Technology

Not many 3rd party shops are qualified to work on Teslas, so repairs are generally performed at the dealers who are on balance more expensive. You've been lucky so far to have warranty coverage, but what would your out-of-pocket costs have looked like if you had to cover to cost of those repairs yourself?

How long do you intend to own and drive your Tesla, and what do you anticipate future maintenance and repair bills to look like?

Traditional internal combustion vehicles burn fuel and require regular maintenance that electrics don't. They also suffer mechanical wear & tear, and need regular maintenance, oli changes, fuel, etc. Back of the envelope math: over 100,000 miles, or say 10 years of light to average driving, you are apt to have 330 fuel fill-ups at $55 per, maybe 30 oil changes at $65 per, 5 sets of brakes at $225 per, maybe an odd $3000 in other wear & tear maintenance or a major repair. Call it $20-25k in over 10 years for cost of ownership. If you drive more, you're apt to see those costs go up. (eta: Not accountig for things like taxes, insurance, registration fees, and other wear elements like wipers, tires, and the like as they're probably a wash between IC and EV fleets)

I'm not nearly as familiar with ownership costs of a Tesla, but I do understand that there are probably fewer maintenance expensss because there are fewer moving parts to wear. The power plant and braking systems are electrical and suffer less mechanical wear, fueling costs are shifted to electric costs which are obscured by other supply costs and usage, and the fleet is young enough that most major repairs are still under warranty.

But, when do those warranties expire, and what do you the consumer do with the vehicle after that? Is there an aftermarket? A buyback or trade-in market? If you plan to "drive it into the ground," then how many miles can you expect to get out of your Tesla before you have to buy a new car? Will an extended warranty be an option?

At that point, what does an out-of-warranty battery replacement look like? I've heard it can be between $4000 and $10000, a significant portion of the ~~cost~~ value of the vehicle. How about a dead touchscreen? That's a major component for the vehicle. What about the maintenance fees for software upgrades for those systems? (eta: or ongoing software support?)

I may have made your argument for you, but I also hope I've demonstrated that potentially significant ownership costs may simply have shifted later into the life cycle. You may still have to bear them if you can't offload the vehicle.

What I hope isn't the answer is that these cars are all destined for scrap after their first owner. I buy my vehicles to drive for a long time and plan to offload through private sale or for parts. I don't know that I'll have that same luxury with Teslas, let alone the current fleet of EVs and HEVs.

edits: typos, mostly