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But still what? How many gas engines and transmissions in comparable luxury cars will last 8+ years without significant cost? The Tesla warranty is 8 years but

But still what? How many gas engines and transmissions in comparable luxury cars will last 8+ years without significant cost? The Tesla warranty is 8 years but the batteries will last significantly longer they will just have less than 80% of max storage (I believe that is the warranty threshold). The tesla powertrain as a whole should last a million miles or maybe more with nothing more than routine maintenance and some battery pack changes which will drop in cost over time. If battery pack changes get down to $5K (which seems very possible), and battery packs are usable for let's say 150K miles, then you get a car with a power train that runs for a million miles for about $45K in maintenance (add a bit more for tires and other incidentals) and then subtract the cheaper electric fuel cost. This is less than the cost to keep the power train running for a Mercedes S class for one million miles (which will probably require 4 or 5 transmissions and 4 or 5 motors to get to a million miles). But realistically people don't repair 150K+ mile S classes because it would cost $30-40K to replace the tranny/engine plus all the other engine things while the car would be worth very little, so they junk it and buy a new car which means the cost of owning an S class for one million miles is more realistically the cost of owning 5 or 6 S classes.

ams6110 11y ago
An S-class drivetrain will last a lot longer than 150K miles if it's given its proper routine maintenance (fluid changes etc). 300K-500K miles not unheard of. Not to say that other parts of the car, e.g. climate control and other fancy gizmos will last that long, but Tesla will be no different in that regard.
- rrrx3 11y ago
  An S-class may last that long, but nearly every other car in that segment won't. I think in that regard, Tesla will continue to carry an edge.
- jsight 11y ago
  What would the total maintenance cost be over that 300k-500k period?
- S_A_P 11y ago
  An SClass drivetrain costs a small fortune to maintain. In general, people who purchase a used S class are wanting the status at steep depreciation prices, and as a rule arent willing to pay the price of routine maintenance. I see both sides of the argument. Buying a good used car for cash is probably a better investment financially. I personally don't trust the secondary car market to be honest with me that a car has been taken care of properly. Maintenance records can be and are faked. I generally don't mind paying more to have a newer and usually more reliable car with a warranty. I do usually drive them until they're paid off plus some time span, but in general its not very long, 1-2 years max.
erikpukinskis 11y ago
In 8 years you'll be able to upgrade to a battery pack that's half the weight, which means it can be lower capacity, increasing your miles per dollar, while giving you increased range versus when you bought the car. Because it will be smaller it could theoretically even be a free upgrade, depending on the recycling value of the old pack.

ams6110 11y ago

An S-class drivetrain will last a lot longer than 150K miles if it's given its proper routine maintenance (fluid changes etc). 300K-500K miles not unheard of. Not to say that other parts of the car, e.g. climate control and other fancy gizmos will last that long, but Tesla will be no different in that regard.

rrrx3 11y ago
An S-class may last that long, but nearly every other car in that segment won't. I think in that regard, Tesla will continue to carry an edge.
jsight 11y ago
What would the total maintenance cost be over that 300k-500k period?
S_A_P 11y ago
An SClass drivetrain costs a small fortune to maintain. In general, people who purchase a used S class are wanting the status at steep depreciation prices, and as a rule arent willing to pay the price of routine maintenance. I see both sides of the argument. Buying a good used car for cash is probably a better investment financially. I personally don't trust the secondary car market to be honest with me that a car has been taken care of properly. Maintenance records can be and are faked. I generally don't mind paying more to have a newer and usually more reliable car with a warranty. I do usually drive them until they're paid off plus some time span, but in general its not very long, 1-2 years max.

erikpukinskis 11y ago

In 8 years you'll be able to upgrade to a battery pack that's half the weight, which means it can be lower capacity, increasing your miles per dollar, while giving you increased range versus when you bought the car. Because it will be smaller it could theoretically even be a free upgrade, depending on the recycling value of the old pack.