If gas were $0.66 per gallon......

Now that I already have driven a Tesla, Absolutely!

No annoying gear changes and instant torque were enough to convince me.

I think operating costs are what first got me interested in EV's though.

That is tough to say. Back in 2012 when I was considering a Model S the fuel savings (about 1/10 of gas in my case) was a significant factor in convincing myself I could afford a $90k car. I was going to save ~$350 a month in fuel. Which made the Model S a $70k car.

Now I have always wanted an electric car. So I would have still been in the market. But if fuel was so inexpensive I would probably not been in the same financial situation (I wouldn't be sitting on $350 a month that went into nothingness) and probably couldn't have afforded a Model S.

Now that I have a Model S. I surely would have bought electric regardless of fuel prices. And I would have almost surly bought a Model S as one of our two cars.

Without a moments hesitation.
The quality of the drive is unmatched.

It certainly changes the TCO equation for me, nearly half my payment is offset by fuel savings... but I'd still consider it strongly. I think the answer for GenIII would be a no-brainer.

An additional factor is that the effort to reduce the ecological impact of petroleum consumption could be considered "priceless".

gavine said:

....or whatever your equivalent cost vs. electricity, would you still buy a Model S? I think the car is worth the price, even without the cost savings vs. gas, but I'm curious if that's the consensus.

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If it is an equivalently priced car: Yes. One word: depreciation. The Model S has considerably fewer depreciable components. The depreciable components that are in both Model S with ICEs (i.e., Brake Pads, etc.) have a longer depreciable life in the Model S. The depreciable components that are unique to the Model S (i.e., Battery pack) are reducing in cost. Granted, Model S tire use is higher than an ICE, but if you go toe-to-toe on depreciable life of the car, the Model S laps the field.

In the not-to-distant future, petroleum companies would have to offer ICE drivers free gas because it will make zero economic sense to purchase a new (highly depreciable ICE) over a Tesla. And free gas would not be a strong enough incentive to purchase an ICE, honestly.

Knowing what I know now or what I knew back when I first looked?

Now, maybe. The S was a huge jump up for me as my typical car is in the $30k range. Given I keep my cars a very long time, fuel savings was a significant consideration, probably $20,000-$30,000 over the 100-150k miles I expect to get out of it (and who knows, maybe a lot more).

Knowing what I knew when I first heard about Telsa? Definitely not. The value proposition just wouldn't have been sufficient to merit further investigation.

ckessel said:

Knowing what I know now or what I knew back when I first looked?

Now, maybe. The S was a huge jump up for me as my typical car is in the $30k range. Given I keep my cars a very long time, fuel savings was a significant consideration, probably $20,000-$30,000 over the 100-150k miles I expect to get out of it (and who knows, maybe a lot more).

Knowing what I knew when I first heard about Telsa? Definitely not. The value proposition just wouldn't have been sufficient to merit further investigation.

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Same feelings here.

The acceleration was the best part for me. I'm glad it's electric and costs me very little, but I still would've bought it otherwise. It's all the tech for me too.

I do not think it would make any difference how much gas cost, for me it is the futuristic feel and looks of the car with all of its technology and how I feel driving it. It certainly helps that it is all electric and looking back the fact that I put solar on my house was a driving force. I think at some point you start thinking green and it becomes a way of life. Never was an over the edge kind of person about the environment, but I just wanted to do what I could in a small way to help.

gavine said:

I agree. I only drive about 5,000 miles per year and I still bought one just because of how it looks, operates and drives. It is twice what I normally spend for a car too. By the way, I live in Southern NJ and there are very few Teslas around here. I'm like a celebrity all of a sudden. I came out of the store yesterday and ran into the paparazzi. They were taking pictures of the car and were asking me all kinds of questions about it. One guy actually asking if he could shake my hand....seriously.

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You should post this on the "Tesla Moments" thread. :biggrin:

Once you've driven a real electric car like the Model S, you won't go back--even if gas was ten cents a gallon.

I do not own a Model S. I am leasing a Leaf and have a reservation for a Model X. If gas were $0.66 per gallon, we probably would have already purchased a Honda Pilot as our family car. Instead, we put off that purchase a few years ago. We were introduced to the Leaf due to the generous $5,000 tax credit on EV purchases and leases in Georgia, making a Leaf lease a no brainer. After enjoying the benefits of an EV, I discovered Tesla. After further research and budgeting, we decided the Model X was our ideal family car, not the Honda Pilot. Without the tax credit or high price of gas, I might have never bothered to test drive a Tesla for many years.

Yes, I still would have bought it. The reduction of my personal carbon footprint was a significant motivating factor for me and not burning gas in your primary mode of transportation goes a long way in reducing that footprint regardless of the price gas sells for per gallon.

Yes, my concern about the environment was the overriding factor of my Roadster and then Model S purchase. I'm driving on sunshine.

Knowing what I know now, the inconvenience of going to the gas station every four days has become the biggest factor to me. My wife is driving the Tesla daily, so I still have to commute in an ICE. You really don't realize how annoying it is to get gas until you stop doing it for a month. The time, the smell, the dirty pump handles, the weather (heat, cold, wind, rain), and the cost (not in this hypothetical situation).... Ugh....

If cigarettes were $0.66 a pack...

Just because something is cheap doesn't make it right.

ken830 said:

Knowing what I know now, the inconvenience of going to the gas station every four days has become the biggest factor to me. My wife is driving the Tesla daily, so I still have to commute in an ICE. You really don't realize how annoying it is to get gas until you stop doing it for a month. The time, the smell, the dirty pump handles, the weather (heat, cold, wind, rain), and the cost (not in this hypothetical situation).... Ugh....

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Well, it could be worse. It could be diesel and then you get to smell it on your hands for the next three hours until it's absorbed into your body.

Speaking of diesel...around 12 years ago, when I was driving a VW Golf TDI (I had tried but failed to get one of the CA EVs about 14 years ago), I found out where I could buy biodiesel. At the time diesel was $2.05, but biodiesel was $4.10 - exactly twice as much. Other than a slightly less foul smell, there were no benefits to me to paying double for biodiesel. In fact MPG went down about 10%, so it cost me more than double. And it was a LOT less convenient to buy.

But I wanted to encourage alternatives to petroleum, so I did it. And 6 years ago, I knew I'd never be able to make back more than half the $11k price of my Prius PHEV conversion on gas savings, but I did that too. The price of gas has no effect on my decision to go electric (which fortunately DOES have other benefits to me). If the government gives gas away for free, I am still not going back.