Tales from a Tesla Model S with 450,000 miles: Battery life, durability, and more

The quality and durability of Tesla’s vehicles are not talking points for fans of the automobile manufacturer – they’re attributes that prove themselves time and again. In a recent example, a 2015 Tesla Model S that’s driven nearly 450,000 miles shuttling passengers over long distances was shown to be still running strong and ready for more travel, according to a video review published by the founder of the company that owns it, Tesloop.

Tesloop is a connected mobility company for Tesla owners that’s developing an program named Carmiq. The company previously operated as a Tesla-only ride share service, offering trips between different cities in southern California and Las Vegas. The long distances involved in Tesloop’s operations put its Tesla fleet to unbelievable endurance tests, and aside from wear-and-tear seen in most vehicles with similar milage or less, the company’s encounter with its 2015 Model S was very positive overall and it still drives well today.

“I think this is the car that I can say drives today than it did three years ago and following 450,000 miles. And that’s as a result of over-the-air software which has upgraded the automobile with Autopilot…The general driving feel of it is still really good…I think it would be very hard to tell this car has this many miles on it if you didn’t understand,” Haynd Sonnad, creator of Tesloop, commented at the video.

Nicknamed “eHawk”, Tesloop’s Model S was constructed in June 2015 and has required a few repairs and services during its lifetime. Some were paid for by Tesloop within its day-to-day business requirements and lots of others were paid for by Tesla under the car’s guarantee as high voltage battery replacement.

Tesloop’s 2015 Model S has 450,000 miles on it and is still going strong. | Image: Tesloop
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A spreadsheet documenting all of the Model S’s service and maintenance encounters was printed alongside its video review for certain details. As recorded, the important events over the automobile ’s life time were the front drive unit replacement at 36,404 miles due to two battery replacements and a part failure , one at 194,237 miles, the other at 324,044 miles. All three replacements were covered under the automobile ’s unlimited-mile warranty.

The first battery pack the Tesla Model S had experienced 1.2 miles of range lost per 10,000 miles while being driven about 17,000 mph and was replaced due to a battery chemistry issue. The second bunch was losing about 4.7 miles every 10,000 miles driven, and its replacement was because of flaw in the battery assembly. The current battery is a 90 kWh package and showing a loss of about 2.4 miles of range per 10,000 miles driven; however, about midway through the mileage, the car was transitioned from a long distance shuttle into a daily rental car, so the averages may not be a great reflection on its efficacy. At about 126,000 miles to the new pack, eHawk’s battery degradation is around 9%.

Also are the brake pad and rotor replacements created for the Model S’s wheels despite the average tire replacement happening about each 53,000 miles from the long distances. The whole owner price for repairs after miles was recorded as under $13,000, and vehicle repairs came in at under $15,000.

During Tesla’s Autonomy Day investor event, CEO Elon Musk estimated that a new battery pack set to enter production next year would work for one million miles with minimal maintenance, and the improvements are being driven by the company’s march towards its autonomous Tesla Network robo taxi service. Tesloop’s early adoption of Tesla’s vehicles may have meant the company’s most innovative technology wasn’t instantly available to take advantage of, but considering the results seen at 450,000 miles with an older version, the high quality and durability of Tesla vehicles have already proven themselves value ownership at any given stage of development.

To view Tesloop’s overview of its 450,000-mile, 2015 Tesla Model S’s condition, watch the video below.

The article Tales from a Tesla Model S with 450,000 kilometers: Battery life, durability, and more appeared initially on TESLARATI.

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