Paul Smedley
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2017
- Messages
- 253
- Reaction score
- 275
- Points
- 63
- Age
- 49
- Location
- Adelaide
- Members Ride
- MY23 Tesla Model 3 RWD, MY23 Tesla Model Y RWD
As requested by a few folks, I've started this thread to share experiences in transitioning from a Commodore to an EV (in my case, a Tesla Model 3 RWD).
As some background, I worked for Holden at the Assembly Plant for just over 16 years, in a variety of Quality roles, culminating in being the Plant Quality Manager for the final three years of the plant's operation.
As our ZB was on the verge of being out of warranty, we started looking at alternatives (refer https://forums.justcommodores.com.au/threads/what-to-buy-to-replace-the-zb.295319/) and ended up settling on a Tesla Model 3 RWD.
A few reasons for the Tesla:
A few day one comments:
As some background, I worked for Holden at the Assembly Plant for just over 16 years, in a variety of Quality roles, culminating in being the Plant Quality Manager for the final three years of the plant's operation.
As our ZB was on the verge of being out of warranty, we started looking at alternatives (refer https://forums.justcommodores.com.au/threads/what-to-buy-to-replace-the-zb.295319/) and ended up settling on a Tesla Model 3 RWD.
A few reasons for the Tesla:
- I decided I couldn't justify buying another ICE car. We have solar and a battery already, and it made sense *to me* to go electric
- Given availability, it was the best alternative *for us* - we prefer a sedan not an SUV
- It was in our price range, and *just* qualified for the SA EV rebate ($3k)
- The changes to FBT for EV's meant the whole lease payment is pre-tax, which generated significant savings.
A few day one comments:
- I was reminded again how nice it was to not have to do the walk from aftersales to finance to whatever in a dealership as part of the ordering process.
- The lack of comms from Tesla was annoying, other than monitoring forums, it was hard to know what was happening with the order. In fairness, given my previous employment, I had extra visibility of the ordering process that most others wouldn't have had, so maybe I was spoiled.
- The delivery experience was pretty good - no champagne, no ribbons - but they walk you around the car, and help you pair your phone (which can act as a key), and adjust all the relevant settings. No pressure to get out, you have all the time you need to ensure you're happy with the car.
- At pickup, the cameras aren't calibrated, so things like cruise control are inoperative. A good excuse to go for a bit of a cruise, and after 10-15min, the cameras were calibrated
- I LOVE the car - acceleration is fantastic - I think the base RWD is 0-100 in 5.9 seconds - the long range and Performance are both AWD and quicker.
- The level of customisation is pretty cool - there are lots of features I'm still discovering.
- BIG software update after connecting to wifi when we got home - great that new features/fixes can be deployed OTA.
- Regenerative braking takes some getting used to - basically as soon as you take your foot off the accelerator, energy recovery starts and the car slows down to a stop very quickly, so you need to 'feather' the accelerator right up to a stop sign or traffic light.