The $15,000 Tesla hits 100K Miles

"Trip A" is all local driving since the big roadtrip.

Just a quick update on the $15K Tesla, a topic that has garnered almost as much attention as the rest of the blog combined. It just hit 100K Miles, though only 30K of that was since we got it.  As you can see above it's still averaging the 220 Wh/mile power consumption that we've maintained since the upgrade to the more efficient wheels and tires. For comparison purposes that's around 4.5 miles/KWh or 135 MPGe as the other car makers and the EPA calculate this stuff [using 4.0 mi/kwh = 120 MPGe as the conversion factor].
This was great to see since it shows the advantage of the wheel and tire swap (260 Wh/mi before 220 after) has held up over time. The tires have remained fairly quiet and responsive. Only complaints are a mild 'thrumming' noise at certain highway speeds and a very very slow air leak in the right rear (~2 psi/mo.)

Tires, Windshield wipers and windshield wiper fluid constitute the entire regular maintenance cost.
The only repair was the rear trunk strut that we 'DIY'd in the first month for $30.
Not sure how to include the wheels and tires in the cost/mile calculations. Should it be pro-rated over the life of the tires?  Without tires, costs total around $60. With tires/wheels it's more like $600. That's quite a gap.

Local electric rates have gone from 10 cents/KWh to 11.2 cents/KWh during the time we've had the vehicle. So cost per mile is now around 11.2/4.5 or roughly 2.5 cents/mile. As a result our 98 mile twice-a-week highway commute is now up to around $2.50 each, without tire-wear cost included.
Total cost of charging for the last year (~14K miles) is about $360. $12 of which was at superchargers.

Those readers who are actually paying attention may have noticed we're ignoring the two big elephants in the room.
Insurance and depreciation.
The standard arguments surrounding these topics that since they vary from person to person, region to region we should ignore them as a point of comparison.   While that may be true from a generalized comparative point of view, it ignores the fact that these costs are real, and in this case, completely dwarf the other expenses.
Insurance, in our case, is around 7 cents/mi. 
Depreciation, normally the largest expense (well over10 cents/mi for most folks) is nearer one cent/mi due to our unusually low cost of acquisition.
...tax and registration, around $140/yr. here should also not be ignored. Granted that both insurance and registration are fixed costs and therefore don't fit nicely into 'per mile' calculations. That said;

Our real world total cost/mile is nearer 12.5 cents than 2.5 cents, which sounds bad until you compare with the yearly numbers from the BTS, National Bureau of Transportation Statistics, which pegs the total cost of operation for a new(ish) car at around 82 cents/mi. and 55 cents for an older cheaper used car. So maybe we're not feeling so bad after all.

Enough with all that financial B.S.
How is it really doing?

Really remarkably well. There's almost no way you can tell it's got 100K on it. It's fast, responsive and quiet. Brakes, accelerates and corners -at least- as well as the Porsche 911 and 928 that we've had previously   ...and is obviously a lot more practical day-to-day. In theory the higher performance Teslas with four wheel drive might do slightly better, but you'd be hard pressed to tell without a back-to-back comparison. And, this one is more efficient.
Never really come close to running out of charge, though we did get down to 6% one time under fairly controlled conditions (we had to go 5 mph slower to reach the charger) and never had a charger fail or error out.
That's not to say there are no minor complaints: The steering wheel makes a slight 'shuddering' noise as it automatically moves up out of the way so you can get in/out easily. The heatpump outside blower fan now makes slightly more noise as it's heating/cooling the cabin and battery.  There's a couple puffy spots on the lower steering wheel and door handle due to someone using a LOT of hand-sanitizer at some point. There's a scrape on the rim we mentioned previously. There's a rock chip on the windshield (since fixed for $Zero by Safelite mobile service).
Oh, and the auto-driving function still nags you to make sure you're paying attention once a minute or so. Granted that's probably a good thing. Next up: 150K miles?  We'll see.

