In 2015, an engineer from the Black Forest switched from Audi to Tesla.
After more than 400,000 kilometers, the frequent driver now reveals all costs, breakdowns and repairs.
Black Forest - would you drive an e-car? Many people answer this question with no. The reason are usually reservations about the long-term and frequent driver qualities of electric vehicles. Matthias Wagner is definitely a frequent driver. The engineer from the Black Forest dared to switch from the Audi luxury class diesel to a Tesla Model S as early as 2015 and drove an average of almost 70,000 kilometers every year. With an odometer reading of 410,000 kilometers, he drew
a surprising conclusion
from
electric drivers
.
“The Tesla is just an American car.
Some details are very primitive and really badly designed, "explains the German engineer. Nevertheless, the Tesla is above the American average - apart from the processing quality of the upper-class Stromer, Wagner has absolutely nothing to complain about. The frequent professional driver wants to go back to a combustion engine never again, and a manufacturer other than Tesla is also out of the question for him.
Tesla: Porsche Macan draws the short straw: "Rumbled like a tractor"
A key moment in electric love: One of Wagner's customers wanted to test drive the Tesla. The two swapped cars and drove a few kilometers. “I was sitting in his Porsche Macan. It rumbled like a tractor, the automatic gear shifted roughly back and forth in the city, ”Wagner remembers. “Add to that the vibrations in the steering wheel and the volume. It does not work anymore."
But how did the Tesla cope with the 410,000 kilometers driven?
According to the
electric driver
, the engineer
did not have any
real breakdowns
.
After 80,000 kilometers, the brake fluid and battery cooling water were changed, after 290,000 kilometers the brakes were changed and a bearing bush on the rear axle was replaced.
20,000 kilometers later, the door handles had to be repaired and the windshield wiper linkage replaced.
After 340,000 kilometers, the Tesla Model S battery got a new module, recently a wheel bearing was replaced at the front and the brakes at the rear were replaced.
Total cost for all repairs: around 4,500 euros.
Tesla: The battery is doing unexpectedly well
And the battery? Wagner, who is traveling abroad in his Tesla primarily for professional reasons, claims to charge 30 percent at home using a 16A CEE socket and 70 percent when on the move using the Tesla Super Charger - and always free there. But frequent fast charging is said to damage the battery. In Wagner's Tesla S, the battery did not deteriorate too much in the six years: the range fell from 366 to 334 kilometers, the charging speed from 200 to around 165 kilometers per 30 minutes.
The Tesla driver has never had any problems finding a charging station in the past six years.
Once in Amsterdam, right at Tesla's European headquarters, he once had to wait "just under five minutes" for a free charging point.
Another time, however, he actually stayed where he was.
During a charging upgrade, he got a defective control unit installed.
He was therefore unable to use the Tesla Supercharger, which he wanted to use on the way home from Basel.
The slow AC charging stations nearby were all out of order.
Tesla: Reaching your destination well rested
When Wagner is on the highway, he says he always drives between 130 and 150 kilometers, sometimes at top speed before a charging stop. He admits that it takes him around an hour and a half longer to travel 500 kilometers in the Tesla S than with a diesel. But: “Driving is much more relaxed than in a combustion engine. The focus is shifting away from wasting time towards relaxed driving. ”Of course you have more and longer breaks, but arrive more relaxed, affirms the Tesla fan.
Wagner's conclusion after 410,000 kilometers in the Tesla: “An electric car was the right decision for me - because of the costs and the relaxed driving. I would choose a Tesla again because of the charging infrastructure and the entire vehicle concept. "After six years, ordering a Tesla Model S plaid is extremely tempting for him - but his car just works too smoothly for that. * Merkur. de is part of IPPEN-MEDIA
