# How about a Tesla 3



## Kazjimmy (Feb 27, 2019)

Hi guys

I am gonna buy a new car for long term Uber driver of course Uber X only. Tesla announcement today $35000 for model 3. What do you guys think?


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## Pax Collector (Feb 18, 2018)

Kazjimmy said:


> What do you guys think?


We think that you've lost your marbles.


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## TheDevilisaParttimer (Jan 2, 2019)

Kazjimmy said:


> Hi guys
> 
> I am gonna buy a new car for long term Uber driver of course Uber X only. Tesla announcement today $35000 for model 3. What do you guys think?


Depreciation and reliability is the problem... As reliability goes up and used T3's hit the market, maybe then.


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## RideshareUSA (Feb 7, 2019)

Kazjimmy said:


> Hi guys
> 
> I am gonna buy a new car for long term Uber driver of course Uber X only. Tesla announcement today $35000 for model 3. What do you guys think?


Go for it!


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## TomTheAnt (Jan 1, 2019)

Funny. Considering the Model 3 was supposed to cost 35K when it came out in the first place. :roflmao: Pretty sure it was somewhere in the press release back in the day.


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## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

-Not enough range for a day of driving. I drive 300+ miles every day. $35 K model will not do that.
-Car too expensive. How many years of 100K miles will it take before it needs a major overhaul?
-Electric vehicle taxes coming soon. See California. In some places, charging an electric car is not cheaper than using a fuel efficient gas car.


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## dryverjohn (Jun 3, 2018)

Cost to charge a tesla is higher than filling up a 10 year old prius. I own both a model 3 and a 2010 prius. The Prius goes 550 miles on $22. The tesla 220 mile range will run you about $15. Maintenance is virtually nothing on the tesla, but very minimal on the prius. check your market. In Orange County the model 3 was considered select and I think even black at one point, but requests will be low on that level.


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## rideshare2870 (Nov 23, 2017)

Kazjimmy said:


> Hi guys
> 
> I am gonna buy a new car for long term Uber driver of course Uber X only. Tesla announcement today $35000 for model 3. What do you guys think?


If your're financing, this is just dumb. Every car payment that you make gives the impression that Uber is sucessful and will still be here. The reality is, that's not case. Never give assurance by being a slave to loans for a company like Uber. They consistently cause interruptions in the market with new rules that screw the driver.


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## NorCalPhil (Aug 19, 2016)

Don't pay to drive Uber. It's not worth it.

Buy the cheapest car you can with cash that qualifies for the platform. Pax don't care what car you have, so long as you can drive well and keep it relatively clean. I know because I have the cheapest car imaginable. Pax do not deserve any luxuries at current pay rates. I won't even drive them in my car anymore.


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## TomTheAnt (Jan 1, 2019)

Hopefully he didn't buy the 3 yet. :biggrin:

https://uberpeople.net/threads/i-think-lyft-is-a-joke.314224/


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## Kazjimmy (Feb 27, 2019)

NorCalPhil said:


> Don't pay to drive Uber. It's not worth it.
> 
> Buy the cheapest car you can with cash that qualifies for the platform. Pax don't care what car you have, so long as you can drive well and keep it relatively clean. I know because I have the cheapest car imaginable. Pax do not deserve any luxuries at current pay rates. I won't even drive them in my car anymore.


Man if you have to sit in your work station 50 hrs a week. How do you feel ?


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## amazinghl (Oct 31, 2018)

The longer you work for Uber, the lower the fare Uber will drop.

Foolish to get into a 35k hole for Uber.


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## NorCalPhil (Aug 19, 2016)

Kazjimmy said:


> Man if you have to sit in your work station 50 hrs a week. How do you feel ?


Better when I know its paid for and I'm not reliant on pax to make the payments.


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## Sal29 (Jul 27, 2014)

Kazjimmy said:


> Hi guys
> 
> I am gonna buy a new car for long term Uber driver of course Uber X only. Tesla announcement today $35000 for model 3. What do you guys think?


You should wait till Toyota starts making full electric vehicles. Paying over 35k for an Uber X vehicle would only be worth it if it goes 500k miles with just routine maintenance. Tesla has poor reliability.


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## njn (Jan 23, 2016)

Taxi fleets use them for a reason.

https://electrek.co/2018/04/23/tesla-taxi-fleet-amsterdam-airport-updated-model-x/


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## krbjmpr (Mar 12, 2019)

I was looking at TS and T3 a few days ago. On T's site, used (2016) were sub to low $20s and most had batteries that were still 80% or higher.

