Jake Gets a Tesla

Explanation

I thought I might document my process of getting a Tesla in New Zealand (I'm based just north of Wellington) for people who are interested in the process and what I've gone through.

If you want a bonus when ordering a Tesla, use my referral link.

18 April 2021 - Call from Tesla

I got a call today from Michael at Tesla to congratulate me on my order, and talked through what was likely to happen from here. 

I asked about insurance through InsureMyTesla, and it left me feeling like a really valued customer.

19 April 2021 - Facebook / Other Useful Links

So... I found a bunch of great groups on Facebook:

• NZ EV Owners

• Tesla Owners Club New Zealand (official)

• Tesla Model 3 NZ group

I highly recommend joining all of these groups, as they are great for asking questions, and seeing what other questions people have, and just getting excited while you wait for your Tesla to arrive.

And also a link to some FAQs from the Tesla Owners Club of NZ

Also found out about A Better Route Planner... it's an app that lets you plan routes, including charging as needed... looks pretty neat... you just tell it what type of vehicle you have, and it'll work out the best routes places.

21-22 April 2021 - Charger

Ordered the Tesla Wall charger on 21st... arrived the next day... will be a little while before we get this installed, as need to build my garage first. Hopefully my garage will be built before then, but if not I'll be able to charge off the standard charger that comes with the car. 

My understanding is the standard wall charger adds about 10km/h of charging, whereas the one I'm going to install will allow up to about 50km/h of charging.

24 April 2021 - Insurance

Got my quote back from InsureMyTesla through Vero via email for about $2,000... also looked at AA, and State... InsureMyTesla covers slightly more by the looks of the terms, State was slightly cheaper, but was a pain to get a quote from, as they didn't even know what a Tesla was, so had to ring them up and even then they had to enter all the car details manually, and they don't cover any glass. AA let me do a quote online, and was marginally cheaper, with higher excess, and didn't cover as much.

Update (5 May)... it was suggested on the Tesla Model 3 NZ group in a discussion about insurance to look into AMP... decided to look into this, and their quote was about $1,000 and didn't cover quite as much as Vero, but is $1,000 cheaper, and again let me do a quote easily online... will probably go with AMP.

1 May 2021 - Ship Tracking

There was a discussion on Tesla Model 3 NZ group about a ship that possibly had our Teslas on it for those of us who had ordered recently... found the ship on Marine Traffic and Vessel Finder and have been enjoying watching where they are.

I also paid today as well... I don't think I needed to pay this early, but worked in with my banking schedule.

2 May 2021 - Accessories Order

I discovered Tessories today... so put in an order for 

• 3D All Weather Floor Mats

• Boot Mat for Model 3

• Boot Grocery Bag Hook

Decided to order these mats, as they look a bit hardier than the Tesla carpet mats, and they were actually in stock (unlike the carpet mats on Tesla's website)

When ordering, do just check which ones are compatible with 2019 / 2021 models... as not everything is the same for both... learnt that the 2021 Made in China Model 3s have a powered boot, so didn't need to order the replacement struts that were on offer for the 2019 model, as they aren't needed.

These arrived 3 days later on 5th May... all look really good.

6 May 2021 - Update from Tesla

Got an email this morning saying "Get Ready for your Tesla Model 3"... this is pretty exciting!

Said that I had been assigned a Tesla, and that "the current estimated arrival of the vessel bringing your vehicle over from the factory is the last week of May." Also said I should have been receiving some automated TXT messages which I hadn't... so phoned up the Tesla line they said to call if we hadn't got any messages, and ended up talking to Michael again. He said that they had been having issues with the text messages, and that he'd pass that onto the appropriate people. Also talked through expected timing, and likely to be able to pick up in the first week or two of June, or that's when it'll get shipped down to me... so now have to decide if I want a trip to Auckland to get it, or if I want it shipped to Wellington (which will take another 8-10 days)... don't have to decide for another month though :)

9 May 2021 - Looking at Data

I'm a data geek... so been looking into options for looking at the data that comes out of the car... looks like there are two main options: TeslaFi and Tezlab. TeslaFi has a free trial, and Tezlab offers a free tier... so will try them both out when my car arrives.... nice video here (from 2018) talking about the two.

10 May 2021 - Update from Tesla

I got an txt from Tesla to say that my Model 3 Standard Range Plus now includes carpet floor mats as standard... so now I've got two sets of mats :) Will decide after I get the car which ones I like more... but will probably put the all weather mats in.

11 May 2021 - Another Update from Tesla

Got an email today from Tesla saying they "are tracking well to receiving your vehicle in NZ later this month!"... pretty excited by this. 

This email also gave me my VIN so that I can organise insurance. 

12 May 2021 - Another Update

I got a txt today from Tesla saying "Hi Jake, Confirming we have received payment for the amount of $82,932. We look forward to getting you behind the wheel of your Model 3. Regards, Tesla NZ.

