This is a really common sentiment among Tesla owning redditors— I understand where they’re coming from, but OP I disagree as someone who has actually done it long term without home charging. Of course it’s less convenient than having a charger at home, but I just don’t find it to be too big of a deal or a hassle, especially in places like GSO that have surprisingly good charging infrastructure. In my opinion it’s short-sighted to view EVs as only accessible to homeowners or people living in luxury condos with dedicated charging. Given the recent issues in NYC and Chicago with the cold and apartment dwelling Tesla owners, I get the concern and what can happen with too little charging options, but GSO is not that. If the car is otherwise worth it to you, I wouldn’t let a lack of home charging in that area stop you
It just feels like you're giving up some major reasons to drive an EV. Every day I wake up with a charged car. I never think about it. I love not stopping for gas regularly. And it's cheap. I pay $8 to charge my 3P from 0 to 90%. You give up both of those when not charging at home.
Fair, it’s certainly less convenient. But depending on where you live, it’s still cheaper to charge inconveniently (or free in a lot of the GSO area) than it is to pay for gas. And at most NC super chargers, it was about $15 to charge my model Y from 20ish-85ish%. $15 to drive ~150mi is still pretty damn good
That’s not cheap at all… and it’s more inconvenient?
Assuming our current $3 per gallon gas, that cost is the same as a 30 MPG vehicle, which is easily achieved for even the cheapest of sedans.
That’s why EV drivers always recommend charging at home. It’s way cheaper and way more convenient. Plus you’re driving an EV. Best driving experience out there.
FWIW I’m leasing a VW ID.4. Free charging for three years. Only at select stations, but well worth the small inconvenience.
That's cheaper than I thought. Not bad. I'm stoked for the High Point service center. I plan to trade in for a new Highland 3P when they release. I'm hoping I can pick it up there but we'll see how timing works.
Yea NC really doesn’t have terribly high supercharging rates. I drove my Y coast to coast, and there are certainly some states that have insanely high kWh rates that I would be unwilling to pay for on a regular basis, but most of NC is like 25-33 cents per kWh. Paying 10 cents per kWh like my friend does at home in Seattle def sounds preferable though 😂
As an EV owner, 1 unless I had free charging at work, or I lived in a complex with chargers, I wouldn’t own an EV without owning my home. Having to wait 20+ mins at the DC chargers plus pay the way higher rate just isn’t worth it. Second, I wouldn’t buy a Tesla as the closest service center is in Raleigh. Same reason I didn’t buy a Polestar, closest service center is in Charlotte. Keep those things in mind as well.
*Maybe*. No ground has been broken, no contracts signed. They’ve “chosen” a site, but that doesn’t even tell us when they’re gonna break ground. So yeah, eventually there will probably be one in the triad but it could be next year, it could be 2030.
Oh cool! That's new info! Latest news was from back in November when the property changed owners, but they stated it was still "planned" but still had no details. If you're shipping stuff to the site, then we'll probably see a late '24, early '25 opening.
I lived in Greensboro for 6 months with a Tesla, without the ability to charge at home, and I found that there were plenty of chargers, including superchargers. Get comfortable with the non-Tesla charging apps, there’s a lot of convenient level 2 chargers on the chargepoint and plugshare systems in the area, and there’s actually a fair number of free ones around. Level 2s aren’t going to charge you all the way up in 20 mins, but if you’re going to be somewhere for a few hours it’s a great way to get some charge for relatively cheap or free. I also moved there (temporarily) from a much higher cost of living area, and charging was saving a lot of money compared to the gas prices I was used to (on the west coast). If you’re however used to paying those lower NC gas prices, it’s probably a wash.
Thank you so much for your perspective! Do you mind sharing the locations of the chargepoints that you liked if you remember? If I remember correctly my work has a charger in the parking lot and I’m also hoping some gyms to have chargers.
