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And how is charging such an inconvenience? Plug it in at night while you sleep.
Its an inconvenience because of the time it takes. Sure if you only use the car to drive a few hrs a day and are home to plug it in every night then its no big deal. But if you drive it enough to require a charge during your trip then its a major inconvenience. For someone like me its even worse. Its not really an option to buy a Tesla because of the distances I have to drive to get anywhere. Now if I wanted to drive one around my small town just to impress people then, I could do that. Not really my cup of tea though.
Its an inconvenience because of the time it takes. Sure if you only use the car to drive a few hrs a day and are home to plug it in every night then its no big deal. But if you drive it enough to require a charge during your trip then its a major inconvenience. For someone like me its even worse. Its not really an option to buy a Tesla because of the distances I have to drive to get anywhere. Now if I wanted to drive one around my small town just to impress people then, I could do that. Not really my cup of tea though.
It has a pretty good range. If you're driving more than 200 miles a day, then I don't think a Tesla is designed for you anyway.
justanokie: Are you just comparing $ per mile? While the $/kWh and $/gal might buy you the same range, it's entirely different from running costs. The 265 mile range fits the needs of a majority of people (if you're one of those "commute 300 miles a day" people, you should probably move closer to work ), but the big difference you'll see is with maintenance costs. First, Tesla offers a ridiculous warranty (last I heard, 8 years / unlimited miles). Second, EVs have very few moving parts, requiring less maintenance. Sure, they still have suspension, steering, and braking components, but they require no oil changes, and no engine maintenance. Regenative braking also means less brake wear, so more time between brake changes.
Customer service is also incredible. You don't take it in for service. You call them, and they bring a repair truck to you. If it needs a lift or further work, they'll drop off a loaner and haul yours off.
At $70,000, you're cross shopping with luxury models like the BMW 5er, Mercedes E Class, and Audi A6. None of those cars offer similar reliability, warranty, or service. I'd say if you want to spend that kind of money on a car, and the charging schedule / range fit your needs, it's money well spent.
justanokie: Are you just comparing $ per mile? While the $/kWh and $/gal might buy you the same range, it's entirely different from running costs. The 265 mile range fits the needs of a majority of people (if you're one of those "commute 300 miles a day" people, you should probably move closer to work ), but the big difference you'll see is with maintenance costs. First, Tesla offers a ridiculous warranty (last I heard, 8 years / unlimited miles). Second, EVs have very few moving parts, requiring less maintenance. Sure, they still have suspension, steering, and braking components, but they require no oil changes, and no engine maintenance. Regenative braking also means less brake wear, so more time between brake changes.
Customer service is also incredible. You don't take it in for service. You call them, and they bring a repair truck to you. If it needs a lift or further work, they'll drop off a loaner and haul yours off.
At $70,000, you're cross shopping with luxury models like the BMW 5er, Mercedes E Class, and Audi A6. None of those cars offer similar reliability, warranty, or service. I'd say if you want to spend that kind of money on a car, and the charging schedule / range fit your needs, it's money well spent.
Most of this is true - but at $70,000 you get a 60 kw battery and a claimed range of 208 miles. For a $10k bump you can get the 85 kw battery ( claimed 265 miles). With a Tesla, any trip longer than 180 miles becomes much longer when you need to stop for 30 minutes (or more) to recharge the battery? Maybe you need to pull off for a charge at only 100 miles because there is no station the rest of your trip. When you do arrive you better hope they have a 240v outlet because 120v charges at 3 miles an hour.
It kind of sucks to spend $70k and need another car for the weekend road trips.
In regards to range: most owners I've talked to were initially worried about range, but have never had issues. And this is in Phoenix, where high summer temps supposedly kill range. Superchargers are popping up all over, and are spaced fairly reasonably. As is, you could drive from Scottsdale to Flagstaff (about 150 miles, which I do just about every weekend) with no issues. Plug into a super charger in Flagstaff, enjoy your day in a snowy mountain town, and come back to a fully charged car for the drive back down. Even the cheaper base model can make that drive. But if you're really concerned, you can stop at the Prescott/Cordes Junction exit (almost exactly half way), and make use of the supercharger there. Buy coffee and a snack, and by the time you're done with them, you're fully charged.
Even 200 miles of range is nearly 3 hours of driving at interstate speeds (3*70=210, 3*75=225). A little shy of what most ICE cars will do on a tank, but still a reasonable time to stop and take a break. How often do you do 300+ mile weekend trips anyways?
For daily charging, it's really a non-issue. You just need to get into the habit of plugging in your car when you get home (you got used to plugging in your phone, tablet, and laptop, right?). 8 hours of sleep = 8 hours of charge, which should replenish what the average person will spend on daily driving. If your work offers EV spaces, then congratulations, your employer now pays for at least half of your commute, and you get preferred, reserved parking!
Not to mention Tesla's safety record. Yes, a few early-production models caught fire, and the news made it seem like a catastrophic event with every single Tesla bursting into flames. That aside, it is literally the safest car in the world. It actually broke the machine used to test roof strength, before the roof even buckled -- the Model S could support the weight of 4 Model S's stacked on top. If I were cross shopping new, mid-sized luxury sedans, it's got some definite pro's, that far outweigh any range anxiety I'd have. Safety, warranty (and reliability -- there's less to break), HOV lane access, reserved EV spaces.
(I'm not going to argue environmental benefits, as electricity isn't "free", and depending on your location it could come from a source like coal -- where the energy / mile might break even with combustible fuels in terms of environmental effects).
I think you are a bit off on tesla's range being just a bit short of most ice cars. My accord has a 17 gallon tank and a range well over 400 miles and my grand cherokee in excess of 500 miles with its 24+ gallon tank.
Not only that but a recharge vs fill up aren't close. A 60.00 battery swap is on par with a fill up of its available
After living with the Volt's 40 mile range for 2 years, and seeing what the average person drives on a daily basis, then I can say that even a 100 mile range EV would work just fine for most people. Even on weekends.
And plugging it in or unplugging it? Tales all of 5 seconds, MUCH less time than it takes to put gas in the tank at a gas station and it's less dangerous and less smelly AND you start each day with a "full tank." Unlike your ICE car which starts each day with less and less fuel until you HAVE to go someplace ELSE to get gas in it. My car also only costs about $10-20 to run all month long on electric.
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), but the big difference you'll see is with maintenance costs. First, Tesla offers a ridiculous warranty (last I heard, 8 years / unlimited miles). Second, EVs have very few moving parts, requiring less maintenance. Sure, they still have suspension, steering, and braking components, but they require no oil changes, and no engine maintenance. Regenative braking also means less brake wear, so more time between brake changes. 
