Ownership Verified: The wait was long enough: leviathan's Tesla Model 3 Performance

[Matt2000]

Agreed, the charging wasn’t really a big deal as it occurred over lunch or dinner. The worst was maybe sitting in a fuel station that had a toilet so close to the sink you could drink from the tap while dropping a bomb and the Swiss stop where we weren’t sure if the parking lot took euros while pouring rain.

Don't forget that the door had to be opened from inside, so if someone asked the attendant to open it while you were doing your business, there was a chance she would get a surprise.

That charger in Brig and maybe the one near the hotel with extremely sweet coffee were the only ones where we stood around and didn't (all) have lunch to keep us occupied, neither were an issue.

 

[MWF]

I drove back from Ringmeet quite depressed knowing that this kind of performance is completely out of my grasp financially.

Then I had a thought. The original iPhone came out in 2007, was ridiculously expensive and in truth not nearly as good as they would have you believe but you (I) still wanted one.

Fast forward 12 years and I just bought a Chinese made Android device that is better and faster than any iPhone I've ever had and only cost £160 as opposed to nearly a grand for the latest and best iPhone models.

So basically, in around 8-10 years, as long as I'm not a badge snob I'll be able to afford a Chinese built EV with performance as good as this Model 3.

 

[bone]

it's 35K new...wait a few years, let it roll 100K km, and you should be able to snatch one up i think?

 

[leviathan]

The Performance isn't quite 35k, and nor are any other versions in Europe - more like 42k or so for the SR+. Teslas also hold their value quite well.

But Matt's thought is a very valid one. There's been a good comment about this on reddit recently: .

 

[MWF]

That's exactly my point. You won't find me in a Leaf or a Zoe just so I can get into an EV, but in time other manufacturers will aim for the height at which Tesla has set the bar and cars at that sort of level will become more affordable.

 

[93Flareside]

That's exactly my point. You won't find me in a Leaf or a Zoe just so I can get into an EV, but in time other manufacturers will aim for the height at which Tesla has set the bar and cars at that sort of level will become more affordable.

I’m quite curious what VW & Ford will give us. Tesla is top tier for sure but a more commoner type brand might surprise us.

 

[IceBone]

Better than I feared. Only on "day 0" I had to stop multiple times because of various factors (long route, no proper fast chargers anywhere near, and no overnight charging opportunity the next night), on other days I believe normal fuel stops took up more time than my charging

Best start talking with Mikko already about 2020 routes. I fear you may be in much more dire straits with finding chargers in the middle of nowhere of the Balkans.

 

[narf]

What could possibly go wrong?

https://www.tesla.com/de_DE/findus#...supercharger,destination charger,&name=Europe

 

[leviathan]

For the Balkan 2020 trip, the Tesla is staying home I think. It's just not quite the right place to take it, I feel So I'll either passenger, participate in a cheap car purchase, or bring the NC if I still haven't found the willpower to actually sell it until then (which is entirely possible).

 

[leviathan]

Also, SPOILER ALERT!

Spoiler

Yes it finally happened, of course immediately after I brought the car on the roadtrip and to Ringmeet. "Mobile ranger" (aka mobile service vehicle) came by my work and installed the thing in about half an hour. Also unlocked the top speed - was previously limited to 235, should now go a whopping 261 km/h. I'll try that some time soon on an open stretch of Autobahn, gotta give the adhesive a couple days first to fully cure before subjecting the spoiler to actual aerodynamic loads.

 

[IceBone]

Also, SPOILER ALERT!

Spoiler

View attachment 3556066View attachment 3556067

Yes it finally happened, of course immediately after I brought the car on the roadtrip and to Ringmeet. "Mobile ranger" (aka mobile service vehicle) came by my work and installed the thing in about half an hour. Also unlocked the top speed - was previously limited to 235, should now go a whopping 261 km/h. I'll try that some time soon on an open stretch of Autobahn, gotta give the adhesive a couple days first to fully cure before subjecting the spoiler to actual aerodynamic loads.

Good luck finding an open bit of road.

It's a "bit" ouf of the way, but this is my favourite part of the derestricted autobahn and it's absolutely desserted on weekends and public holidays: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/50....0.2473266,12.0839688,12.62z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e0

Managed to get the Saudi to 231 on the GPS there. And yes, the derestricted part starts right before the double S curve, which makes for some nice cornering speeds while you're accelerating.

 

[Terrex]

Just wait until its 2am or something like that and you'll get a clear bit of Autobahn even in the Frankfurt area .

 

[Crazyjeeper]

We hit 257 in the 730d on the A3 just outside Frankfurt at around 10:30pm...

I bet the Model 3 will get there a lot quicker though.

 

[IceBone]

Would actually be interesting to see. How much does the torque dip the faster the engine RPM is?

 

[Matt2000]

After seeing the data from NooDle's car, any chance of seeing the kWh/100km and cost of charging for the roadtrip? I'm suddenly really into this electric car thing and the data interests me.

I'd also like to see a dyno run up to full RPM, there are charts out there for the LR up to 150km/h but nothing for the P3D let alone flat out. Torque and power both drop though. Continuing that chart the motor must be up to almost 19K RPM to hit 261km/h and by then the torque would probably be down to 75lbft and power down to around 200HP if the trend continues.

 

[narf]

Continuing that chart the motor must be up to almost 19K RPM to hit 261km/h and by then the torque would probably be down to 75lbft and power down to around 200HP if the trend continues.

75ftlbs at 19k is around 270hp.

 

[leviathan]

Consumption on the roadtrip was between 160-170 Wh/km on average, got up to 180 with the highway blast to Ringmeet and the activities there. Lifetime average of the car is 191. It seems I have something of a heavy foot and drive highway rather a lot, which in a BEV increases average consumption noticeably. RWD Model 3s seem to be much more efficient, too - I've seen people quote numbers in the 140-150s for highway driving in the SR+.

Unfortunately, I don't have any dyno data, and it's somewhat unlikely I'll be doing any dyno testing of the car. However, purely from driving feel it's definitely apparent that torque decreases significantly at higher speeds - above 120-130, the Performance has nowhere near the supercar acceleration that it has down below, instead it more or less becomes a "normal car".

 

[MWF]

You may want to take a look at this site...

http://www.tesla-grilles.com/

 

[prizrak]

. RWD Model 3s seem to be much more efficient, too

That makes me curious, would turning off one of the axles save some energy or would it be a wash because the "disconnected" motor would create "drag" on the wheels?

 

[IceBone]

You may want to take a look at this site...

http://www.tesla-grilles.com/

https://unpluggedperformance.com/product/ascension-front-fascia-model-3/