TS and T3 have a range of about 200 miles. I do about half to 3/4 of that when I drive. For me it is doable, but I think I would be cutting it close a few times each month. Not worth pucker factor.


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## Ignatowski (Mar 23, 2019)

I have used a 30kwhr Leaf with range 100 miles (+/- 20 depending on season). It works out OK. I start with a full battery and do 5 to 7 rides for about 3 hours, covering about 80 miles. I avoid driving in areas that will give many long/freeway rides, and I try to stay in a primetime zone. Then I quit, go home, plug the car in and eat brunch and read UberPeople. I go out again either for afternoon rush hour (M,Tu,W) or 5pm-midnight dinner+bar hours (Th,Fri,Sat). My cost for home charging is 8.5 cents/kwhr (12 cents incl. all taxes&fees), and it costs me about $2 to recharge after 3 hours of Lyfting in winter.

If I want to drive a longer stretch (like dinner+bar hours), then I need to take a break and fast-charge about once after every 2.25 hours of driving (3 hours in summer). Fast-charge to an 80% charge takes 15 to 30 minutes (slower in winter). The cost can be even less than home charging, because a $30/month Greenlots card gives me unlimited 30-minute fast charges. But even if it saves $2, sitting at the charger for 20+ minutes isn't worth $2 to me, so I charge at home unless I need to keep driving.

If you mostly drive long shifts like 5pm-2am, then a 30kwhr battery would be less convenient, because you'd be stopping every 2.5 hours for a break. A Tesla or Bolt could do 5-6 hours of Lyfting before the first break (where I drive), so would be a better choice. But if you focus on rush hours, and can start with a full battery, then even a cheap Leaf is OK.


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## Ignatowski (Mar 23, 2019)

krbjmpr said:


> For me it is doable, but I think I would be cutting it close a few times each month. Not worth pucker factor.


In my market, the farthest distance you can be from a fast charger is about 14.5 miles (if you're inside the beltway). Distance to a slow "level-2" charger (6-10kw) is usually only 2-3 miles.

The "worst case scenario" for me so far (in 500 rides), was once when I had <20 miles range after dropping the pax 12 miles outside the beltway, and drove 12 miles in to the nearest fast charger, but it was out of order. Then I drove a mile to the nearest slow charger, and charged for 20 minutes to get enough juice to drive 6 miles to the next fast charger.

Obviously, some cities have fewer chargers (but those in Cali have many more). Check out PlugShare.com and look at a map of Tesla + Chademo chargers in your market (if you had a Tesla, you'd want the Chademo adapter so that you could charge at more places). On a normal day, you'd just go offline while you have enough range to go home or to a supercharger.


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## Sgt_PaxHauler (Oct 21, 2016)

I've seen model 3's in the Austin-Bergstrom airport queue from time to time. I don't think they get Select, unfortunately. 
I drive a Bolt, and can generally get about 6-8 hours of driving in between charges (which usually translates to 180-200 miles, depending on weather conditions). If I chose to drive all the way down to where the car tells me the battery is "Low" instead of showing a mile range, I could probably squeeze out another 25 miles of driving but I don't take risks. I go offline once I get below 60 miles of range (usually about 25% battery) and go to the closest DC fast charging station. By this time, I've memorized the locations of all of the Level 3's available after hours. 
If you really had the spare $$$ to go for a new EV, I'd recommend a Bolt, longer-ranged 2019 Leaf or a Kia E-Niro over a Tesla, even if Tesla's Supercharger network has better coverage than the other companies' CCS and Chademo fast charger networks.


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## Ignatowski (Mar 23, 2019)

Sgt_PaxHauler said:


> I'd recommend a Bolt, longer-ranged 2019 Leaf or a Kia E-Niro over a Tesla, even if Tesla's Supercharger network has better coverage than the other companies' CCS and Chademo fast charger networks.


In my market, there are 19 Chademo fast-chargers inside the beltway; 16 CCS chargers; but just one Tesla Supercharger. Tesla's charger network is built to enable road trips, not in-metro fast charging. So if you plan to fast-charge as part of your rideshare routine, then you don't want to rely on Tesla Superchargers. But a Tesla with Chademo adapter should be about as convenient to recharge as a Bolt.

