daveo4EV
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- First Name
- David
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I’m a long time EV owners (since 2011) - former Tesla victim/customer - avid EV road warrior and deeply experienced EV road trip participant…I’m writing this up from some perspectives from a current (ongoing trip) from the SF Bay area to Friday Harbor, WA and back - currently at Burlington but will be back in SF Bay are monday/tuesday…
I have not road tripped a Tesla since about 2019 - and I got my Taycan in July of 2020 so that’s been my EV road trip “touch stone” since then.
in the past 4 days I’ve spend some quality time in a 2023 Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD. And having done identical trips with the Taycan I’m finding the experience with Model Y illuminating. Below are various bullet points in no particular order…
Summary/TLDR; - road tripping with a reliable and ubiquitous fast charging network is a game changing experience - Tesla has it and no one else does (North America) - period, full stop you do not get to argue this point. This is the first time ever since I began with EV’s that I did “zero” pre-planning for my trip - in August of 2023 the Supercharger network is now _THAT_ good and available on north/south I-5 route for west coast United states.
Bullet thoughts:
There is no question the Taycan is a better car, but it is effectively is a worse EV due to a number of non-mechanical factors - and most of it’s “advantages” as an EV are either unrealized or marketing spin with no actual tangible manifested benefits. to most people It’s a mechanically excellent car handicapped by a terrible and debilitating charging network and mediocre vehicle software. Most of it’s actual advantages are inconsequential to 90% of the driving public.
The Model Y on the other hand is a minimalist functional SUV that is approachable and works really well - if you look closely it’s not as good as the Taycan on a number of physical design issues, but the it’s deficiencies are lost on most people, and it’s better than most SUVs it’s competing against. And no matter how good the Porsche is - when you point it north from SF Bay are on I-5 to go to Friday harbor and need to chargr it - there is one clear and decisive winner…and it’s not the Porsche or CCS network…
The Tesla Model Y is “good enough” and occasionally great but the Supercharger network is next level “good” - it’s the Porsche of EV charging networks and it shows - it’s just vastly better. And now big enough and ubiquitous enough that you can drive with impunity and zero planning.
I’m not buying a Tesla vehicle anytime soon nor am I considering going back.
But I’m never again buying an EV without access to the supercharger network in North America - it’s just self flagellation to subject yourself to the EA network when there is a more functional higher quality alternative…
Tesla’s Supercharging in North America is the “Porsche” of fast charging networks - the existing CCS network is a broken down Yugo on the side of the road that no one is willing to take any responsibility for or seems to realize needs fixing.
I have not road tripped a Tesla since about 2019 - and I got my Taycan in July of 2020 so that’s been my EV road trip “touch stone” since then.
in the past 4 days I’ve spend some quality time in a 2023 Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD. And having done identical trips with the Taycan I’m finding the experience with Model Y illuminating. Below are various bullet points in no particular order…
Summary/TLDR; - road tripping with a reliable and ubiquitous fast charging network is a game changing experience - Tesla has it and no one else does (North America) - period, full stop you do not get to argue this point. This is the first time ever since I began with EV’s that I did “zero” pre-planning for my trip - in August of 2023 the Supercharger network is now _THAT_ good and available on north/south I-5 route for west coast United states.
Bullet thoughts:
- Tesla’s seats while adequate - truly suck - they are plush but lack support for my legs - they are good enough for mid range, but I miss my 14-way w/Massage
- Road noise is again acceptable, but not as good as my Taycan
- ride quality is acceptable but again not as good as Porsche air suspension
- Model Y’s lane keeping/ACC (auto-pilot) is vastly better than Porsche Innodrive
- Model Y cabin is light/airy, but sparse
- Tesla app is really good / i miss a good vehicle app
- Tesla’s phone as a key/fob implementation is excellent - they really nailed it
- for it’s price point $52k pre-rebates/incentives - I honestly can’t think other another SUV/EV I’d rather have for it’s price - the ICE alternatives are also not Porsche’s and suck way way more than Tesla’s well done Model Y with an excellent EV drive train.
