If you've been wondering about what the real-life experience of owning an electric vehicle is like, one Redditor from Saskatchewan, Canada, has an extensive review that you might find helpful.
They had originally posted a review of their Tesla Model 3 after one year and 53,000 kilometers of ownership. The recent review, which they posted in the subreddit r/electricvehicles, is now after two years and 110,000 kilometers in "cold, prairie Canada climate."
To explain their initial reason for switching to electric, they began, "we drive a lot and were spending a ridiculous amount on fuel so wanted to reduce our costs. We have done that."
They then did a deep dive into the cost efficacy of the charging. "When charging at home, we use the mobile charger that was included with the vehicle," they wrote. "We just bought a couple adaptors for it. We installed a NEMA 14-50 plug in the garage. We did this ourselves for material cost, which was about $75."
(For U.S.-based drivers, there are additional cost incentives and rebates to install chargers at home — you can check out TCD's guide to finding what you may qualify for here.)
The Tesla owner continued, explaining, "to go 100km costs about $3 with home charging," adding that that is "pretty good considering the climate" in Saskatchewan.
They also pointed out that in good news, the fast-charging infrastructure has "vastly improved" even in their two years of ownership; however, many more chargers are still needed.
Another key issue they mentioned was winter driving, a "major concern" that people have in making the switch.
"I do not have any concerns any more," they wrote. "If your commute is 250km or less, an EV really is ideal. I actually prefer driving our EV in the winter now. It instantly blows warm air, you don't have to wait for an engine to warm up before creating heat."
🗣️ If you were going to purchase an EV, which of these factors would be most important to you?
🔘 Cost 💰
🔘 Battery range 🔋
🔘 Power and speed 💪
🔘 The way it looks 😎
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
They concluded that after zero mechanical issues in the first year, they encountered some standard ones, which were covered under warranty, during the second. They also conducted minimal maintenance, replacing cabin air filters and servicing the brakes.
"To summarize, we are very happy with our EV," they enthused. "It is crazy cheap to drive, especially when charging at home. … I think we will always have at least 1 EV as our main commuter vehicle. We have been really happy with it."
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