There's one other rideshare driver in my market with an EV; he uses a Bolt, and is happy with it.


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## dryverjohn (Jun 3, 2018)

In my calculations, the old Prius is a better alternative, not to drive and not for chicks, but for income and costs per mile. It will be interesting to see what a Tesla with 300k miles is worth, they can basically be brought back to life with a new battery pack. I still say that when you factor in the price of charging vs gas, the Prius wins probably up to around $4 per gallon. Prius depreciation is as low as $.05 per mile if you buy them used and at the right price. Maintenance is very minimal.


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## Ignatowski (Mar 23, 2019)

dryverjohn said:


> In my calculations, the old Prius is a better alternative, not to drive and not for chicks, but for income and costs per mile. It will be interesting to see what a Tesla with 300k miles is worth, they can basically be brought back to life


I agree with that. Lowest cost per mile is if you buy a $6k Gen3 prius, drive it until the engine or transmission needs major work (say, after 150k miles over 3 years), rinse, repeat every 3 years.

EVs have an odd failure mode: unlike major transmission/engine wear, an EV with a worn battery drives just as well as one with a new battery; it just can't drive as far. There was a Tesla P100 with 150K miles in our Craigslist, with 20% battery degradation. If it had 50% battery degradation after 300k miles, then it could still drive 60% farther than my Leaf did when brand new, so it wouldn't be "dead" after 300k... but it would only appeal to a smaller number of used car buyers. That could help maintain resale value. With the non-rusting body panels, I could imagine a really long service life, especially in a high mileage taxi fleet.

In fact, as car-sharing replaces car ownership, I have wondered if we won't start to see cars built just for our industry: like, washable surfaces everywhere (a passenger area you can hose-down!). And cars built to run virtually forever (or until the frame gets bent).


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## TNCrackhead219 (Mar 23, 2016)

Trafficat said:


> -Not enough range for a day of driving. I drive 300+ miles every day. $35 K model will not do that.
> -Car too expensive. How many years of 100K miles will it take before it needs a major overhaul?
> -Electric vehicle taxes coming soon. See California. In some places, charging an electric car is not cheaper than using a fuel efficient gas car.


Where do you get your information from. You are so misinformed.


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## UberAdrian (May 26, 2018)

> Not enough range for a day of driving. I drive 300+ miles every day. $35 K model will not do that.


Is that enough for you?

https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-ca...iles-of-range-out-of-its-big-battery-model-s/


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## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

UberAdrian said:


> Is that enough for you?
> 
> https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-ca...iles-of-range-out-of-its-big-battery-model-s/


From the article:


> Model S Standard Range starts at $78,000


That's for the standard range version. If the idea of using a Tesla is to be a good profit machine, it needs not only long range... but to have a long range at a cheaper cost than just buying gas.


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## UberAdrian (May 26, 2018)

Trafficat said:


> From the article:
> 
> That's for the standard range version. If the idea of using a Tesla is to be a good profit machine, it needs not only long range... but to have a long range at a cheaper cost than just buying gas.


Ya the long range is 88k. However...

Tesla3 SR is 40k and does 240 mi. The LR is 50k and does 308 mi. Do we really need all the range from a single charge? Can you not find a bit of time to charge up some over the course of a whole day? 240 seems sufficient and 40k is not too bad. You can charge a 100 kwh at home for $5-10. A gas tank for the same range would be 10x that. When you combine the expected reliability with the gas savings, it looks interesting. Not amazing but competitive. The LR looks good too, 28% more range for 25% more price.


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## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

I have a car worth $2000 that gets 28 city, 37 highway MPG. How many gallons of gas can you buy with $86K? At $4/gal, that is 21500 gallons... at 30 mpg, that is 645000 miles worth of gas. 

I really wanted the math to work, but it just is not competitive, at least not for UberX.

The Tesla model Y for UberXL may be another story.


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## steveK2016 (Jul 31, 2016)

dryverjohn said:


> Cost to charge a tesla is higher than filling up a 10 year old prius. I own both a model 3 and a 2010 prius. The Prius goes 550 miles on $22. The tesla 220 mile range will run you about $15. Maintenance is virtually nothing on the tesla, but very minimal on the prius. check your market. In Orange County the model 3 was considered select and I think even black at one point, but requests will be low on that level.


Here in Texas, I get free electricity from 8pm to 5am. Perfect time to charge up!