- a good EV drive train is a game changer - it just is - it covers soooooooo many sins vs. the crap is that is most mid-range ICE vehicles with crappy transmissions/engines
- I’ve not lived with the Supercharger network since 2019 - it was good then, and it’s only gotten better.
- why did my Tesla Model Y w/CCS adapter start charging “faster” at the Willows, CA EA charger than my Taycan does? Electron’s were flowing before the Porsche app had even acknowledged it had started the session
- Tesla’s charging “game” even on the car side is vastly better
- a Tesla at a CCS EA charger is still better than my native CCS Taycan - how is that possible?
- The Supercharger NACS connector/cable is simply better ergonomics vs. CCS1 - it’s easier to handle, easier to insert, less likely to have problems being inserted and just an all around better product - design matters - Tesla has it and CCS1 doesn’t.
- Model Y xx% to 55% SOC is “as fast” if not faster than my Taycan at a full/functional 350 kW EA station - it is however quite a bit slower charging from 55% - 9x%
- honestly at a V3 supercharging you’re to 60% SOC in like 12 minutes - fast than any bath room walk and back to the car - your bath room break can not beat the supercharger to 60%…car will be done before you are.
- V3 superchargers routinely/commonly/universally gave me 250 kW charging rate until about 35% - and then the taper begins - I’m not sure what all the fuss is about for 800V vs. 400V - superchargers are killing it and routinely delivery 250 kW charge rates
- I’m an engineer and I do understand what all the “fuss” should be about, but honestly at the end of the day the difference doesn’t appear in any tangible way to the consumer.
- Tesla software is just soooo much better than everyone else’s - software is a _FACT OF LIFE_ for any modern car - quit apologizing for your favorite car vendor and consoling yourself that you brought it for the “driving” - a great mechanical vehicle does not in fact make up for being infuriated on a daily/hourly basis with your vehicle software sucking.
- Supercharger session activation is world class - it “just works” and works so well - electrons are flowing before I can walk from the back of the car to the driver’s seat (this never happens with EA even when the session is “free” and starts automatically).
- I timed it once - from the time I pressed the “park button” on the transmission stalk to electrons flowing at my supercharger stop was 18 seconds…everything about supercharging vs. CCS1 is just “better” and “functional”.
- Until you’ve used a supercharger and seen just how well it “works” you have no idea how much better it is and how much it makes traveling better to have a well designed and very very functional charging network.
- With regards to charging in North America - Tesla is playing 4D chess, and the other guys aren’t even playing a game or in the same sports venue, they are just sitting there picking their noses and pointing at each other saying it’s not their fault.
- 48 (forty eight!!!!) functional Tesla supercharger stalls in Sutherland, OR less than 800 feet away is a 4 stall EA site - on the day I was there - 48 functional stalls - activation in less than 20 seconds, and 250 kW charge rate _NO_ problem - 3 of the 4 EA stalls less than 800 feet away were “unavailable’ and the lone ID.4 that was charging at the one functional EA stall was doing so with a “reduced charge rate” warning and getting less than 45 kW at 15% SOC…
- I was in/out of Sutherland, OR with 250 kW charge rate and leaving in less than 25 min at over 90% SOC from 10% SOC
- Tesla’s mechanically may not be Porsche’s quality but they are good enough - and equal/better/same as most of the vehicle’s most people are driving. The model Y is reasonable
- Tesla lies about its range, the Model Y is not a 290-320 mile vehicle, but I’m getting about 230-250 miles range on a full charge which is a bit more than my 2020 Taycan turbo - but both cars can drive about the same distance between fast chargers on the north/south I-5 route. The difference is the Model Y is doing it with a 75 kWh battery and the Taycan’s doing it with a 93 kWh battery…
- Tesla’s integrated NAV is fantastic/functional and very very good at charge route planning
- Tesla’s predictions for battery @ destination is accurate to +/- 2% - very very reliable - LOL the car “lies about it’s range” - the “battery icon” will show 320 miles range, but the Navigation will show you’re stopping in Sutherland, OR in 230 miles with 10% remaining battery - the car itself carry’s it own range “lies/contradictions”
- trust the navigation but point and laugh at the battery guess o meter…
- I’ve done zero charge stop planning - and it hasn’t been necessary - the supercharger network is that good
- Model Y’s acceleration is “ample” and “effective” - on paper it’s not as fast as my Taycan Turbo - in practice any actual real/imagined difference is inconsequential outside of launch/control mode - in day to day driving the Model Y is quick, quick, quick, and can dominate most any other non-EV on the road - uphill is a dream in an EV - and highway overtakes and lane changes are trivial, effective, and devastating vs. unprepared less ICE vehicles…
- again compared to most anemic SUV’s - the EV drive train that is nearly as fast as my Porsche Taycan Turbo is light years better than 98% of the ICE alternatives you could purchase
- you have to purchase a Cayenne Turbo to be quicker than a Tesla Model Y AWD non-performance…Macan? Don’t make me laugh if what you want is a responsive drive train with ample acceleration.
