Wondering if there's some real world stats on watts per mile driven based on speed for the Model 3. So like 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85. I know plenty of variables exist, but keeping temperature constant. Or is there some general accepted formula? I assume it is non linear.
You'll have to do some unit conversion, but this should cover you. https://forum.abetterrouteplanner.com/blogs/entry/13-model-3-consumption-and-charging/
So here's what I gleaned. I was mostly looking for highway mph to energy. I think I did my math right and @ my cruising speed of 80 they would give me about 22kw per hour. So about 2.3 hours on a standard range car, so 183 mile range. This feels right. My current car gets me a reliable 30mpg even with the roof box at 80 mph. So 22kwh getting me 81 miles in the hour means it is taking 0.273 kw to go 1 mile. At 30mpg I can go 30 of those on 1 gallon of gas. For comparison. I usually hit my tier 2 electric price of $0.28 so anything added to my house is added at that cost. 0.273kw/mile * 30miles * $0.28/kw = $2.29 gas equivalent. Gallon of gas is going to be $3.99 right now. So a saving of $1.70 each 30 miles. Or roughly $17 a tank. I do most of my gas burning on the highway. I am in town often, but I only go 1 mile at a time, it's a very small area I ever drive in. But let's push that to say $20 a tank saving for some better city mileage. My job just moved locations to 7 miles away and I will be riding my bike a lot more now, and I only go in 2x a week as it is. So let's say I need to now fill-up every 10 days. Heck let's call it once a week due to weekend fun times. $20*52 = $1,040 in annual fuel savings. Here's the rub. My utility will buy me a level 2 charger, so let's call that $0 up front. However I believe that the install is going to be ~$2,000 at least. It's a very awkward run from my box to my garage through several walls and a floor. And since I am doing it I may as well run for both cars in the garage. That's going to require permits and a new panel. So let's say the whole ordeal is $5,000 to get wired. This is not unreasonable from my Tesla owning neighbors. So payback time on the install is 5 years. Gas goes up but so do utilities. So I don't know where people say their car saves them crazy amounts of money on gas to the point it's almost free. Maybe they don't drive much, or their utility rates are wildly lower. Or their initial startup costs are ignored, which I think is disingenuous, or maybe their box is in the garage and has capacity to handle their car. But the idea that something like a Model 3 will save me in gas is not really adding up. Plus that car is way more expensive than cars I would normally buy. If I were gonna buy a BMW 3 or Audi A4 anyways then sure, but I personally don't care for fancy cars and go cheap as I can stand. Been there done that with the expensive cars, waste of money imo, but that's just me. So maybe I am a LEAF or eGolf type. That's fine. Those would be more on par for a lease with fed incentives to the price i would normally pay for my own cars. So that one yeah I'd save $1000 a year in fuel and not be overspending on the car, but I still have a 5 year payback to breakeven and are now range limited.
1. Nobody in their right mind tells you to buy a Tesla, a luxury sports car, to save money. We love our Teslas here for a lot of reasons, but they only save money compared to other vehicles in that price bracket. Say, a Mercedes running on premium fuel. You're not going to recoup the cost of a new EV on fuel alone. Used EV, maybe. 2. At 28¢/kWh, your electricity is more than 2.3x the national average of 12¢/kWh. My electricity is 9¢/kWh, but I also don't have California's gas prices, and I'd gladly trade cheap electricity for less CO₂/kWh. 3. You are comparing to a 30 mpg car, which is nearly 1.3x as efficient as the national fleet average of 23.6 mpg. 4. Oil changes, air filters, and routine maintenance are virtually nonexistent in an EV. Barebones maintenance for my last car added up to $250/yr. If you want to calculate savings, I suggest using the EPA tool: https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/savemoney.jsp This will allow you to compare your existing vehicle to an EV for a given set of driving habits and fuel prices.
When comparing a Tesla to the competition of A4 etc it's supposed to save money. And the national average mpg doesnt meant much. The aforementioned A4 is a 34mpg highway car. Math would be the same as Tesla should save a bunch. Yeah my cheapest rate is $0.21 and next step is $0.28. If I hit rate 3 I think I start paying in bullion directly. Then the numbers are almost break even, so no savings just up front costs..
Well, using 28¢/kWh for the M3 and $4.30/gal for the A4 (premium fuel), assuming a primarily highway commute, ≈15k mi/yr, and adding in $250/yr maintenance, I'm counting a difference of $1160/yr. Purchase price of an A4 is $37,400 (base), and a TM3 (base) is $35,000 - $3750 (fed) - $2500 (CA) = $28,750. If you keep it for ten years, the Tesla will save around $20,250 compared to the A4. If you're set on buying a nice new car, then the TM3 will save you money hand-over-fist compared to a new A4. On the other hand, if you're trying to pinch as many pennies as possible, then replacing a car you already own usually isn't the right call. However, if your trade-in is worth $10k, then a $13k used EV (LEAF, Soul, e-Golf, i3) will be saving you money after 3 years compared to keeping your old (30mpg, regular fuel) car. Since you're already driving a fairly efficient car, your savings aren't as steep as most people, but the payback period shrinks if you charge at work (commercial rates are usually lower than residential), charge off-peak, or adjust your commute for lower speed.
Fair enough on 10 year costs. Still have significant up front costs in our situation for our condo issues. We're also borderline cut out of the CA rebate. Depends on the year and how it goes. Not necessarily going to collect anything from CA. More like $10k over 10 years. But I also wouldnt own either car for 10 years, so it's moot. I'd never trade a gas card for a used LEAF with battery degredation issues and already limited range. Not about pinching pennies, just about actually calculating it out to see how it would fare. I don't spend a lot of money on cars but before jumping in expecting big savings I'd need to see it first hand.
It might help to identify where you live as others may have already addressed how to get better electrical rates. For example, my EVSE (aka., charger), a JuiceBox Pro 40, has a special program with the California utilities that gives a lower charge cost. You might consider getting a used, plug-in hybrid, with significant EV range. My 2014 BMW i3-REx worked perfectly because the 72 mi EV range was enough to teach me how to handle long distance EV driving and the costs. Bob Wilson
