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Post by a1000monkeys on Jan 20, 2023 13:24:11 GMT -5
For my upcoming trip to Maui, the Tesla Model 3 was the cheapest choice. I have never rented an electric car before and I do not have a Tesla.
Wondering if anyone here has any experience with it. Do I need to return the car fully charged? Will I need to create an account with Tesla to use the super chargers or is there a way to just tap my credit card like a gas filling station?
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Post by helenabear on Jan 20, 2023 13:59:37 GMT -5
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Post by DisneyPhD on Jan 20, 2023 15:38:02 GMT -5
We've rented an EV twice out of MCO. Once was a Leaf, the other a Kia Niro. We were not required to have a specific amount of charge remaining upon return. On both occasions we were staying at our vacation home so we could easily plug in there on the 110V outlet in the garage to top off the charge overnight using the charger included with the car. It was great not having to buy gas before heading back to the airport. Tesla uses their own style of charge plug configuration but I would think the car comes with an adaptor for the plug (J1772) that every other manufacturer uses.
We have two plug in hybrids at home and I used to have a ChargePoint charger available at my work location. Most charge locations make you download an app and put in your CC information to use their system.
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jan 20, 2023 15:53:34 GMT -5
Thanks, hopefully a Nissan Leaf is not considered an "equivalent" to a Model 3 because I think it would be too small. I also assume the Tesla comes with an adapter for non Tesla charging stations. I also have a plug in hybrid and have a Chargepoint account so I have some familiarity with charging but we largely charge at home.
Did your rental come fully charged?
We are renting through Budget.
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Post by helenabear on Jan 20, 2023 16:26:11 GMT -5
Tesla 3s are considered premium or luxury EVs. Leafs and the like are intermediate. You won't get a Leaf renting a 3.
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jan 20, 2023 16:32:14 GMT -5
yet, surprisingly it was the cheapest car to rent. Over $100 cheaper than a compact for the week.
Based on what I learned online from people that rented from Hertz, they will just bill you for what you charge on Tesla superchargers. However, if it is a new car with temporary free charging, I won't be charged. Hopefully it will be the same with Budget.
If it comes charged with 250 miles of range, I likely won't need to charge anyway.
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Post by helenabear on Jan 20, 2023 18:36:46 GMT -5
I've seen EVs as one of the cheapest many times. Admittedly I dislike many years of Leafs (no telescoping steering wheel until recent years) so have opted not to book them in the past year, but as fleets grow I'd be happy to. I think many fear having a full EV. The charging is unknown for many. Having a full EV at home none of it scares me. Unfortunately when driving a combustion engine, I do have to remind myself to use the break pedal  |
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Post by micepace42 on Jan 20, 2023 20:07:27 GMT -5
Hello - I have never rented an EV but I do own a Tesla 3. I am not sure how rentals are but unless it comes with some kind of charge account you will more than likely have to set up an account so you can charge it. I would also assume it is going to come with its own charging cable. However, unless it also has the 220v adapter you might as well charge it with a AAA battery...lol. In addition to the 220v cable and adapter you will obviously have to have access to s 220v outlet/source. Tesla's however have built in navigation that allows you to choose 1, 2, or 3 "lighting bolt" icons. I always just choose 3 as these are all super chargers that charge the car the fastest. Once you choose the "lighting bolts" it will show you where the charging station(s) are and if you touch one of those locations on a map it will tell you the how many chargers are open or if there is a wait as well as if there are any chargers down or out of order and charging fees, usually vary based on peak non-peak hours...at least in Arizona. But I assume it is pretty much the same everywhere, the busier times like rush hour...or in Arizona prime "day hours" usually between 8am-7pm charge a higher price per Kwhr. You can then touch the arrow at the bottom of the "pop-up box" and it will direct you like any other navigation. It really is pretty easy peezy. You will most likely have to down load the Tesla App and add a charge card and the information of the Tesla you have so when you get to a charging station, push the button on the handle of the charging cable by the charging port by your tail light and it will open the charging port/opening by the tail light... you pretty much just plug it in and it will start charging. The App will allow you to determine the amount you want to charge the car...80%...90%...100%. You can also set this on the screen inside the car. Electric cars suggest not letting the car fall below 20% and not charging above 80% as doing this all the time multiple times a day affects the long term capacity of the battery. I follow this to some degree but do not let it rule my driving, life, or travel. If I am driving locally, it charges slowly overnight in my garage. If I am driving 5+ hours I charge full as much as I need and as often as I need for my travels. You should should charge to full when you can or as much as you want without worrying about as its a rental...  . A good portion of "Tesla Stations" are located by shopping, restaurants, Starbucks, etc. but if you don't have any of these or you don't feel like patronizing these, the car actually has entertainment to use while charging...arcade games, internet browser, and streaming options...Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, AND Disney+...so if you have any of these you can log in while in the car and watch a few episodes of Dug Days...LOL. Again, I have never rented a Tesla or an EV so not sure the details surrounding charging with a rental. Hopefully it will be as simple as what I just covered. Not sure what version you are renting...base model...long range...performance. If it is at least the long range I think you will thoroughly enjoy. If you have the opportunity, you should go find a Carmax or or dealership that ay have one you can go test drive so you can familiarize yourself with it. The braking and accelerator takes a little getting use to and this will help you see how to get to most of the things you will want to access with the screen as that is literally the only thing on the dash and everything is in that screen. It may seem like it is somewhat intimidating. I consider myself to be part of the "technology transitional" generation...I'm not my kid...but I'm not my parents. The user-friendly nature of navigating the controls is actually so well thought out I picked it up right away for the most part and feel if I drove around with my parents for a day or 2, they would be good. The 2 things you will touch on the screen the most will be climate and a little "car icon". There are little "bulbs" with scrolling wheels on the steering wheel that make most, if not all adjustments. You will get a key that looks like a credit card...KEEP THIS IN YOUR WALLET. The App does let you use your phone so if you walk up to the car it will unlock and let you just get in and pretty much start driving. However, if your phone battery dies and you don't have the ability to charge it...well...always carry the card...LOL. I am going to assume with a rental you will probably get to add money to an account to enable charging but not sure. I am not a Tesla "fan" by any stretch. I got a fairly good deal last year and up until these past 2 weeks when Musk dropped pricing on new vehicle purchases...LOL. However, the vehicle is somewhat a technological achievement. I pulled the trigger this past summer when gas prices went to the moon here. My previous car required premium gas and I was filling it up twice a week...it was costing me $600+ A MONTH IN GAS...that was the final straw for me...I pay about $12 to charge the car to full from a bit less than 1/4 of a battery, get about 350 miles on a full charge, have virtually almost no maintenance AND it is actually a pretty darn fun car to drive...hope you enjoy it a little. Let me know if I can help with anything or answer any other questions...hope this helps a bit. |
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Post by micepace42 on Jan 20, 2023 20:21:06 GMT -5
I've seen EVs as one of the cheapest many times. Admittedly I dislike many years of Leafs (no telescoping steering wheel until recent years) so have opted not to book them in the past year, but as fleets grow I'd be happy to. I think many fear having a full EV. The charging is unknown for many. Having a full EV at home none of it scares me. Unfortunately when driving a combustion engine, I do have to remind myself to use the break pedal I LOVE the "regen" braking...once I got use to it...  |
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Post by helenabear on Jan 20, 2023 20:37:37 GMT -5
I've seen EVs as one of the cheapest many times. Admittedly I dislike many years of Leafs (no telescoping steering wheel until recent years) so have opted not to book them in the past year, but as fleets grow I'd be happy to. I think many fear having a full EV. The charging is unknown for many. Having a full EV at home none of it scares me. Unfortunately when driving a combustion engine, I do have to remind myself to use the break pedal I LOVE the "regen" braking...once I got use to it... I do too! I swapped from a 6spd Mini to a Mini EV. Both kept/keep my brain going while driving. It becomes 2nd nature after a while. Way different than driving a regular automatic with one pedal driving. My dad could not believe I drove as far as I did without touching the breaks when going to the airport. |
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Post by DisneyPhD on Jan 21, 2023 15:24:15 GMT -5
Thanks, hopefully a Nissan Leaf is not considered an "equivalent" to a Model 3 because I think it would be too small. I also assume the Tesla comes with an adapter for non Tesla charging stations. I also have a plug in hybrid and have a Chargepoint account so I have some familiarity with charging but we largely charge at home. Did your rental come fully charged? We are renting through Budget. Yes, both times the car was plugged into the 220V charger in the parking structure at MCO and fully charged. These were both through Budget too and were only a few dollars more than the cheapest available ICE vehicle. The difference is usually less than the cost of a tank of gas. I agree that the Model 3 is not in the same category. Alamo had a Model S pop up one time and it wasn't that much more than than the Niro we had reserved so I reserved that too having always wanted to try out a Tesla. When we got to the counter they told us it was not available because of a recall so we went with the Niro instead. It was fine. You might want to watch a few videos on how to operate the car since its a little different from a regular car. |
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Post by a1000monkeys on Jan 21, 2023 17:15:45 GMT -5
Yes, I saw there were a lot of video tutorials so I will watch those. I’m also a bit concerned about the trunk space so I’m going to ask my neighbor down the street to show me around his model 3.
