Consumer Reports

The Consumer Reports original review of the 2012 Model S was full of great information about the Model S...except for the 7 passenger seating option. I will be EAGERLY awaiting this report as the safety/usefulness/etc is a major factor for me on the Model S.

I will report on the report when it comes out!

Here's the link for more info:

I HAZ GAS

Have you ever heard anyone say, I just LOVE to fill up my car? The gas station is my favorite place in the world? Or, I had 10 minutes to waste so I went to the gas station? Maybe they're out there, but I haven't crossed a person yet who think that filling their cars up with gas is well, a gas.

To me, there is nothing more mind numbingly boring than standing there with a slow pump waiting for your car to fill up. What a ridiculous waste of time.

<---- That's me. Mad, mad mad. Stupid gas pump.

Picture this...waking up in the morning and going to your car. You groan, because you just remembered that you forgot (one of my favorite pastimes) to fill up the car with gas. That was me, this morning. No problem, you may think...quit your whining and just stop and get gas for crying out loud!

Here come the excuses....

Of course, I was late....for Preschool. On carpool day, on my work day. Which means that not only was I supposed to pick up another little for preschool, but I was supposed to be there at least 5 minutes early so that I could be at my station, hands washed ready to go. Running late, meant absolutely NO TIME to stop for gas. So I had to keep an eye on the "range" my car estimates and hope that it was generous. Hope. Pray....

We started with 17 miles estimated range. The first little pickup is 2.2 miles away from our house. No problem, right? That leaves plenty of gas left to get to preschool. 14.8 miles worth, to be exact. Or an exact estimate. Anyway, preschool is then 8 miles from little pick. BIG chunk of that estimate, so that knocks me down 6.8 miles left on range. Still plenty to find a gas station, right? BULL WRONG. Preschool is in the boonies. There is literally no gas station closer than 4.6 miles away. Holy cow. That meant I would almost literally be rolling in to the gas station on fumes. With two preschoolers in the car. Oi vey.

But what are you going to do? We were already late, had to get to preschool, in theory I had the gas to get us to preschool and then to a gas station. Let's see what happens....

Famous last words. Of course, as I'm pulling off of the freeway towards the gas station, my car does "the sputter". Anyone who, like me, is not responsible enough to keep their cars above the scary line of no gas knows what I'm talking about. So, the car lurches. My ever inquisitive almost 4 year old says, what was that? I'm trying not to panic...and calmly reply, oh we're just getting a bit low on gas. The car is letting me know it's thirsty. Do you see that bird over there? Is it a crow? Something shiny? Please o please be distracted.....

The tots go back to their books. 15 seconds later...SPUTTER. Followed by SPUTTER, SPUTTER. Holy cow...we are maybe 15 feet away from the pump. Please please please make it! I try gliding. I had shut off the radio and heater as soon as we left preschool. I actually leaned forward thinking that would help. I tried to keep it together as thoughts of pushing my freaking MINIVAN with two kids inside the last few feet to the pump flashed in my mind. How freaking ridiculously ridiculous. Ugh.

Thankfully, we made it. Kids were safe and sound. I didn't CONSCIOUSLY run that low on gas, we just had an unusually busy weekend and my plan to stop and get gas on our way home Sunday just completely flew out of my head. It was a Monday in every sense of the word. As Garfield said:

The WHOLE time this was going down, I just kept thinking how NICE it would be if I was just able to plug in my car at night. Come out in the morning, on time for preschool (snort) with a full charge and ready to go. What a relief it would be NEVER to have to go to a gas station again. Nightly plug ins, when I'm home sleeping and have AT LEAST a full day's charge.

Le sigh...I can't wait to get my Model S!!

The Nitty Gritty

When starting my research, the most important thing I wanted to know was price. It turns out, like most other cars, it depends on specifically what you want out of the car.

