Photo: Iowa Tesla Guy on YouTube | Edited
In many parts of North America, purchasing an electric vehicle to provide extended personal mobility can make a lot of sense. This is especially true for those with a driveway or garage. You can plug the car in overnight and wake up in the morning with a nearly “full tank.” However, for some enthusiastic electric vehicle owners, this can become an uphill battle.
The best battery-powered car you can buy right now to turn into a reliable and dependable commuter vehicle is a used or brand new Tesla Model 3. Everyone has heard horror stories about the now Texas-based brand, that’s true. The company’s CEO is also a very outspoken person and an unusual character for someone who plays such an important role in not just one but several major companies. That too is true.
Then there’s the history of parts shortages, layoffs, and unhappy owners taking to social media to ask the company for help. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened as often lately. Buying a mass-produced Tesla is no longer a gamble. Even the automaker’s lawyers argued in court that the electric cars should last just over 129,215 miles before requiring very expensive repairs or a final visit to the junkyard.
You may also have heard that batteries are fragile and expensive to replace. Don’t worry, Tesla offers an eight-year or 100,000-mile warranty. If the battery’s energy storage capacity drops below 70 percent or it fails for any reason, user error is not affected.
This EV has two big advantages: an affordable purchase price and no gas tank. At the time of writing, the dual-motor Model 3 and the Model 3 Performance are eligible for the EV tax credit. That means any eligible buyer can get the former for $39,990 and the latter for $47,490.
Photo: Tesla
If you can’t or don’t want to spend that much money on a four-door sedan, you have the option of buying a used model. Teslas aren’t expensive on the secondary market, and Uncle Sam is giving buyers up to $4,000 if they choose to buy one or another all-electric car.
The honeymoon is over
One problem new electric vehicle owners may struggle with is expensive insurance. But that trend may soon be coming to an end as honest shop owners fight back against things that make electric vehicle insurance a nightmare for both businesses and owners.
Someone like you and I weighed the pros and cons of owning an electric vehicle and decided to purchase a Model 3 Standard Range. The private citizen living in California was replacing an old Dodge Dart. He needed the car for his commute, so getting a reliable vehicle was extremely important to him since he works for a federal agency. He also wanted to reduce fuel costs by charging the car overnight at home.
Unfortunately, the homeowners association (HOA) quickly informed them that they could not plug in the Model 3 without some modifications. They received a letter that specifically stated that charging in the garage was prohibited. The HOA reminded the EV owner that the space had the necessary wiring for a light or garage door opener. Plugging in a car would “will likely cause the circuits to overload and the circuit breaker to trip.”
Photo: Jamie Waters/Twitter
The letter also said that charging an electric vehicle in the detached garage poses a fire hazard and that the electricity is paid for by all residents of the complex, meaning the other homeowners would be responsible for their Tesla’s energy consumption.
To avoid fire hazards and additional costs for other members of the homeowners association, the Model 3 owner was advised to obtain explicit permission from the homeowners association to charge the car at home and to ask the utility company to install a separate meter for the charger. This could mean additional costs for proper wiring, and he would also need to obtain permission to install such utility equipment.
Essentially, the owner of an electric vehicle could expect a minimum investment of $1,000. However, depending on the situation, an electrician might also determine that a new transformer is required, which would increase the cost tenfold.
It’s not worth it
The person said on Reddit that they would stick with Superchargers and charge the vehicle’s battery at work, even though there aren’t enough charging stations for everyone. They didn’t want to go through that much trouble just to charge at home, which is somewhat understandable.
Photo: Tesla
In the Golden State, charging a Tesla at home costs an average of between $16 and (if you don’t charge during off-peak hours) $30. That should give you about 250 miles of range. Most people commute about 50 miles a day, so a full charge should last the entire work week.
This means that the person would have recouped their $1,000 to $2,000 investment in about eight months. The right electric vehicle charging setup would also increase the resale value of their property.
Supercharging in California is not cheap. Tesla charges up to $0.60 per kWhwhich means that charging the battery can cost over $35 on a Model 3 RWD with LFP package and $47 on a Model 3 LR with NMC battery.
All of this is an important lesson for anyone looking to switch to a battery-powered vehicle. If you want to maximize its potential, you need to make sure you can charge it overnight at home or work. That’s good for the environment, for the grid, and for your wallet. Ideally, though, the energy going into the battery will be generated by renewable energy generation. But solar panels are expensive.