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Post by Adelard of Bath on Jan 22, 2023 17:30:00 GMT -5
My dad could not believe I drove as far as I did without touching the breaks when going to the airport. As a guy who buys/drives $500-and-under cars (payments are for suckers) I can attest to driving normal gasoline cars around without touching the brake pedal...requires a certain mindset and some planning. One time my wife called me from the other side of town, the brake lines popped on a car and no brakes. I came and we swapped cars, and I said, "Let's stop for pizza on the way home" and she's like what! I will admit it's less convenient with a stick than auto. Fun fact: all or most of the EV manufacturers got together and came up with a standard for their charging connector, for use at the stations. Tesla decided to join the ranks of Apple (and in the past, Sony) and be like "we don't need no stinkin' standard, we're too cool for the standard." Admittedly, the Tesla connector looks quite a bit sleeker and easier to use. |
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Post by brp on Jan 23, 2023 11:19:55 GMT -5
If you haven't driven an EV I'd suggest turning off regenerative breaking. EV driving is different than combustion engines. Turning that regen off will help. I thought that too, until I got an EV. Now I find the driving very similar and the regen braking is really easy to adapt to. I did the first time I drove it back from the car broker. Saves the brakes, which I now rarely use. Less wear. In the end, really doesn't feel that different. I've seen EVs as one of the cheapest many times. Admittedly I dislike many years of Leafs (no telescoping steering wheel until recent years) so have opted not to book them in the past year, but as fleets grow I'd be happy to. I think many fear having a full EV. The charging is unknown for many. Having a full EV at home none of it scares me. Unfortunately when driving a combustion engine, I do have to remind myself to use the break pedal Yeah, there is that about the brake pedal in my combustion car. I do remember, though, as I try to drive it periodically, when weather supports top down.
Even with my EV, I've only charged at home or at work, so the mysteries of charging "somewhere else" are still new to me. I'll likely have to do it at some point (and my car came with 250KWh for free up front), but I'd still be apprehensive renting an EV just because of charging unfamiliarity.
Cheers.
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Post by Joeli on Jan 23, 2023 13:36:53 GMT -5
Never rented one. However I own a Model Y. Love driving the car (We drive it to wdw from West Palm Beach), not paying for gas, and minimal maintenance. We have a level2 charger at home, always stop on the way up to wdw at a supercharger on the Florida turnpike. Could we make it all the way? Yes but in case of cold weather (it happens), or accidents, no spots/place at charging station, we rather stop at our convenience.
How many miles on a full charge is dependent on many factors, I.e. aggressive use of the pedals, the weather, wind, even hubcaps that are on the car. We purchased one of the new CCS charging adapters so that we could, if necessary charge at a non-Tesla charger (ChargePoint, FPL Evgo,even charging stations at a campground).
Savings on gas are minimized (not eliminated) by the replacement of tires. Heavy car and battery means more tire wear, and aggressive driving makes that worse. Heat and also what the roars are made for increase the wear too. Florida uses coral in the cement, and it is toasty here.
I am not a Tesla fanboy, but I do love my car!
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. A good portion of "Tesla Stations" are located by shopping, restaurants, Starbucks, etc. but if you don't have any of these or you don't feel like patronizing these, the car actually has entertainment to use while charging...arcade games, internet browser, and streaming options...Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, AND Disney+...so if you have any of these you can log in while in the car and watch a few episodes of Dug Days...LOL.