Trafficat said:


> I have a car worth $2000 that gets 28 city, 37 highway MPG. How many gallons of gas can you buy with $86K? At $4/gal, that is 21500 gallons... at 30 mpg, that is 645000 miles worth of gas.
> 
> I really wanted the math to work, but it just is not competitive, at least not for UberX.
> 
> The Tesla model Y for UberXL may be another story.


 From photos ive seen, no way Model Y will have a 3rd row.


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## UberAdrian (May 26, 2018)

The math will depend a lot on the electricity prices in your area and how long you plan to keep the car.

I can full charge a 100 kWH for $5 at home and there are a bunch of free charges around.


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## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

UberAdrian said:


> and how long you plan to keep the car.


And how long before the batteries need to be replaced and how much that is going to cost.


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## ANT 7 (Oct 14, 2018)

Buying a Tesla for Uber is insane.

Google is your friend.


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## Hagong (Jan 17, 2017)

$35k for an Uber X only car with LA rates? No way


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## Wildgoose (Feb 11, 2019)

A porter from a hotel helped loading the luggage in a car for a millionaire after his visit. Millionaire gave him $10 tips. 
Porter: : Your son even tipped me $100 at his yesterday check out, Sir.
Millionaire: : Well, Son, His father is a millionaire but my father wasn't.


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## Ignatowski (Mar 23, 2019)

I think you need to pick a driving strategy that matches your car. If you have a gas car with great highway MPG, and so-so city MPG, then you might do pickups along the beltway, and not at rush hour. Get rolling at 65mph as much as possible.

I drive an electric car, so I prefer shorter rides. We are getting $2-$4 flat surges at rush hour, so I am mostly driving 4-hour stints during AM and PM rush hours. This keeps the pay up, and the miles down. Quests and flat surges have made long freeway trips less attractive than they used to be.

I start the day with a full battery. I average about 20 miles driven per hour during the AM rush hour, and I could drive for about 5.5 hours before I get down to 20%. I usually start at 6:45am, and come home around 11am with 30%-ish power left, plug in and go eat breakfast.

Charging at home with my old slow-charging electric car adds about 23 miles and 23% per hour plugged-in, so the battery is charged back to 90% by about 1:30pm. I go drive a few hours for PM rush hour from 2 to 5pm., then charge more during dinner. If I don't have evening plans, then the battery is full and waiting for a third driving session by 7pm. I usually only drive until about 10pm or so, but on Friday I'll go until 20% battery charge (between 11pm and midnight).

Basically, even with a tiny 30kwhr battery and a slow 6.6kw charger, I can easily drive 11 hours/day. And that's without fast-charging. We have 18 fast chargers inside the beltway, and you're never more than 7.5 miles from one. When rides are stacking well (events, storms, etc), I stop to fast-charge & pee, then keep driving.

I do make some accommodations: I decline 10+ minute or 5+ mile pickups, I decline all "long rides", and if a ride takes me to suburbia (where the pickups are usually long, and usually in the wrong direction), then I try to get back into the metro core using Destination filters in both Lyft and Uber. Many gas car drivers do the same things, so I don't think this is a big loss.


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## RDWRER (May 24, 2018)

I thought you couldn’t even drive a Tesla on rideshare without voiding major parts of the warranty?


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## ANT 7 (Oct 14, 2018)

There is a ride share company in China with 279 Teslas and 25% of them are off the road as they cannot get parts.


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## Matt Uterak (Jul 28, 2015)

Rich Benoit has a channel on YouTube called Rich Rebuilds. 

He works on a lot of Teslas. 

Entertaining and educational.


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## Ignatowski (Mar 23, 2019)

RDWRER said:


> I thought you couldn't even drive a Tesla on rideshare without voiding major parts of the warranty?


I believe that's true of the extended warranty. Not sure about the factory warranty.


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## Hagong (Jan 17, 2017)

Ignatowski said:


> I believe that's true of the extended warranty. Not sure about the factory warranty.


This New Vehicle Limited Warranty does not cover any vehicle damage or malfunction directly orindirectly caused by, due to or resulting from normal wear or deterioration, abuse, misuse,negligence, accident, improper maintenance, operation, storage or transport, including, but notlimited to, any of the following:...

