4 ms·

I have a Tesla Model 3. Your reasoning only holds true if you assume that the alternative to buying an electric car was to buy no car at all. In reality if it w

by bb123 4y ago

I have a Tesla Model 3. Your reasoning only holds true if you assume that the alternative to buying an electric car was to buy no car at all. In reality if it wasn't a Tesla it would have been an ICE car in a similar market segment such as a BMW 3 Series. That means similar initial cost + all the fuel and servicing it needs. It ends up way more expensive.

Kon-Peki 4y ago
USA cars, USA gallons, and USA dollars: The cheapest Model 3 available near me is $58k according to Tesla's site (Dual Motor LR). A BMW 330i xDrive has a base price of $46k and includes the first 3 years of maintenance costs for free. Now, it's a BMW so you need to buy a bunch of options just to get front seats and a steering wheel. Should we put it up at $50k for the equivalent equipment level as a $58k Model 3? How much does 14,000 miles worth of 3-series gas cost? If you average about 28mpg (it's rated for 33mpg highway), you'll use 500 gallons. If you're paying $4 per gallon, that's $2000. The Model 3 is apparently a few hundred dollars in electricity for the same distance - let's say $300? So, (58000-50000)/(2000-300) = 4.7 years to break even. I'm not arguing against getting an EV. But you need to drive a lot of miles before you pay off that really big battery. Smaller, cheaper EVs that don't need such big batteries pay off a lot sooner. If that kind of car works for you ;)
lbwtaylor 4y ago
>> In reality if it wasn't a Tesla it would have been an ICE car in a similar market segment such as a BMW 3 Series. I see this comparison proposed very often. But I don't think it's fair -- a model 3 is expensive but it's not a luxury car in anything other than price. I think you can argue that an equally fair comparison is a Toyota Corolla or similar, which is in a very different total cost of ownership class.

4 ms·

I have a Tesla Model 3. Your reasoning only holds true if you assume that the alternative to buying an electric car was to buy no car at all. In reality if it w

by bb123 4y ago

Kon-Peki 4y ago
USA cars, USA gallons, and USA dollars: The cheapest Model 3 available near me is $58k according to Tesla's site (Dual Motor LR). A BMW 330i xDrive has a base price of $46k and includes the first 3 years of maintenance costs for free. Now, it's a BMW so you need to buy a bunch of options just to get front seats and a steering wheel. Should we put it up at $50k for the equivalent equipment level as a $58k Model 3? How much does 14,000 miles worth of 3-series gas cost? If you average about 28mpg (it's rated for 33mpg highway), you'll use 500 gallons. If you're paying $4 per gallon, that's $2000. The Model 3 is apparently a few hundred dollars in electricity for the same distance - let's say $300? So, (58000-50000)/(2000-300) = 4.7 years to break even. I'm not arguing against getting an EV. But you need to drive a lot of miles before you pay off that really big battery. Smaller, cheaper EVs that don't need such big batteries pay off a lot sooner. If that kind of car works for you ;)
lbwtaylor 4y ago
>> In reality if it wasn't a Tesla it would have been an ICE car in a similar market segment such as a BMW 3 Series. I see this comparison proposed very often. But I don't think it's fair -- a model 3 is expensive but it's not a luxury car in anything other than price. I think you can argue that an equally fair comparison is a Toyota Corolla or similar, which is in a very different total cost of ownership class.