With the Model S, the first thing you need to decide is what size battery you want. There are 40 kWh, 60 kWh and 85 kWH batteries, each offering further range and faster 0-60 speeds. Well, technically I guess there are four battery offerings, the one I left out being the 85 kWh performance battery, offering a faster 0-60 speed (more on that later).

Teslamotors.com offers a "build your own Model S" section so that you can price out what you want. Me being me (ha) I of course built one with anything and everything on it. Total price (after $7500 government rebate for buying an electric car AND including the price increase that went through on cars reserved after Jan 1, 2013) for my dream car is $103,970.

Ouch. BIG ouch.

Now, my husband and I are doing ok. He runs his own business and has two employees. We are able to buy food, send our daughters to preschool and I stay at home with them. We are 100% lucky, blessed, grateful and happy. What we are NOT is rich. So $103,970 for a family car is absolutely not in our budget.

So I went back and designed a car that was a bit more reasonable (relative to...). With a 40 kWh battery, bare bones with textile fabric, minus the tech package that includes navigation, power/remote rear liftgate and a bunch of other bells and whistles...$53,570. Not bad.

Now, I know what you're thinking. That's STILL a lot. And it is...but consider this. With tax and licensing, my husband and I paid almost $40K for our MINIVAN. A MINIVAN. It's not even the super uber awesome model, just leather and navigation. There are minivans that MSRP is closer to $50K. Really, in this day and age if you want any kind of decent car, you're really looking at at least $30K. Luxury cars are definitely in the $50K range.

However, for me, there are several problems with the 40 kWh bare bones configuration. A) It doesn't include the tech package. I have a hard time understanding why you would spend $50K on the car and not spring for the $3750 tech package. Apparently, the folks at Tesla agree because it seems like they try and make the package work it. Here's a complete list of what you get in the tech package:

Why would you pay $53,570 for a car, a car with CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY (more on that in a later post) and not get the tech package? Well, I can see some reasons. People might not have a need for most or all of that stuff. Powered liftgate - nice but a must have? Maybe not. HD backup camera? Definitely a luxury, but not a necessity.

But ah. We just hit on a key word there, didn't we? LUXURY. I'm not buying this car to sell it in a couple of years (there's no data to even show what resale on an all electric car might look like). So I'd better make sure it has everything I even remotely desire, including the tech package.

So then, the next major issue for me with the bare bones configuration is the B) 40 kWh battery. Now, I'm definitely not a complete snob, needing the best and greatest. I also NOT a race car driver, by any means. I have 100% zero need to go from 0-60 in 5.6 seconds. However, what I AM is impatient. If my car has a range of 160 for full charge, I can probably make it a few days on that. However, most charging stations (including the one we'd need to install in our home) is 240 volts, which charges at 31 kw/h. That means, if I'm running towards zero AND I'm lucky enough to find a 240 volt charging station, I'd need to find something to do for at least 2 hours to even get to close to have charge. With two nutso little girls in tow, this would be super, really, hard. However, Tesla has plans to open up Superchargers, one in Seattle coming this year. This charges at 150 kw/h. BOOM. One hour. Done. Out. However, Supercharging isn't offered on 40 kWh batteries. I'm not 100% sure why - I'll have to research that more, but it's absolutely vital to have that Supercharging option. Therefore, my list of must haves is going to have to include the tech package, the 60 kWh and the option to the $2K option for Supercharger access.

So maybe that's not a deal breaker for most people, but it's huge for me. And think about it, your time is valuable too, isn't it? In the long run, won't the cost of wasting hours while your car is charging justify that expense? PLUS - Elon Musk (the man behind Tesla) has publicly said that Supercharging will always be free to Tesla owners. So, why not?

My point is, while the 40 kWh is totally reasonable, NOT having the option for super-charging is just a deal breaker for me. I would be completely kicking myself driving by a Tesla Supercharger with my screaming howler monkeys to stop at Walgreens for God knows how long to get enough of a charge to get home vs a complete charge at the Supercharger.

