{"id":486,"date":"2017-08-11T00:01:47","date_gmt":"2017-08-10T14:01:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/?p=486"},"modified":"2024-08-08T10:28:15","modified_gmt":"2024-08-08T00:28:15","slug":"tesla-model-3-vs-gas-cars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/11\/tesla-model-3-vs-gas-cars\/","title":{"rendered":"Tesla Model 3 vs Gas Cars"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Tesla Model 3 is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/29\/the-tesla-model-3-arrives\/\">the new kid on the block<\/a>. I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;ve seen her around. So let&#8217;s take a look at how it compares to its gas car competitors regarding some top questions people have.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\"><p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<\/div><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/11\/tesla-model-3-vs-gas-cars\/#Charging_vs_Filling_Up\" >Charging vs Filling Up<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/11\/tesla-model-3-vs-gas-cars\/#Instant_Torque_vs_Lag\" >Instant Torque vs Lag<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/11\/tesla-model-3-vs-gas-cars\/#Model_3_vs_Gas_Car_Safety\" >Model 3 vs Gas Car Safety<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/11\/tesla-model-3-vs-gas-cars\/#Road_Tripping\" >Road Tripping<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/11\/tesla-model-3-vs-gas-cars\/#How_You_Can_Take_Advantage\" >How You Can Take Advantage<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Charging_vs_Filling_Up\"><\/span>Charging vs Filling Up<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You probably see this as an easy win to the petrol or diesel cars but surprisingly you&#8217;d be wrong. According to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.solarjourneyusa.com\/EVdistanceAnalysis.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a study<\/a>, even with a relatively small 100 mile (160 km) range an electric car could satisfy about 99% of daily trips.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Using data obtained from the Department of Transport\u2019s 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), Garrett Fitzgerald and Rob van Haaren analyzed the travel data of survey participants. Around 98 percent of all single-trip journeys were under 50 miles in length, with trips over 70 miles in length accounting for just one percent of all single-trip journeys.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Even the Model 3 Standard has 220 miles (350 km) of range but there&#8217;s another reason this shouldn&#8217;t ever be a problem. The reason is because you don&#8217;t &#8220;fill up&#8221; an EV, you charge at home just like your phone.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_524\" style=\"width: 760px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-524\" class=\"wp-image-524 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Plugged-In-Tesla-1024x492.jpg\" alt=\"Plugged In Model S\" width=\"750\" height=\"360\" scale=\"0\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Plugged-In-Tesla-1024x492.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Plugged-In-Tesla-300x144.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Plugged-In-Tesla-768x369.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Plugged-In-Tesla.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-524\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Plugged in Model S<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Although gas cars only take a few minutes to fill up EV&#8217;s only take seconds to plug in. Just as you don&#8217;t time how long your phone charged overnight, neither will you care about your car. The result is the same. Each morning you wake up to a full tank of fresh juice!<\/p>\n<p>For a car like the Tesla Model 3, that means you have anywhere from 220 miles (350 km) to 310 miles (500 km) of range. Everyday. Even if you drive 100 miles during the day the next morning you&#8217;re full again!<\/p>\n<p>Contrast this to a petrol car where you slowly burn through gas each day. Eventually you have to stop what you&#8217;re doing, find a petrol station, spend 5-10 minutes filling up and paying all while having toxic fumes swirl around you. Don&#8217;t even get me started on how filthy diesel can get either!<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Instant_Torque_vs_Lag\"><\/span>Instant Torque vs Lag<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Electric motors are incredibly efficient converting well over 90%+ of supplied electricity into motion. Along with this comes the quite different feeling of instant torque. Torque at\u00a0<em><strong>any\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>RPM range. You get 100% torque from standstill and it only goes down as you reach top speeds.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_521\" style=\"width: 608px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-521\" class=\"wp-image-521 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Torque-Curve.png\" alt=\"Model 3 vs Gas Car Torque Curve\" width=\"598\" height=\"409\" scale=\"0\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Torque-Curve.png 598w, https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Torque-Curve-300x205.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 598px) 100vw, 598px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-521\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: consumerreports.org<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Many describe the sensation as akin to being on a roller coast ride. A ride that will rocket you to 60mph in 5.1 to 5.6 seconds.<\/p>\n<p>The instant torque also makes the Model 3 far more responsive both at the lights and during high speeds. There&#8217;s no waiting for the engine to rev up or a turbo to spool up. Full power is applied instantly whatever speed you&#8217;re doing. This means that even at high speeds you can safely overtake cars without a worry.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Model_3_vs_Gas_Car_Safety\"><\/span>Model 3 vs Gas Car Safety<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_520\" style=\"width: 760px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-520\" class=\"size-large wp-image-520\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Model-S-Skateboard-1024x605.jpg\" alt=\"Model S Skateboard Design\" width=\"750\" height=\"443\" scale=\"0\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Model-S-Skateboard-1024x605.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Model-S-Skateboard-300x177.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Model-S-Skateboard-768x454.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Model-S-Skateboard.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-520\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: tesla.com<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Traditional fossil fuel engines are made up of huge engine blocks that usually sit up front. In the Model 3 the motor is vastly smaller and can sit between rear axle. This leaves more room for safety absorbing infrastructure. The entire front bonnet area acts as a huge crumple zone and better protect the drivers.