My Experience with a Tesla Model 3 Electric Vehicle

My Tesla Model 3 Review

I live in Ottawa, Ontario Canada – where the winter temperatures drop to negative double digits Celsius. This means that it gets really cold. Ottawa once recorded the unenviable record of being the coldest capital in the world at some point in time.

I have owned my 2019 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus for about 17 months. I have driven the vehicle through all four seasons on offer – Autumn, Winter, Summer and Spring, especially on both long and short distant trips. One of the beauties of the vehicle is that you get to learn about it the more you drive it. Overall, the vehicle is an awesome and pleasant vehicle to own and drive, and was an excellent purchase for me.

I will briefly highlight - the joys and inconveniences of owning the vehicle, a few things I learnt while driving the vehicle and several things that Tesla wouldn’t have mentioned (but comes with the cost and baggage of owing a Tesla). Let’s delve right into it:

Pros

a. Cost – The cost of the vehicle is decent and affordable but you should be ready to have a credit card on file. This card will be charged for purchases, subscriptions and upgrades. I am not a proponent of using credit cards however as at the time I purchased my vehicle, I doubt there was an option to use a visa debit card. In addition, be prepared to set aside some extra funds to purchase some protective services which we will mention below.

b. Gas/Electricity – Before I got the Tesla, I had an Acura ILX 2019 on which I spent about $300 CAD monthly to fill up with premium gas alone. When I got the Tesla, I was amazed at how ridiculously cheap the cost to charge the vehicle was. The electricity consumption costs were so negligible that I spent an average of about $70 CAD per month supercharging the vehicle.

c. Interior – I love the glass roof as it gives that ultraviolet protection from the suns rays and somehow refracts the intensity of the heat, which makes the interior feel a bit cooler when driving. The seats are super comfortable and the interior is surprisingly aesthetically simple and pleasing, despite being dubbed a luxury vehicle. It’s other features on display such as the entertainment system, the climate control, immersive audio and Integrated Dashcam are all top notch.

d. Charging – I like the fact that it has access to the most expansive charging network ever. You can charge the vehicle using regular 110v & 220v sockets, and the Tesla Supercharger networks - for a fast charging speed. You can also take advantage of public charging infrastructure to charge the vehicle too. An awesome perk about this is that you may be lucky enough to get access to free charging (provided as an incentive by the government or private/corporate entity), or free parking while charging.

e. Speed – For those who value that extra bit of speed, you’re at home in this vehicle. The vehicle is really zippy and fast. The speed comes in handy in some scenarios such as when you need that extra torque to merge into fast moving lanes, or embark on a road trip and not have to feel sluggish on the road.

f. Cabin & Cargo Space – For a vehicle that looks more like a hatchback than a traditional sedan, you will be pleasantly surprised to find that it has a roomy interior with a lot of leg room for all passengers (front and rear). It also surprisingly has an impressive amount of cargo space in the trunk and front trunk (frunk). Yes, it has a trunk in place of where a traditional ICE vehicle’s engine is normally found. This is because the battery sits at the center, under the floor of the vehicle.

g. Autopilot – The autopilot feature of the vehicle is top notch. The vehicle can steer, accelerate, decelerate and brake automatically. It also has other safety features that makes long distance drives very pleasant and effortless. You will certainly enjoy road trips in this vehicle, as long as you don’t take your hands away from the steering wheel too often.

h. Over the air Update – The vehicle is basically a computer on wheels. It receives periodic software updates – similar to how your mobile phone’s Operating System, or Applications are updated. The goal of the update is to improve, or add new features to make the vehicle even better. How cool is that?

i. Sentry Mode – The vehicle has a gamut of interior and exterior cameras that can constantly monitor the surrounding thus enhancing security. I once had the cameras and sentry mode alert me when my vehicle was been illegally towed and I was able to prevent the towing van from taking it away without proper reason to do so.

j. Tesla Mobile App – The ability to control the vehicle from your mobile device adds to the level of comfort and convenience you will experience as an owner of this vehicle. You can perform a wide range of functions from the mobile app. My favorite one is being able to remotely turn on the climate to pre-condition and warm up the vehicle in extremely cold conditions down here in Ottawa.

k. Maintenance – The vehicle is a software on wheels and therefore has low maintenance needs, unlike an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicle. Having owned the vehicle for 17 months, I have not had the need to service, or maintain it in any way.

l. Insurance – Insurance costs for the Tesla Model 3 were surprisingly cheaper than most vehicles. It is considered the safest vehicle in the world, so no surprises there.

Cons

a. Additional Cost – Because a lot of the vehicles built from the factory generally had low quality structure and body build issues with the paint peeling, or the under panels rusting, you are never guaranteed what fate will deal you. Luckily, I got one of the better units, so I never had issues with paint or rust. Nevertheless, prepare to shell out some additional funds on a paint protection film wrap (to protect the body of the vehicle and paint), and a complete rust proof package (to protect the body and undercarriage from rust).

b. Sensors – In extremely cold weather, the sensors and safety features are overly sensitive and respond by either shutting down or functioning in a limited capacity. In some scenarios - such as the limited ability to use the autopilot – this is logical because it prevents you from having to rely on the autopilot, thus being extra careful in poor road conditions and bad weather driving. However, in other scenarios – such as a limited camera function – this could prevent the sensors and other safety features - such as blind spot monitoring and collision warning – from properly functioning.

c. Interior – There’s that additional pressure to keep and maintain the elegant and professional look of the vehicle. This necessitates a 3 to 4-hour automobile detail job periodically. Luckily, this is a hobby of mine so I don’t have to take it to a professional automobile detailer, as I can perform everything myself. I will do a write up about my experience and products used to detail vehicles in another blog post.

d. Weather Conditions and Range – The range and battery are easily affected by cold climate. When the weather is extremely cold – in negative double digits – the battery loses charge faster. It also takes longer to charge too. One thing Tesla has mentioned to customers in the past is that the displayed range on their website is an estimate. What this means is that the unit you purchase may, or may not display the estimated range on their website. Some of this also has to do with the weather condition, your driving habits and your supercharging habits. No doubt the maximum range varies, however you get the most of the range during warmer and cooler seasons such as autumn, fall and spring.

e. Wheels - My vehicle came with 18’ Aero wheels. These specific wheels aren’t cheap. I had to shell out some additional funds to purchase an extra set of winter wheels (with rims). One thing that struck me was the fact that because the vehicle has a low center of gravity due to the density and placement of the battery, it makes the vehicle pretty heavy. The weight of the vehicle, combined with its rapid acceleration can have a negative impact on the threading of the OEM all-season summer tires. This will necessitate the need to purchase new tires every 2 years or thereabouts. One way to manage this scenario is to perform regular tire rotations to balance out the wear and tear on all tires.

Summarily, if you are thinking about exploring the option of owning an electric vehicle, based on my experiences and opinion, I strongly recommend the Tesla as a good buy.