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supercharger or not.. becomes a 60kWh vs 40 question in my head

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I need some help deciding what I should do here. The whole supercharger thing has thrown me for a loop.

The way Tesla is positioning this is 'free supercharging for life'. The way my wallet is interpreting this is 'I will use it maybe twice a year, and assuming a life of 10 years for the car, that is 20 uses. So I will be PRE-PAYING $100 per charge.' Financially, this is a terrible decision.

This really pushes me to think about getting the 40kw instead, since the sole reason I was thinking about the 60 is access to supercharging, not the additional range (though I would not object to that, of course).

Anyone else thinking like me? At this point, I am convinced that I should not get the 60kw
 
The way Tesla is positioning this is 'free supercharging for life'. The way my wallet is interpreting this is 'I will use it maybe twice a year, and assuming a life of 10 years for the car, that is 20 uses. So I will be PRE-PAYING $100 per charge.' Financially, this is a terrible decision.

Until you sell the car that is. I assume that cars with supercharging will be worth more than cars without--at the very least they will sell quicker.

Also if you go on two trips a year, you'll use the supercharger 40 times (once coming and once going)--and over ten years your lifestyle may change. Ten years is a long time.

However, my thought is that the choice is really between 40 and 85. 60 seems the odd-man out. It won't be nearly as good for trips and it's a bit much just for an in-town car. There are some exceptional circumstances depending upon your commute, but they are more the exception than the rule.
 
It really comes down to what you will use this car for. If it truly is going to be a commuter car and will stay that way for the next 10 years or however long you keep it and resale value isn't a concern to you then it probably isn't needed. Even if you only use it twice a year that's twice a year you may not have to rent a car and your plans may change overtime. Having the Supercharger is more of an insurance for the future than anything if you have no significant plans to use it now.
 
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Agree with dsm363.
In my case, I am determined to keep the car for 10+ years so resale is a non-factor. I've also determined that this will be primarily a commuter car as 95 percent of my travel is within the driving range of the 40kWh battery. Going with the 60kWh pack is insurance for the future, albiet some very expensive insurance. Personally, I believe I will have the option to upgrade the battery for a much higher capacity at a much lower cost in about 6 or 7 years. This higher capacity may further reduce the need for supercharging anyway. Until then, i am content with renting a car for those 1 or 2 times a year I might venture beyond 120 miles or so without stopping for an extended period of time.
I believe the battery will be the fastest depreciating component of the car thus the smaller battery is a better financial choice for me.

Having said that, range is not the only reason to get the 60kWh pack. The increased performance is nothing to sneeze at. I'm hoping that between upgrading to a "higher capacity" battery pack in a few years and third party/tinkerers out there, I may be able to see increased performance as well.
 
I had the same dilemma. I scaled down some features and got the 60kwh with superchargering. I have a friend that received delivery and is using the supercharger almost exclusively in cali. Im near DC and a proposed charger is on the map so yah im hoping for the same experience
 
I had the same dilemma. I scaled down some features and got the 60kwh with superchargering. I have a friend that received delivery and is using the supercharger almost exclusively in cali. Im near DC and a proposed charger is on the map so yah im hoping for the same experience

I thought Tesla advised against using the superchargers this way. I think it reduces the battery life by alot. Not sure why you would do this as opposed to charging at home at night.
 
I thought Tesla advised against using the superchargers this way. I think it reduces the battery life by alot. Not sure why you would do this as opposed to charging at home at night.

I believe Tesla has said Supercharging is not supposed to affect battery life anymore than normal charging. They might not want people using Superchargers for their daily regular charging though.
 
I am sitting on the sidelines for now but also torn about this decision. The 40 version meets about 95% of my driving needs and I have a SUV for my other car so I would be fine. But having the ability to supercharge would be nice. I would probably pay the $2000 if that were offered on the 40. In fact, that could potentially be very useful for a 40. I know it would not allow cross country trips but in some cases might allow for longer trips on the 40.

Getting the 60 means I can take those occasional 2-3 hour trips (with some planning - I am not really worried about longer trips at this point) and provides some level of insurance. But I would really be paying about $12,000 for that. Performance upgrade is nice but really I view even the 40 version as having very good performance. I do plan to keep the car about 8-10 years so the 60 might be worth it for me. Of course I am tempted by the 85 but I have never even spent $40K on a car so spending $75K seems a bit much especially when I have a second car in the family. Right now I am leaning toward the 40 and just accepting the range limitations.
 
I am sitting on the sidelines for now but also torn about this decision. The 40 version meets about 95% of my driving needs and I have a SUV for my other car so I would be fine. But having the ability to supercharge would be nice. I would probably pay the $2000 if that were offered on the 40. In fact, that could potentially be very useful for a 40. I know it would not allow cross country trips but in some cases might allow for longer trips on the 40.

Getting the 60 means I can take those occasional 2-3 hour trips (with some planning - I am not really worried about longer trips at this point) and provides some level of insurance. But I would really be paying about $12,000 for that. Performance upgrade is nice but really I view even the 40 version as having very good performance. I do plan to keep the car about 8-10 years so the 60 might be worth it for me. Of course I am tempted by the 85 but I have never even spent $40K on a car so spending $75K seems a bit much especially when I have a second car in the family. Right now I am leaning toward the 40 and just accepting the range limitations.

