Tesla Model 3 Owner's Musings

Now that we've got it, I'll be posting occasional observations, from the perspective of someone NEW to owning a Tesla. So I won't always be comparing to the S or X, "It's not as fast..." or "I prefer THAT...", or "Why do we have to pay for the Supercharger now????"

The first entry here was I post I wrote for the Tesla Model 3 Owners' Club group on Facebook. It was too detailed for me to post on my own wall, but I know some of my FB friends (and others) would find it interesting.

TLDR: Amazing Car; worth the wait.

Random thoughts on Sunday night; Close of the first weekend with our Tesla Model 3, with 432 ecstatic miles accomplished.

Amazing vehicle; Awesome technology; Welcome to the future.

Semi-random thoughts:

• It's like driving an iPhone, and gets better as they push out updates.

• Having the speed and relevent information just over your right hand is no problem.

• Clean lines and interior; no distrations; get in, buckle up, and go (in silence).

• Driver Profiles are a great aid. The electric seats have so many variables, including lumbar support. The steering wheel goes up and down AND in and out, that once you find a comfortable setting, you want to SAVE IT. From what I've seen, I think the Driver Profiles include other configurable settings, such as regen and steering, so you could define multiple profiles for yourself, for your different moods or modes of driving. "Up and At 'Em Attentive," or "Laid Back Autopilot Mode," or whatever. There is an Easy Entry profile that you can configure to your own preferences... how far up do you need the steering wheel to go? How far back the seat? Then when you buckle up or put it in Drive, it switches to the last Driver Profile.

• Enhanced Auto Pilot is amazing, and even handles Slow-and-Go traffic on freeways. (Seemed smooth to me, at version 2018.4; don't know if 2018.10 improves it for the Model 3 or not.) (The GPS-based speed limit database didn't seem quite up-to-date on a couple of the non-Interstates I was on around Phoenix today, but that's a minor issue.)

• Protection schemes: I'm getting SunTek clear bra protection applied this week, as soon as the template they designed last week is uploaded so my detailer can get it. I'm also planning on putting the TeslaRPM carbon fiber wrap on the center console. Thinking that the Titanium color will lighten up the interior a little. Will get a screen protector for the screen, too, (fingerprints a distraction in videos that I‘ll make. Not as much a problem to the naked eye.)

• Here in the first days of my lead-footing it, I've been averaging about 300 wH/mile. That's what I'm plugging into the "abetterrouteplanner.com" for calculations. (That's a great web-based route planner; you can link it to your Tesla account for realtime.)

• Also finding it fun to explore the (unofficial) "My Tesla" app for Echo, by Nikhil Kapur. It ties into your Tesla account to answer questions like, "Alexa, ask my car how far I can drive," with battery percentage and mileage range, etc.

• On delivery, our screen was displaying battery status as a percentage rather than miles. You can toggle that by tapping the CAR icon, selecting DISPLAY, then tap the SETTINGS GEAR icon for the sub menu, and choose MILES or ENERGY there. (Seems a little well-hidden for what might be a frequently-toggled option. I know, it's easy enough to do the math, but why do the math when you're driving a computer on wheels?!?!)

• Premium Audio system sounds great. Tune-In offers a wide range of feeds, including radio from around the world, and some non-commercial feeds like police and fire radio. And it pairs with your phone for Bluetooth (which, I know, loses something in the compression, but still sounds fine to me.)

• I spent twenty minutes at a Supercharger topping up to 80 per cent charge, and was charged at the Tier 2 rate of $.11/minute, getting 48 kW for about $2.68, for about 75 miles of range. (That price might go up soon; not sure).

• (And before jumping all over Tesla for quietly modifying their Supercharger rates, let me point out that when we buy the Model 3, we ARE NOT paying a premium price for them to throw in free Supercharging. It costs real money to build and maintain Supercharger locations with 12, 24, even 40 slots. I, for one, am happy to pay more per kWh than I pay at home, knowing Tesla can maintain a reliable Supercharger network. We don't complain that the gas station owner charges us more than he pays the wholesaler for the gallon of gas. We shouldn't expect Tesla to absorb the cost of maintaining the infrastructure, when we aren't paying a premium price for the Model 3 in the first place.)

• In wrapping up for now, let me say that the Model 3 is a an already an amazing piece of work, and is still getting better with each OTA update. I'll enjoy exploring and discovering, and making suggestions, too. Well worth the wait (which was two weeks short of two years from my first-hour non-owner reservation).

More Random Thoughts after the FIRST FULL WEEK (March 24, 2018):

Still awesome, and learning more about it. My go-to description in 15 words or less::

“It’s CLEAN, QUICK, QUIET, and SURE-FOOTED, and Enhanced Auto Pilot is AMAZING.”

And our Model 3 now has an official name: SILVER STREAK, after one of our favorite movies from the 70’s, with Gene Wilder and Richard Prior. The name came to us as we scoped out how far the drive from Kansas City to Denver would be on the return leg of our E-Road Trip back east this June.

New tidbits to share:

• To get it into NEUTRAL, when in DRIVE, push stalk up to the resistance and hold for a second. (Don’t push it past the resistance, which takes you into REVERSE.)

TACC (“Traffic-Aware Cruise Control”) is great:

• When first engaged, if the car is moving, I think it will set the current speed as the target speed.

• If you tap on the displayed SPEED LIMIT sign, it will set THAT as the target.

• If you tap the plus or minus sign next to the target speed, it will go up or down one MPH per tap.

• If you TAP AND HOLD the plus or minus sign, the target will jump by 5 MPH.

TACC can be helpful in STOP AND GO traffic, too:

• Without “CREEP” engaged (so HOLD IS engaged), if you are stopped behind a car in a traffic jam on the freeway, take your foot off the brake, so HOLD is on.

• If it is displaying a SPEED LIMIT sign, you can engage it (press stalk down once), and it will be ready do move foward when the car in front moves; it will keep a car length and stop and go again, with the traffic.

• It won’t engage with your foot on the brake, because that is the way to EXIT cruise control.

• It won’t engage if you are stopped without a speed limit sign, since it wouldn’t know what to set as a target speed.

Exploring the DRIVING OPTIONS:

• I turned on the Lane Warning (not knowing what to expect). Later on, I got worried about a short, little vibration in the steering wheel. Then noticed it again a little later, but remembed reading THAT was the Lane Warning! (I’m not sure, but it might have been vibrating on the left or the right side of the steering wheel as I broached the left or right lane marking... is it THAT SMART?—Later edit: I don’t think so.))

Remote Control of the Climate System:

• I checked the interior temp after church with the car parked outside church in the sun. A little worried about the 115º reported in the app, but was amazed to see the temperature reach the 72º target in about 10 minutes, I think! Not a problem!

More Random Thoughts after the SECOND FULL WEEK (March 31, 2018):

Today is the TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY of being a first-hour reservation at the Scottsdale Gallery.

• I went back to the Scottsdale Gallery and had Christian take another picture of me with the bottle of water I received there two years ago upon placing the reservation, that had the prophetic “Sell By 03/02/18“ date! I configured one week before! (Christian took the smiling picture two years ago, also!)