[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Tesla has a reserve beyond 0% similar to gas cars. I understand you can drive almost up to -10% battery or 30 miles even after 0% battery which is phenomenal and a huge saving grace for situations like this.

3-Cheers to Tesla

Now that you know this, next time your mind will factor in +10% in calculating the range.

This info is best forgotten!

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Now that you know this, next time your mind will factor in +10% in calculating the range.

This info is best forgotten!

Yup, being inherently lazy I might do just that.

Jokes aside, it's an absolute life saver in unforeseen situations.

Not sure how it will impact the battery longevity if you start using the reserves regularly...lol!

[mobike008]

Yesterday, my "Red Rocket" which is none other than Rosso Diablo....completed 20,000 miles (32,000kms) in 21-months of ownership.

It's been an absolute pleasure to own this fast performance EV sedan.

Here is a quick update on how life with it till date :

1. Fast like hell....there isn't a car on road that can accelerate like this beast.

2. Handles like a supercar. Tight and precise.

3. Zero issues till date (Touchwood)

4. Tires are still OEM and even though it's on its last legs,I am trying to pull it through the summer. It will be replaced in a few months.

5. Zero punctures till date (Touchwood)

6. Tesla consumed 5689 kWh till date (screenshot below). Simple math (5698 * $0.10/kwh) translates to $570 spent in electricity.

For comparison, I would have spent $5000 in gas for my BMW for same amount of miles. This is ridiculous amount of savings.

7. Tesla keeps getting improvements every few weeks so that's a major plus.

8. Zero rattles anywhere from the car (Touchwood)

Downside : Due to the aging summer performance tires, cabin noise is little higher compared to when it was brand new. I hope it will become better after I change the tires.

20,000 miles crossed. Yay !!



Got her a nice wash for this achievement. Still gleams like Day 1, turns lot of eyes on the road, too.

[lexusES350]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Yesterday, my "Red Rocket" which is none other than Rosso Diablo....completed 20,000 miles (32,000kms) in 21-months of ownership.

Tesla consumed 5689 kWh till date (screenshot below). Simple math (5698 * $0.10/kwh) translates to $570 spent in electricity.

For comparison, I would have spent $5000 in gas for my BMW for same amount of miles. This is ridiculous amount of savings.

Congratulations on your journey so far, M3P is indeed a fantastic car especially so for its current price and its in new avatar.

Having said that, I think you are oversimplifying the mathematics a bit around how much it costs to actually fuel (charge) it.

Example - In majority of the states in US, electricity cost may vary widely but its typically electricity cost + transmission cost that makes up the whole electric bill.

Example - In CA, they may charge say 0.40c/kwh for electricity rate then additional $60 a month or so each month as a flat fee for transmission cost. I assume its something similar in your area too.

So even if we assume WA has super cheap electricity and your flat part of monthly bill is $30 and not $60, your total cost to operate would be $570 + ($30.00 x 24 months) = $1290 or so.

Still cheaper than BMW or any other gas car but at least twice the initial impression.

Math becomes even more unfavorable in states like CA where utilities are super expensive, in bay area for example PGE Time of Use plan, it costs as high as 0.65c/kwh in electricity cost alone during peak summer usage hours between 4:00PM to 12:00AM.

With your usage pattern, it would cost (5689 x $0.65c/kwh) + (24 x $60) = $5138 or so if someone was exclusively charging during peak rate periods. Actual costs are typically lower than this but still this just shows the other extreme of the math.

This is why month over month EV sales are declining in CA after having exponential growth in recent years....math is not working out anymore. Hybrids are cheaper to obtain and run in comparison due to rediculously high registration/insurance costs with EVs.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by lexusES350

Congratulations on your journey so far, M3P is indeed a fantastic car especially so for its current price and its in new avatar.

Having said that, I think you are oversimplifying the mathematics a bit around how much it costs to actually fuel (charge) it.

Example - In majority of the states in US, electricity cost may vary widely but its typically electricity cost + transmission cost that makes up the whole electric bill.

Example - In CA, they may charge say 0.40c/kwh for electricity rate then additional $60 a month or so each month as a flat fee for transmission cost. I assume its something similar in your area too.

So even if we assume WA has super cheap electricity and your flat part of monthly bill is $30 and not $60, your total cost to operate would be $570 + ($30.00 x 24 months) = $1290 or so.

Still cheaper than BMW or any other gas car but at least twice the initial impression.

.

Hey Naveen, nice to see you here after a long time. How’s your Tesla MYP doing? How many miles have you racked up on it? Is the going smooth like mine or you have a different experience?

I’m shocked to know about the transmission cost in California. I did some investigation (checking my bills and also our Electricity Provider-PUD Website) and we have no such cost. Therefore, there is no $30/month transmission cost that is applicable to us.

Secondly, we have a base charge of $0.36/day that translates to just $10-$12/month.

Thirdly, I used the higher number of $0.10 /kwh for calculation but, our night time rate is $0.08/kwh and I always charge the Tesla from 11:00pm-4:00am (In about 5 hours max, it gets topped up to 80% charge limit)

Finally, as you know from my usage pattern, I drive the Tesla about 1000 miles/Month.