<\/p>\n<p>You also don&#8217;t have to deal with the solid engine block breaching into the main cabin. This means that front impacts for the Model 3 are far less likely to be fatal.<\/p>\n<p>The overall weight distribution of it is also far superior than gas cars as Tesla have located the battery (which can weigh hundreds of pounds\/kilos) at the bottom. This lowers the centre of gravity and helps prevent roll overs.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Road_Tripping\"><\/span>Road Tripping<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>What about driving long distance you ask?<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_528\" style=\"width: 760px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-528\" class=\"size-large wp-image-528\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Supercharger-Map-1024x456.jpg\" alt=\"Supercharger Locations\" width=\"750\" height=\"334\" scale=\"0\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Supercharger-Map-1024x456.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Supercharger-Map-300x133.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Supercharger-Map-768x342.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Supercharger-Map.jpg 1142w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-528\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supercharger locations in the US &#8211; source: tesla.com<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Here is where the Model 3 falls down slightly. Although Tesla has an amazing Supercharger network placed along interstate routes, the charging can still take some time. That being said the Model 3 does have other advantages over gas cars too.<\/p>\n<p>To begin with the drive is much quieter in EV&#8217;s meaning your trip is more enjoyable. It&#8217;s also a bit more pleasant charging your car than dealing with petrol or diesel too.<\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-tesla-referral\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-tesla-referral\">\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><center><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ts.la\/alexander32556\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><div style=\"height: 370px; width: 270px; height; box-shadow: 0 4px 8px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2), 0 6px 20px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.19); text-align: center; background: #F7F7F7; padding: 0px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/tesla-referral.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"><br \/>\n<div style=\"padding: 0px 10px 20px 10px; font-weight: 400; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1em; color: #000;\"><br \/>\nGet <b><u>1,500 FREE<\/u><\/b> Supercharger KM's With Our Referral!<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ts.la\/alexander32556\" style=\"font-size: 17px; line-height: 1em; -webkit-border-radius: 5px; padding: 10px 25px; color: #FFF; font-weight: 200; background-color: #e91e63; border: 1px solid #e91e63;\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ts.la\/alexander32556<\/a><br \/>\n<\/div><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000; font-size: 17px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"height: auto; width: 35px; -webkit-border-radius: 50%; -moz-border-radius: 50%; -ms-border-radius: 50%; -o-border-radius: 50%; border-radius: 50%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Avatar-Icon.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Alex Shoolman<\/span><br \/>\n<br \/>\n<\/div><\/a><\/center><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-tesla-referral from cache -->\n<p>Furthermore Tesla&#8217;s Superchargers are always promised to be &#8220;cheaper than using gas&#8221;. So while you might have to wait a bit longer to charge (eg. 30 minutes vs 5 minutes) you&#8217;ll save some money in the process. Chances are that you&#8217;ll need to go to the toilet, stretch you legs or have something to eat too. As such that 30 minutes wait time shouldn&#8217;t be all that inconvenient.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_You_Can_Take_Advantage\"><\/span>How You Can Take Advantage<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/mini-P1001210-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1512\" scale=\"0\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/mini-P1001210-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/mini-P1001210-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/mini-P1001210-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/mini-P1001210.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Electric cars offer an almost across the board upgrade over fossil fuel cars. Safety, performance, smoothness, quietness, fuel and maintenance costs. They all get better meaning a better life for you. For me, one of the biggest factors is simply safety as being in a car is likely\u00a0<em><strong>the\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>most dangerous thing a lot of us do.<\/p>\n<p>According <a href=\"http:\/\/www.who.int\/mediacentre\/factsheets\/fs310\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">to the WHO<\/a>, road injury is the highest cause of death if you&#8217;re a normal healthy adult. The fact that the Model 3 will be the safest car in its class by a long way greatly helps to mitigate that risk.<\/p>\n<p>Now it&#8217;s understandable that the Model 3 might not be affordable enough for everyone. That&#8217;s OK though as a lot of what makes the Model 3 great also applies to all EV&#8217;s. You can buy a second hand Leaf and still benefit from a healthier life, lower running and maintenance costs and more.<\/p>\n<p>Too many people push back against new technology. I say instead embrace it and use it to your advantage. The Model 3 has a lot of advantages, which one is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Tesla Model 3 is the new kid on the block. I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;ve seen her around. So let&#8217;s take a look at how it compares to its gas car competitors regarding some top questions people have. Charging vs Filling Up You probably see this as an easy win to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":210,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[62,60,4],"tags":[59,31,30],"class_list":["post-486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tesla","category-electric-vehicles","category-transport","tag-electric-vehicles","tag-model-3","tag-tesla"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/vrg_tesla_model_3_blue_driving.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p92j6e-7Q","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=486"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3182,"href":"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486\/revisions\/3182"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alexshoolman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}