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The promise of EVs is basically less downtime and lower cost. You'll still have to swap tires of course. Brakes will last a lot longer because they are not used

The promise of EVs is basically less downtime and lower cost. You'll still have to swap tires of course. Brakes will last a lot longer because they are not used a lot. There is no diesel engine to service. The drive train is the bit that is supposedly going to last a long time without efficiency decrease. All the rest is going to be similar. But it looks like some of the more expensive maintenance is going to be easier. I'd say Elon Musk has a good product here that will likely sell very well.

SpelingBeeChamp 4y ago
>The promise of EVs is basically less downtime and lower cost I’m guessing that you don’t own a Tesla. I do. And I like mine, a lot. But it doesn’t deliver on either of those promises, and it’s hardly an outlier.
- revscat 4y ago
  I also own a Tesla. Over the 6 years I have owned it my automotive costs have decreased by some 80% compared to the ICE vehicles I owned prior. Significantly, the “no oil changes/no weekly fill up” costs immediately saved me around $2800/year. Maintenance costs have dropped to next to nothing, primarily being around tires and windshield wiper fluid. There’s also no risk of getting a catalytic converter stolen. What are your expenses that are so dramatically above the norm?
  - SpelingBeeChamp 4y ago
    >What are your expenses that are so dramatically above the norm? My comment about cost was in relation to purchase price, not ongoing cost. I recently bought a 2022 Model S Plaid, and while there are certainly cheaper Teslas out there (namely, all of them), Tesla doesn't come close to competing with ICE vehicles on cost of acquisition.
    - revscat 4y ago
      There are more expensive cars out there than even your top-of-the-line model. I’m not sure what point you are trying to make.
- oxplot 4y ago
  I don't know what your situation is, but here's mine: Got a Model 3 back in 2020. The service I've had to get done to date has been what's in the user manual: tire rotation, cabin air filter replacement and brake fluid check. That's it! No down time other than the few hours per service visit (for which they paid me equivalent of $50 USD to travel from and to the service center on each visit). And I've used 90% Superchargers to charge and despite that, saved a lot on gas.
  - SpelingBeeChamp 4y ago
    I'm glad that you haven't had any issues. I bought a new Model S Plaid a few months ago. Since then, it has been in for service three times, nearly all of which was for work that can be accurately categorized as "Tesla didn't finish putting the car together." Examples: There was a very large, very obvious gap between the charge port cover and the adjacent brake lamp assembly. Easily over a half-inch. I was dreading the possibility of getting 'in spec'-ed by Tesla, but my concern was misplaced. Turns out, Tesla hadn't finished installing the brake lamp assembly. It wasn't fully seated. Rattling from under the frunk? Multiple clips were missing from the plastic trim, and of the clips that were present, many weren't actually clipped in. Thunking sound from the driver side front tire on bumpy roads? The hub bolts and upper shock bolts were all loose. Rattling from the center console? Tesla hadn't torqued down the fasteners that attach it to the car. The hood ornament on the front comes with protective plastic that is supposed to be removed at installation. It wasn't. And it's not the kind of plastic that you can just tear or peel off. Tesla had to do that. Did I mention that I found out - at delivery - that the new car needed a new windshield? I have another service appointment coming up soon. The trunk floor was slightly crushed in (about an inch) where the floor meets the rear passenger seat. They would have replaced the trunk floor a while ago, but they couldn't due to parts availability. Also, some of the weather stripping is separating from the car, and it can't just be pushed back in place. Oh yeah, here's one: after my most recent service appointment - for the suspension issue - my driver profile no longer existed. Good times. There's more. Somehow, I still like the car — mostly because it's insanely fast. But this is totally bonkers for any new car, let alone one with a $145,000 price tag.
    - 4y ago

SpelingBeeChamp 4y ago

>The promise of EVs is basically less downtime and lower cost I’m guessing that you don’t own a Tesla. I do. And I like mine, a lot. But it doesn’t deliver on either of those promises, and it’s hardly an outlier.

revscat 4y ago
I also own a Tesla. Over the 6 years I have owned it my automotive costs have decreased by some 80% compared to the ICE vehicles I owned prior. Significantly, the “no oil changes/no weekly fill up” costs immediately saved me around $2800/year. Maintenance costs have dropped to next to nothing, primarily being around tires and windshield wiper fluid. There’s also no risk of getting a catalytic converter stolen. What are your expenses that are so dramatically above the norm?
- SpelingBeeChamp 4y ago
  >What are your expenses that are so dramatically above the norm? My comment about cost was in relation to purchase price, not ongoing cost. I recently bought a 2022 Model S Plaid, and while there are certainly cheaper Teslas out there (namely, all of them), Tesla doesn't come close to competing with ICE vehicles on cost of acquisition.
  - revscat 4y ago
    There are more expensive cars out there than even your top-of-the-line model. I’m not sure what point you are trying to make.
oxplot 4y ago
I don't know what your situation is, but here's mine: Got a Model 3 back in 2020. The service I've had to get done to date has been what's in the user manual: tire rotation, cabin air filter replacement and brake fluid check. That's it! No down time other than the few hours per service visit (for which they paid me equivalent of $50 USD to travel from and to the service center on each visit). And I've used 90% Superchargers to charge and despite that, saved a lot on gas.
- SpelingBeeChamp 4y ago
  I'm glad that you haven't had any issues. I bought a new Model S Plaid a few months ago. Since then, it has been in for service three times, nearly all of which was for work that can be accurately categorized as "Tesla didn't finish putting the car together." Examples: There was a very large, very obvious gap between the charge port cover and the adjacent brake lamp assembly. Easily over a half-inch. I was dreading the possibility of getting 'in spec'-ed by Tesla, but my concern was misplaced. Turns out, Tesla hadn't finished installing the brake lamp assembly. It wasn't fully seated. Rattling from under the frunk? Multiple clips were missing from the plastic trim, and of the clips that were present, many weren't actually clipped in. Thunking sound from the driver side front tire on bumpy roads? The hub bolts and upper shock bolts were all loose. Rattling from the center console? Tesla hadn't torqued down the fasteners that attach it to the car. The hood ornament on the front comes with protective plastic that is supposed to be removed at installation. It wasn't. And it's not the kind of plastic that you can just tear or peel off. Tesla had to do that. Did I mention that I found out - at delivery - that the new car needed a new windshield? I have another service appointment coming up soon. The trunk floor was slightly crushed in (about an inch) where the floor meets the rear passenger seat. They would have replaced the trunk floor a while ago, but they couldn't due to parts availability. Also, some of the weather stripping is separating from the car, and it can't just be pushed back in place. Oh yeah, here's one: after my most recent service appointment - for the suspension issue - my driver profile no longer existed. Good times. There's more. Somehow, I still like the car — mostly because it's insanely fast. But this is totally bonkers for any new car, let alone one with a $145,000 price tag.
  - 4y ago