Which leads me to my final issue with the lowest possible configuration. C) This is going to be a family vehicle. Although the minivan isn't sexy, we can comfortably haul our own family along with a complete other family of 4, car seats and all. While we don't need the extra seats very often, when we do it is really, really nice to have them. So, the bare bones 40 kWh configuration doesn't include rear-facing seats. Now, I'm going to have to do some serious research on this before I put my kids back there. When I hear rear-facing seats, I get this mental image of those 70's and 80's Volvo's with seats in the back...along with the many accidents/fatalities I remember reading about this. While I'm positive that the Tesla's "trunk" has been reinforced to make the rear-facing seats completely safe, I won't know for sure until I do my own research. See it for myself, so to say. The problem is, from the research I've done so far, there really isn't much about the rear-facing seats. At least, the few blogs I've read about people that have recently taken delivery of their Model S's, not many ordered the rear-facing seats. I'll have to do some digging :)

So, now I know what my deal breakers are. 1) 60 kWh battery for Superchargeing capability. 2) Rear-facing seats (maybe, but probably). Finally, 3) The tech package...because if you're car can't navigate you to the nearest charging facility, what are you doing with an EV anyway?

'Til next time...

Believe me, I've heard all of the jokes. "Oh, your life must be over...you have a minivan". "I'd rather WALK my kids to school than drive a minivan" and then my personal favorite, "you must have 5 kids to need that thing."

Ugh. I get it. It's not sexy. In fact, it's pretty much the only effective birth control out there. But what can I say? It's practical. It makes the most sense for my family. I'm not unapologetic...when we first bought it, my husband said the only way he'd sign the paperwork is if we got a personalized license plate that said "LAME". (Incidentally, we were turned down for that license plate - something about being derogatory towards people with handicaps. And other minivan owners). However, the thing makes sense. Yes, the dreaded word....PRACTICAL. We have two girls under four years old. They're NUTS. Like screaming howler monkey nuts. They have friends that we drive around, all requiring car seats. Playdates, preschool, family trips...these things all require seats with seatbelts. And two cupholders for every person (kidding. kind of). It just makes sense.

on the other hand, I can't lie. It makes me a little sad. It's honestly not the uncoolest car I've ever owned. In 1998, I bought a avocado green MANUAL TRANSMISSION Subaru. And I loved that car - it plowed through snow like it was going out of style. It was, however, incredibly uncool. And I'm really ok with being uncool, then and now. The one thing I do miss when driving an uncool car is that feeling off WOW, I have arrived. Like when you're walking up to and thank damn, that is an amazing looking car. And it's MINE. You definitely DO NOT get that feeling walking up to a minivan. It's more like, hey...this is a nice looking car. It can (and does) carry loads of crap. It can (and does) carry loads of people. But wow. It's a minivan.

Unfortunately for my marriage, I have a slight car issue. My perfect car would be like a smaller version of an Escalade with minivan doors (but still seats 7 comfortably, along with ample cargo room). Pretty impossible right? Right. Therefore, I've spent pretty much my entire adult life trying to find "the car". I've never found it, because it didn't exist. It was like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man of my mind...it existed, but only in my wildest dreams. Or if I was under attack by all that was evil in the world and needed a champion.

My husband and I fight about the dumbest things. We once got in to a 2 day argument about the size of turkey we were going to buy for Thanksgiving. So, about every two years when I get sick of my current car, I'd get the itch. He'd see it coming from a mile away. I'd send him a link to a car..."isn't this nice?" "Do you like it?" "I think I like it in red". Then the hounding would start. "If we put down x amount, payments would only be x". "We can get approved for financing right now and buy in 6 months like we were talking".

What can I say? I'm impatient. When I see something I like, I want it. NOW. Instant gratification.

