If you’re in the market for a Battery Electric Vehicle (or BEV), then there’s one brand that’s likely to have captured your attention. Tesla has helped to establish the electric car as something that’s desirable and high-performance. But is a car of this sort really worth the hype? Let’s see if we can separate the upsides from the downsides.
Environmentally Friendly
If you’re looking at the electric car, then the chances are good that you’re concerned about the state of the environment. As well as being vastly more energy-efficient, electric cars like the Tesla Model S don’t produce any emissions at the point of use. Consequently, they won’t fall on the wrong side of any clean air laws.
On the other hand, we should balance this against the fact that creating a lithium-ion battery is hugely costly, from an environmental perspective. As such, you’ll only be greener than the average motorist if you’re putting in plenty of miles in your new electric car.
Safety
Tesla cars tend to be highly rated, from a safety perspective. They score especially highly for front-crash protection, and they come loaded with features like emergency assisted braking, which help to reduce the likelihood and severity of a collision.
Sense of Luxury
As well as being fun to drive, powerful and efficient, the average Tesla comes with a plush interior that’s been designed to appeal to the average executive. You’ll get special features, like a generously-proportioned touchscreen, and extra air-filtration capability, too.
The Downsides
We’ve run through some of the biggest upsides of owning a Tesla. But what are the downsides? There are several worth thinking about.
The first and most obvious is the price of admission. You can expect to pay tens of thousands of pounds for the Model 3. There isn’t, as of yet, a truly affordable member of the range – and this largely stems from the cost of the battery. While this might change in the future as battery prices decline, for the time being you’ll be forced to dip into your pocket. Of course, this concern might not apply if you’re looking to lease the car rather than buy it outright!
The second downside has the potential to take many motorists by surprise. Since you’re driving a rarer and more specialised vehicle with plenty of proprietary devices attached, you can expect to wait a little longer when it’s time for repairs and maintenance.
The same applies when you’re waiting to buy the car in the first place. This goes especially when there’s a global silicon shortage: when there’s limited capacity to supply new cars to market, you can expect to wait for a little longer before you get the car in your possession.
GAG Staff