3 Years Of Model Y Ownership & Opportunities – CleanTechnica

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The Tesla Model Y is the best-selling EV in the world. It’s no longer rare to pass a Model Y in traffic — the vehicle is a common sighting across the US in urban, suburban, and rural areas — and now in many countries around the world. After three years of Model Y ownership, I have about 30,000 miles on the vehicle. I’ve learned so much about EVs through driving a Tesla. Here are some lessons I’d like to pass along.

The Model Y I co-own with my guy holds five passengers and has white paint and black wheels. As a crossover, it’s really convenient and practical for moving small items from one location to another. For example, this week I fit a leather office chair with arms into the vehicle’s rear cargo space without problems. (Dog owners like that spaciousness and circulation setting available for their pups, too.)

Of course, having three years of Model Y ownership is about much more than exterior aesthetics or storage. Driving a Model Y is a status symbol in several ways.

Relatively affordable now for an EV, our own purchase price in late 2021 was close to $60,000. Several government entities and local utilities now offer electric vehicle incentives for customers, often taking the form of a rebate or a tax credit. Rebates can be claimed at or after purchase, while tax credits are claimed when filing income taxes.

The company is marketing a $399 lease, but, of course, that is an entry-level offer, and many adjustments would be made by the typical buyer before final sales price is set. Mine is a long-range all-wheel drive vehicle, which today would get 311 miles of range at 100% battery level. (Most EV owners only charge to a 80% level as a means to preserve battery life.) The beginning price listed by Tesla for a $34,490 cash purchase includes estimated incentives of $7,500 and 5-year gas savings of $6,000 for my Florida residence. (These latter calculation seems disingenuous as a marketing pitch to me — Tesla, please list the actual pricing on your website.)

I live in the red state of Florida, and simply driving the Model Y is rather a marker of progressive values. The Tesla sets me apart from my neighbors — unlike most, I am someone who is driving with all-electric mobility and loving it. Oddly, seeking a smaller carbon footprint through personal transportation makes my public persona seem a bit radical, a bit out of the norm.

My Florida home means I garage my Model Y during a few frosty days a year and mostly during warm to hot temps. The vehicle sleeps in a garage for two summer months — and I mean sleeps. Without human attention, the vehicle slowly sinks into a state of suspended animation. I’ve learned it’s probably best to have a neighbor start it up once a month when I’m traveling in the summer, as it did delete my guy’s account this year from lack of attention.

While traveling away from Florida while the car sleeps, I can check on the car through my Tesla app. Among other features, the app tells me how warm the car interior is and how much charge remains. I’ve found through my Tesla Model Y ownership that the car uses only a bit of charge while resting — really no more than 10% – 20% (it’s all those electronics at work in the background). I’ve read that the Model Y is happier if the charge level starts at mid-range, say, at about 60% rather than 80%, before extended periods of non-use. That’s good to know ahead for summer 2025.

I plug Y-Ley into a plug in the garage. It’s not a charging station; it’s not even a Level 2 plug. It’s a regular household outlet — Level 1. Does it take overnight to charge from 30% to 80%? Oh, yeah, and then some. But who cares? I work from home, and the 300 miles range I have infused ample time between charging sessions. I pay about $40 a quarter to my condo association for the electricity I use to charge.

The ability to charge at home is one of the biggest perks of owning an EV. Not only is it incredibly convenient, but it’s also significantly cheaper than public charging. Home charging isn’t essential — after all, with a Tesla I can pull into frequent Superchargers available along Florida’s I-95 — but the personal benefits to me of home charging are huge. I stay clean (no more drops of gasoline on my hands and shoes), charge without making any stops, and save cash. Those benefits are hard to dispute. When I travel along the Florida coast and need to stop at the Tesla Supercharger network, I find them to be reliable and well-spaced out along the miles. (My favorite Supercharger location along Florida’s east coast is Titusville, as it’s in a strip mall with a retail/ grocery store, a restaurant, and green spaces to get out and stretch.)

There are other cost-savings to Model Y ownership beyond fuel savings. I felt sorry for my gal friend the other day who had to drive ten miles then sit in a musty waiting area for her oil change. EVs don’t need oil changes, have fewer moving parts, and require no mandatory periodic services to maintain the warranty. This not only saves cash — it allows me to switch my time-on-tasks elsewhere.

Of course, Model Y ownership means that software updates take place, and they seem constant. Could we have had three updates this week alone? I’m not someone who hangs out in Y-Ley 🙂 and plays games, but, if your car is an equivalent living space for you, then you’d like all the video options available through the touchscreen.

Speaking of the touchscreen, in my research I have come across some naysayers who complain that without 20th century buttons and toggle switches, they’re unable to program a Tesla. I say, don’t despair. Just use the voice commands, and the car will more-often-than-not do what you ask.

Final Thoughts

Tesla needs to deliver about 515,000 vehicles in the fourth quarter to top the 1.8 million it sold last year. That achievement would make good on its guidance for “slight” growth this year. Bloomberg Hyperdrive notes that to do so, the company will need to hand over about 55,000 more EVs than it did in the third quarter of this year. CEO Elon Musk warned in January that sales this year were poised for a slowdown, telling investors the company was “between two major growth waves.”

More recently, though, Tesla shares soared after the CEO offered an upbeat outlook for 2025, saying his “best guess” was that the company could increase sales by 20% to 30%.

Of course, Musk’s allegiance to once-and-future President Donald J. Trump could create havoc with EV tax credit or point-of-sale rebates. Trump has called out President Joe Biden’s automotive policies and vowed to attack what he has labeled an “EV mandate” when his term begins.

Musk seems not to hear the Trump call to destroy EV incentives, which are a much-needed motivation for his all-electric car company to achieve sales quotas and to continue to get Wall Street nods of approval. Hopefully, it won’t inhibit others from purchasing and enjoying a Model Y as much as I have.