The following is a discussion with Aussie electric vehicle (EV) owner Alan, who has a Tesla Model 3 Performance 2020 in NSW.
EDITOR: I’m going to publish a regular series of articles with the views of Australian EV owners about their purchase, driving, servicing, charging etc experience.
This will help fill an information gap as the majority of electric car news articles are about new car launches and there’s relatively little published about the longer term Australian ownership experience after you’ve paid for your electric car. Hopefully this shared information helps other Aussies make their own EV purchase decision.
Was your electric car bought or leased?
It was purchased new.
Please describe your purchasing / lease process experience … Easy, Mediocre, Frustrating..?
Paid half cash, half personal loan with Macquarie. Was surprised how onerous the terms were.
What has the regular servicing / dealership experience been like?
Excellent.
How do you regularly charge your car for day to day usage?
- plug into public AC charger upto 22Kw
- plug into public DC charger faster than 22kW
What has your day to day normal charging experience been like?
I paid for solar panels, Tesla PowerWall and Tesla Wall Charger and then had to sell the house in divorce proceedings.
I now live in an apartment on the Northern Beaches with no ability to charge on premises and very limited public charging.
I most often charge at the Broadway supercharger which is just crazy but on a time basis it takes less time to drive there and back than to wait for my car to charge on nearby 7kW/22kW public chargers.
Northern Beaches really needs some >22kW public charging stations!
How do you charge your car for longer road trips on the weekend or during holidays? Do you prefer any particular brand of public fast charger during road trips eg Evie, Tesla, Chargefox and why?
Tesla superchargers are more likely to be working, are fast with my Model 3, and work well with the Tesla app.
I’ve had a lot of disappointing experiences with Chargefox. Evie has generally been easy enough and working but usually only 55kW.
If you have roadside assist included with the car purchase/lease and have had to use it, which company provided the service and what was that experience like?
NRMA but haven’t had to use it yet.
If you have had issues with your car and asked for these to be fixed under warranty, did the car brand do the right thing and fix it without causing you stress?
Tesla’s done a great job so far.
What are the 3 strongest aspects of your electric car compared to other similar price electric cars available in Australia?
- Innovation – this is not an electric car, it’s a computer with fewer wheels than cameras.
- Performance – 0-100km/hr in a shade more than 3 seconds is just b*tsh*t crazy. Handling and ride are actually great for the performance level.
- Heaps of space for a compact four door sedan. Beats most hatches easily on storage and lugging stuff around.
- Bonus aspect: really active, knowledgeable and helpful community of Tesla owners.
What are the 3 weakest aspects of your electric car compared to other similar price electric cars available in Australia?
- B*tsh*t crazy CEO.
- Paint and panel fit could be a little better for the money.
- Wish it had ride height adjustment.
Would you buy or lease this brand of electric car again and recommend it to others?
Absolutely.
If you’re an Australian electric vehicle owner and would like to participate in this interview series by sharing your experience please contact me directly or add a comment below and let me know.
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