties is set to open in the UK fairly soon. I wonder if any here are going to indulge? I've been lucky enough to be able to wangle a model S through the company, but I hear the 3 is better in many respects (although it's the Y that appeals more to me on account of the hatchback).

Tom King · Apr 30, 2019

Nope, but then I’ve got an S... if I was re-buying now I’d seriously consider it. The fact it’s not a hatchback annoys me too. I’d probably need a week to adjust to not having the display in front of me as well.. love having maps right in front of me on the S

Thomas DiWan · May 1, 2019

I have had a model s for 4 years now and got the model 3 a couple of months ago to replace my wife’s car. Model 3 is a phenomenally good car. Accelerates like a Porsche, great minimalistic interior, plenty of autonomy, much better build quality than the old S. Only downside I see is that it remains expensive at purchase (though MUCH lower running costs vs normal cars) and inconvenient for folks who don’t have a driveway to charge it. Driving this it’s hard to see much of a future for ICE cars, and that’s coming from someone who before that had been driving various (manual) iterations of the 911 for 15 years.

Leon Marks · May 1, 2019

I’m on the list! However right now I don’t have a drive. Once we’ve moved house I’m going to look into petitioning our local authority to let me drop the front kerb - right now having an electric car is not a permitted reason but I am going to see what I can do...will be a fun experience to engage with our locally elected leaders anyway...

James Davis · May 1, 2019

Yes, I've reserved. Keen to see final price. I think quoted by Elon Musk as £33k now for UK market, but this presumably prior to £4.5k government subsidy?

Tom King · May 1, 2019

James Davis said:
Yes, I've reserved. Keen to see final price. I think quoted by Elon Musk as £33k now for UK market, but this presumably prior to £4.5k government subsidy?

Ordering system is open now so you can go configure and see directly

Steven Pritchard · May 1, 2019

A future of silent, super fast cars frightens me somewhat!

Dan Baillie · May 1, 2019

With batteries on all 4 wheels, are these effectively 4 wheel drive with off road capabilities to match?

Alex Lake · May 1, 2019

Steven Pritchard said:
A future of silent, super fast cars frightens me somewhat!

Actually when they're going fast, they're just as noisy! I believe legislation is coming for noise requirements at low speed.

Alex Lake · May 1, 2019

£38,900 "before savings" is as clear as mud as to whether or not that includes the £3,500 grant.

By the way, I presume those about to place an actual order know that they can get 5,000 miles of free supercharging by using a referral code from an existing Tesla owner (and the same benefit goes to the referrer). I'm sure that the Toms and Alexs would be more than pleased to oblige there ;-)

Edit: I see that the £38,900 has the grant included, so it's really £42,400 at the moment.

Tom King · May 1, 2019

I’ve got unlimited supercharging so I’ll let someone else post their code (as it might benefit someone else) - that said people are obviously free to use mine, pm me. Latest news from the Tesla owners group says that the system doesn’t currently allow for entering a code w the model 3; pretty sure they’ll let you add it later though

Alex Lake · May 1, 2019

One bit of advice I'd give to anyone looking at the basic model would be to check the premium connectivity options (Nice maps with traffic - for me, a must). As far as I can tell, the price of this has not been released. It may be just £100/year, but they may also ask for a one-off expense.

Alex Lake · May 1, 2019

Tom King said:
I’ve got unlimited supercharging so I’ll let someone else post their code (as it might benefit someone else) - that said people are obviously free to use mine, pm me. Latest news from the Tesla owners group says that the system doesn’t currently allow for entering a code w the model 3; pretty sure they’ll let you add it later though

Oh yes, I guess other Tom will be the same. Happy (and grateful!) if anyone wants to use mine.... PM me

Bill Marks · May 1, 2019

As another S owner I would probably have chosen a 3 if it had been available at the time. The S is a great car but just too big for UK country roads for me.

As another Tesla Owner I am happy to give a referral code, the 5000 mile free supercharging only lasts until 28th May after that it returns to 1000 miles.

Tom King · May 1, 2019

PPS, work around for referral code:
Use referal link as usual, select model S, then change the URL from model S to model 3 (ie, tesla.com/en_GB/model3/design?referall=blahetc..

