Tesla Owner Advises EV Drivers To Save Unspent Gas Money For Unexpected Sting After $19K Battery Replacement Bill: 'Beware!'

A 2015 Tesla, Inc. TSLA Model S owner alerted his social-media followers about an alleged mirage the company is striving to sell its customers.

What Happened: One of the selling propositions of Tesla and for that any matter any electric vehicle makers is the potential gas savings an EV might bring in. The configurator prices Tesla highlights while placing orders is the estimated prices after gas savings. For a Model S, the company currently projects gas savings of $3,900 over three years.

A Tesla owner warned fellow members of the  r/RealTesla subreddit that the replacement cost of a battery could take a toll on car owners. “Beware!! You may save in fuel or oil changes but make sure you save the money for a battery 4 months out of warranty, he wrote. He added that a new battery was needed after 163,000 miles for his 2015 Model S.

His travails were first reported by Carscoops.com.

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The Tesla owner also shared the service estimate provided by the Dublin, California, Tesla Service Center, which states the issue as a customer seeking battery replacement due to loss of range. The estimated cost of service was quoted as $19,346.06, with the battery alone costing $18,000.

The Tesla user could have chosen another relatively inexpensive option of going in for a refurbished battery, the Carscoops.com report said.

Responding to his post, a Reddit user did the math for the aggrieved Tesla customer. For the 160,000 miles driven, he may have had to buy 6,400 gallons of gas. This would have cost his $22,400, taking the average gas price of $3.50 a gallon in California, he said.

Why It’s Important: After an initial surge, EV adoption has tempered amid the inclement economic environment, range concerns, and inadequate charging infrastructure. A Reuters report said in late-July that Tesla manipulated the range of its vehicle, which left customers complaining about underperformance relative to the promised range.

The report also said Tesla has a separate “Diversion Team” in Las Vegas, which was tasked with canceling as many range-related appointments as possible to alleviate range anxiety and service center complaints.

Amid price cuts and demand slowdown, Tesla’s sales plateaued this year, which has exerted downward pressure on profits.

Tesla ended Friday’s session up 0.53% at $235.45, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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