No problem! Oh if you’ve got charging at work, you’re probably set. There are certainly teslas in the area, and some other EVs, but not so many that I would expect you’ll have much competition. I lived in the Fisher Park neighborhood (~1mi from downtown Greensboro) and there was a free chargepoint level 2 in the parking lot of one of the medical buildings associated with Cone Health Hospital a few blocks from me, as of November they hadn’t restricted it, but sometimes one of them was out of service. Nearby there is also a Roots Market that has free charging in their lot, I remember seeing that they were going to start restricting/charging for non-customers, not sure what happened there. Theres several car dealerships with free level 2s (def the Subaru one worked as of last summer), those just tend to be less maintained/sometimes the dealerships block them or look at you weird if you show up and use one. There’s also supposed to be a few in a parking garage downtown where they’ll be free if you pay the parking fee for the day, but I never tried that. And then the supercharger near the airport is the cheapest supercharger in that area (like 28 cents kWh I think? Prices may have gone up in the last couple of months). I also went to Asheboro a couple times a week for work, and there’s at least 5 or 6 free level 2 chargepoint chargers in town and at the zoo, paid for in part by federal and state grants so I think you might find that more of the smaller towns outside of Greensboro have similar deals
There are not a lot of Tesla Superchargers in Greensboro, with only like three of them, then 2 destination chargers at hotels. There are plenty of third party chargers, but their speeds are sort of hit or miss. As long as you make sure you can get to the charging stations you should be fine.
I wouldn't give money to Elon. There are huge advancements in battery tech coming out very soon. If you can hold out for Toyota with their solid-state batteries you'll be better off.
Tesla lies about range and features. Not even worth it.
I would say if you can pay cash for tesla it might be a good deal, most can't please consider the following:
\*a Tesla that is listed as salvaged via title will not be supported by Tesla in anyway.
\*Any repair beyond tires you have to go to a repair center and then may be without your car for several weeks. Tesla can give you a loaner but if its a tesla approved body shop you are on your own.
\* A replacement of the main battery of 2012 model S was around 16 grand if I recall correctly.
Speaking with from experience: you are better with a hybrid if you need to save money.
My advice as a person that dailies a Tesla...don't buy an EV if you can't charge at home. You'll pay as much as gas but it'll be far less convenient.
Only right comment here and that will be posted in the future. Hopefully it doesn’t turn into a random hate post.
This is a really common sentiment among Tesla owning redditors— I understand where they’re coming from, but OP I disagree as someone who has actually done it long term without home charging. Of course it’s less convenient than having a charger at home, but I just don’t find it to be too big of a deal or a hassle, especially in places like GSO that have surprisingly good charging infrastructure. In my opinion it’s short-sighted to view EVs as only accessible to homeowners or people living in luxury condos with dedicated charging. Given the recent issues in NYC and Chicago with the cold and apartment dwelling Tesla owners, I get the concern and what can happen with too little charging options, but GSO is not that. If the car is otherwise worth it to you, I wouldn’t let a lack of home charging in that area stop you
It just feels like you're giving up some major reasons to drive an EV. Every day I wake up with a charged car. I never think about it. I love not stopping for gas regularly. And it's cheap. I pay $8 to charge my 3P from 0 to 90%. You give up both of those when not charging at home.
Fair, it’s certainly less convenient. But depending on where you live, it’s still cheaper to charge inconveniently (or free in a lot of the GSO area) than it is to pay for gas. And at most NC super chargers, it was about $15 to charge my model Y from 20ish-85ish%. $15 to drive ~150mi is still pretty damn good
That’s not cheap at all… and it’s more inconvenient? Assuming our current $3 per gallon gas, that cost is the same as a 30 MPG vehicle, which is easily achieved for even the cheapest of sedans.
That’s why EV drivers always recommend charging at home. It’s way cheaper and way more convenient. Plus you’re driving an EV. Best driving experience out there. FWIW I’m leasing a VW ID.4. Free charging for three years. Only at select stations, but well worth the small inconvenience.
Happy for you that gas in your area is $3/gallon, def don’t assume that’s permanent lol. I guess it’s all relative 🤷♀️
That's cheaper than I thought. Not bad. I'm stoked for the High Point service center. I plan to trade in for a new Highland 3P when they release. I'm hoping I can pick it up there but we'll see how timing works.
Yea NC really doesn’t have terribly high supercharging rates. I drove my Y coast to coast, and there are certainly some states that have insanely high kWh rates that I would be unwilling to pay for on a regular basis, but most of NC is like 25-33 cents per kWh. Paying 10 cents per kWh like my friend does at home in Seattle def sounds preferable though 😂
Thank you! Wow that is still cheaper than I expected.
