Daily Commuting in a Model S

[ToddRLockwood]

It seems that many of the threads on this blog focus on issues, questions and suggestions. Owners experiencing problems are the most likely to post something, while those who are simply enjoying their Model S might have less incentive to do so. I thought it might be worth expanding on the positive side of the Model S experience, beyond the giddy first 100 miles. Daily commuting seems like a good place to start, something every non-EV owner can relate to.

Please share your experiences about your daily commute, and why the Model S makes it a little sweeter.



Could we have a sticky on this please?

[steve841]

M-F ....to work, home for lunch, back to work, and home again. Throw in the few appointments during any given week... Daily driving nirvana. At least 20 miles daily....

[Sousaphil]

My work commute is 17.5 miles each way. It's a blend of street and highway driving.
Not only does the Model S save me several minutes each trip due to car pool lane access, but it's quiet enough to take conference calls for work while driving and no one notices.

I'm also playing a game to see how few times I need to hit the brake pedal on the trip.

[Chris]

70 miles RT daily. No problems doing this in my P85. Just plugging in when I come home and I'm good to go. Driving this car makes my commute so much nicer. Today was the first time I could open the sunroof and enjoy this for a while. Can't wait for summer!

As others have reported there is a large loss of charge overnight when not plugged in in the cold. I have that once in a while when on a 24h shift at work. No outlets available there. It does not appear to come back once the battery is warm as some claim...

[efusco]

It's been fantastic for my daily commuting and running about. I haven't done a round trip of more than 130 miles yet (hope to do so this weekend though). I put on anywhere from 25-100 miles per day depending upon meetings and kids' activities. I tend to make at least one trip home during the longer/busier days and tend to be able to get a brief opportunity charge. I've been able to use 110v charging at the hospital when I'm working my shifts there...which has been great for keeping the battery warm and having it topped up or nearly so when I get off of my shift.
Other than the usual software quirks the car has been flawless and just so much fun to drive. I love not even thinking about gas stations or having to ever stop to fill up.

[SteveH]

One-pedal operation in stop and go traffic. Smooth ride with no engine vibration. Nice sound system with plenty of listening choices. Sunroof when the temperatures are right. The admiring gawks looks for other drivers. The ability to get moving fast when the traffic clears. Once, applause of the guy in the brand new Mercedes Benz next to me. No tailpipe fumes; no requisite stops at a gas station.

Yeah, I guess it's OK as a commuter car.

[Nikoli]

45 miles round trip daily. Love the one pedal driving and playing the wh/mile game with the trip computer. Got some of my best numbers today and really took a bite out of my lifetime wh/mile.
Preheating in the morning with the phone app has been great. I check the app several times a day just to look at my baby (even though it's just a graphic).

[kendallpb]

No big trips planned for quite a while, but I took a friend on a short (and, sadly, not-highway) joy ride this afternoon. Anyway, 46 mile round trip commute to work and it's great! I'm still getting used to the regen one-pedal driving; sometimes I feel like I aced it, while others I know I didn't do it right and have to (gasp!) brake. I've only had it two days but it has zero issues and is fun to drive, so quiet. Much easier to listen to my audiobooks in to/from work, without the need to turn it up so high, OMG...that's great.

I keep trying to hit the parking brake when I park--silly, since my previous car's a manual and has a hand brake, but I've driven my other half's Murano a lot so I think my foot's remembering that. The Model S is big enough and so comfortable that, methinks, I'm subconsciously thinking I'm in the Murano, not my old Miata.

Oh and about regen--I love how I don't have to brake when turning corners, usually! That part is pretty easy to do (a combination of the regen and how stable the car is) and a joy to do. Actually, maneuvering in general is a pleasure. I'm using the default settings for steering, regen, and air suspension.

[brianman]

Please share your experiences about your daily commute, and why the Model S makes it a little sweeter.

I'll keep it simple:
Model S almost makes me wish my daily commute was longer. (If it weren't for traffic and speed limits, I would definitely wish for it.)

[carrerascott]

Don't have my car yet, and not a work commute but starting next year our son will be going to a school (6th grade) that is 24 miles away. I work from home so that will be minimum 48 miles per school day (wife could be driving too). He'll likely be going to that school 6th-12th grade, 7 years. At 180 days of school per year, that's 8,640 miles per year. Over 7 years that will be about 60,000 miles. That's just to school and back, not including all other driving...errands, shopping etc. So just the school commute at 15mpg would have been 4,000 gallons of gas, at $3.50 per gallon that's $14,000. Will be nice to save a good chunk of that!