Living with a car from the future: Tesla Model 3

Another update!

Another software OTA update, another few small capabilities. The car will now roll up the windows when you lock it, and will text you if it's left with a door or trunk/frunk open for over 10 minutes - assuming you turn these on.

But that's not the interesting one. This latest update also integrates with the Tesla Powerwall. That's a big backup battery for your home, to allow you to store energy during low-cost periods and use it during high-cost periods, or to be used with a solar system, or of course to power your house in the case of an outage. It's not a new concept and I suspect it's the software that would differentiate the Tesla offering from other battery options. But now the Model 3 works with the Powerwall to charge during a power outage. The Powerwall will manage the charging of the car while prioritizing the house, and you can bias the preferences somewhat. If you're on solar, the Powerwall will divert surplus power to charge the car during an outage. The documentation makes reference to "control of your energy ecosystem".

Of course, the real trick would be to use the car to supply the house during an outage, but that would require a very specific wiring setup for the "charger" to make sure the car doesn't electrocute some poor worker trying to fix the problem.

So that's pretty cool. If you have made the investment in solar power and a Powerwall, there's a nice level of integration between them and your electric car. It doesn't sound like it would make any real difference day to day, but it works pretty nicely for the hurricane or wildfire scenario.

A Powerwall runs something like $15k for 27 kWh of capacity. The Model 3 has a 75 kWh battery, which really shows how much of the cost of a full electric is in the battery.

Update! 

Hard to believe, but we're coming up on a year with this thing. 8500 miles, which would have been a lot higher if it hadn't been for this whole stay at home thing. So far, living with an EV has been very hassle-free and it has become our go-to preferred mode of transportation. Even all the stories about panel gaps and bad assembly have not proven to be true - I have no reason to complain about the gaps on this thing and the only real problem we've experienced was a period of condensation in the taillight.

However, the one year anniversary means that our free year of "Premium Connectivity" is ending. This is the car's cellphone connection. We can either let it fall back to Standard Connectivity or pay $9.99/mo for Premium. I can turn it on and off at any time.

Here's how they stack up:

Standard: Navigation, including traffic-based routing and supercharger availability

Premium: Navigation, live traffic viz, satellite map view, web browsing, streaming audio, caraoke and video streaming (the latter two when in park only)

We don't get traffic here and I get in trouble when I switch to satellite map, so no loss there. The web browsing has a nice big screen but it's not very quick so we almost never use it. The video streaming is being able to watch YouTube/Netflix while charging, but we have yet to do this. So the only thing that's any value to us is the streaming audio - and of course, it's possible to do that from a phone or just play music off a drive attached to the car. So I think we'll let this drop back to Standard and see what happens. If the navigation was also disappearing, that would change things.

The car can still use wifi to download updates and stream media when it's got a connection, but who sits in their car and watches Netflix at home? Not sure I want an answer to that, honestly. I could also use a mobile hotspot to do the same on the road if I wanted to.

Now I have to get Janel's phone to stream music for her, she seems to have trouble with this sort of stuff. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

How's the phone integration? I don't even know how Apple or Android stuff do whatever is current, four years since my last new car purchase; I keep imagining more or less just mirroring the device's screen to the car's screen. I still can't get my head around how it would be better to use a car's integrated stuff instead of a phone when it all evolves so fast.

I think I'm okay with the Mini's approach, which basically boils down to being a stereo interface for whatever's coming out of the phone (music, paused for nav comments). If it's as good as that or better, dandy.

In my rambly Mach E vs Polestar thread, the topic of quality control came up, and much like the TDI HPFP issues VW had, I'd love to know just how often Tesla has the build quality issues that get so much attention. I mean, it seems pretty clear it's a bit more often and certainly in more flamboyant ways than "usual," but is it 1% of cars? 10%? 50%? We seem to mostly hear "This person got a crappy one!" or "I didn't!" but I haven't randomly stumbled onto a study of how often there are issues, or numbers for other automakers.

My view on phone integration: if my M5 had been built with any more phone integration than it was, it would be bricked. The tech at the time was analog. As it was, I can get a phone for it but it won't work. So I'm left with inoperative phone controls on the steering wheel and an insert in the center console where the wired handset would go.

