This past weekend, my friend and I decided we wanted to try something new with our annual trip to Sandusky, OH’s Cedar Point.
We go every year, and in previous years we rented cars, driven our own, but this year we wanted to try something new entirely….rent an EV Tesla Model Y from Hertz and see how it all goes. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, a Tesla is a fully electric car which I had NEVER driven before….but I am up for adventure so we gave it a shot, and this is how it went.
I rented the car from Hertz Rental, which was kinda confusing as the only way to rent a Tesla through their website, was reserving it for a drop off at Waterloo Regional Airport, since I couldn’t reserve it through Cedar Falls. I wasn’t flying anywhere, so I called the Cedar Falls location and asked them about it, they were super helpful and let me know that I would be picking it up AT the Cedar Falls location. Odd, but whatever, the car would be there. What was nice is that Hertz would send me emails teaching me how this thing works, cause it is unlike ANY other gas vehicle you have driven. I read each one and watched the videos, if I didn’t? I would have been very lost.
I walked in and they said that I was getting a Model Y (originally reserved a Model 3 short range, so that was a nice surprise). I opted for the insurance cause I was so unfamiliar with how it worked, the last thing I wanted was to crash this $50,000 car and have that ding my insurance. The moment I got into it, it was incredibly different…but exciting. The car is so silent you would never know that it was on, it had no keys but a card you put in the center console….it’s just a VERY unique experience. I dinked around with the touch screen to familiarize myself with it, but I really didn’t have to do much cause it is pre-set and ready to go! Wipers, lights, you name it….it’s all under sensors and turn on when you need too! However you can turn them on yourself too.
It’s incredibly technological, and as someone who loves techy stuff? I loved it….there was a ton of space, the air was cold, it’s just a different driving experience overall and is very much a ‘don’t knock it till you try it’ thing.
But….then the big drive began. On the Tesla GPS, you plan your route and along the way tells you where you should stop for charging at Tesla Superchargers, which yes, do cost you money! My first charge was in Peru, IL at a Hy-Vee. I got right out, plugged in, and the cost was charged to my card which was connected to the rental. I expected to sit for an hour, but the sucker was done in 25 minutes! I even brought my Switch to play Zelda but turns out I never really had time to play it.
My biggest concern for this road trip was sitting at chargers for hours, but it gives you the time to get out, go inside, get a drink, go to the bathroom, and before you know it? Your car is charged and the full charge cost me $22 with a range of 320 miles. I was afraid of Chicago traffic which yes, I did get stuck in….what if the battery died? I lost maybe 1% sitting in traffic as the car basically shuts down when you’re sitting still. The biggest battery drainer is the driving, anything else is miniscule. My next charge was in St. Joseph, MI at Meijer, which this time? Only took 10 minutes to charge cause the Tesla GPS tells you how much power you actually need to make the trip….so…the charge cost me $7 to make it to Grand Rapids, MI to Kyle’s house and…that was it! I could have charged the entire battery, but I didn’t need it, so why waste my time?
I made it to my first destination, and charges maybe added 40 minutes to my drive which honestly? Was perfectly fine….gas in my 2018 Ford Escape would have cost 2 tanks at about $68, which if you compare to a truck or something? That’s still pretty cheap, but the EV charge still came out cheaper in the long run.
Hertz does give you a wall charger to plug into an 60V-120V outlet, and…that thing is worthless. It is likely used specifically if you can’t make it to a Supercharger so you can get a little juice to make it to where you need to go. But, we plugged it in that night to see what it would do, and I had 85% charge when I plugged it, in order to reach 90% battery (a full charge basically)….it would take 6 1/2 hours! So you really need to install the proper hardware to your home or just use Superchargers if you own an EV. Once you have that? I’d see how it’s pretty heavy in the savings.
We woke up the next morning, got on the road to Sandusky, OH and it said they recommend charge to Ypsilanti, MI, which took maybe 10 mins? We got coffee cause we only have 4 hours of sleep! Again, charging was really not as big of a deal as I thought it’d be. Superchargers are really….well, super.
We get to the park and ride our asses off, and we also decided to take some air conditioning breaks in the Tesla which again, did basically NOTHING to the battery, maybe 1%? Got to the hotel, slept, and back on the road we went the next morning, which basically took us to the same chargers and the same cost. Dropped off Kyle and then…the final part of the trip….heading back to Waterloo.
My biggest problem, I started my trip SUPER late…leaving Grand Rapids, MI at 6:30pm….not good, and you’ll read why. I was fully charged and ready to go, but considering this was a long drive? I had to do full charges at 2 different spots with my first in St. Joseph, MI, not a big deal. Traffic was good, pretty smooth and I ended up charging in Peru, IL, not a big issue…but it’s getting late. I’m exhausted, my body hurts, and I’m quite tired. The Tesla then said it should make it to Iowa City to charge one more time, not a full charge…but just enough….I just wanted to be home, and I had to pull over at a Hy-Vee THAT WAS CLOSED! That’s where my issue comes in….no bathroom, stuck sitting for 30 minutes, so what did I do? I had to piss in a Burger King cup, what choice did I have??? That part sucked…if the place was open? No problem! If you’re driving late night with this thing, that’s an issue you may run into….but I suppose the same could be said for gas as well.
I had to return the Tesla at least 70% charged, and by this point it was 2AM in the morning and I had just had it, I wanted to be home. Dropped off the car, got home, slept, and the EV trip was done.
So….did my TLDR story convince me to invest in an EV?
I’d say yes and no….yes because it is a very unique ride and the breaks didn’t really affect me at all except for the super late one. The Tesla Model Y had a WAY more room than I thought it would and the technological aspect of it all is pretty awesome. Also the fact that I don’t have to worry about oil changes, gas, etc. It’s a unique experience that YES, I would rent again.
No because it’s not really practical for me. 2 kids, tons of stuff to haul, no roof rack, etc. If I was a non-parent then I might be more interested in one…also the up front cost. I bought my used 2018 Ford Escape for around $19,000 and it’s treated me very well. A brand new Model Y after tax breaks is around $33,000, which isn’t bad? But not really feasible for me up front.
One interesting thing I ran into was people telling me how they felt about my rental. People’s political beliefs really took shape the moment I said ‘I’m renting a Tesla.’ Kyle got it on his end, I got it on my end….it’s like, really? I’m literally RENTING a car…..4 tires and a hunk of metal….it doesn’t have to be some kind of statement. I’m so damn sorry I didn’t spend my money the way you wanted me too. Fact is I didn’t want to put more mileage on my car and tires (total trip was 1,200 miles!) Like, how dare I try something different….but….welcome to the dumb world we live in where no matter what you do? You’re gonna hear how someone feels about it. Unless you’re letting me borrow your vehicle, then it’s really none of your business….just let people enjoy things.
I don’t think EV’s are gonna replace gas vehicles, never…but it will be a choice you can make when deciding what to buy as a vehicle. The way I see it? The more EV’s on the road, the lesser the demand for gas….making it cheaper for me….if that’s the case? Buy an EV, sure as hell makes it cheaper to fill my tank. I’m sure there is something wrong about that statement and boy I bet someone is just DYING to tell me why I am wrong.
