2023 Tesla Model Y
Family nickname:"SnowWhite"
Love it for:
- A road-going rocket ship, simply unbeatable on the road in its class
- Gizmo laden with intuitive software which is super smooth and bug-free
- Extremely comfortable, spacious to the core (remember, the Model Y is a 7-seater in North America)
- Filled with every bell and whistle that is offered in its class
- Top class safety (5-star ENCAP rating)
- Has one of the best cellphone apps for complete control
- Regular OTA updates, some quite prominent (Matrix LED Headlamps were recently activated via update)
Hate it for:
- Stiff, jaw shattering suspension (even on the 19" wheels), I hate driving it on even moderately rough roads
- Tesla vision cameras instead of ultrasonic sensors do not built trust, especially while parking
- Camera based rain sensor is an absolute joke, wipes when it shouldn't and does not when it should (supposed OTA update coming soon)
- Internet troll magnet 
(some true, some false)
- In spite of the heat-pump, range is weak on very cold days (lower than 5-6°C)
When I received the go ahead to choose a company car of my choice (within the allocated budget), the available car list was huge.
However, I felt that it was a chance to experiment and try to get an EV. One monitory reason for this was also the tax. Belgium has started heavily taxing vehicles (especially company cars) with internal combustion engines. Unlike the scenario in past, even hybrids and PHEVs are not spared.
Getting an EV meant that my monthly tax would reduce significantly as well.
Add to that we have a petrol hybrid wagon in the house so it was easier to have a second car as EV.
My thoughts back then weighed on the following advantages to get an EV:
- Tax benefit (easy 100 euro net saving a month v/s an IC vehicle)
- Decent EV variety in my list of choices (Tesla, VAG, BMW, Mercedes, BYD, etc)
- I could experiment without worry (no previous experience with an EV)
- Second car of the house (long range was not priority)
I researched a lot (like we all do before getting a new car) and figured out that my inclination was originally to try and get an i4 with an M-Sport spec.
I simply was not attracted to VAG or Mercedes EVs.
Got a great offer from the BMW dealer through whom I had previously bought my 5-series. However, I changed my mind to get something bigger with high-seating.
Thus, I looked upon getting the Tesla Model Y RWD. Having no experience with an American car (as my own) and having heard horror stories about their quality, I was worried.
But the fact that this is a company car with no liability on me for its quality issues, made me go ahead!
I wanted the all white interior, but I knew that it would be a pain to maintain it, especially with a toddler at home who loves munching snacks in the car.
Thus, I decided to keep that budget to get a tow hook installed from the company (since we have a lot of garden waste that we need to dump each year).
On July 24th, 2023 she came home!
The little and big boss at home performing the obligatory welcoming pooja.
My little one named the Model Y; "SnowWhite".
First things first!
Default aerocovers out, Yikun Uberturbine directional ones in! I absolutely love these!
(Hidden underneath these aerocovers are decent looking alloys as well)
Got the charger installed at home as well.
The glass roof adds to the already roomy feeling inside the car.
There is a car wash mode to ensure sensors are all off during a car wash!
All went super smooth for the next 4-months.
A Shocking (no pun intended) Electrical Breakdown!
On December 13th, while casually trying to unlock the car during lunch time, all electrical systems started collapsing.
In such a case, even the doors (which are electronically locked) wont open from the outside.
(Note: there is a physical backup switch / lever to open the doors, if you are ever stuck inside).
The mechanic who came via the breakdown assistance service was unable to help in the beginning, primarily not knowing where to find the terminals to jump start the car.
Thanks to a YouTube video that I had seen in the past (on how to jump start a Tesla), we both finally succeeded in getting at least the doors to open.
(Procedure = Open the front tow-hook cover > provide small battery charge to the wires inside to open the front trunk (Frunk) > remove the cover around the HVAC filter to find the 12V battery charging terminals to jump start the car)
While all this was going on, I was researching on my phone on what could have caused this.
It was the Power Conversion System (PCS) failure.
Read more about it here: PCS Failure in Teslas
The software had somehow managed to lock all the wheels during this scenario. As a result, the car could not be towed on a normal tow truck.
A flat bed truck with a small crane had to be brought in to lift the entire car. SnowWhite was taken to the nearest service station only the next day.
Being the parking of my office, it was safe to keep the car there. I can only imagine the embarrassing scene the crane-lifting-the-Tesla created in office. I was at home!