•Driving for business or commercial purposes, including, but not limited to, taxi, livery, or ride-sharing purposes, rental services, delivery services, law enforcement or emergency services;...

https://www.scribd.com/document/367...60149026&source=hp_affiliate&medium=affiliate


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## Ignatowski (Mar 23, 2019)

Good to know, in case I can afford to buy a new Tesla... and then still drive uber :wink: . I'm driving an out-of-warranty Leaf, which suits me fine for this. CV joints, brakes, window motors and everything are just like any Nissan... it's just a boring regular car, except without the gas.


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## peteyvavs (Nov 18, 2015)

Kazjimmy said:


> Hi guys
> 
> I am gonna buy a new car for long term Uber driver of course Uber X only. Tesla announcement today $35000 for model 3. What do you guys think?


Get some medication fast, you're living in a fantasy world.


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## Ubermcbc (Sep 25, 2016)

Kazjimmy said:


> Hi guys
> 
> I am gonna buy a new car for long term Uber driver of course Uber X only. Tesla announcement today $35000 for model 3. What do you guys think?


Big mistake. Vehicle should be as cheap as possible.

Now these 2 latest models are the eye opener and will also bring awareness to some folks that the pay must not be good . Lol.

We should have to combat with the pax equally. Cheapness to cheapness. That's the only way.


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## RalphNader (Aug 30, 2018)

I think it is a fantastic idea, for a casual person that has the discipline to maintain a contractors mindset, and ignore those little instances where a rideshare platform/.company/AI presents moments that make you feel like an employee..


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## Gtown Driver (Aug 26, 2018)

Kazjimmy said:


> Hi guyes
> 
> I am gonna buy a new car for long term Uber driver of course Uber X only. Tesla announcement today $35000 for model 3. What do you guyes think?


I think you should accept all ping.


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## Matt Uterak (Jul 28, 2015)

I did the math for me. 

If I bought the Tesla 3 model being sold at $39,900 that are readily available it would be like this:

39,900 - $7,500 fed credit - $7,000 current car value = $25,400. 

Operational cost per mile vs my current car is about $.11 less for the Tesla. 

25,400/.11 = 230,900 miles to break even.

This doesn’t include depreciation and Insurance costs which push the break even point past the useful life of the car. 

Not worth it.


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## Hagong (Jan 17, 2017)

Matt Uterak said:


> I did the math for me.
> 
> If I bought the Tesla 3 model being sold at $39,900 that are readily available it would be like this:
> 
> ...


Why are you subtracting the Federal tax credit off the sticker price? And also, the Fed credit is now only $3750 for the Model 3


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## Khalid50 (Jun 26, 2019)

Kazjimmy said:


> Hi guys
> 
> I am gonna buy a new car for long term Uber driver of course Uber X only. Tesla announcement today $35000 for model 3. What do you guys think?


Cool


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## Matt Uterak (Jul 28, 2015)

Hagong said:


> Why are you subtracting the Federal tax credit off the sticker price? And also, the Fed credit is now only $3750 for the Model 3


The actual price of the car is lower due to the credit. It makes sense to subtract it to determine cost.


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## Hagong (Jan 17, 2017)

Matt Uterak said:


> The actual price of the car is lower due to the credit. It makes sense to subtract it to determine cost.


Please explain how Federal tax credits work toward reducing the upfront cost.


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## TomTheAnt (Jan 1, 2019)

Matt Uterak said:


> This doesn't include depreciation and Insurance costs which push the break even point past the useful life of the car.


Nor does it include tax, title, license etc. fees you have to pay.


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## Matt Uterak (Jul 28, 2015)

Hagong said:


> Please explain how Federal tax credits work toward reducing the upfront cost.


Upfront cost isn't relevant.

The total cost of the vehicle is 39,900 - 3,750 tax credit and in my case the sale of my current vehicle $7,500.

Tax credits will reduce taxes owed $ for $. It is the same as a cash discount unless one doesn't have enough taxable income. The investment in a Tesla 3 for rideshare is even worse if one doesn't have $3,750 in federal income tax.

Take the total outlay of $s / the incremental savings in operating costs and it shows wether the investment is worth it.

In this case the total costs will exceed savings over the lifetime of the vehicle.


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## Hagong (Jan 17, 2017)

Matt Uterak said:


> Upfront cost isn't relevant


It is. In your example, you knocked off the Federal credit off the sticker price.


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## itendstonight (Feb 10, 2019)

Kazjimmy said:


> Hi guys
> 
> I am gonna buy a new car for long term Uber driver of course Uber X only. Tesla announcement today $35000 for model 3. What do you guys think?


