this whole concept of saving money on gas and buying a luxury car instead makes no sense.
100eu/week in fuel = 5200/yr
“normal” car = 20k
tesla model s = 80k
you could spend 100eu/week for 12 years and it would be cheaper to buy the fuel.
“nice” car = 35k
that’s gonna hit the break even in just 9 years. driving 100eu of fuel/week for 9 years is a pretty nuts amount of driving, still better to get the cheaper car
With the rear-facing seats, it does. Although uncomfortably. You're better off with the Model X for that many.
> “normal” car = 20k
Yes, let's compare a value car with a luxury car. Brilliant. How much does a BMX X6 or a Mercedes AMG GLE cost?
Here's a hint: https://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/vehicles/model/class-GLE/mode...
After you subtract government incentives and fuel savings, the costs are identical. That's why Tesla actually sells cars.
For us the X is really the only full electric option.
The one thing I really worry about in the Model X is the maintenance of the falcon wing doors.
My VW Sharan now costs almost EUR 2000/year in road tax. It also goes into the garage for semi-regular TDi engine issues (last time we had to have the ECR valve replaced which also incurred 5 hours of labour).
TCO of diesels these days is not pretty where I live.
Depreciation is the usually the largest factor in total cost of ownership. If you're not factoring that in, you're not doing it right.
And then you factor in the physical degradation of parts like the battery. An engine wears out at a far slower rate than a battery.
It will probably take a few decades for EVs to be everywhere, tech to advance slower (relative), and batteries to improve.
Your 28 mile commute is easily doable with the cars you mention. I'd avoid the Fiat because Fiat, but used Leafs are pretty cheap. Or the Spark EV if you can find one. Look on plugshare.com to find charging locations so you know you have a back up plan, but don't let anxiety get in the way.
I leased our first Spark EV and had exactly zero problems an d zero maintenance except for wiper blades and a minor issue that was under warranty. When the lease ran out I purchased a second Spark EV because it handles 90% of our driving and I got a great deal, $10,600 total including incentives. Even if the resale is zero after 10 years it will be 3x cheaper to own than our Honda Fit.
The first Leaf totally crashed in value, but that car is a POS (it's the Versa body and interior, which is absolute trash).
[1] https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listings/tesla/mo... (accessed Sept. 7, 2018)
Compare the "nice car" with a Tesla Model 3 for a more reasonable comparison.
> it isn't really an alternative for someone looking at a Model S
Nothing in your comment is an alternative for the Model S. Did you ever consider something in the same category and price range?
P.S. A $20.000 car is a normal car. It's just a car. Not meant to carry handball team, not meant to do it at high speeds or useless acceleration, without driving itself around your driveway. Think of a VW Golf, a normal car.
A bicycle? Where? What makes the BMW M5 attractive is seeing how much a fully loaded Bobcat weighs... :)
Really though the upside is more you have the performance of a high end car for lower lifetime operating costs not that it’s cheap.
In terms of battery tech, that’s going to fit in any form factor. Which means someone replacing a battery in a 10 year old electric car will be buying the same technology as a new car’s battery while expecting to get another 10 years from it. All for a steadily dropping price.
Remember, electric means no internal belts, spark plugs, regular oil changes, etc which offsets most if not all the cost of a new battery.
Compared the Model S: I'm at 34K miles and just going in for the first service next week.