The app taketh away
The app giveth back
Who said the sharing economy was just a grift?
It’s like the trench coat exchange available in any good restaurant. You hang your trench coat on the rack with everyone else’s, then take the nicest one when you leave. Just don’t be the last person to leave.
That story is so very Canadian.
That guy could have driven away in BOTH Teslas!
The TLDR:
Canada (where it actually happened):
Phone rings.
Person A: “Hello?”
Person B: “Pardon the interruption. Do you happen to drive a white Tesla?”
Person A: “Why indeed I do.”
Person B: “I think you may have borrowed my car without my permission by accident.”
Person A: “Goodness! I’m sorry. I believe you’re right. Do you mind if I pick up my kids and drop them off at home before coming back with your car?”
Person B: “No problem. I’ll hit the Tim Horton.”
In America:
Phone rings.
Person A: “Hello?”
Person B: “MUTHAFUCKA YOU STOLE MY CAR BITCH! I’M TRACKIN’ YOU RIGHT NOW AND IT’S GONNA BE A RACE BETWEEN ME AND THE POLICE TO SEE WHO PUTS A CAP IN YOUR ASS FIRST!”
The part that surprised me is the Tesla driver is an uber driver. Does uber pay a lot or are teslas cheaper than I imagined?
Tesla is subsidizing/giving cars to Uber drivers as a marketing scheme. I’m not sure of the details, but it’s not owned by the driver.
Lot of rideshare drivers in expensive leased cars. I think both dealers and rideshare companies push the idea that you can get a nice car and pay it off with a few days of work per month.
Here a lot of new cabs/taxis are model 3s now. Maybe most. It went from being really unusual to see one to seeing a lot of Tesla cabs.
It’s a big city and cab drivers can do a lot of Km per day, so a high range electric makes sense (to minimize recharge time). A driver I talked to said he expected the cab to pay for itself in terms of gas savings alone in 3 years.
How do maintenance costs compare? I kind of would have expected a Tesla to be more expensive to maintain than most other cars, but I don’t think I have any concrete evidence of that.
Tesla build quality aside, shouldn’t be the case since it’s just batteries and electric motors. There are dozens of systems involved just in moving fluids around before and after combustion in an ICE. That said, once the big battery replacement hammer comes down, the math can flip. But just consider all the systems even a tyro like me can name that are no longer necessary in an EV. Fuel pump, coolant pump, reservoir, exhaust system, oxygen sensors, etc.
Does a Tesla really not have things like coolant? I guess I would have thought it would still have a lot of similar systems to a traditional car, just different. Like, you wouldn’t need an oxygen sensor, but maybe you need some other kind of sensors on the electric motors and batteries and stuff.
Edit:
Jalopnik to the rescue
According to RepairPal, the average Tesla maintenance cost is $832 per year. That compares to an average of $652 per year for all car models sold in the United States. Depending on which services your Tesla needs, you may end up spending much more than the average car owner on yearly maintenance needs.
As of 2021, Tesla remains a new kid on the block in the automotive space. Due to this, little data is available concerning Tesla’s overall reliability and its average cost of ownership. Complicating matters further is the fact that Tesla models lack many components usually found in cars with internal combustion engines.
Because so many Tesla vehicle parts are unique and difficult to find, expect to spend more than your average driver on Tesla maintenance costs. On top of this, luxury car brands like Tesla tend to charge premium prices for their vehicle parts.
Tesla Average Reliability
Though not much information exists yet about the overall reliability of Tesla models, early results aren’t encouraging. In the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Vehicle Dependability StudySM, Tesla ranked 30th of 33 car brands for overall reliability. That’s better than only Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, and Land Rover among all automakers across the country.J.D. Power reported an average of 176 mechanical issues per 100 Tesla vehicles, compared to an industry average of 121 issues. The organization notes, though, that it doesn’t rank the electric car brand with other major automakers because it doesn’t meet the study’s criteria.
Temper that, though, with Teslas being premium cars. You spread out maintenance over every car in the US, you’re going to wind up at an average car value much lower than the average Tesla, and premium cars get premium parts. A better number would be the Model S vs. other 85k cars or 3s vs. other 40k cars.
Take into account that in Europe maintenance is in general more expensive (much more German cars -expensive- on the road). But yes, average costs are less for EVs in general, but car costs factor in, so a Tesla is going to be a little more expensive for the general population.
But a cab in Madrid (two shifts) is going to make 400km+ per day, which amounts to 8-9k€ in gas per year, if using a very efficient diesel car (and this is likely conservative). Charging at home is basically free compared to gas (20 times cheaper with current gas/electricity prices).
In three years the cost difference is compensated by savings (cab drivers do get aid when buying cars and EVs in particular) and after all you are profiting.
In smaller cities with less average mileage (or when there are similar range but cheaper competitors) I expect the EV to-go model for cab drivers to be some other brand. Note that those 400+km per day means a Model 3 even with a significantly degraded battery (40% degradation, which will take a lot of km) will have no problem going without a midday charge.
I’ve had a Model S for 5 years and the only maintenance I’ve done is tires (once), brakes (once) and wipers/fluid (several times).
Regenerative braking can really reduce brake wear. I’ll need to do tires this year, but I’m way ahead on the service costs compared to my ICE car.
I’ve had a Leaf for over 7 years and my total maintenance costs are a little under $1000 for that entire time. Miles are very light at about 50,000, but still a good deal.
Yep, and I would consider those consumables rather than differentiators, no difference in tire wear or wiper fluid between the two, and as you point out regenerative braking should be in the Tesla’s favor for pads and rotors. But like I said earlier, the braking system on a Tesla is probably more comparable to a Mercedes than any averaged-out system.
Back in the day there was a Lamborghini that had a spoiler they called the Hyundai Wing, because to replace it cost the same as a new Hyundai. Apples to Oranges and all that.
Had a Model Y for a year now and my maintenance costs have been $0 except for having to replace a tire and washer fluid.
As much as I hate Anal Musk, that’s where the Tesla shines bright: lack of most maintenance expenses. Second place is no stupid dealership network soaking profits and gouging consumers on out-of-warranty repairs.
Don’t forget that EVs don’t have catalytic converters to steal either!