Bad, terrible, awful range anxiety in a Tesla Model 3
I recently rented a beautiful red Model 3 on Turo in Seattle, and was excited about finally testing a car I would have loved to own one day.
My excitement disappeared at the end of the week with a terrible recharging experience when the battery went under 10%.
Initially, we targeted two nearby ChargePoint stations, which turned out to be non-existent. We toured the block three times and couldn’t find them.
Then we sought EVgo, which was real and easy to find, but none of the CCS or CHAdeMO connectors fit the Tesla-provided power adapter. Now we’re down to 8%.
Luckily, Google Maps indicated that a Tesla Super Charger was only 10 mins away. We headed there, and searched, searched, and searched, no chargers of any kind. To its credit, the Tesla map did not indicate that there would be a charger there, but we didn’t believe it.
Now running on fumes, we headed to a destination charger. Here too, we had to turn around the block, and finally realized it was in the hotel’s gated garage. The nice front desk clerk took pity and gave us access, only to find out that both chargers were occupied.
With 3% left, we couldn’t go anywhere. The amazing clerk called one of the plugged-in car owners to “lend” us the power. He was visibly upset but reluctantly agreed.
The destination charger was rated at 16W, but only delivered 7W. After 30 mins, we reached 10% and went to a Super Charger inventoried by Tesla. Lesson learned.
To access the Super Charger though, we had to pay a parking fee. We charged for another 30 mins, paid $4 for power and $6 for parking, but were safe at last.
The ordeal lasted 3 hours, required 5 charging visits, and ruined our last night in Seattle.
Other, smaller gripes about the Tesla - the mapping system lacks useful Google Maps functionality, such as choosing a scenic route instead of the fastest; searching for an address by a friend’s name; sharing trip progress with said friend. This forced us on multiple occasions to rely on the phone for navigation instead of the built-in map.
The lack of Android Auto or Apple Carplay is equally annoying. The rental car didn’t have premium connectivity, so map searches were slow and the built-in Spotify non-operational. Tesla wanted to re-invent the infotainment wheel and is falling behind.
This experience turned us off from EVs for the foreseeable future. Such a shame.