EV Rebates DIED! What Now?

Oregon 'Standard' EV Rebate died September 9th,  
Federal EV Credit died September 30.              R.I.P.

What to do?

What to look for NEW:     ...see USED advice below at **

Edits - late 2025; Update on currently available lower price new EVs:

The two lowest price units we've been able to find locally, Oregon and SW Washington, (and don't discount the Vancouver WA Dealers, we've had very successful dealings there) are the 2026 Nissan Leaf S+ and the 2026 Chevy Equinox LT. Both show as $29,990 after various dealer incentives, but not including destination, tax, title and license.
Both have Front wheel drive, roughly 300 mile range and NACS/Tesla Supercharger charging.
The Nissan actually has the charge port in the correct place to use the regular Superchargers. Don't discount this, it's very embarrassing use our Bolt and take up two charger slots at a busy Supercharger location due to GM failing to live up to their agreement with Tesla.
The interiors are pretty much equal, both for size and features, each having plusses and minuses. Now that GM is finally starting to move away from their anti-CarPlay stance, that should even out as well.
Both are well worth a look, but we'd STILL ADVISE having the deal already worked out with the dealer's internet sales team before going in to buy. Looking, where you actually DO walk away is fine, just don't engage too much or get pushed around. Have a wing-man.
"But what about the Hyundai Ionic 5? It's better!!"
Well it should be, given the price on the bottom standard range model is $5000 more. Roughly $35,000.
For that you may get slightly higher build quality, in exchange for a 50 mile lower range, nearly identical interior volume and almost identical charging speed. The 350KW, 800V chargers Hyundai uses in their advertising are -extremely- rare. It does the same 150KW charge rate as the others in real-world circumstances. This is not to say we're opposed to the Io5, we actually like it a lot and if it was the same price as the others it would be a no-brainer. Is it worth $5K more?  Try them all and then decide. Or, be like a normal person and let your pre-conceived notions guide you and then defend them vigorously. The Io5 does have one of the sweetest lease deals around, $189/mo. ($4K down) if yer into that. 
And FYI the Ioniq 6 is at the. same rate if you want a more sedan-ish and different looking experience. There are of course similar Kia units. They are pretty much the same company after all. On the Kia side, we'd probably wait for the EV4 to show up (available in Canada now). Seems impressive.
      If -WE- were spending upwards of $35K, we'd still get a Tesla Model 3. It's arguably a considerably better EV, absent political/"What will the Neighbors Think?" and lower interior volume.

If you hang on a bit, the Leaf S and '27 Chevy Bolt, both with smaller batteries and supposedly $2K lower prices should be available soon-ish? Maybe in time for the Oregon EV Rebate to return?
OTOH tariffs might push the prices up. Time will tell

End EDITS, and on with the original (September/October) post:

'26 Nissan Leaf.    PhotoCred:Nissan

Low price leader used to be the Nissan Leaf. ...and may be again.  The '26 New Leaf model is already starting to become available in small numbers. They should become much more available throughout late 2025. Even the $30K  Leaf S+ version sports a 75KWh battery (according to Nissan's site) and as a result, decent 300+ mi. range.
Early reports (see YouTube) are quite positive and if this pans out for the projected $30K it may well become the new low price leader.
We had three of the previous version and liked them all.

2027 Bolt  PhotoCred: InsideEVs

Chevy Bolt 2027: Also projected for around $30K.

(officially $28,595 + Dealer B.S.) This is basically the body of the older Bolt EUV (we have one, it's pretty nice!) with an updated interior and the 'guts' (platform) of a Chevy Equinox. LT Base model 255 mi. range. 
May be available in early-mid 2026 depending on the production ramp and introduction regions.
This is sure to be a contender.

