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60 kWh vs 85 kWh packs

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Hi Everyone - Got the Finalize button yesterday. But I'm now questioning whether I need the 85 kwh. I am driving a Prius now after selling my M5. So needless to say, I am desperate for a car.

I think the 60 kwh might be sufficient for my purposes. I am a realtor who does 85% local driving and live in the area which we do most of our business in.

I called Tesla and asked how much longer they think ordering a 60 kwh would be, vs. the 85. They said, the 60 kwh just started production this month so since there's a backlog or orders to get through, it will be longer. As opposed to the 85 kwh which is in full production.

That makes sense, but does anyone have a sense of how long that backlog is?

Thanks!
George
Reservation #15,295. Reserved December 6, 2012
 
If the cost difference isn't a major factor ($8,000 if you are going to get Supercharging) then going for the bigger pack is always nicer allowing for longer trips if you decide to do that in the Model S. You're right that locally the 60 kWh car is more than enough for most daily driving.

The performance version would get you to your destination quicker though.
 
With CA sales tax included (since wbfl is in Cupertino, CA), with Supercharging on the 60, the difference is more like $9,000 or $11,000 without SC.

wbfl, I get to drive my 60 from the factory tomorrow. Having driven the 85 non-perf and 85-perf before, I can give you some input on the driving feel and such tomorrow. Stay tuned.

For sure, 208 miles will go a long way in a day even in the Greater Bay Area; with SC, it's good enough to go to Tahoe, Monterey and even LA. That was my reasoning for getting the 60 and saving dough vs going for the 85.
 
I've only been driving EV's for 2 years but my experience so far has had me go for the 85kWh for a couple of reasons.

speed, wind, rain, snow, cold, heat, elevation and age of the battery all take their toll on range, much more so than in an ICE. the delta between best and worst case scenarios can be as bad as 50%, at least in the Leaf. I went for the max based on the presumption that Murhpy's law tends to have me end up in a particularly bad combination of range reducing factors at the worst times, even if it is very occasional ... like with a car full of wife and kids.

I would recommend in being very conservative in your calculations.
 
Be warned: that 265 mile range gets reduced fairly quickly.

Cruise at 75 mph? Your range drops because of high wind resistance. Is it 40 degrees outside because you're driving at night? Your range drops because the car has to use more power to keep the battery pack warm. Use the defroster? Range drops because that's high heat and high fan speed.

I think I'm getting about 370 watts per mile over 1500 miles so my typical range is about 230 miles. But for day trips that involve lots of highway driving, the winter months I'm getting about 200 miles of highway cruising range with an 85KW battery pack.

And those numbers will go down in the future as the battery pack degrades. Hopefully not more than 10% or so but we'll have to see.

And yes, if you like the power in the M5, you'll want the 85KW pack to get comparable acceleration.
 
60kwh = BMW 528
85kwh = BMW 550
P85 = BMW M5

if you have the money, at least get the 85kwh.

Actually in terms of performance the jury is still out -
P85 = M5 (0-60, low 4s)
However according to tesla numbers 85 goes 0-60 in 5.6 about the same as the 535i and 60kwh does 0-60 in 5.9, faster than 528i. No one has real world data yet.

Since the 60kw is so much lighter than the 85, it's possible that performance may end up very even. I'm surprised that none of the magazines include acceleration data for the 85 non-performance.

The only certainty is range will be lower in the 60.

- - - Updated - - -

With CA sales tax included (since wbfl is in Cupertino, CA), with Supercharging on the 60, the difference is more like $9,000 or $11,000 without SC.

wbfl, I get to drive my 60 from the factory tomorrow. Having driven the 85 non-perf and 85-perf before, I can give you some input on the driving feel and such tomorrow. Stay tuned.

For sure, 208 miles will go a long way in a day even in the Greater Bay Area; with SC, it's good enough to go to Tahoe, Monterey and even LA. That was my reasoning for getting the 60 and saving dough vs going for the 85.

Very excited to hear your impressions. Maybe you can find a non-performance 85 at the factory interested in a little drag race (with video obviously)!
 
I am initially going with a 60kwh, Sound + tech, textile, black/white, standardsuspension, and no other upgrades due to the price. But, am going though all my old stuff trying to sell stuff to gather some extra funds for 85kwh. I highly doubt i can sell that much stuff I don't really need - but will try!

Anyway, 60 will be plenty for a long time - and if the battery degrades more than expected the next 5-7 years, I could just Keep it as a 2nd Car and get a newer one then as our 1st car.


_____
Tapatalkin' from iTalatut.
 
It's very hard for anyone to definitively give you a performance-based answer between the 85kWh and 60kWh. Even when I get my 60kWh, it will have been 7 months since driving the (speed controlled) non-performance 85.

I have no need for the largest battery pack. The delta was $10K for me. Now that it's $8K (keeping supercharger access held constant), I'd have considered the largest batter further.

Now if you want to beat that old M5 of yours, by all means, pony up to the P85.