Introduction
Hi there, you can read some detailed background around this blog in the Hello World post I started with. Im also trying to stay active on Twitter @TeslaLiving and am interested in following current Tesla related developments and news.
In addition to my blog posts I also have a number of automated tweets through automated monitoring of new Tesla Superchargers, stores and service centers coming online, about new Tesla software versions that become available, energy generated by my @SolarCity system, report on my car energy used and mileage and more.
Follow me @teslaliving on Twitter for live notifications.
This page has the full list (updated weekly) of SCs that have been detected.
Donations
While I do this for free and for the love of the Tesla owner subculture, some have asked me for a way to donate to this cause.
The best way to support me and my work promoting an Electric Vehicle and Green lifestyle, please visit my Patreon page which supports my EVTripping and Teslaliving sites.
Inspired by you! And a shout out: http://www.teslamotors.com/forum/forums/bringing-tesla-pittsburgh
Very cool! Congratulations!
Hey there. Great website, I’m interested to see how your Tesla holds up. I did a review of the Model S on my website (http://rnrautoblog.com/2014/07/11/2013-tesla-model-s-review/) if you want to check it out! Great car!
Thanks. There are owners out there over 100K miles already. I read your review and it was good. Tesla offers a performance model, P85 which is faster than what you reviewed.
A very interesting and helpful site – thank you. I live in New England and would love to own a Model S, but worried about winters. Are you planning on driving it in the winter? Are you buying snow tires? Have you heard from other owners who live in the Northeast and drove it through the winter? Many thanks…
I am planning on driving it year round. I’m currently researching snow tires for it and will do a post on that once I get it figured out. There are plenty of New Englanders as well as other wintery states that have done well in the winters. If you havent seen them the Bjorn videos from the wintery months in Norway are inspiring:
https://www.youtube.com/user/bjornnyland
He does have studded tires there which I won’t be doing. Im just going to get good winter tires.
How about the problems encountered with Drive Units in Norway and other cold climates. For example , Tesla Club-Norway CEO, Robin Alexander Laumb fears problems of engine failure result in Model S owners stuck in winter http://tinyurl.com/tsla-fail
Tesla is shipping 1100 Drive units to Norway, if Norway is 1% of Tesla fleet then this is going to get costly
Regards
It seems to only affect the performance models so I don’t expect trouble, but if it happens at least i’m in the US. It is concerning they had to replace 1,100 units and I assume Tesla is learning from these mistakes/issues. Other than that, what was your point?
I took a Tesla Test Drive Sept 12, 2014. All I can say is WOW. Been researching this car ever since. Thank you for this blog, I think it’s the most honest, complete review of the car on the web.
From you post on road trips, it’s still not very practical due to lack of charging stations across the nation. Just the extra time charging, plus the change in routes to get to the SC’s is an issue. But it sounds like it’s awesome for the car you use most of the time at your home.
Even with all the negatives, it sounds like you still love the car.
Would you do it again?
Thanks
Absolutely. No regrets. Even for the trips, it really just depends if your trip stays near the “grid” or not. If you have tons of extra time you can even go off the grid. But on my trips i’m short on time and need to get there as efficiently as possible. For trips to NJ for me that works and a 20 minute stop to “fill up” is no big deal. My PA destination i’d consider impossible for my requirements.
I haven’t made it through a winter yet and thats a big fear after 15 years of SUVs but i’ve got some great tires and an open mind. The car has a ton of space so I don’t miss that part of the SUV.
Its also wonderful to start with a full charge every day and never have to stop for gas.
Thanks for the reply and your blog! It’s awesome. Will continue to follow and good luck with the solar panels!
Good choice of WinterTires… I hope they work for you. I’ve had Nokian Hakkapeliitta WT on my Diesel Subaru OutBack for 5 years and they just work fine….
Just make sure you ‘drive them in’ before the snow comes….
And, oh by the way, your WebSite on your experiences with your T.MS is superb ! Good job….
Thanks. How many miles do you suggest to “drive them in”?
If you drive them 50 miles or so to just make sure they get ‘seated’ in correctly with the correct tire pressure (or use Nitrogen). But if the temperature is 50° or more then I wouldn’t use them.. they get to soft then and lose their designed capability to function correctly, your car will be all over the road in higher temperatures above 50°.
The HakkapeliittaR2 is designed for the Nordic conditions of Scandinavia, not sure you have the same type of climate and conditions – but if this winter will be like last years then they will probably work just fine…
Maybe next season the Nokian WR D3 might be a better solution for you – these were made for central European winter conditions.
Believe also that Nokian tires wants a little more air pressure.
Read more about your tires here:
http://www2.nokiantyres.com/winter-driving-school
http://www2.nokiantyres.com/
http://www.nokiantyres.com/winter-tyres/nokian-hakkapeliitta-r2/
Great thanks for all the information!
Hello,
I want to thank you for your extremely informative and well-written blog, which I spent much of yesterday reading. I live just north of Boston and am awaiting delivery of my P85; the date has been oscillating between late Nov and early Dec. I can’t wait! (And I’ll be bitterly disappointed if it arrives too late for my round trip to Philadelphia for Thanksgiving, forcing me to drive my Prius instead.)
One dilemma I’m struggling with is the front license plate that MA requires. I am absolutely loathe to despoil such a beautiful car by mounting it on the grille, which is currently Tesla’s only official solution. (The new radar sensor makes matters even worse by occupying the center position under the nose, which I saw as much more aesthetically acceptable mounting location.) On the other hand, I’m also nervous about getting ticketed, since I understand non-compliance is considered to be a moving violation. I noticed that there is no front tag on your car in the cover photo, but of course you took the picture immediately after delivery. Have you since mounted one? If so, where/how, and if not what are your thoughts on the risk of being cited?
Thanks again for a great blog!
Hi thanks for the compliments. I do not have a front plate on my car. I discussed the plate issue a bit here:
http://teslaliving.net/2014/05/15/post-delivery-challenges/
Don’t hold me to it but from my reading it sounds like you can’t get pulled over for a missing front plate. If you’re pulled over for other reasons you will also be ticketed for that too but its a small fine (I think $35?) and no points. If you park where there are parking enforcement people (city streets) then you could get a ticket for not having a plate from them. I never park on the street in cities where that would happen so I haven’t worried about it.
I do agree the plate is even more difficult with the front radar now. All the Model S’s I see at the Tesla store in Natick don’t have front plates (but they have rear CA plates).
So i’m running without the front plate I guess until something forces a change. 16K miles and 6 months and ok so far but i’m not in a city.
Oops, one of the few posts that i didn’t read yesterday.Tthanks for your reply. I think I will take the same course of non-action. You’re correct on the fine, I found it online: $35/$75/$150 for 1st/2nd/3rd offenses, respectively.
Are the Model S Center Cap Tesla T Sticker still available? If so how can I order?
You can find them here:
http://www.panjo.com/buy/wheel-t-stickers-229366
Hi there from the UK. We are acid Tesla supporters so much so that we bought 5. And started a rental company. It’s called WHITE CAR and all our cars are, well, white. We would love to work with you and help your work and in return to get our name out to US Tesla owners to let them know they can hire from us when in the UK – mark@whitecar.eu. Thank you!!
Thats great to hear and a good initiative. There’s a story to be written about companies like Whitecar that are building businesses around Tesla’s products. There’s also a shuttle company called Tesloop which is interesting.