We fought. Over and over. About cars. To this date, I can't actually bring up a car without my husband physically wincing. He absolutely, 100%, irrevocably cannot stand the car buying process. Not just me and my incessant talking about it, but the actual process as well. Finance shopping. Car dealerships. Salesmen. Paperwork. Everything about it makes him mad. ESPECIALLY signing the final paperwork for huge amounts of money. So my car issue is pretty much the bain of his existence. That and garbage. There's always a bag of garbage for him to take out (sorry but that's a husband's job).

So we bought the minivan. After buying so many cars, researching everything to death I finally found peace with "my car issue" and figured out that I'd never truly be happy with any car. So, I decided that a minivan was the way to go. It makes the most sense. It's the most practical. It's a Honda, so it'll never be any trouble. We have kids now, so my priorities are different...I don't want to waste money on another car that's going to leave me feeling empty. The agreement is that I have the minivan for 5 years (barring being totalled in an accident of course) or until our friends who just got married and want to have kids in the next couple of years are ready to buy it. Done. Weight off of my (and my husband's shoulders). 5 years of no car fights - we might actually survive my "issue".

Until we went out to dinner one night...and I saw it. The most beautiful car I've ever seen. It wasn't the Tesla Model S, but it was a luxury all electric car. I won't say it here, because my loyalty is now to the Model S, but it starts with an F and ends in Sker.

It was SO pretty! Seriously, it was the coolest looking car I'd ever seen (at the time) and so unique. I went home that day and researched it...It was ALL ELECTRIC? ZERO EMISSIONS? AND IT LOOKS THAT COOL? I was in love. It replaced the car I've dreamt about my entire life (Aston Martin) as "the car I'll buy if I ever win the lottery".

I followed news releases. I researched when it might IPO so we could buy stock in it. I was convinced that it was the next big thing. Then some bad press came out about it. They had tons of problems, not only in manufacturing, but in actual road tests by REALLY influential websites like Consumer Reports. Finally, hundreds of ready to deliver vehicles were destroyed when Hurricane Sandy hit the East coast. The company is now swirling the drain, the man behind the creation stepping down.

I was (still am) a little heart-broken. I'm not what you'd consider "super green", but I think electric vehicles just maybe be one of the big solutions to our oil dependency. I'd like to see my girls raised in a sustainable America, where products are again produced by American workers and sold to American families. I have a dream. My family has a goal. We shop local farms, not because it's the thing to do, but because it makes the most sense.

But the beautiful car I'd fallen in love with didn't seem to be breaking the kind of ground I was hoping for.

However, my research led me to other electric cars. I researched the Volt, following the news...crossed that one off of my list because while the concept is cool, it still relies on gas. What's the point of that? The Nissan Leaf is 100% electric, so that might have been an option. Hrmmm, but it's small. REALLY small. And well, it's also a Nissan, which means another country will mostly be benefiting from it's sales, not our own.

But wait, what is this? Tesla? Don't they only make slick little roadsters? Wait, they're making Sedans too? LUXURY SEDANS?

The Tesla Model S sedan has now become my new love. It fits all of my requirements. It's cool, unique, environmentally friendly, produced in America (although some production is now moving to Europe) and best of all, it's NOT $100K+ like the other one. Or at least, it doesn't have to be.

I sent my husband a link. Surprisingly, he didn't (entirely) cringe. He said, "I like the idea of an electric car". He asked how much it was. Starting at $50K? He didn't get mad! In fact, I think he was a bit relieved...a car that he can get behind that is HALF of what my other dream car was...progress!

So begins my journey to research. While production is ramping up (at the time of this post, Tesla is now delivering 500 cars per week for the last three weeks straight) it still takes at least 6-10 months after a deposit is put down. Believe it or no, my husband is in NO hurry to put down the $5K deposit. And I'm ok with that. We're only in to year one of the five year agreement on the minivan. But oh, there's a light at the end of the minivan tunnel. And at the end of that light is a Model S. My goal with this blog, is to not only share my journey throughout the process (no matter how long that process might be) but also to share my research on the car as well - ESPECIALLY for families who might be looking to make the switch.

So, if you're still here...stay tuned. More info on the Model S is coming!