There are a few potential wrinkles in the two introductions above, but also a lot that's similar.
Very similar size - 4 door SUV-ish hatchbacks, both have NACS (Tesla compatible) charge ports with a 150Kw maximum charge rate and roughly 260-300 miles of range. Intro-models are both at roughly $30K plus/minus the usual dealer BS. Both have dash/screen-operating systems from Google. Nissan has a CarPlay option as well.
Chevy is teasing that the LT model that will be cheaper. Nissan -may- announce an 'S' model (instead of 'S+') with a smaller battery and motor for $2-3K less. We'll see how this shakes out as the Chevy begins production soon.
     One thing to keep in mind: Neither Chevy nor Nissan dealers have much incentive to stock the base models of any 'new model' of car they sell. They're counting on that New Model Excitement to cause you to willingly part with $4K-$8K more to buy the premium version(s) that they -will- stock and actually make money on.
We have yet to see an 'S+' version of the Leaf show up within 250 miles of here, excepting a couple promo units. There are however several SV+ or Platinum units that cost around $10K more. Given how well equipped the S+ is it's hard to fathom, other than the availability/convenience aspect. As a result, getting a reasonable deal will require patience and persistence, and/or maybe placing an order?

The Nissan is built in Japan and we'll see how the tariff situation plays out. The Chevy will be built in Kansas once the plant there is converted. The Nissan has a separate J1772 charge port on the driver side and the NACS port on the passenger front, where it is correctly placed for pulling up to Tesla Superchargers. Pre-production pictures show the (only) Bolt charge port still in the drivers front position. Since over 80% of the NACS chargers out there are SuperChargers and are built (since 2012) to connect with charge-ports on the passenger front or driver's rear, this means the Bolt -still- takes up two charging spaces. We really hate that when we're out with our Bolt. You will too.
"Well, Tesla should just fix all their chargers!"
Uh, yeah right. Tesla should change 70,000 chargers installed since 2012 to match what Chevy (who repeatedly refused to invest) is finally getting around to doing in 2026. Besides, GM agreed to all this when they signed on with Tesla/NACS.

Anyway, there's going to be LOTS of coverage comparing these two, so look for it.

Chevy Equinox/Blazer EV: Since the cheaper earlier Chevy Bolt is all sold out and we're awaiting the  replacement, that leaves us with the Equinox EV right now. Nice rig. Reasonable 300 mi. range. About $35-40K out the door. Assuming you can find one.  ~8K more for Blazer. ...but why? There's another Blazer option called the Honda Prologue. Same platform with different (and IMHO Nicer) sheet metal, interior and dash electronics (from Sony, interesting). Similar price to the Blazer, and given how it's nicer for roughly the same price it's selling really well, fourth(?) most popular EV in the US last quarter.  ...ironic that Honda's only really successful EV ever, is not really a Honda at all.
And last we checked, all three of these were made in Mexico.

Kia NiroEV, Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq5 : Our favorite non-Teslas in this price bracket. IMHO a 'travel-capable' EV needs compatibility with the Tesla charger network since it's BY FAR the best fast charging system out there. We have actual experience. 'By Far' is an understatement. All of these have an available adapter that actually works. The 2025 model year EV6 and Ioniq5 have the NACS port that plugs directly with Tesla Superchargers. Base models on all of these are between $35-$40K depending on a confusing and changeable array of dealer incentives.  All worth a look.

Ford Mustang EV: In theory these are $40K, but rare to find under $48K. Look for sales. We gather the later units (2024-2025) have many of the early bugs worked out. Some buyers like them, but not all. Probably a reasonable choice if at $35K all in, slightly more questionable at $40K+.

Tesla Mod3, ModY: The new 'Standard' versions of the Model 3 and Model Y are $37K and $41K respectively.  Slight downgrades of the interiors but 300 mi.+ range. These (other than social concerns) are still head and shoulders above their EV competitors. ...But if you buy a used one, you can be "not buying from Elon" ...   ;-) 
Keep in mind that even with the recent reduction in market share, Tesla is (collectively) still very close to selling more EVs in the US market than all others combined.