17 May 2021 - Pickup Confirmed

I emailed today to say that I wanted to pick up rather than get it shipped down... got a really quick reply letting me know when was available and pickup is booked in for 11 June... so just over 3 weeks away... Wooop!

25 May 2021 - Insurance

Decided to go with InsureMyTesla through Vero... was more expensive than some of the other options, but the cover is better.

2 June 2021 - Update from Tesla

Got another email from Tesla asking to confirm that I'd paid (which I've already done... so think this part was just an automated email, and not personalised), but also giving details about what is going to happen on pickup day...

If you could ensure you arrive to your pickup appointment 10 minutes prior, that would greatly appreciated. Below you will find as what to expect on delivery day.

• Prior to your appointment, please ensure you have downloaded the Tesla App from your App store. Note: Your vehicle will not be visible on your App until you have signed for it on day of delivery

• Please enter through our Auckland showroom at 501 Karangahape Road.

  • If you have a vehicle to trade in, please bring it to the service entrance on the corner of Hereford Street and inform the Advisor at the service desk. A representative will come through to check over your vehicle shortly.

• You will be greeted by a Tesla Advisor, please make them aware you are picking up your brand-new Model 3. If you could also make your confirmation email available that would be appreciated.

• The Tesla Advisor will direct you to our Supercharger Tunnel where your vehicle will eagerly be awaiting your arrival. They will introduce you to your Model 3 and assist you with unlocking the vehicle via the Tesla App.

• While in the vehicle we recommend setting up the following:

  • Phone Key

  • Driver Seating Position, steering wheel and mirrors included

  • Familiarising yourself with the driving functions. [Gears, indicators and pedals]

Please find the below link to support videos to assist getting you started with your Tesla.

https://www.tesla.com/support/meet-your-tesla?redirect=no

Super excited... just over a week to go now!

3 June 2021 - NZ Specific Manual

Someone on the Facebook page linked to the NZ Manual for Tesla Model 3... I'd only previously seen the overseas manuals

13 June 2021 - Feebate Scheme

Well... just as I was showing off my new car to some family, heard about the new scheme from the govt... full details here. Basically long story short is if I hadn't got my car yet, could have delayed the pickup until after 1 July, and I would have got a $8,625 discount.

So while it works out badly for me... if you want to order a SR+, now's a great time to do it... just add the FSD package on later, and you're under the $80k limit, so you'll get it effectively for $63,107... and can always add the FSD after you've taken delivery.

And the policy will be really good for encouraging electric cars in NZ, so that is really good too... just slightly off in timing for me, but such is life... I did get the advantage of the $5,000 discount that Tesla put in a couple of months ago... and already have my shiny new car, which I absolutely love!

17 June 2021 - Paint Protection

I got Paint Protection on my car today... was $400 from JL Detailing... quite a bit cheaper than what I've seen elsewhere, and it looks beautiful... it should last 1-2 years. Product used was "AMMO Reflex Pro Enamel Coat". Done by a local guy here in Kāpiti that just does it from his house. Super pleased with the result and the price.

Edit: people on the Facebook group said the product is a "PPF" but a ceramic coating... I know nothing about the difference, but Josh who applied it advertised it as "paint protection"... so I'm just going to see how it goes... for now it looks beautiful... and looking at the info from the manufacturer, it does sound like it'll protect the paint for a while.

3 July 2021 - Mud Flaps

On 19th June I ordered these mud flaps from AliExpress. They arrived on 1 July after just 12 days... pretty impressed with shipping times. Total cost was NZ$21.95 including shipping. I installed them this morning... install was reasonably straight forward... took a bit of strength to position the mud flap in exactly the right place to put in the lugs properly, but other than that was pretty seamless... they look pretty good, you don't really notice them... went for matt black which ties in nicely with the rest of the matt black trim on the newer Model 3s. Only tip for people is to turn the front wheels to get easier access when installing the front flaps.

7 July 2021 - Charging

I was asked about how I was charging the other day... I'm still waiting on the garage to be built, so just using the standard charger in the meantime. That adds about 15km of range an hour, which has been enough for the driving I normally do, but will get the wall charger installed in my garage once it is built, as this adds 50km of range an hour. 

If I was to do it all over again, probably would put a 15amp circuit in the garage and just use the standard charger with the 15 amp head (which charges at 12amps)… would be way cheaper, and that’s 50% faster for charging than the standard head which only charges at 8amps.... or possibly a blue caravan plug that charges at 16 amps... which would be double the standard head... but given I've bought the wall charger going to install that.

10 July 2021 - Price Update

Tesla dropped price by $3k yesterday… so now $11k cheaper than what I bought for. Can now get for $60,107 with the rebate and the new discount!

Makes a pretty good option compared to either of these cars (thanks to Rob Dickinson from the Tesla Model 3 NZ Group for these figures...

That doesn’t include the FSD, which gets me the summon and navigate on autopilot at the moment… eventually it’ll hopefully give me auto steer on city street, but autosteer on properly lined roads is part of the base price. 