So yeah, keep short-lived consumer electronics out of my car. The Tesla will stream via Bluetooth with the usual level of control integration - I suspect I can control the phone playback via voice control, but I've not played with it much because usually I am streaming from a click wheel iPod :) It will not mirror the phone's screen. No Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and I think that's the correct solution because what happens when iOS 32 or Android Snozzleberry comes out and breaks the integration? Bluetooth is the modern equivalent of a 1/8" AUX jack, so I have come to begrudgingly accept it.

Using the phone to run nav on that giant screen would be goofy as all get-out. Better to have a superior nav system designed to use the huge screen.

Actual phone call integration is as you'd expect - voice commands to dial, mostly. I think it can do Siri-style text messaging but I'm a long way from my teens so this has not been important to me.

Next time I'm in the car I'll look to see if it has any other streaming services built in. My mom's 2018 (?) Subaru had some I'd never heard of. The 2019 Miata has more I've never heard of. Stop it. Just play what the phone sends you.

Have you seen any wood house trim in the car?

Yes, I've read that story as well. No, I have not. And I was into that area of the car during the Homelink install. I saw nothing to concern me under the panels. I suspect it's because the Model 3 production line is more mature than the Model Y one.

HOw clean is your Tesla right now?  
The reason I ask is I've noticed every model S&X I've seen is always clean and shiny.
But a surprising number of model 3's  don't look like they've been through the car wash lately.  
Why would that be?  I mean they obviously look like they've been driven in the rain. But it's been a while since we've had rain lately. 
PS my truck is just as grimy 

3 is the cheapest one right? Just a car to a lot of people?

Our Tesla is sparkling. But that's because 1) it's our fancy car and 2) it's Janel's car. She likes her cars clean and she's a neat person. Plus, it's black. It's either sparkling or it's filthy, there's no middle ground.

And yes, it is the mass market model, you'll spend a whole lot more on an S or X. The Y is a little more than the 3 but not dramatically so. That could very well be a factor, it's just a car.

So here's a thing - a lot of car washes are attached to gas stations. Fill up, get a few cents off and buy your car wash at the pump. It's an impulse buy. Take away the fillup and now a car wash becomes a special trip.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

That's what I figured. Most car washes are at gas stations I have to drive 1/2 way across the city to find a pure car wash. ( but they do a great job and justify the effort. 

So there's a track day this weekend. And Janel is out of town so the Tesla will just be sitting. It's not a full size track, but a kart track that I know so well I can almost drive it with my eyes closed. Perfect.

I've been told NO, but man is it tempting to ask for forgiveness instead of permission...

Keith Tanner said:

I've been told NO, but man is it tempting to ask for forgiveness instead of permission...

you can always say you went out for ice cream and got lost !

But I bet you the Tesla with a few touch screen strokes would tell where the car was and tell on you :)

Tattletale. 

Also, Janel know what hot brakes smell like. 

Were you negatively impacted by the Tesla network outage earlier this week? I'm curious if it was a widespread issue, or something that was being sensationalized. Thanks!

Never noticed because I was driving a 30 year old Jeep at the time :) From what I understand, it didn't affect the ability to actually get in and drive the car, only the remote access like being able to turn on the HVAC ahead of time or unlock the car from a distance. So you weren't locked out of the car if you were using your phone as a key - that's done via Bluetooth and not via the master servers and the internets. Sounds better for news stories if you play up the "can't unlock the car!" angle, though.

I don't know what might have been affected in the car itself - nav and streaming, maybe? 

I do carry one of the RFID cards in my wallet just in case, but the only time I've had to use it was when I decided to leave my phone behind while running a 5k. 

If, umm, a Tesla 3 should show up at the track with an unknown driver this weekend, I'd sure like to know what lap time the unknown driver in the unknown Tesla turns.  Just, you know, hypothetically.

More likely to be a 35 year old Honda, alas. The owner of said Tesla is a little too astute. 

Understood, but a guy can hope.

Happy birthday Loki! It's been a year since we went to SLC to pick up our laptop on wheels, so here's a retrospective post.

