Howdy from Houston,TX!

[MacOnWheels]

Howdy from Houston,TX!


I’m not a native Texan, but I got my passport to Texas 40 years ago. I’m 68 and retired from Chevron/Gulf in 2010 after 42 years of having as much fun as I was allowed to in their IT department. I was the first Houston employee to own a Prius, that was in 2005. Boy did I get the comments. Unfortunately it was T-boned in 2013. I got a good deal on a new 2012 Prius and I happily go to a Chevron gas station every month or so. I didn’t get a Prius because of its greenness, but because of its technology. My handle on PriusChat is “MacOnWheels”. I was fortunate to be able to get that same handle here too. It really applies to the Tesla.


I’m in the initial stages of looking and drooling at the Tesla Model S 60D that was just announced. We have a Tesla showroom that is reasonably close to the house. I spent some time in a red 70D with black leather interior. Ironically just the color combo that I want. I not exactly sure when I’ll pull the trigger, but it feels like it’s coming soon. I will be scheduling a test drive soon. I did drive my neighbor’s P85DL for a very short drive - awesome!!!


I guess that’s it for my introduction.


Thanks for listening,

Bill Alvarez

MacOnWheels

 

[rcsting]

Welcome Bill

I went from a 2010 Prius to a 2012 Plug in Prius to a 2013 Rav 4 EV to a 2016 Prius along with my new Model S 75D.

You'll learn so much here, it's a great resource.

Rcsting

 

[MacOnWheels]

Welcome Bill

I went from a 2010 Prius to a 2012 Plug in Prius to a 2013 Rav 4 EV to a 2016 Prius along with my new Model S 75D.

You'll learn so much here, it's a great resource.

Rcsting

Thanks for the welcome Mike (Rcsting). It's nice to see another Prius owner upgrading to a Tesla.

 

[Gentilly7]

Welcome Mac!

I am in Houston also and work in Healthcare IT. I am currently driving a 2 year old Volt which I absolutely love for my 52 mile round trip to work. The only thing that would be better is a Tesla. I too have been thinking hard since the intro of the new 60s. I was approved for Alliant's financing of 1.49% for 72 months so this is really making me want to jump my Model 3 reservation for an S. I dread my long commute and the mundane traffic. I hear autopilot works very well on Beltway 8. I have a test drive scheduled this Sunday at the Galleria. Will let you know how it goes.

 

[Rhyder]

Welcome, Mac.

Keep in mind that a test drive might just send you over the edge. It seals the deal for most...and then the Tesla lust begins. It's been a long 12 months since my initial test drive and I hope to take delivery next week.

A very long 12 months...

 

[MacOnWheels]

Welcome Mac!

I am in Houston also and work in Healthcare IT. I am currently driving a 2 year old Volt which I absolutely love for my 52 mile round trip to work. The only thing that would be better is a Tesla. I too have been thinking hard since the intro of the new 60s. I was approved for Alliant's financing of 1.49% for 72 months so this is really making me want to jump my Model 3 reservation for an S. I dread my long commute and the mundane traffic. I hear autopilot works very well on Beltway 8. I have a test drive scheduled this Sunday at the Galleria. Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks for the welcome. I was wondering what kind of mileage are you getting on your Volt. My 2005 Prius got 41.85 mpg for the 8 years that I had it and my 2012 Prius is sitting at 41.45 mpg for the 3 years that I have had it. I don't do much freeway driving to have the better numbers. I'd be interested in hearing about your test drive. Best of luck in moving forward to your Tesla.

 

[MacOnWheels]

Welcome, Mac.

Keep in mind that a test drive might just send you over the edge. It seals the deal for most...and then the Tesla lust begins. It's been a long 12 months since my initial test drive and I hope to take delivery next week.

A very long 12 months...

Thanks for the welcome and congrats on your pending arrival.

 

[Gentilly7]

Thanks for the welcome. I was wondering what kind of mileage are you getting on your Volt. My 2005 Prius got 41.85 mpg for the 8 years that I had it and my 2012 Prius is sitting at 41.45 mpg for the 3 years that I have had it. I don't do much freeway driving to have the better numbers. I'd be interested in hearing about your test drive. Best of luck in moving forward to your Tesla.

The Volt is kind of wonky because it factors in your EV miles to your MPG. While that is always an impressive number, most people - myself included - do not like to consider EV miles because that is electricity I paid for. I have a mostly freeway commute on beltway 8 with some stop and go traffic and right now I am averaging 45 EV mile range on a full charge. For the remainder 7 mile commute (52 mile roundtrip) I actually have to start the trip computer once the engine kicks in to give me the real MPG which is about 31-38. That number gets better the longer I travel with the engine on especially if I have an ideal mixture of cruising and stop lights as it is actually operating in a hybrid mode. I can usually average 45 mpg with a little effort in hyper-miling but not on a 7 mile distance as that is too short for the engine to warm to the ideal temp. So I burn a little gas each day for my commute. Winters are brutal as I only have enough EV range to make half of my commute on the coldest days. I would say the EV range differential between cold and warm climates is the biggest annoyance I have with the Volt. If I have the heater on a decent warm setting on a cold day I can lose over 50% of my average warm weather EV range.

 

[MacOnWheels]

The Volt is kind of wonky because it factors in your EV miles to your MPG. While that is always an impressive number, most people - myself included - do not like to consider EV miles because that is electricity I paid for. I have a mostly freeway commute on beltway 8 with some stop and go traffic and right now I am averaging 45 EV mile range on a full charge. For the remainder 7 mile commute (52 mile roundtrip) I actually have to start the trip computer once the engine kicks in to give me the real MPG which is about 31-38. That number gets better the longer I travel with the engine on especially if I have an ideal mixture of cruising and stop lights as it is actually operating in a hybrid mode. I can usually average 45 mpg with a little effort in hyper-miling but not on a 7 mile distance as that is too short for the engine to warm to the ideal temp. So I burn a little gas each day for my commute. Winters are brutal as I only have enough EV range to make half of my commute on the coldest days. I would say the EV range differential between cold and warm climates is the biggest annoyance I have with the Volt. If I have the heater on a decent warm setting on a cold day I can lose over 50% of my average warm weather EV range.

Thanks for taking the time to explain your Volt mileage. I'm sure you will enjoy your commute in your new Tesla.
Drive safe,
Bill

 

[Gentilly7]

Test drive on Saturday was great. It was a RWD 70 that was plenty quick for me. It did not have the Pano roof and when I sat in the back seat my head was touching the ceiling. I am only 5'9" so that confirmed the choice of Pano for me just to get the additional head room. The car did not have the Premium Upgrade Package and it looked just fine without it on the interior. The black plastic vents -instead of chrome- by the fog lights was them most disappointing difference in look but I can live with it. What I am unsure of living with is the lack of power lift gate. I use my manual lift gate everyday on my Volt as thats where I drop my computer bag everyday for work. Having two kids makes me use it just as much on the weekends also. I can't help but think how nice power would be. I am still torn.............

 

[MacOnWheels]

I'm glad you had such a nice test-drive. We all have our priorities and they will determine what we do if we can afford it. My driving distance requirement will be easily filled with a 60 so the difference will cover the D and the Premium Upgrades Package with the power gate which I really like too. I don't like the glass roof in the heat of Houston so it'll be a metal roof for me. Different strokes for different folks. I do hope that you get what you want. Best wishes, Bill