You can purchase the full self driving package at any point either with the order, or anytime after. Having bought it, it’s definitely not worth it at the moment, but long term if it lives up to the promise it should be... and as new features are added the price for FSD goes up.

11 July 2021 - Premium Connectivity

My month of free premium connectivity has come to an end... the kids absolutely love the 'Caroke', and being able to watch Netflix while out is pretty good too... so for $11 a month, seems like not a bad deal to me, so decided to continue with the premium connectivity.

18 July 2021 - Family road trip to Auckland

We have just got back from a 8 night trip away in the Tesla... first family road trip in it... went really well... caroke was definitely a hit with the kids... I've made a video showing all the main driving and charging that we did while away:

Some of the key stats here summarised (more details in the video above).

Trip Up

• 10 July 2021 - 6:21am - Left Home (in Kāpiti) at 100%

• 10 July 2021 - 8:35am - Arrived at Mangaweka Supercharger at 38% (162km at 191Wh/km)

• 10 July 2021 - 9:04am - Car Charged to 94% (Free)

• 10 July 2021 - 9:19am - Leave Mangaweka Supercharger

• 10 July 2021 - 11:18am - Arrived at Taupō Supercharger at 38%

• 10 July 2021 - 11:56am - Leave Taupō Supercharger on 99% (Free)

• 10 July 2021 - 1:13pm - Arrive at Tirau ChargeNet Charger on 73%

• 10 July 2021 - 1:17pm - Leave Tirau ChargeNet Charger on 79% ($2.06)

• 10 July 2021 - 4:03pm - Arrived North Shore of Auckland (at my parents) on 22%

While In Auckland

While in Auckland I charged at my parents using the normal mobile charger plugged into a standard wall outlet... worked really well

Auckland to Taupo

• 14 July 2021 - 9:12am - Left my parents on 99%

• 14 July 2021 - 9:59am - Arrived at my grandmother's place in South Auckland on 88%

• 14 July 2021 - 11:17am - Left my grandmother's on 87%

• 14 July 2021 - 12:25pm - Arrived Hamilton Supercharger on 56%

• 14 July 2021 - 12:54pm - Left Hamilton Supercharger on 99% (Free)

• 14 July 2021 - 3:00pm - Arrived at Wairakei Resort on 49%

While at the Wairakei Resort

They have 2 destination chargers that charge at11kw which means it charges up pretty fast! Charged up once on my arrival (broken by a quick trip to get pizza) and once again before leaving, but not quite to the level I had planned, as didn't end up leaving when originally planned.

Taupo to Home

• 17 July 2021 - 1:35pm - Left Wairakei Resort on 60%

• 17 July 2021 - 1:53pm - Arrived at Taupō Supercharger on 56%

• 17 July 2021 - 1:59pm - Leave Taupō Supercharger on 61% (Free)

• 17 July 2021 - 3:28pm - Arrived at Waiuru ChargeNet Charger on 20%

• 17 July 2021 - 4:04pm - Leave Waiuru ChargeNet Charger on 68% ($15.76)

• 17 July 2021 - 6:03pm - Arrived at Foxton ChargeNet Charger on 27%

• 17 July 2021 - 6:14pm - Leave Foxton ChargeNet Charger on 43% ($5.27)

• 17 July 2021 - 7:34pm - Arrived home on 24% (in Kāpiti)

Miscellaneous things I've learnt that I didn't know before I purchased

• NZ Model 3s come with a charging port that works at Tesla Super Chargers, and at the ChargeNet chargers without any adapters needed. ChargeNet is a huge network of fast charging stations around the country... they aren't quite as fast as the super chargers by the looks of it, but in HEAPS of locations, meaning you can take your Tesla anywhere.

• There are way more Tesla destination chargers that I realised.

• Homelink doesn't come as standard with Model 3 or Model Y, but can be retrofitted... I will decide if I want this later on.... it also apparently doesn’t work with a lot of garage doors in NZ, so will need to investigate this further once my garage is built.

• My Model 3 came with a thumb drive for sentry mode, so that's really handy.

• Tesla Model 3 only has one reverse light... this is apparently normal... although it completely threw me!

7 Aug 2023 - Update

I've now had the car for over 2 years, and done over 30,000km. I still love it. I have had no issues... the tyre rotation that Tesla offers through the mobile service is amazing, and I still get a smile everytime I put my foot down.

30 Sep 2023 - Non Tesla EVs & EVDB.nz

There are now HEAPS of EVs on the market... my parents were looking at second hand options, so I put together this comparison for the Nissan Leaf

In the process  found EBDB.nz ... amazing site that lets you compare different EVs avaiable in NZ (including used EVs) 

They also have a cool cost calculator that lets you see how much you could save with an EV compared to your current car

Referral Code

Tesla has now restarted it's referral program... so if you want, you can use mine, or anyone else that has helped you with your decision. The benefits vary, but often give a bonus as well as a discount.