Originally Posted By: rjundi
I wonder what servicing costs would be like.
Simple gasoline cars(Accord/Civic etc) while they have many more thing to go arry the individual pieces and not excessive to replace. It seems like fewer parts in an electric car with massive price tag for part if failure happens. No idea.
The majority of gasoline cars the repairs are tolerable to most folks out of warranty. This vehicle would scare me in long term as nothing published.
Well as you said, there just isn't much that could need maintenance in the first place. It will certainly need repairs, but those will be less frequent as well because there's just less that could possibly break.
No oil changes, partly because there are no combustion byproducts. No belts (all accessories are electric), no spark plugs, no exhaust to rust out. Transmission has only one gear, so no clutch packs, no solenoids, no torque converter, no TCU. The list goes on.
What's left? Brakes, suspension, interior electronics, tires, safety equipment -- none of which is any more complicated than in any comparable car (largely because a lot of it actually comes directly from comparable cars). Brakes will last longer because of regen; everything else stands a good chance of lasting longer as well because it's subjected to less heat and NVH.
Some Model Ss have had to have repairs done. Nothing out-of-the-ordinary for a first-gen product. They should be cherry from here.
The cars may need battery replacements MANY years down the line. That'll be a big expense for sure -- but even at current prices (which are WAY higher than they will be in several years), it's nowhere near enough to cancel out the savings.
And let's not forget, it'll replace your entire fuel bill with a slight bump in your electric bill. I can't speak for anyone else but replacing my car with a Model S would cut those costs by 90%. The Model 3 will have a shorter range, but should be more efficient (i.e. fewer kWh per mile).