It's done 8600 miles since then - the pace dropped off quite a bit in the past six months for obvious reasons. It's done a number of road trips including one in some serious weather. It's encountered mountain detours and done all the normal stuff that normal cars are asked to do day to day. We've never had to really alter our behavior because the car runs on electrons, and we've never had to do any serious planning to take it into consideration. The only thing that's close is when Janel hit that big road closure and decided to top up before going into backcountry CO, but looking at the numbers that wasn't necessary at all and the car would have told her that. We've had one bad Supercharger experience that was completely typical for that town overall - I've never been to a facility or business in Silverthorne that worked well.

It's been solidly reliable and appears to be screwed together well. While my one interaction with mobile service (for the installation of the Homelink control) was slow, it was far better than my experience with a safety recall on my Dodge 2500 during the first year of its life. Over the course of our ownership, the car has become quicker, more efficient and has grown a number of new capabilities. Some of those we appreciate, some we don't really care about, none of which have been a negative thing.

Range anxiety still lurks in the background, honestly. Of course, I have a tendency to start looking for diesel stations when the truck drops below 100 miles of range as well. The car's never given us a reason to be concerned so this is mostly on us. I'm not sure if the available range has ever dropped below 100 miles. And it's only a thing on trips. I can say that Tesla has set the bar high for convenience and roadtripability with the Supercharger network. It's completely painless to use. 

Day to day, it's full all the time and range is just not a factor. I will admit I never considered that at the beginning of this adventure. We plug it in every time it's in the garage because that's what the car wants, and that's about as hard as closing the garage door.

Interestingly, there aren't really many more options for me today than there were a year ago. Lot of stuff coming down the pipe, but actually "do you want it in blue or black"? Not yet. About the only new option on the market that we might consider is the Model Y. The new VW and the Mach-E are both approximate competitors, but they're not actually available. I'm a little surprised at this, I thought the market would evolve faster.  I suspect things will look different at the two year mark.

Would I do it again? I would. I really like driving the thing. Janel does as well. Of all the cars in our fleet, it seems to overlap with the M5 more than any other. If the lower end of the Tesla range in 2019 is a good substitute for the top of the BMW range in 2002, that's pretty telling. There hasn't been anything else come to market (or coming) that makes it look like I jumped too early.

Thanks for the summary. That tells me a great deal about EV's. 

Keith Tanner said:

Happy birthday Loki! It's been a year since we went to SLC to pick up our laptop on wheels, so here's a retrospective post.

It's done 8600 miles since then - the pace dropped off quite a bit in the past six months for obvious reasons. It's done a number of road trips including one in some serious weather. It's encountered mountain detours and done all the normal stuff that normal cars are asked to do day to day. We've never had to really alter our behavior because the car runs on electrons, and we've never had to do any serious planning to take it into consideration. The only thing that's close is when Janel hit that big road closure and decided to top up before going into backcountry CO, but looking at the numbers that wasn't necessary at all and the car would have told her that. We've had one bad Supercharger experience that was completely typical for that town overall - I've never been to a facility or business in Silverthorne that worked well.

It's been solidly reliable and appears to be screwed together well. While my one interaction with mobile service (for the installation of the Homelink control) was slow, it was far better than my experience with a safety recall on my Dodge 2500 during the first year of its life. Over the course of our ownership, the car has become quicker, more efficient and has grown a number of new capabilities. Some of those we appreciate, some we don't really care about, none of which have been a negative thing.

Range anxiety still lurks in the background, honestly. Of course, I have a tendency to start looking for diesel stations when the truck drops below 100 miles of range as well. The car's never given us a reason to be concerned so this is mostly on us. I'm not sure if the available range has ever dropped below 100 miles. And it's only a thing on trips. I can say that Tesla has set the bar high for convenience and roadtripability with the Supercharger network. It's completely painless to use. 

Day to day, it's full all the time and range is just not a factor. I will admit I never considered that at the beginning of this adventure. We plug it in every time it's in the garage because that's what the car wants, and that's about as hard as closing the garage door.

Interestingly, there aren't really many more options for me today than there were a year ago. Lot of stuff coming down the pipe, but actually "do you want it in blue or black"? Not yet. About the only new option on the market that we might consider is the Model Y. The new VW and the Mach-E are both approximate competitors, but they're not actually available. I'm a little surprised at this, I thought the market would evolve faster.  I suspect things will look different at the two year mark.