OTHERS: Audi, BMW and Volvo (owned by Geely of China) are mostly above the $50K or really hard to get here. The Toyota BZ and nearly identical Subaru had really bad range (and value!). The new ones apparently fix some of that but don't seem to be here in volume yet. The base model VW ID4 is still pretty much the same since 2021, hard to argue for a new one despite it selling well in Q3'25. Probably not bad if you can find one new at under $40K although they've announced they're cutting way back on their USA EV push.
Subaru has announced a $35K range competitor, but we haven't seen any around yet. More later?

**What to look for Used:

We're looking here at the under $25K market. Duh. ...With new products available at $30K (above)
2022-2023 Tesla Model 3 (see a previous post) Probably not many Model Y under $25K*
2018-2023 Nissan Leaf.  Local trips only. Lower range but may be under $10K all in.
                                        Note 'Plus' models have bigger battery
2020-2023 Kia Niro EV. Nice rig. 
2022-2023 Chevy Bolt EUV. We have one, Nicely done. Not as good for long trips (SLOW charging)
You -might- find a Kia EV6 or Hyundai Ioniq5 under $25K, if so, Look!  

What stays the same:

The Oregon 'Charge Ahead' rebate (low-mid income) continues on until December 4th 2025.
It may return in May, We'll see. There's lots of political posturing surrounding this.

Keep an eye on the OregonDEQ (Rebate) site. Stuff changes.

Many suppliers, well aware of what happens when rebates expire, have deals out there for low interest rates and/or discounts and/or Leases.
Don't discount the Lease as a possibility: If there's an end-of-lease buyout option they can be a reasonable deal -and- you get two-three years to figure out if you like the car enough to 'buy-out' -and- most leases qualify for the Oregon Charge Ahead rebate if you qualify, see below.
Here's a link to current lease deals. Highly recommended!

Sorry if this seems Oregon-centric. Advice on leases, used EVs and new cars above is more general. 

The Oregon EV Rebate  restarted May 22nd 2025. It will die Dec. 4th due to lack of funds. The last time (2024) it only lasted less than two months due to funding constraints. This year it lasted longer and has pretty good odds of re-appearing in May 2026. As stated above it's the 'lower income' version of that which continues through Dec.4th.

Our take on the Idiot in Chief. Brick reflection...

Last year, had our ducks in a row and managed to get into the mid-low income version of the program which is how the $15K Tesla thing happened. That car is still going great despite the head idiot at the company diving off the deep end.

Regardless of if you have the social fortitude to suffer the slings and arrows of an outraged populace;
"BuhBut Howie, what will the neighbors think if we get a Tesla?" the numbers work pretty much the same regardless of who you buy from (and note here we did not buy from Tesla). And we promise: the CEOs of most of those other companies are just about as Giant Anuses as the Tesla guy, just quieter about it.

FYI: The definition of 'Low-Mid Income' is fairly broad in Oregon for 2025: 
Family of four = $128K, Family of two = $84K and Single = $62K [Adjusted Gross Income form 1040]
see their website. This means you may well qualify for a $5000 (or -maybe- $7500 for new) rebate. Since it's an actual rebate there's none of this 'up to the amount of tax owed' thing that plagued the Federal Credit. If you do qualify we recommend the pre-qualification voucher process from the site.
 ...but it only applies if the car is under $50K. Huh, that's what we focused on above.

The Best Case: Low-Mid Income Oregonian  (see above) and a Used EV: Something under $25K.
If qualified for the OR $5K rebate you're looking at a max out of pocket ~ $20,000 for your 'new' used EV.   You may of course do better than that. Alas, it does depend on bargaining with dealers and commission driven (ie: Feral) salespersons, since:
Must purchase from a dealer to qualify for the credit.  