- A good solid, well done EV drive train is a game changing experience vs. 98% of normal ICE vehicle’s - say what you will about Tesla - but I don’t think their drive trains are something you can throw rocks at
- Porsche is wrong about one-pedal driving - it should be an “option” - but not required.
- Tesla’s preconditioning software and status is vastly better than Porsches
- Tesla’s energy app (trip data, consumption, analysis, logs and insights) is a data nerd’s dream - it’s just sooooo good and even tells you exactly how much when/where you are gaining and losing range
- this makes Tesla “lying” about vehicle range even more embarrassing - it’s clear from their own “energy” app that they know exactly to the “milli-amp/volt” where the power is going and why…
- they should be ashamed that their advertising/guess-o-meter “lie” about the range
- their navigation/trip-data/energy app are rock solid data-driven/science driven affairs that are highly accurate/informative
- Did I tell you how game changing it is to have a reliable and available fast charging network that is also easy to use?
- I’d rather be driving my Taycan - but also it’s cargo capacity for this trip was inadequate
- While Tesla is acceptable, i prefer my Porsche’s - but the level of quality of the Tesla charging network can NOT be under-estimated, and it’s only gotten vastly better since my last use of it in 2019
- laugh if you well at in car “entertainment” software - the streaming clients building into the main dash is a game changing experience for any road trip activities
There is no question the Taycan is a better car, but it is effectively is a worse EV due to a number of non-mechanical factors - and most of it’s “advantages” as an EV are either unrealized or marketing spin with no actual tangible manifested benefits. to most people It’s a mechanically excellent car handicapped by a terrible and debilitating charging network and mediocre vehicle software. Most of it’s actual advantages are inconsequential to 90% of the driving public.
The Model Y on the other hand is a minimalist functional SUV that is approachable and works really well - if you look closely it’s not as good as the Taycan on a number of physical design issues, but the it’s deficiencies are lost on most people, and it’s better than most SUVs it’s competing against. And no matter how good the Porsche is - when you point it north from SF Bay are on I-5 to go to Friday harbor and need to chargr it - there is one clear and decisive winner…and it’s not the Porsche or CCS network…
The Tesla Model Y is “good enough” and occasionally great but the Supercharger network is next level “good” - it’s the Porsche of EV charging networks and it shows - it’s just vastly better. And now big enough and ubiquitous enough that you can drive with impunity and zero planning.
I’m not buying a Tesla vehicle anytime soon nor am I considering going back.
But I’m never again buying an EV without access to the supercharger network in North America - it’s just self flagellation to subject yourself to the EA network when there is a more functional higher quality alternative…
Tesla’s Supercharging in North America is the “Porsche” of fast charging networks - the existing CCS network is a broken down Yugo on the side of the road that no one is willing to take any responsibility for or seems to realize needs fixing.
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![Porsche Cayenne EV [Perspective] - A happy Taycan owner road trip’s his Daughter’s Model Y… IMG_1636](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg' width='3000' height='2250' viewBox%3D'0 0 3000 2250'%2F%3E)