And, I checked my PUD bill and the increase in bill is so negligible that it just goes unnoticed.

For example, I will quote my last bill that I paid in June 2024. It was exactly $150 and this is for Electricity + Water + Sewer as all these services are provided by PUD. I’m sure your monthly bill for all these services combined would be way higher. Correct?

Washington like California is an equally expensive state to live in but, since I do not use the Superchargers much, I'm truly enjoying the low cost of electricity and that’s why the Tesla makes so much sense to us.

[lexusES350]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Hey Naveen, nice to see you here after a long time. How’s your Tesla MYP doing? How many miles have you racked up on it? Is the going smooth like mine or you have a different experience?

MYP is going great, no complaints whatsoever except the fact that it costs too much to run in CA...LOL

My registration alone is $800 a year then insurance is around $1600 and I have already explained about electricity rates here in bay area. On a flip side, there is absolutely no maintenance except $5 worth of windshield fluid so I guess it kind of balances off.

Originally Posted by mobike008

I’m shocked to know about the transmission cost in California. I did some investigation (checking my bills and also our Electricity Provider-PUD Website) and we have no such cost. Therefore, there is no $30/month transmission cost that is applicable to us.

Secondly, we have a base charge of $0.36/day that translates to just $10-$12/month.

I guess this $15 is your transmission cost, they just lable it as daily base rate or whatever.
Typically, everywhere in US, electricity bills have two portions, generation rate (aka electricity rate) and the cost to actually bring it to our homes aka transmission cost or base rate etc.

Originally Posted by mobike008

And, I checked my PUD bill and the increase in bill is so negligible that it just goes unnoticed.

You are quiet lucky indeed!

Originally Posted by mobike008

For example, I will quote my last bill that I paid in June 2024. It was exactly $150 and this is for Electricity + Water + Sewer as all these services are provided by PUD. I’m sure your monthly bill for all these services combined would be way higher. Correct?

While we are at it, in CA it costs $650 a month for electric bill alone (mind you I pay quiet bit less as I have solar but it would really be that much because AC is on 24x7 during summers without even including EVs), around $150 for water while sewar is bundled with property taxes. Property taxes are around 1.8% of property price (so you can guess how expensive in general it is).

[lexusES350]

Originally Posted by lexusES350

While we are at it, in CA it costs $650 a month for electric bill alone (mind you I pay quiet bit less as I have solar but it would really be that much because AC is on 24x7 during summers without even including EVs), around $150 for water while sewar is bundled with property taxes. Property taxes are around 1.8% of property price (so you can guess how expensive in general it is).

A clarification, monthly cost is highly dependent on the size of the house, area one lives in etc. so what I'm stating is general average for inland areas with 2500 sq ft home away from the pacific where it gets real hot. In other words where I live...LOL

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by lexusES350

My registration alone is $800 a year then insurance is around $1600 and I have already explained about electricity rates here in bay area. On a flip side, there is absolutely no maintenance except $5 worth of windshield fluid so I guess it kind of balances off.

I didn't take that into consideration. Yearly plates cost same for me as well. I think I pay around $700/year to renew the plate tabs. It's ridiculous and wish we had like India, one time you pay and you are done for the life of the car.

Insurance is also on higher side- I pay around $135/month just for the Tesla. How much is yours?

Originally Posted by lexusES350

I guess this $15 is your transmission cost, they just lable it as daily base rate or whatever.
Typically, everywhere in US, electricity bills have two portions, generation rate (aka electricity rate) and the cost to actually bring it to our homes aka transmission cost or base rate etc.

Nice. I wasn't aware about this terminology (Transmission cost which is also known as Base price). Cheers!

Originally Posted by lexusES350

While we are at it, in CA it costs $650 a month for electric bill alone (mind you I pay quiet bit less as I have solar but it would really be that much because AC is on 24x7 during summers without even including EVs), around $150 for water while sewar is bundled with property taxes. Property taxes are around 1.8% of property price (so you can guess how expensive in general it is).

Gosh! $650 bucks for electricity is "loot maar" lol!!....We have to thank our PNW weather as our summers are short and it doesn't get hot at all. I may use our central air conditioning maybe a few hot days in a year (My rough guess is 10-15 times in a year). Otherwise, heater is on most of the year. So it's kind of trade-off but, our bills are way way cheaper as you can see.

Originally Posted by lexusES350

A clarification, monthly cost is highly dependent on the size of the house, area one lives in etc. so what I'm stating is general average for inland areas with 2500 sq ft home away from the pacific where it gets real hot. In other words where I live...LOL

My home is small and is little over that size so I am glad to see that we pay lot less in home up-keep than you.

I guess you are paying the "California Sunshine Tax"


A tough update :

Finally it happened after being careful for nearly couple of years. Tesla's Uberturbine wheels are notorious for getting "Curb Rashes"

In a hurry, I scrapped "rear right wheel" some weeks ago but, it was a minor scratch so I didn't bother.

