Tesla is doing some word-of-mouth advertising of their cars Tesla Model S and in the future Model X. This basically means that people like myself that have a current Model S have the ability to give a current buyer of a new car a rebate of 10 000 NOK off the list price by clicking my link. At the same time I would get a credit of the same on my Tesla-account (for future car purchase, services, accessories or similar). So basically I am asking you, if you are contemplating buying a new Tesla, please click my link and go bananas!
Link to buy a new Tesla: http://ts.la/siljeb4829
Should you buy a Tesla?
At the cabin, west coast of Norway
That is a good question, and since I am not a Tesla employee but just a mere user of a Model S I can just share my own experiences. My Model S is a basic 2-wheel drive with the big battery (85kWh) and I use it for my day-to-day driving needs and also for vacations visiting my family on the west-coast of Norway. The car is just excellent for this. There is a lot of room in the back seat for my 3 boys. With a big boot and a “frunk” in the front I have plenty of space for all luggage needs.
Last winter we got a great deal on a returning our VW Sharan (it had a water leak in the sun-roof that the vendor was unable to fix, and finally they accepted a return!). We were then very much keen on buying a Tesla and when we finally did we bought a used one, and we have never regretted the decision for a minute.
Range-anxiety?
Not so much any more. I have driven a few trips over the mountains in Norway both in the wintertime and in the summertime (550 kilometers). Getting from one supercharger to another is breeze, even in the blistering cold. I have never had below 15-20% capacity left even when we have a full car and cold winter conditions. This is with driving “normally”, not super-energy efficient. The navigation system also helps you get to the destination, plotting a route via the superchargers and it will even tell you for how long you would need to charge. After a few road-trips you will be fully relaxed!
Is it a good car?
It is the best car I have ever owned! Fun to drive, fun to use, and it is also nice to look at. What more do you need? After 6 months with the car I still look forward to every drive with the car. That has never been the case with any of my previous cars. It is truly an excellent car in my honest opinion.
Winter driving is also perfect, even with the 2-wheel drive version. Now you could go for the 4-wheel tractor version but in my opinion it is really not needed. I did some driving on ice last winter and I actually had to pass by a Volvo XC60 that was struggling with the poor traction. It seem the Tesla with the huge weight and wide tires is a better match than the 4-wheel drive of the Volvo. Might be a very nervous Volvo driver of course, but that aside, winter driving is not a problem.
Drawbacks?
Yes a few. It is missing a towing hitch for pulling a camper or trailer. This is something I miss a lot and should have been an option on the car. That being said, usually you will be able to loan a car from a friend just by offering a trip in the Model S 🙂 Of course some locations could be hard to reach due to lacking supercharges, but in Norway that is almost a mute problem by now. Worst case you would need to schedule in some charge on one of the Type2 charges that would give you a full charge in 3-6 hours, or stay the night in a hotel or similar.
Do I need a special charger?
Winter driving on Sunnmøre in Norway, slippery roads? No problem!
Not if you use a car like I do. Most weeks I need to charge 1-2 times. We drive around 200 kilometers per week so there is no need for more charging. I charge the car on a 16amp 220v “normal” household outlet. When we are at the cabin we often charge on 10amp, and even that works. On 16amp you need to cater for about 24 hours for a full charge, but that almost never happens. I keep the charge between 30% and 80% at all times. If we suddenly need to go on a road-trip we can always drop by a supercharger and we would get 80% in 20-30 minutes (and the kids would of course get some food at the same time!).
Snow is not a problem. The suspension can also raise the car up in case of much snow, and yes, we have needed them!
So I guess then that I have made a free ad for Tesla, and maybe I get no “cashback” at all from doing this, but hey, why not? Go for a test drive with the car and make up your own mind!
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