Our #1 Recommendation for a 'Local Transport' or 'Second Car' kinda deal is still the Nissan Leaf 2018 and newer. Even locally we've seen several under $15K. We've owned three Leafs over the years and all were good experiences. The 'Plus' models have a bigger battery and command $4-5K higher prices but that doesn't much matter on a local use vehicle.
REMEMBER: The 'Miles' on the car almost doesn't matter. Used with 50K miles vs. 20K miles? Eh, no biggie.  Not much on an EV wears out like on a gas car. Battery health DOES matter though. With a Leaf, we use Leaf Spy to check out the batteries. It's not infallible, but looking at the realtime graph of individual cell levels when the car is -below- 20% charge -and- is under load (accelerating slowly or going up a grade) is how we evaluate battery condition. Similar tools are available for Tesla and Chevy EV's. Don't know about the others.
"Wait! the Leaf has a built in battery health meter."
True, but you don't lose the top mark from that gauge until the battery is around 12% gone. It's also hard to evaluate exactly where the top should be on some Leaf displays unless you have some experience. We wouldn't buy a Leaf with even one 'bar' missing off the built in battery life meter unless it's a REALLY good deal (ie: well under $10K) although almost all of them have lost the top bar by the time they're at 100K miles (which kinda implies a low price, no?)

Where to find them: Craigslist, FB Marketplace, EV.com, Cars.com and the EV Specific sales pages that are popping up at large auto groups like Kendall or Lithia (at least around here. Carr, Webb or Hannah might have something PDXish)

The Anti-Hypocrisy Rant

In any reasonable time, in any reasonable environment, this post would be completely unnecessary. 
However, we don't live in those times.
Assuming they ever existed.

All we're really saying here is: "Have your passion and conviction but don't be a hypocrite about it."
And yes, YES, we're shouting into the echo chamber here, but if you gotta, shout away!

There are several elements of hypocrisy and general bloody-mindedness that impact the general topics of this blog. We're going to try and bash all of them here. If we haven't gored your sacred cow yet, just wait, it's coming.
You can trust that we will make fun of every self-important tribe out there, most especially including our own.

<rant>

On the general premise of "Tell them to do what they're going to do anyway" we offer the following advise:

Read this until something offends you or makes you the least bit uncomfortable, then switch away. Shut down your computer/tablet and never come back here again. Obviously these are not 'Your People" and every thought and idea coming therefrom should be completely and consistently ignored.

Still here?  Onward to the Goring!:

The First key thought is the idea that this whole Electric Vehicle, EV thing is necessary at all.
   "We're doing just fine here and there's no pollution in my backyard and I don'trust dem gummint numbers nohow."
Yes, it's political football time. The really big key driver here is (as usual) self-interest.
     “It is difficult to get a man to understand something,
      when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”
        ― Upton Sinclair, ca. 1935
If your livelihood or social/political position depends on a status-quo, it's going to be really difficult to move you off that position until things get really dire. And maybe not even then. Imagine that your town or your family or parishioners or your political contributors or your job depends, even indirectly on oil revenue. What'ya gonna do?
     One of owners of a local car dealer actually drives an EV but doesn't -really- want them to catch on.
About 50% of the dealership's profits depend on repair/maintenance visits that happen MUCH less frequently with EVs. No fluids need changing, no regular maintenance,  and fewer parts to break.
     The other side of the 'Not necessary at all' folks is the "We should all ride public transportation and/or Bicycles!" contingent. Now granted there are a few areas of the county where this makes good sense and we should totally support that. But then, at least in terms of land area (if not population density) there's the other 80% of the country. Since, in any realistic scenario, cars are going to be a major factor, we do need to have viable solutions there. EVs are maybe just the most do-able option.

The Second set of cows in desperate need of serious adjustment are the Virtue Signaling crowd.

"Real Democrats don't drive big pickups!"
"Real Republicans don't drive EVs!"
"Obama said nice things about EVs, therefor EVs are bad."
"Biden said nice things about GM EVs, so GM's EVs are bad."
"Trump did a commercial for Tesla right out in front of the Whitehouse, so Teslas must be bad."
"I can't buy a car from %&$#@# company because I hate the politics of one person there."

