This story was supposed to start with the delivery of my Tesla Model 3 with zero on the odometer — which did not happen — and myself heavily in debt — which did happen. However, it’s a positive story, so far…
As electric cars become more pervasive (hello, Tesla Model 3), the potential stress on the country’s electric grid increases. Many local utilities now offer Time of Use (TOU) plans to encourage consumers to shift their electricity usage from times of peak demand to times of low demand. TOU plans typically offer discounted rates on electricity used off-peak (normally at night or weekends) and surcharges on electricity used during peak hours (typically during the day on weekdays). But there are other ways to encourage a shift to off-peak power usage. One of these ways is the SmartCharge NY program.
The folks over at Jeda sent us one of their brand new, hot off the presses Model 3 wireless phone charging pads for us to run through the paces. The new pad takes its first-generation charging pad and folds in feedback from owners for a new and improved charging pad that comes with a handful of new features to make the charging mat even more functional.
In this article, I will discuss handling of the Tesla 3 (and other cars) in slippery conditions. I’m not going to cover frozen door handles or reduced range in the winter. Those could be issues that you might want to research and I encourage you to do that. They’re just not part of this article.
The purpose of writing this article is to tell you my experience with the Tesla referral program and why I think it is ending.
For this week’s article, I’m going to update an article I published about 3 months ago on giving rides in your Tesla. I’ve been an EV owner for over 7 years (6½ years as a Leaf owner and 6 months as a Tesla Model 3 owner) and have been offering rides in my EV the whole 7 years.
Back in 2015, we bought a 2013 Tesla Model S and purposely purchased it from the Tesla Service Center in Columbus, Ohio, even though we live in California. It wasn’t the closest location to our home in Ventura, but it gave me the opportunity to see how the car and Tesla’s Supercharger network stacked up to the hype when put to the test.
Tesla is working to enable functionality in its mobile app that will allow owners to request service directly from the app with just a few taps vs having to call the service center and be placed on an inevitable hold.
With the Tesla Model 3 making its way into more people’s garages and driveways, the options for customizing and personalizing the owner experience is expanding. And if you’re looking for a great holiday gift for yourself or another new Model 3 owner in the family, here are a few of my favorites, based on personal experience as a Model 3 owner.
With oil prices hitting their lowest level in more than a year (since October 9, 2017), you might think there isn’t much of a reason to buy a Tesla anymore. Well, I’m here to give you plenty of reasons I’m still glad to be driving electric.
