With the presidential election in progress, I’ve been led to wonder what impact it will have on Tesla (TSLA) stock. Tesla shares have been “supercharged” and rallied over 425% since the beginning of 2020, despite the Coronavirus pandemic, and the company is worth more than Toyota, Volkswagen, and Ford combined, and I wonder if they will continue this trend or tank.
What do you think?
Pride Group Enterprises, a truck-leasing company just ordered 150 Tesla Semi Trucks, with the possibility they will order 350 more. This might just be the largest Semi order yet. Depending on how many trucks Pride Group Enterprises orders, Tesla will receive a huge profit, between $22 and $100 million dollars. Pride would have had to place a deposit of at least $3 million. The group operates 12 locations in the US and Canada and plans to make the trucks available based on demand. Tesla will offer the Semi with either 300 or 500 miles of range on a full charge, with the trucks using only 2 kWh per mile. Each semi will cost between $150,000 and $180,000, a comparable price to a gas or diesel semi. Over the life of each semi, Tesla projects that Semi operators will save up to $200,000 in gasoline and maintenance, along with helping preserve the environment.
I’ve done lots of research on the economics of owning a Tesla, because I realize how affordable Teslas can be for normal, middle-class people, especially compared to their gas-powered luxury competitors. When you own a Tesla, you save thousands upon thousands of dollars on gas. You also save money on maintenance. Teslas are so much more reliable than their competitors. Consumer Reports says that the average ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicle costs twice as much to maintain as an EV over 200,000 miles. This is mostly because EVs have so many fewer moving parts. A Tesla drivetrain has 17 moving parts, versus the 200 or so moving parts the average ICE vehicle has. Another large factor is that EV brakes last so much (about 3 times) longer that an ICE vehicle’s because of regenerative braking. Last but definitely not least, driving a Tesla does so much to save the environment – while you may think that just one more Tesla will make no difference, it really does. Driving an ICE car that gets 25 MPG (and many get much worse) for 200,000 miles will pollute 160,000 lbs of Co2 into the air. After all these savings, a Tesla, especially a used one, would cost about the same or less than a new Toyota Highlander or top-of-the-line Camry.
Here’s my proof:
Tesla vehicles are so much more affordable than their luxury ICE competitors, even though their base prices are similar to so many of them. Here are some examples:
| Vehicle | Base Price | Maintenance / repair COst over 200k | Fuel type | mpg* | Fuel Price Over 200K** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model X | $80,000 | Approximately $6,000 USD | Electric | 96 MPGe | About $8000 or less |
| Lexus LX | $86,580 | Approximately $12,000 USD | Premium | 14 MPG | About $40,000 |
| Land Rover Range Rover | $92,000 | Approximately $20,000 USD or more | Premium | 20 MPG | About $28,000 |
| Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class | $76,000 | Approximately $20,000 USD or more | Premium | 22 MPG | About $25,000 |
| Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon | $131,750 | Approximately $25,000 USD or more | Premium | 15 MPG | About $37,000 |
| BMW X7 | $74,900 | Approximately $20,000 USD or more | Premium | 21 MPG | About $27,000 |
| Infiniti QX80 | $69,050 | Approximately $15,000 USD or more | Premium | 17 MPG | About $33,000 |
| Lincoln Navigator | $76,185 | Approximately $12,000 USD | Regular | 18 MPG | About $31,500 |
| Cadillac Escalade | $76,195 | Approximately $20,000 USD or more | Premium | 17 MPG | About $33,000 |
| Vehicle | Base price | Maintenance / repair Cost Over 200k | Fuel Type | MPG* | fuel price over 200k** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model S | $69,420 USD | Approximately $5,000 USD | Electric | 116 MPGe | $8,000 or less |
