It was a very happy day in September 2019 when I was fortunate enough to take delivery of one of the first Model 3’s in Australia. A SR+ with a 50kWh NMC battery.

50,000 klms later, I purchased a 2021 Telsa Model 3 SR+ (and wore the same T-Shrit to collect it by the looks :)) The car was definitely an upgrade coming with a bigger 55kWh LFP battery and some other nice updates like the heat pump, double glazed windows and a refreshed centre console. I wrote about this upgrade in a post titled 8 reasons the Tesla Model 3 RWD is the best model.

Once again with about another 50,000 klms in another year and a half of great driving I have been lucky enough to upgrade again taking delivery of a 2022 Model 3 Long Range (LR) in late September. This article is my experience with this change and is representative of my thoughts after about 3,000 klms racked up with some help from my wife.

Why did I change?

Using my service www.teslapriceforecaster.com I successfully spotted the bottom of the price cycle and put down the $350 order fee in March 2022 locking in the $73,200 price. I went for the LR based on the value it represented at the time and the rising cost of nickel given the LR is a nickel rich pack when compared to the RWD Model 3 which does not use nickel. My prediction was that this car would appreciate in value more than the other models in the line-up. This has proven to be somewhat correct with the RWD increasing 7.02%, the LR increasing 10.95% and the performance increasing 7.31% since placing my order.

With the numbers to one side how is the ‘upgrade’?

Speed

Yep, it is faster.

Do I use it much? Not really.
Do I need it? Not really.
Do I like it? Hell yeah, it is a hoot.

The speed difference is notable (as expected)

AWD

Do I need it? Nope, I live in Queensland. If I was living in the snow (like I did in my 20’s) it would be an awesome drive-up Mount Hotham. I feel like it does drive a little heavier than the SR+ but nothing too notable to worry about. It may be the 19" wheels combined with the front motor or it could be the additional weight of the car when compared to the SR+ but it could also be in my mind.

Stereo

Is it better? Yep.
Can you tell when listening at moderate volume? Barely.
Do you need it? No.
Do I like it when I pump it up? Absolutely.

Range

When I moved from my 2019 with the 50kWh NMC pack with no heat pump to my 2021 SR+ with a 55kWh LFP pack and heat pump I moved from ‘full’ being less than 400klms to full being more than 400klms. This psychological number did make a difference and was useful for the longer days of travel needed every now and then. Having said that, I can count on one hand the number of times I have really needed the extra range. Now with ‘full’ being over 500klms, range anxiety has gone from a little to non-existent.

Do I need the extra range? No.
Do I like the extra range? Yes.

With the new 2022 RWD now sporting a 60kWh pack the range in all Tesla’s is now well and truly ‘enough’ for the vast majority of people regardless of how you drive it.

The other extras like the ambient lighting and fog lights are nice, the new faster AMD processor in the infotainment system compared to the Atom is a great step up (available in all 2022 models) and by all measures the LR is a better car. If I had my time again, I think the car to have would be a 60kWh, updated AMD processor, with the older ‘faster motor’ RWD Model 3. A true unicorn of which I am not sure there are many in Australia. I don’t think I would have liked going from 5.6 seconds to 100kph down to 6.1 seconds as is now the case with the RWD. The uplift on the other hand from 5.6 to 4.4 is great.

Some thoughts on the battery.

As for battery chemistry, many get caught up with it. My advice is to just not worry about it. All Tesla batteries are great, and the Tesla Battery Management System (BMS) is the best in the business. The BMS will keep you from damaging your battery regardless of how you treat it or which model shape or size you have. Keep it cold, keep it warm, charge it fast, charge it slow, charge it often or charge it every few weeks it does really not matter all that much. Sleep well knowing that the Tesla BMS has your back just charge it as you need to.

LFP (available in the RWD 3 and Y only) is rated to be good for more cycles than the NMC or NCA packs in the LR and Performance models however if we use the minimum number of cycles, you can expect you are wasting your time worrying about it.

LR or Performance models will get about 500 klms per cycle. the NCA pack is good for at least 1,000 cycles. This means you need to start worrying about it after 500,000 klms of driving. For the average Australian this is 37 and a half years of driving. Let's assume you are going to love your Tesla, (you will) and as such you are going to park the ‘other car’ and end up driving 20,000 klms a year rather than 13,000 which is the Australian average. The pack is still good for about 25 years.

How much will it cost to replace by then given the price has declined 97% in the past 30 years? The price of batteries has declined by 97% in the last three decades - Our World in Data
Will it be worth replacing by then or should it go in stationary storage in your house?

Either way it simply is not something to be worried about.

The LFP pack on the other hand is good for about 400 klms per cycle and you can expect a minimum of about 2,000 cycles so that makes it 800,000 klms before you need to be concerned. That is over 40 years of driving. What will cars look like in the 2060’s and will you be ready for an upgrade by then?

Danny at Zecar wrote a good article on battery packs at What are LFP, NMC, NCA batteries in electric cars?

Hope you found this article valuable.

Charge it, drive it, enjoy it.

Randall

If you are looking to buy a Tesla be sure to check out the latest price forecast at www.teslapriceforecaster.com It includes a full tracking history of all the price movements in Australia over the past few years and if you enjoyed this article you could also use my Tesla referral code to get yourself some free Tesla goodness (currently $750 off your order) when you purchase. https://www.tesla.com/en_au/referral/randall46741 Be sure to start your order with the link, you cannot add it later on.

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