You're funny! You got my sides hurting from laughter ? I like you, you are made out to be a comedian!


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## Matt Uterak (Jul 28, 2015)

Hagong said:


> It is. In your example, you knocked off the Federal credit off the sticker price.


Splitting hairs.

The investment is evaluated on the life of the vehicle/life of ownership.

I am Unsure what your position is, can you elaborate?


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## Hagong (Jan 17, 2017)

Matt Uterak said:


> Splitting hairs.
> 
> The investment is evaluated on the life of the vehicle/life of ownership.
> 
> I am Unsure what your position is, can you elaborate?


It isnt. In your example, you knocked off the Federal credit off the sticker price.


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## yayster (Jul 18, 2019)

As an Uber driver owning a Tesla, the Tesla Supercharger Network is not available to you.


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## Ignatowski (Mar 23, 2019)

yayster said:


> As an Uber driver owning a Tesla, the Tesla Supercharger Network is not available to you.


My Leaf came with 2 years of free fast-charging (under the "Nissan No-Charge-to-Charge" program), but I still charge almost entirely at home. Instead of charging for 20 minutes, when I run low on "gas," I quit and go home and plug-in; then I go drive more later in the day. Fast-charging time is unpaid time. If I spend that 20 minutes driving instead, then I earn more than I could have saved in 20 minutes of free fast-charging.

I have the 30kw-hr Leaf (not the new 60kw-hr Leaf), and I can usually drive for 3-5 hours on a charge in summer. That's enough for me: I can drive from 5am-8am (and quit when rush-hour gets nasty); then go out again for 2pm-5pm (until PM rush hour gets nasty), and go out again for 10pm-2am bar hours (and quit before bar-close). Obviously, you can't drive until 2am, and also start at 4am, so I usually just go out 1-2 times in the day, depending on my schedule. Charging at home has not been a problem. If I needed to drive 12+ hours for 2+ days in a row, then I would need to fast-charge more. But I've found that the more hours you drive, the lower your $/hr pay goes, so I try to focus on surges and busy times, and that means 3 to 5 hour driving shifts.


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Deduct 30-32K from what you are planning to spend and buy that car.


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## Hagong (Jan 17, 2017)

Ignatowski said:


> My Leaf came with 2 years of free fast-charging (under the "Nissan No-Charge-to-Charge" program), but I still charge almost entirely at home. Instead of charging for 20 minutes, when I run low on "gas," I quit and go home and plug-in; then I go drive more later in the day. Fast-charging time is unpaid time. If I spend that 20 minutes driving instead, then I earn more than I could have saved in 20 minutes of free fast-charging.
> 
> I have the 30kw-hr Leaf (not the new 60kw-hr Leaf), and I can usually drive for 3-5 hours on a charge in summer. That's enough for me: I can drive from 5am-8am (and quit when rush-hour gets nasty); then go out again for 2pm-5pm (until PM rush hour gets nasty), and go out again for 10pm-2am bar hours (and quit before bar-close). Obviously, you can't drive until 2am, and also start at 4am, so I usually just go out 1-2 times in the day, depending on my schedule. Charging at home has not been a problem. If I needed to drive 12+ hours for 2+ days in a row, then I would need to fast-charge more. But I've found that the more hours you drive, the lower your $/hr pay goes, so I try to focus on surges and busy times, and that means 3 to 5 hour driving shifts.


You got an electric car that doesn't use gas?!


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## Ignatowski (Mar 23, 2019)

Hagong said:


> You got an electric car that doesn't use gas?!


Yeah, no gas tank, no engine. I think there are 3 full-time electric car rideshare drivers in Minneapolis/St. Paul (plus I've seen others once or twice... but they probably quit, like most drivers). I've heard there are lots more in Cali.


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## yayster (Jul 18, 2019)

Ignatowski said:


> My Leaf came with 2 years of free fast-charging (under the "Nissan No-Charge-to-Charge" program), but I still charge almost entirely at home. Instead of charging for 20 minutes, when I run low on "gas," I quit and go home and plug-in; then I go drive more later in the day. Fast-charging time is unpaid time. If I spend that 20 minutes driving instead, then I earn more than I could have saved in 20 minutes of free fast-charging.
> 
> I have the 30kw-hr Leaf (not the new 60kw-hr Leaf), and I can usually drive for 3-5 hours on a charge in summer. That's enough for me: I can drive from 5am-8am (and quit when rush-hour gets nasty); then go out again for 2pm-5pm (until PM rush hour gets nasty), and go out again for 10pm-2am bar hours (and quit before bar-close). Obviously, you can't drive until 2am, and also start at 4am, so I usually just go out 1-2 times in the day, depending on my schedule. Charging at home has not been a problem. If I needed to drive 12+ hours for 2+ days in a row, then I would need to fast-charge more. But I've found that the more hours you drive, the lower your $/hr pay goes, so I try to focus on surges and busy times, and that means 3 to 5 hour driving shifts.