Earlier in the week, I was driving back home and it was 2-lane road and a cop was driving at 100mph from opposite side with his sirens on and as is practice, I moved to right (no shoulder) in a hurry to give him way and I didn't realize there is a small curb along the 2-lane highway.

I had reduced my speed to maybe 20-30mph and scrapped along that curb.

The "Front Right Wheel" took the brunt. of that maneavour. Damn, I was heart broken to see the scratches.

Researched on Internet and bought this $7 Matte Black Pen and did a first round touch-up to the wheels. Now at a glance, the scratches on both wheels cannot be made out at all. Fantastic product.

It's almost 95% invisible now but, I plan to touch up one more time in a few weeks to bring it back to its original glory.

Gosh, I saved $300 for the 2 wheels as it would have costed me that much if I had got it done outside.

Scratches





Magic Pen



Almost back to its formal glory.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Finally it happened after being careful for nearly couple of years. Tesla's Uberturbine wheels are notorious for getting "Curb Rashes"

In a hurry, I scrapped "rear right wheel" some weeks ago but, it was a minor scratch so I didn't bother.

Sorry to hear that but at least they were scratch free for two years and you managed to do a decent repair job. In the US they seem to have a product for every car problem!

Unfortunately I damaged an alloy wheel of my 5 series within 24 hours of taking delivery. I wasn't accustomed to the width of the car and the rear alloy hit a curb

[mobike008]

While I was away from the country for 3-weeks, Tesla released a nice update.

Some of the notable additions :

Here is the list of new features. They added a sub-navigation which is super helpful.



Now Amazon Music native app is there to enjoy music. Since, most of the folks living in US have Amazon Prime, it's free to listen to music from Amazon music. I just hope they have a 256kpbs bit rate and supports Dolby Atmos.



Wow. Youtube Music Native App is now finally added. But, it's expensive at $11/month so I'm going to skip and use only Apple Music or Amazon Music.

[mobike008]

While I was away in India on work, My pal picked up 2 Brand New EV cars in one-shot. I was stunned and in disbelief (that he didn't consult me or warned me about this crazy decision..lol)

1. Audi Q8 E-TRON (Replaced his almost new Mercedes C300)
2. Tesla Model 3 Highland RWD (Replaced his Dad's Sonata)
3. BMW i4M50 to replace his Volvo XC90 ( Still convincing his wife and she is putting her foot down...)

I test drove both the cars :

Tesla Model 3 Highland Test Drive : Familiar car and loved the updated version.

-- Suspension is more refined than mine.

-- Felt it to be more silent. Not sure if its my almost worn out tires that make it loud.

-- Loved the ambient Lights.

-- Screen in the backseat looks great.

-- Cooling seats is a wonderful addition (Though we don't need it here in Seattle).

--"No Stalks" decision isn't a good decision. It's really disturbing to use the screen for those functions.

Audi Q8 E-TRON- Brief Feedback after Test Drive

--Nothing stands out or feels impressive as it feels like a regular gas car.

-- Interiors are spacious and luxurious.

-- When accelerating, it makes a strange loud noise (BMW EV cars also make the same noise) and is atypical to legacy OEM EV cars, I think.

Tesla makes a noise ONLY when reversing but, when acceleration, it's distracting and unappealing.

Summary : There is a world of difference between the driving and overall feel between a legacy OEM EV car vs. Tesla. My friend feels the same way and he enjoys driving the Tesla more than the Audi as that's for his wife.

[mobike008]

This is from the Ganesh Visarjan last week.

We keep "Ganapati Bappa" for 3-days and then do the visarjan.

When we came to the lake which is about 1-mile away from home to do the visarjan, we were stunned to see that god came down from heaven in the form of a spectacular sunset and ushered in "Ganapati Bappa"

We were mesmerized to see this sunset and sadly bid adieu to Bappa saying- Pudchaya Varshi Laukar Ya (Meaning, Come early next year).

Click the pictures for a full screen view.

Cheers !!

[mobike008]

The fall season officially started from September 22nd and is supposed to last until December 22nd before we get into winters.

However, Winters always come early overshadowing the fall season.

Earlier this week, got the RD a nice wash and a few pictures outside our home.

The colors of trees are slowly changing and next month it will be bursting with colors.

Cheers to the onset of Fall Season.

Post wash- Outside home





2 Sports cars next to each other...lol (Last week when BHPian Crackhead was home-His beautiful yellow boxter next to mine. Lively colors for both...eh?)

[mobike008]

Wish all BHPians and Auto Lovers a Happy and Prosperous Dusshera !!

As is our tradition, we do "Vahan Pooja" each Dusshera praying god that these beasts keep us safe and most importantly, the prayers include "asking god for a suitable upgrade" in future.

Pooja was conducted this morning around 9:00am in a foggy, chilly and beautiful fall weather.

Some pics of our beasts !!

[mobike008]

Last week, I was sitting in the parking waiting for the better half to complete the shopping and suddenly noticed the sky turn like an "Orange Peel"

Once in a while, we get some amazing sunsets here but, this one was spectacular and took my breath away.

Cheers to surreal sunsets from PNW. !!!