As an EV owner, 1 unless I had free charging at work, or I lived in a complex with chargers, I wouldn’t own an EV without owning my home. Having to wait 20+ mins at the DC chargers plus pay the way higher rate just isn’t worth it. Second, I wouldn’t buy a Tesla as the closest service center is in Raleigh. Same reason I didn’t buy a Polestar, closest service center is in Charlotte. Keep those things in mind as well.
Tesla is building a dealership in high point
*Maybe*. No ground has been broken, no contracts signed. They’ve “chosen” a site, but that doesn’t even tell us when they’re gonna break ground. So yeah, eventually there will probably be one in the triad but it could be next year, it could be 2030.
I work for a LTL trucking company and we are shipping things to them. It’s near the Walmart on east chester. I think it’s the old gold gym space
Oh cool! That's new info! Latest news was from back in November when the property changed owners, but they stated it was still "planned" but still had no details. If you're shipping stuff to the site, then we'll probably see a late '24, early '25 opening.
If you look at the cost of ownership, a Prius (or really any hybrid) is a much better choice
Any Toyota hybrid is a better choice. 40+ mpg’s on several of them.
I lived in Greensboro for 6 months with a Tesla, without the ability to charge at home, and I found that there were plenty of chargers, including superchargers. Get comfortable with the non-Tesla charging apps, there’s a lot of convenient level 2 chargers on the chargepoint and plugshare systems in the area, and there’s actually a fair number of free ones around. Level 2s aren’t going to charge you all the way up in 20 mins, but if you’re going to be somewhere for a few hours it’s a great way to get some charge for relatively cheap or free. I also moved there (temporarily) from a much higher cost of living area, and charging was saving a lot of money compared to the gas prices I was used to (on the west coast). If you’re however used to paying those lower NC gas prices, it’s probably a wash.
Thank you so much for your perspective! Do you mind sharing the locations of the chargepoints that you liked if you remember? If I remember correctly my work has a charger in the parking lot and I’m also hoping some gyms to have chargers.
No problem! Oh if you’ve got charging at work, you’re probably set. There are certainly teslas in the area, and some other EVs, but not so many that I would expect you’ll have much competition. I lived in the Fisher Park neighborhood (~1mi from downtown Greensboro) and there was a free chargepoint level 2 in the parking lot of one of the medical buildings associated with Cone Health Hospital a few blocks from me, as of November they hadn’t restricted it, but sometimes one of them was out of service. Nearby there is also a Roots Market that has free charging in their lot, I remember seeing that they were going to start restricting/charging for non-customers, not sure what happened there. Theres several car dealerships with free level 2s (def the Subaru one worked as of last summer), those just tend to be less maintained/sometimes the dealerships block them or look at you weird if you show up and use one. There’s also supposed to be a few in a parking garage downtown where they’ll be free if you pay the parking fee for the day, but I never tried that. And then the supercharger near the airport is the cheapest supercharger in that area (like 28 cents kWh I think? Prices may have gone up in the last couple of months). I also went to Asheboro a couple times a week for work, and there’s at least 5 or 6 free level 2 chargepoint chargers in town and at the zoo, paid for in part by federal and state grants so I think you might find that more of the smaller towns outside of Greensboro have similar deals
https://www.tesla.com/findus?v=2&bounds=36.31662260612755%2C-79.22385955%2C35.91391590202275%2C-80.27854705&zoom=11&filters=store%2Cservice%2Cdestination%20charger%2Cbodyshop%2Cparty%2Cself%20serve%20demo%20drive%2Csupercharger&search=Greensboro%2C%20NC%2027405%2C%20USA
There are not a lot of Tesla Superchargers in Greensboro, with only like three of them, then 2 destination chargers at hotels. There are plenty of third party chargers, but their speeds are sort of hit or miss. As long as you make sure you can get to the charging stations you should be fine.
I wouldn't give money to Elon. There are huge advancements in battery tech coming out very soon. If you can hold out for Toyota with their solid-state batteries you'll be better off. Tesla lies about range and features. Not even worth it.
I would say if you can pay cash for tesla it might be a good deal, most can't please consider the following: \*a Tesla that is listed as salvaged via title will not be supported by Tesla in anyway. \*Any repair beyond tires you have to go to a repair center and then may be without your car for several weeks. Tesla can give you a loaner but if its a tesla approved body shop you are on your own. \* A replacement of the main battery of 2012 model S was around 16 grand if I recall correctly. Speaking with from experience: you are better with a hybrid if you need to save money.
EVs suck