I understand what you are saying. I need to update the electrical infrastructure of my home first -- I do not have any 220 outlets. 110 volt charge time is much, much too slow.


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## SFOspeedracer (Jun 25, 2019)

Ignatowski said:


> Yeah, no gas tank, no engine. I think there are 3 full-time electric car rideshare drivers in Minneapolis/St. Paul (plus I've seen others once or twice... but they probably quit, like most drivers). I've heard there are lots more in Cali.


There are a lot of electric car users in cali, especially San Francisco. Was reading a spotlight article that Uber is piloting a plan to covert most if not all cars in London to drive electric within the next 6 years


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## Coastal_Cruiser (Oct 1, 2018)

I wonder what the OP is thinking about his notion of buying a Model 3 after reading all these comments?

I drive an EV for ridesharing. It's working out well. But it seems that any questions about is it worth it, and any comments, should be preceded by noting if you are FT or PT. Many posters here seem to be FT, and I respect what you have to say about EVs (pro or con) because you are having to game the system in the extreme.

The OP did not indicate if he is FT or PT. I am PT. Even being PT I may not I fit into any of the usual PT molds. I am semi-retired and drive only on weekends. I have a leased Chevy Bolt. Yes, leased. It has a 45K (15K per year) 3-year lease. Even driving only weekends I will end up with 90K miles on the car (double the lease allowance), and therefore will be paying .25 cents per mile for 45K miles. (I literally stop driving each day when I've hit my mileage cap to nail 90K dead on. About 8-9 hrs).

Six months ago when I leased the car I sat down and made up a spreadsheet of costs to see if this model would work. By _work_ I mean would the Uber/Lyft income at the very least pay for all the car expenses. I am not trying to pay the rent/mortgage from the income. Rather, I am escaping the house, making the one hour drive to town, meeting people and doing what I love to do -drive-, and running all my weekly errands in between rides.

As it happens I've been blessed, and the model works. The income pays for the initial down payment, the lease payments, the excess miles (I have a separate bank account that the overage costs are funneled to on a prorated basis each week), insurance, charging, tires, accessories such as phone holders (I use two phones), seatcovers (to cover up the easy-to-stain fabric upholstery), detailing supplies, a shop vac dedicated to vacuuming just this car), high-end wall to wall floor mats, etc. And on top of that I eat all my meals out, and buy our groceries for the week. I also ceramic coated the car to help thwart the inevitable light scratches. All this is funded by the rideshare income.

EV specifically... I stop to charge once or twice a day, and relax, stretch, and go eat while the car is charging. In addition, I received a break on the lease as GM passed back 1/2 the Federal tax credit toward the lease, and last month I received a check for $4500 from the state of California simply for leasing an electric car. Cost of Ownership has been negligible (no oil changes or smog checks), and the car will be under warranty (though not bumper-to-bumper) until I turn it in.

Worse yet - and I realize I can only do this as a part timer- _I drive any-one any-where_. I accept all requests regardless of passenger ratings, pickup times, or long rides. In short, I am what people here call an ant. It works for me because it requires fewer brain processing cycles to filter rides. And so far I've been able to spot the [very few] bad passengers early on... and they were rejected forthwith.

So again, this is a system that may not work for _you_. It just happens to work for _me_. It is more a lifestyle thing than a job. I get to evangelize to passengers about the benefits of electric cars (the pax usually brings up the subject).

Regardless, we all have our own strategies to hone right up until we drivers are all replaced by a machine. Which I happen to think though will be a lot further down the road then many think. ;>


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## ryandalton (May 17, 2019)

I've been driving a Chevy Bolt for a while and have been enjoying it. I wish it had a bigger range though. I guess we're still early adopters. In the future, EVs will probably have a much larger range. I recently joined this EV drivers group on facebook where someone said they charge more than 4 times a day which is pretty crazy. I only charge 2 times a day.


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