Would I do it again? I would. I really like driving the thing. Janel does as well. Of all the cars in our fleet, it seems to overlap with the M5 more than any other. If the lower end of the Tesla range in 2019 is a good substitute for the top of the BMW range in 2002, that's pretty telling. There hasn't been anything else come to market (or coming) that makes it look like I jumped too early.

Very much agree on the last part. While I still prefer the Bolt over the 3, there has been nothing since we bought our respective cars that I would prefer. I'd rather the 3 or the Bolt over the Mach-E or the Y. That's actually pretty weird, that progress has been stagnated for the "daily driver" range (Lucid's 9.24 pass obviously isn't in this realm, nor is it for sale yet). Glad you still like it!!

The real tell will be the five year update, I'm hoping the landscape looks really different then. Including alternate charging options- apparently Tesla has opened up the Supercharger network to non-Teslas in Europe, but it already runs a different standard over there because Europe doesn't have as much freedom so Tesla had to follow the rules :)

Tesla's a little weird when it comes to changes. They seem far more likely to just throw a running change into production than most manufacturers, instead of saving it all up for a "NEW FOR 2020!" push. Is this because they're not chasing repeat customers yet? Becuase they don't advertise? Because they're nowhere near saturation of their potential market?

Whatever the reason, it's going to make shopping for used cars a challenge. The changes are very granular, cars built after a certain time will have X feature but Y was only available until a different time. Some of them are trivial like the little hooks to hold your grocery bags in the frunk. Others are more significant. We're pretty sure the Model 3 is going to get a heat pump because they're starting to show up with a new frunk design and the Y has one. But we only know about this because Tesla people compare the size of their, umm, frunks. Wireless phone charging showed up at some point, while standard Homelink integration went away at a different point.

 If you're looking for a very specific combo of attributes in the future, you're going to need some sort of spreadsheet built by a Tesla ubernerd. Luckily, there are many of those :)

The reason I went on that ramble is because while the current Model 3 is very similar to the one I bought other than a bunch of incremental details, the Bolt is now sporting a bigger battery for 2020. I think it got some interior design or interface tweaks too. Enough that a normal person would be able to tell a difference. So if Tuna picked up a new Bolt now, it would be different than if he'd bought a 2019.

Huh, while looking for some info I found out that maybe there's a new steering wheel and center console coming for the 3 along with double pane windows. This will be interesting to see. I suspect the console will be mostly arrangement of the storage compartment between the seats, not something that a non-owner would notice.

Keith Tanner said

 If you're looking for a very specific combo of attributes in the future, you're going to need some sort of spreadsheet built by a Tesla ubernerd. Luckily, there are many of those :)

Unfortunately there also appears to be the bit about Tesla remotely disabling features that were on the car before, from blanket disabling of supercharging or any kind of fast charging on rebuilt cars (see Rich Rebuilds) to some other issues when used Teslas were sold (usually not by Tesla themselves) with features that suddenly got turned off remotely.

I think they did a lot of good for electric vehicles but there really is a question as to what you own and what Tesla owns when it comes to these. Unfortunately I suspect this is the way the car market is going anyway.

I'm speaking of hardware features, not software features. That heat pump is not going to be turned back into a resistive heater. I can see why Tesla may not want to encourage high-stress/high-risk charging on a salvage car. They might get some crap for turning it off but it would be even worse if it caught fire while at a Supercharger station. I mean, my insurance company won't even insure salvage cars.

As noted, our car has gained abilities since we got it so it goes both ways. Hopefully it will become more clear what does and does not transfer with a used car as time goes on.

FYI, Tesla is offering us a $4000 upgrade to "enhanced Autopilot", which is not Full Self Driving (that's $8000) but adds more features to the Autopilot we have. I'm trying to avoid the Tesla hot buttons and it's not something we're going to do, so anyone who wants to get all wound up about the name Autopilot or the idiocy of watching a movie while your car drives for you or about the fundamental problem with Level 4 autonomy - you can go do that somewhere else as it will not make this thread any more useful.

I agree, they seem to be much closer to a computer company than a car company when it comes to hardware.