So, how did it go?
A smooth ride all the way!
It has become the new normal to glide effortlessly and silently on the roads. The autopilot is flawless, keeping me in lane almost all the time. In traffic jams, I need to do absolutely nothing as the car stops behind others and moves again as they move. Very rarely it needs an intervention from my side. The annoying thing is that it insists I touch the steering wheel to show I am there alive and well far too often. About once a minute I have to prove my presence. If I fail for too long, the autopilot goes off until I actually stop and park. Punishment to teach me to take care of my safety, I guess. Still 90% of my highway driving is on autopilot and I would not want to do without it anymore.
The car is very energy efficient compared to most other electric vehicles and of course beyond any petrol car. The car has the lowest drag coefficient (0.26) of any commercially available passenger car (except Tesla Model 3) in the world. Even in the (mild) winters of the Netherlands, I average less than 20 kWh per hundred kilometres. Any petrol or diesel car does five times more.
As charging at the many Tesla Superchargers throughout Europe was included in the price I paid and as my employer provides free charging at my workplace, I have spent only about 150 Euros on electricity for these 20000 km I drove.
I have done a few road trips. So far, no trip went more than 500 km away from home. Charging on the Superchargers so far has been 100% success: There was always a charger available for me and none ever failed. Mostly, the car was charged up way before I was (having a meal or a snack while charging). With the Model 3 ‘invading’ Europe now, this may become more difficult. Superchargers are being upgraded to provide CCS charging for the Model 3 as well as the traditional Model S and X charging. Charge points at the Superchargers are also being expanded to cater for Model 3. Still, I fear I will soon occasionally have to wait to charge up at Supercharger locations.
Problems? Well, in September, my megascreen died. It allowed me to still drive, but no control over air conditioning and many other things. Tesla put in a new screen while I was driving a ‘loaner’ (replacement car). A week ago, the mechanical lock of my hatchback rear door failed. Tesla replaced it in one day and I enjoyed a red 85D loaner. Both repairs were included in the guarantee. A regular check up of a Tesla is not required, so I did not do one. My maintenance costs, thus, have been zero. Just as my road tax.
I signed up with NewMotion, a roaming charge network that allows charging at public chargers all over Europe. I only used it a few times here in The Netherlands and twice in Germany. It is a backup, plan B kind of thing that I pay per use, no subscription. I also signed up with Fastned, a Dutch company that runs fast chargers along highways in mainly The Netherlands. Again, no subscription, just pay per use. Another plan B.
Lately, many new electric cars are coming onto the roads. Two of my colleagues have gone for them. Another one is almost ready to go. Charge points are popping up everywhere and EV’s are at two to three percent of all new cars, pretty much all around the world.
I am fully aware of all the discussions about electricity, battery life and resources needed as well as recycling and the economic fall-out of the decline of the fossil fuel car industry. Trust me, I tell you that electric is the future!
When are you joining?