I was in your boat. I was dead set on the 40kWh until the minute I got the finalize email. Then after some discussion with my dad, and really going through my finances (I got married and had plenty of odd one time expenses, and had a substantial raise all this past year) I figured that I could actually swings the 85kWh pack.

Really looking at the surface the 40kWh is the way to go. It covers every single driving day, except one (that the 85kWh couldn't have done) I have recorded this year (over 300). I have always been in the 'all or nothing' camp. I was going to get a stripped 40kWh with Tech package, then upgraded to 85kWh with sound, sunroof, air suspension, and Tech package. The reasoning behind it is that I KNOW I will keep the 85kWh car for 10+ years. If I was stuck with 100mile range (after some battery degradation) would I want a new car in 6 years? My dad convinced me to spend WAY more than I ever have on a car (previous was $24k sticker).

Plus I originally thought supercharges were a marketing gimmick, so that Tesla could have a 'road trip' check box covered. But they will work in real life.I can still drive Atlanta to Tampa in a single day (sure it would be longer than my ICE trips). But in reality I don't want to drive more than 300 miles anymore. I can fly almost anywhere in the world direct from ATL, and it is only a 20 mile drive!
 
Thanks. I am sitting back waiting to hear some initial reports on range, etc. Right now my MDX is serving my needs just fine. If a decide to upgrade the pack, I may seriously consider the Model X, especially if it's priced about the same as the Model S. I like the looks of the S better (and I don't need the AWD in NC) but I have driven an SUV for about 15 years and the thought of losing the higher sight-line and some cargo capacity (with 3 kids at home) has me wondering. Ah, decisions.
 
I've now had my Model S for 3 weeks and will offer one observation. The Model S can achieve its EPA rated miles and it can drive faster than an M5, but it does not do both at the same time. If you want to have fun with the car (e.g be the first one off the line at a stop light) you are going to use a lot more energy. I am much happier knowing that I don't have to moderate my driving on a daily basis.

Each person is different, but I would highly recommend getting the largest battery you can afford.
 
I've now had my Model S for 3 weeks and will offer one observation. The Model S can achieve its EPA rated miles and it can drive faster than an M5, but it does not do both at the same time. If you want to have fun with the car (e.g be the first one off the line at a stop light) you are going to use a lot more energy. I am much happier knowing that I don't have to moderate my driving on a daily basis.

You don't get the EPA rated MPG if you have fun with your ICE car either, so that's nothing new.

Each person is different, but I would highly recommend getting the largest battery you can afford.

Yes, that's what I think as well.
 
For me, the supercharging changes the entire equation, as it opens up new areas that I couldn't drive to at all without it. From here in Santa Barbara, I can get to LA with a 40 KWH model, but not much beyond that, especially with possible range reductions from higher speed, A/C, and battery age. The 60 KWH model opens up my options to San Diego and the central valley, but that's not much of an improvement. Supercharging roughly doubles my range, and opens the possibility of reaching San Francisco, Sacramento, Vegas and all of the southern Sierras (Yosemite, Sequoia, Mammoth Lakes) with a single supercharger stop that I was going to make anyways. Personally, supercharging was what got me to put down a reservation, as with it, I can reach all of Southern and Northern California, and without it, the car is restricted to commuter use only.
 
Personally, range isn't that important to me. My commute is only 20 miles each way, so I could forget to plug in one night, run some errands, and still not cut it that close with the 40kWh battery. I could go pretty much anywhere I'd want to go on the weekend other than a "road trip". So, I would have been happy with the 40kWh range if the performance was the same.

I wanted the Performance version of the car, though, so I was forced into the 85kWh battery.

I'm intrigued that the first question anyone asks when I tell them I've ordered a Tesla is "but how many miles will it take you?" As long as it's good for 2 days of driving, I'm not sure why it matters.

If you want to go on road trips in your Tesla, I would think you'd want the 85kWh battery.
Personally, I'm not really planning on using my Model S for road trips. I know Tesla is trying to make it easier, but I still don't think it's as easy as using a gasoline car. So, my recommendation is get the battery size you need for the driving you do 360 days per year and not worry that you'll need to use a different car on the other 5.25 days per year.

my $0.02,
Derek
 
I can fly almost anywhere in the world direct from ATL, and it is only a 20 mile drive!

Hey, you can't even get to heaven without a layover in ATL. I'm with you.

I'm in the same boat: I just never drive anywhere that far away any longer (I used to make the Boston-Atlanta and later NJ-Atlanta drive multiple times a year). Of course, having said THAT, I got the 85kw performance anyway because, you know, that's the sort of thing I do.
 
Thanks. I am sitting back waiting to hear some initial reports on range, etc. Right now my MDX is serving my needs just fine. If a decide to upgrade the pack, I may seriously consider the Model X, especially if it's priced about the same as the Model S. I like the looks of the S better (and I don't need the AWD in NC) but I have driven an SUV for about 15 years and the thought of losing the higher sight-line and some cargo capacity (with 3 kids at home) has me wondering. Ah, decisions.

I haven't tried putting a filing cabinet in the back of the S, or the fabled 4'x8' sheet of plywood of story and song, but the trunk of the S is huge. And since I don't have the third row seats I can put a full load of groceries in the well and still have the trunk space I started with. And then there's the frunk.

I'm sure the X will be even larger inside, but the S is plenty big. If you like the looks better and you don't need AWD, well...why wait for the X?