James Garton · May 1, 2019

Tom King said:
PPS, work around for referral code:
Use referal link as usual, select model S, then change the URL from model S to model 3 (ie, tesla.com/en_GB/model3/design?referall=blahetc..

ingenious!
Like others, I received the email this morning asking me to configure my model 3. Not decided yet whether to proceed with the purchase. I test drove an S six months ago and loved the tech, but was disappointed by the build quality. Thomas' praise for the 3 (and his history of 911s) encourages me. But I have a hankering for a noisy V8 before they go the way of the dinosaurs.. "Lord, make me virtuous but not yet".

Alex Lake · May 1, 2019

Ah yes, so Design Your Model 3 | Tesla does seem to do the trick - thanks....

Alex Lake · May 1, 2019

Just wondering - I understand that there is a "standard" model without the plus that you can order, but only from stores. Might be below the £40k luxury tax level.... Anyone going for that?!

Paul Anderson · May 1, 2019

Alex Lake said:
£38,900 "before savings" is as clear as mud as to whether or not that includes the £3,500 grant.

By the way, I presume those about to place an actual order know that they can get 5,000 miles of free supercharging by using a referral code from an existing Tesla owner (and the same benefit goes to the referrer). I'm sure that the Toms and Alexs would be more than pleased to oblige there ;-)

Edit: I see that the £38,900 has the grant included, so it's really £42,400 at the moment.
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I wonder how the fuel saving is calculated? Is it a comparison with the cost of fuel for a petrol or diesel engined car? And is it based on your annual mileage?
Then it seems to get a bit confusing with all the other extras you can get.
I have a BMW 330e PHEV at the moment but its due for renewal in November. I'm not sure if my home charging point will be compatible with a Tesla. I'm more tempted to go for the new model 3 series hybrid rather than full electric.

Tom King · May 1, 2019

Paul Anderson said:
I have a BMW 330e PHEV at the moment but its due for renewal in November. I'm not sure if my home charging point will be compatible with a Tesla. I'm more tempted to go for the new model 3 series hybrid rather than full electric.

Should be just a type 2 - the difference will be that you get 9mph on the BMW I think (vs 21mph on an Model S - I'd assume the Model 3 is the same)

Dan Baillie · May 1, 2019

I think I've answered my own question re the whether the car is 4wd or not. Looks like it's AWD only in the 2 motor version. Is that the version on sale here yet or just the single motor version?

Tom King · May 1, 2019

Dan Baillie said:
I think I've answered my own question re the whether the car is 4wd or not. Looks like it's AWD only in the 2 motor version. Is that the version on sale here yet or just the single motor version?

Both on sale

Alex Lake · May 1, 2019

Dan Baillie said:
I think I've answered my own question re the whether the car is 4wd or not. Looks like it's AWD only in the 2 motor version. Is that the version on sale here yet or just the single motor version?

I thought your post was just a little joke! ;-)

Alex Lake · May 1, 2019

Paul Anderson said:
I wonder how the fuel saving is calculated? Is it a comparison with the cost of fuel for a petrol or diesel engined car? And is it based on your annual mileage?
Then it seems to get a bit confusing with all the other extras you can get.
I have a BMW 330e PHEV at the moment but its due for renewal in November. I'm not sure if my home charging point will be compatible with a Tesla. I'm more tempted to go for the new model 3 series hybrid rather than full electric.

How confusing that they're both Model 3's! What kind of charging point do you have?

FOr the savings:

Fuel Savings
Electric vehicles are less expensive to fuel than petrol powered vehicles. The average person drives approximately 12,500 miles and spends around £2,200 on petrol per year. In comparison, the cost of electricity to power Model 3 over the same distance is 7 times lower. Over the five year average length of car ownership, that's approximately £9,500 in petrol savings.

We've assumed a fuel economy of 7.4 miles per litre for a comparable petrol powered car. We've also assumed the national average of £0.16 per kilowatt hour for electricity and £1.31 per litre for premium petrol over the next five years.

I think if you regularly make long journeys (>250 miles) and are in a hurry, Supercharging can be slower than going to a petrol station. It's getting better all the time, though. Model 3 much quicker than my Model S at the v3 superchargers - I would think that you could replace 80% of charge in 20 mins or so. (going from 10% to 90%). Putting the last 10% in is very slow, and dropping below 10% is brave.

My main motivation for going electric was to be clean, but it can work out financially in certain circumstances (esp. as a company car) and it's fun yet relaxing to drive.

Alex Lake · May 1, 2019

One other thought regarding the cost of electric vs petrol - petrol prices will probably rise, and electricity will rise too. I think the new requirement to have smart metered charging is so that the government can tax EV electricity seperately to domestic electricity.