Electric Vehicle Owner Story: Patrick Smith and Lor Miller
This spring and summer we bring you “Electric Vehicle Owner Stories,” a series of interviews with northeast Iowa EV owners.
Name: Patrick Smith and Lor Miller
Vehicle: 2019 Tesla Model 3
Purchased on: April 17, 2019
How many miles do you drive annually? 11,000 miles
Thinking back to when you first considered an EV, what were your biggest concerns? Have those concerns lived up to what you had anticipated?
My biggest concern was range and charging for long distance travel. I considered other brands, but the Tesla Supercharger network in 2019 was the only real option. I have made many trips to the east coast and all were very easy.
Now that you’re an EV owner, are your concerns different?
I really don’t have any concerns, it is clearly the best car I have ever owned.
As you’ve adjusted to driving an EV, what have been the biggest headaches? Trip planning, towing, getting someplace when it’s really cold, lack of charging or time spent charging, or something else?
None of those concerns are an issue, no headaches.
Are you a two vehicle household, and if so, is your second vehicle gas powered?
We have a gas powered car and truck, they sit in the driveway most of the time as the Tesla is our daily drive.
Are there certain things you rely on the gas vehicle for?
We use the truck when we need a truck and the car is a second set of wheels.
What’s the longest trip you’ve taken in your EV and what planning considerations came into play?
We have taken it to Connecticut, Vermont, New York, the north shore of Lake Superior a number of times. The car does the planning, we just tell it where we want to go and it lays out the route, Supercharger stops, etc.
Is cold weather driving different than summer driving? Is there anything about winter driving you’d like to share?
The range can be up to 20% less when it is very cold, so one builds in the additional charging requirements. Our Model 3 is all wheel drive and having owned six Subarus in the past, I can say it is the best snow driving car I have ever owned.
Disregarding upfront costs, has your cost of ownership been what you had expected? Are you saving money?
We charge from solar panels and if we use a Supercharger it is one third the cost of gas. Maintenance is keeping the windshield washer bottle filled, replacing wiper blades and replacing tires when needed. We have worn out one set of summer tires and one set of winter tires over more than 55,000 miles. It has never needed Tesla maintenance, this is a very inexpensive car to own.
As you see it, what are the biggest limitations of driving an EV? On the flip side, what’s been the biggest plus?
I am not really aware of limitations. After the initial purchase, it is very inexpensive to operate and so much fun to drive.
Have you used public charging? If so, what has that experience been like?
I have only used Superchargers, they are everywhere! It is very simple, back in, plug in, the car does the rest. After 20 or 30 minutes you drive away. I have never found that I had to wait or found broken chargers.
Given what you know now, are you glad you made the transition to an EV?
I love my Tesla and will never go back to a gas car.
Read more stories about local electric vehicles.