It’s been 3 months since we took delivery of our Tesla Model Y Long Range. Living in New York City with an all electric vehicle has been interesting to say the least. I’ve gotten a lot of questions in terms of charging, how have I dealt with the cold weather, first impressions, and of course why a Tesla. All things I can answer now since owning our Tesla (who we named Baymax) for the past 3 months.
Why Tesla?
Electrics vehicle peaked my interested before I got my license. Previously I wasn’t a car person. Not one bit. But tech? Sure. Innovations? I’m curious. So seeing a car that I consider to be essentially somewhat of a phone on wheels; progress the way Tesla did, I did what I usually do and started researching. The safety scores, cleaner energy, and of course the charging network.
First Impressions
The configuration that was decided was white exterior with white interior, and seven seater long range. My husband and I went over the whole car with a checklist since there’s a chance of issues. Luckily the most we found was a seat issue that was recently fixed. Other than that the car was perfect! The white seats stand out so much and brighten the interior in a beautiful way. I was nervous to drive it since I knew about the regenerative braking. But it drove wonderfully. It felt sturdy and the acceleration makes you feel confident in handling to merge or make maneuvers needed. Ultimately it was a great ride all around. You could feel a bit more bumps on the road since we had a CR-V previously that handle bumps much better. But the ride is smooth besides that.
Charging in NYC
Well it’s complicated for the most part. It does mean going out of my way and adding an extra errand. And if I can I’ll charge in a 110 volt when I have permission since I rent where I live. 110 volt is very slow charge we get about 3-5 miles per hour. So it can take up to 24 hours to charge if I get it down to almost 50 percent battery. Unless I’m running errands near my job where I can go to a super charger 10 minutes away. There’s not much else you can do in terms of charge. Unless you own a home here. Have access to third party chargers. Have permission to get a faster charger installed. All that can be restricted or have expensive cost. (Parking garages have chargers. But you pay a parking fee AND charging fee.) It’s worked out so far where I only need to charge about once a week. I am still supercharging through my first 1000 miles free from a referral code I used when purchasing (the referral program stopped in October). Once I know how much it is to supercharge I’ll update to compare to gas prices.
White Seats!?
Yes even with two kids. I went with white seats. Their seats have seat protectors only because the leather seats and car seats leaving marks I wouldn’t be too happy about. We haven’t traveled far so eating in the car hasn’t been a thing for us. The kids don’t eat in the car. I do have/like to wipe down the seats every week on my side to keep the white bright and looking clean. I do see on the side where I get in some stress marks starting. Which I’m sure is normal for the most part. But I love the white. It actually resistant to most staining. And I don’t wear any dark jeans and tend to go for leggings or sweats these days. I’ll update once it’s an issue or any issues.
These are the main questions and things I’ve been asked or gotten. But I’ll make another post for accessories. After market things. And plans with this car. We do plan on road-tripping a bit. Not too far. Once things warm up. But stay tuned for that. Thank you everyone for the support and reading my blogs. Stay sweet!
Everlasting Sirua 