I Rented A Tesla For A Week And Am Totally Sold On Gas-Powered Cars | After test-driving one for an entire week, we learned we will never buy a Tesla or any electric vehicle as long as we have the option of gas-powered cars or even hybrids.
Good points for discussing with your local EV fanatic.
TL;DR version:
- batteries drain too quickly / range is considerably less than advertised
- length of time needed to charge is very long
- availability of charging stations not good
- some charging stations are in rather sketchy parts of town; personal safety may be an issue when you're stranded there for an hour waiting for your vehicle to charge up
- dependence on complex touch screen and non-intuitive interface seems as dangerous as texting while driving (and the autopilot is too unpredictable to use safely)
- even simple things like locking the door or turning on the windshield wipers is complicated
- no hardcopy manual to consult when you are out of range of a cell signal
- cost of charging with electricity is pretty comparible to what you would pay for gas, so no cost savings
... But pigs will fly before I buy an EV based on my Tesla experience/experiment. This conclusion is not based on a one-hour test drive but on an entire week of driving in an EV-friendly part of the country. ...
I rented a Model 3 for a week.
It was an ok experience. The car itself drove pretty well. There are plenty of POS cars out there that are worse.
But despite being in one of Americas largest cities super chargers were like 15-20 minutes away. So that 20 minute charge really took about an hour. The closest one to the airport left me with exactly 80% charge on return. That was stressful.
Non super chargers are slow as balls. Only worth using one if you were like shopping at a mall (lol) or at work.
People develop a lifestyle around charging. You see people bringing lunch, doing makeup, watching pr0n, etc. that is lame and gay.
As a 2nd city car with a charger at home they seem ok if you’re into leasing (make the inevitable battery replacement somebody else’s issue). While I know people who have done road trips on electric no way would I want to do so.