Am I mad to consider changing my MB for a Tesla S?

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Lotiman

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S204 C350 CDi; R171 200SLK; Lotus Evora 400; Lotus Exige V6
I normally change my daily car at 3 years old, which my C350 Cdi now is. I've been an MB devotee for many years following several Audis and a brief, unfortunate dally with BMW, so now fancy something totally different for the daily.
A few months ago, I was offered a test drive in the Tesla P85D, which I was curious to try. In short, I thought it was just sensational. Power delivery was like nothing else I've ever driven and for a heavy car, it actually handles pretty well, mainly due to the very low c of g. Surprisingly, the minor switchgear was instantly recognisable as straight out of the MB parts bin and the interior is quite a nice place to be, with the possible exception of that dreadfully brash screen in the centre.
As with all such cars, my main fear is the range on long trips but it does seem as though Tesla are rapidly increasing the location of charge points. For running costs, they make a lot of sense but still I can't help being concerned about getting stuck somewhere miles away from a charge point.
Anybody have any real world experiences of running one?
 
Yes.

They might be increasing the number of charging points but how much time does charging mid way through a journey add to it? And you have to be near one when running low...what are the chances that their official drive time figures will be accurate when every other car maker fiddles their figures to boost sales?

Don't get me wrong, I like the Tesla but until you are able to drive the same distance as you would in a petrol diesel and them spend only a short time recharging, they are limited in the real world. JMO.
 
Yes.

They might be increasing the number of charging points but how much time does charging mid way through a journey add to it? And you have to be near one when running low...what are the chances that their official drive time figures will be accurate when every other car maker fiddles their figures to boost sales?

Don't get me wrong, I like the Tesla but until you are able to drive the same distance as you would in a petrol diesel and them spend only a short time recharging, they are limited in the real world. JMO.

Whilst the real world range is certainly less than the official figures, most tests I have thus far read, suggest a likely range of around 260 miles plus and the free to use Tesla supercharge points will give something like an 80% battery charge in around 30 minutes I believe, so not too shabby to be honest. The catch is though, that you do need to pass one of these Tesla points at some point on your journey.

Most of my use is probably no more than 120 miles or so on any one journey but, of course, I do also use the car for the occasional blast down through France.
 
Yes.

They might be increasing the number of charging points but how much time does charging mid way through a journey add to it? And you have to be near one when running low...what are the chances that their official drive time figures will be accurate when every other car maker fiddles their figures to boost sales?

Don't get me wrong, I like the Tesla but until you are able to drive the same distance as you would in a petrol diesel and them spend only a short time recharging, they are limited in the real world. JMO.

They aren't here yet, but will sometime..battery changing stations.

They have demonstrated a battery change in less time than it takes to fill a tank. That would be interesting.
 
They aren't here yet, but will sometime..battery changing stations.

They have demonstrated a battery change in less time than it takes to fill a tank. That would be interesting.

Yes, the Tesla sales chap told me something similar. Even recharging at home isn't expensive on the cheap night tariffs and at todays prices will cost in the region of £8.50 for what amounts to a full tank of fuel.

The caveat being 'today's prices' as I'm sure if electric cars start to be bought in large numbers, then that situation wouldn't remain. Having said that though, oil based fuels are also likely to rise big time eventually so whatever happens, the motorist will still be fleeced!
 
Fabulous car looks, performance comfort all seem to be there, have a colleague who test drove one and raved about it.

I would guess it depends on your journey requirements 260 mile range and quick charge looks good but I seem to recall a review of a Tesla done on a cold wet February evening and with A/C, lights, heated screen etc all on combined with sitting in heavy traffic the range was not so great (wish I could remember where the review was).

Having just taken a diesel CLS to the Algarve and back I would think that on some parts of the journey I would have needed a generator in the boot to have avoided a tow. I think it may be a few years before charging stations spread to be available without needing sat nav to guide the car to them. If the charging stations were available no major issues waiting 30 minutes for a charge as decent coffee will be available whilst waiting in France, Spain or Portugal (UK a different issue).
 
I looked at one, but decided against it as there are no superchargers close by and normal home charging takes too long to get the advertised range. I'm going to look at them again in a couple of years hopefully when the network has expanded a bit.

Very fast car, not quite MB quality so for the price I went for an S which for me with the diverse travelling I do it's just more practical.
 
Every single Tesla was recalled I thought.

But other than that - why not?
 
Whilst the real world range is certainly less than the official figures, most tests I have thus far read, suggest a likely range of around 260 miles plus and the free to use Tesla supercharge points will give something like an 80% battery charge in around 30 minutes I believe, so not too shabby to be honest. The catch is though, that you do need to pass one of these Tesla points at some point on your journey.

Most of my use is probably no more than 120 miles or so on any one journey but, of course, I do also use the car for the occasional blast down through France.

They aren't here yet, but will sometime..battery changing stations.

They have demonstrated a battery change in less time than it takes to fill a tank. That would be interesting.

Battery swapping would be the interim answer until there were more charging stations except you need to be near a swapping station……:devil: Interesting to see, though.:thumb:

Fair play to everyone who climbs on board now, before all the kinks are worked out, rather than waiting for everything to be tried, tested and perfected.

On the other hand, to play devil's advocate, even if there were as many charging points as there are fuel nozzles, it still wouldn't be nearly as convenient because of the total time it takes to everyone to charge (even to 80%) compared to everyone filling up. Just saying. :p
 
These seem to me to be the first genuine Electric car that has real world potential.

I wouldn't want one as my only vehicle though.
 
These seem to me to be the first genuine Electric car that has real world potential.

I wouldn't want one as my only vehicle though.

I agree, it wouldn't be my only vehicle. I'm still a fully committed petrolhead, so my SL and Lotus would definitely be staying.

As for time taken to charge, assuming there are as many charge points as petrol nozzles, no longer being in the rat race that comes with employment is a bonus. ;) It really isn't a problem for me if the 80% charge takes half an hour or an hour and a half. So long as there is somewhere to stretch my legs and/or have a coffee whilst reading the paper, that's just fine and dandy.

I know it is still early days for electric cars, but the Tesla does seem the most practical effort thus far and for my normal daily usage, it would appear to fit the bill. It is such a young technology, that I just need a bit of a push to commit to it I think.

Wonder if they are available on a personal lease scheme? Might be worth considering one just for a couple of years to see how it fits with me and then decide which way to go thereafter. Hmm, maybe I'll investigate that avenue.
 
^^ they're about 750pcm on a two-year lease.

Thanks:thumb: Now that is interesting. I wouldn't need to add very much to my state pension in order to get one. [Walks away rubbing chin]
 
I've driven the Model S and would have gone for one without hesitation...except I couldn't get any sort of decent lease deal. Mercedes definitely have them beat on that front so I'm toying with electric with my C350e plug in hybrid, but hoping the Tesla Model 3 will be out in a few years and is a easier to justify proposition :)

The interior quality didn't feel quite as good as the German rivals but everything else is right up there and the performance...wow is all I can say!
 
What happens when you're stuck in a massive traffic jam with heater/ac going for 2/3/4 hours ?
 
Great car...my mate who works for Bentley was actually bench marking it back in the summer....the central computer with huge screen controls everything in the car and once familiar may be great...

I think if your seriously considering... the key issue is how many charge points local to home or on your regular commutes...obviously dependent on how much your going to use the car.

When I was in California a few weeks ago I did notice charge points seemed to be everwhere....so as we 'generally' follow the US I would think this will be the same in the future...maybe:confused:
 

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