Ok, so obviously in any rational (ie: not rationalizing) conversation, all the above is ridiculous.
But let's face it. A LOT of people think that way.
It works the other way too. Movie stars that show up in an EV or Toyota Prius to show how Eco-Friendly they are.

A lot of that "can't buy a car from" point comes down to arguments about Tesla and/or Elon.
A neighbor wanted a Tesla, but,      
     "I just can't buy a car from that man!"
Uh, what about the other 140,000 people at that company?
     "Nope, just can't do it."
How about a used one? That way you're not buying it from him?
     "No, I just wouldn't feel comfortable. I'm going to get a Volvo EV, those are nice."
I thought you didn't want a Chinese car?
     "Volvo is a from Sweden."
Uh, no, Volvo is owned by Geely Holdings, a giant Chinese conglomerate. Their upper management is reported to be seriously misogynist and racist. Volvo EVs are built in China.
     "Oh, well then maybe a Hyundai."
The upper management at Hyundai/Kia reportedly have the same problems as Geely.
    "Ugh, you're making this so difficult. I can't be seen in a Ford and Rivian is too expensive.
      Maybe I'll just call the whole thing off."
So, seriously, you are going to pay more for a car that's less reliable, less safe and less capable all because you don't like one guy?
     "Yes! My Eco/Political-cred with my friends and neighbors is MUCH more important than any facts/results."

Sure this is a simplification of several much longer conversations. The basic point about it all being a hypocritical sop to their fragile ego/personal vanity and "What will the neighbors think" becomes the key point and all the larger concerns about ecology or the state of the world are lip service on the way to bigger more important goals like "MY feelings are valid!"

And hey, if you decide that the politics or personal statements of one, or a few people at a company you might buy something from are the most important gating item on the way to making a purchase, then GO FOR IT. It's your money, it's your decision.
But to avoid feeling like a hypocrite later, put some effort into investigating those things you just stated as being 'most important.'
     "But I don't want to go to all that effort, and besides, I might feel bad about myself."
Well, then at the very least, acknowledge to yourself how shallow you are.
Oops, violates the 'feel bad' provisions. Sorry.

The Third set of sacred cows is the privileged "Everyone should be like me!" folks.
Ya know, people living and commuting from out in suburbia every day, the "My community should spend a billion dollars on public transport because I've chosen to live too far away from my job, and I don't want to change" crew. Uh, because living in the city is icky and the schools are awful. Oops, oh yeah that all commuting causes pollution. What to do?

    "No problem we'll all just get EVs and plug in at home!:

It's not that having those folks get EVs instead of giant gas guzzling SUVs won't help. It will, but it's a rather small part of anything that looks like a solution to the overarching problems. Their preferred alternative, where 'the public' spends billions of dollars to provide fast efficient public transport right to their neighborhood, has it's own set of problems.
The big issue here is that it ignores the needs of lower income neighborhoods and apartment dwellers. Which make up BTW about half the population. Obviously a 'solution' that excludes the lower half of the population is almost no solution at all. Not to mention the 1/4th that's diehard Republican.

</rant>

"OK, so you've identified a bunch of problems. What about solutions?"
Hey, this was supposed to be a rant. Rants aren't supposed to provide solutions. Duh!

Besides which, with the amount of damage currently going on, we don't see any immediately viable path forward. Even assuming a return to a divided congress in a year, and a switch in presidents in three years, even the best case scenarios don't have us getting back to where we were last year until 2031 or later.    The 'not so best case' scenarios have the current administration losing popularity and then feel like they need to start a war (think Margret Thatcher in the '80's) in order to "Get the population behind us."
Granted much of the rest of the world is doing considerably better. At least in terms of EVs.

Still, doesn't mean we won't still be out there fighting for what's right though.