| Mercedes-Benz S-Class | $94,250 | Approximately $25,000 USD or more | Premium | 22 MPG | About $25,000 |
| BMW 7-Series | $86,800 | Approximately $20,000 USD or more | Premium | 25 MPG | About $22,500 |
| Audi A8 | $86,500 | Approximately $18,000 USD or more | Premium | 21 MPG | About $26,600 |
| Lexus LS | $75,450 | Approximately $12,000 USD | Premium | 29 MPG | About $19,500 |
| Vehicle | Base PRice | Maintenance / repair Cost Over 200k | Fuel type | mpg* | fuel price Over 200K** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model 3 | $35,000 | Approximately $5,000 | Electric | 140 MPGe | Less than $7,000 |
| Lexus IS | $39,000 | Approximately $12,000 | Premium | 26 MPG | About $22,500 |
| Lexus ES | $39,900 | Approximately $12,000 | Regular | 27 MPG | About $21,000 |
| BMW 3 Series | $41,250 | Approximately $18,000 | Premium | 31 MPG | About $18,500 |
| Mercedes C-Class | $41,600 | Approximately $16,000 | Premium | 29 MPG | About $19,500 |
| Audi A4 | $39,100 | Approximately $15,000 | Premium | 27 MPG | About $21,000 |
| Volvo S60 | $37,750 | Approximately $14,000 | Premium | 28 MPG | About $20,000 |
| Vehicle | base price | maintenance / Repair cost over 200k | fuel type | mpg* | fuel price over 200k** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model Y | $49,990 | Approximately $5,000 | Electric | 120 MPGe | Less than $8,000 |
| Lexus RX | $45,070 | Approximately $12,000 | Regular | 22 MPG | About $25,000 |
| Lexus NX | $37,510 | Approximately $12,000 | Regular | 25 MPG | About $22,500 |
| BMW X4 | $51,600 | Approximately $16,000 or more | Premium | 26 MPG | About $21,500 |
| Audi Q5 | $43,300 | Approximately $15,000 or more | Premium | 25 MPG | About $22,500 |
| Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class | $54,250 | Approximately $20,000 or more | Premium | 22 MPG | About $25,000 |
| Acura RDX | $37,800 | Approximately $12,000 | Regular | 25 MPG | About $22,500 |
| Volvo XC60 | $41,700 | Approximately $13,000 | Premium (Regular for T5) | 25 MPG | About $22,500 |
Savings with a Tesla:
Model X: Over 200,000 miles, expect to save between $20,000 and $35,000 on fuel. Expect to save between $6,000 and $20,000 on repairs and maintenance.
Model S: Over 200,000 miles, expect to save between $12,000 and $16,000 on fuel. Expect to save between $7,000 and $20,000 on repairs and maintenance.
Model 3: Over 200,000 miles, expect to save between $12,000 and $16,000 on fuel. Expect to save between $7,000 and $13,000 on repairs and maintenance.
Model Y: Over 200,000 miles, expect to save between $14,000 and $18,000 on fuel. Expect to save between $7,000 and $15,000 on repairs and maintenance.
Thanks for reading Our Electric Future! I hope this post may open your mind to buying an electric vehicle instead of an expensive gas-guzzling ICE car!
The All Electric Family is a great YouTube channel I came across earlier in this pandemic looking for Tesla towing videos, something I’ve always been curious about. I’ve seen tests with a Model X towing a horse trailer, or a tiny travel trailer, but I’ve never seen a channel where people tow a camper with a Tesla as not just a test, but somewhat permanently. This family switched from towing a 37′ Travel Trailer with a large truck to towing a 22′ Travel Trailer with a Model X. I recommend checking out this channel. They post great videos very often, and they test all kinds of trailers, from Airstreams to cargo trailers to conventional travel trailers. I also hear they are going to be testing a pop-up trailer sometime in the future. It’s fascinating to watch how consumption can vary so much, between 350 or 400 Wh/Mi towing a 22′ Airstream, to 1000 Wh/Mi towing a 22′ Travel Trailer by Coachmen.
Thanks for reading Our Electric Future! I hope you enjoy this family’s great videos!
Our Electric Future 