May 31st marked the 1 year anniversary for my 2019 Model S 100D and I thought some might be interested in what it’s like to live with this car day to day. Tesla has renamed this model to the Model S Long Range which is sure to evoke images of exotic locales with equally exotic ladies. In essence the 100D is the base model long range Model S with 335 miles of EPA rated range vs the 391 of the most recent models. This range increase is due to the BMS efficiency updates coupled with a front electric motor from the Model 3 Performance and keeping the prior motor for the rear. I did spec the Full Self Drving option and it has been a godsend on long boring highway trips.
So here it is the day I got it.
And here is what the car was busy doing this past year.
Yes that’s almost 30k miles and about $1200 in electricity at the $.11 kWh my electricity provider charges. I do have free supercharging and obviously traveled a bunch, but I don’t have hard numbers on how many of those kWhs were derived from supercharging and destination charging. I will say that most weeks I utilized one or the other. Compared to my previous Lexus GS350 and assuming I paid for every kWh, I saved $2000 in fuel even at today’s local prices of $2.20 for premium.
Obviously fuel savings was not the primary motivator in this purchase but the overall monthly spend delta between the vehicles I have calculated at $200 per month. Not a lot, but remember that I am comparing a used GS to a new Model S.
Dealership visits were few but I did need the wiper transmission replaced within the first 6 months which apparently never happens so I’m blaming infant mortality. No maintenance visits required and no tire rotations either. The tires were wearing evenly front to rear with the exception of this.
Yes, I corded the inside rear just last week. It was my own damn fault for squeezing in a long trip prior to putting on fresh rubber, and maybe the frequent launches! In any event I decided to move up a size and utilize the Model X 20x9in front wheels in black to update the look and gain more offset while staying away from the tire costs of the staggered setup or the 21 inch options. Today, she looks like this.
My plan is to provide more frequent updates here to track how things progress as the miles pile up.