That evening, I was dropped to the service station in this tow truck where I was provided a temporary car, whilst SnowWhite would be repaired.
For the very first time in my life, I was not happy to sit in a truck! (which otherwise would excite me 
)
Being a company car, the entire process was quite hassle free with a, "no-questions-asked", approach. That was a relief.
Tesla contacted me that it would take 14 days to repair the car, however, I was called within 4 days to get the car which had a brand new PCS installed.
They confirmed that early 2022-2023 builds had this issue and I was provided an updated PCS.
And we are back!
How it is going so far:
Frankly, I was a bit disappointed when the PCS incident happened and was worried about overall reliability. However, since the day I got SnowWhite back, I have been enjoying every single drive.
This Model Y is a Shanghai built model with the lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery. Thus, I can charge it regularly all the way upto 100% without any worry.
What surprised me the most is the very good build quality. Nothing inside the car feels cheaply built or put together. Its been 10 months and the car is rattle free.
Driving dynamics:
I feel the Model Y is a, "People-carrier in a racing suit".
It is tall, big and roomy, but behaves like a sports car. The exhilarating acceleration alone (particularly the rolling acceleration), is very addictive. I received 5-speeding fines in the first month. Since, then I behave myself (mostly ).
The heavy steering with a smaller diameter and chunkier cross-section (even on the lightest setting) is extremely precise. The hard suspension ensures negligible body roll in curves even at three-digit speeds.
Due to its large dimensions, it can be tough to park in tights spots (at least in the beginning). Add to that the extremely poor turning radius of 12.1m, which can prohibit you from taking U-turns in places you would least expect.
Cars in its class have better slow speed maneuverability.
Autopilot + Autosteer
Being a company car, my budget did not allow me to get the Enhanced Autopilot which was €3800 extra.
The multiple cameras on the car (Tesla Vision) are constantly monitoring your environment. They show all visible cars in traffic, their side-indicators, brake lights, parked cars, bike riders, cyclists, pedestrians, road signs and road works, etc.
Its good to know how much attentive the car actually is at anytime, however, I am not comfortable giving the car full control with autosteer, as I have trust issues with that.
Having tried before, particularly on slightly busy intersecting roads, the car acts as like a, "scared puppy on a stormy night", constantly braking till and moving at very slow speeds.
It is extremely irritating and you can also expect a few honks and competitive finger symbols from other road users.
I use the autopilot on highways and motorways, but I feel, it was built with the large American freeway in mind and not narrow roads of Europe.
With recent updates, the autopilot has become quite smooth and takes away a lot of stress on long drives.
I love the nice ding it provides each time the signal turns green (just incase your eyes are looking elsewhere, while you are waiting at a red light).
Range and Charging:
The "on-paper" range of this car is 455kms. On a recent trip to the Netherlands and back, I charged it twice for 15-minutes to do a full 550kms. That down-time was actually spent in a cafe or a restaurant where-in the family was taking a break.
The EV charging infrastructure in Western Europe (and particularly in Belgium) is extremely good. Most service stations on the motorways have powerful electric chargers. Tesla superchargers are generally found near cities but are still well placed as well.
The navigation system in Tesla is extremely good to calculate the route via superchargers. It will not only tell you the location en route to charge, but also, how long will you need to be there.
Yes, driving a EV on a long trip requires you to have a proactive charging plan, but I do not have range anxiety any more due to the amount of chargers always available in this part of world.
Also most charging is done while the family is having coffee or meal breaks. The same amount of breaks are taken when we are road-tripping in my wife's IC engined vehicle.
In July, I will be taking the Tesla to RAF Fairford in England. Lets see how that goes!
Final thoughts!
With all the variety of different cars that I have lived with, the Tesla takes the cake and the cherry on top of it too.
I have never had this much fun with any other car in my garage.
Yes, I get trolled for driving an EV from friends ("you are driving a microwave", "I spend two minutes to fill petrol and you spend hours to charge it", "EVs catch fire", etc).
However, my personal observation has been that the trolling is more from people who have never used an EV before.
Don't misunderstand, I still love 'hairy chested' diesels engines (heck, look at my profile display picture on the left). I also agree that the Tesla (and possibly other EVs) is like an electronic gadget.
But as an electronic gadget, it does a damn good job. Speed, comfort, safety, in-car entertainment, the lot!
It has been months that I have not seen the face of a petrol station. The Tesla charges at night while I am asleep, ready to go in the morning. For now, I only do it once or twice a week.
To get an EV or not really depends on your needs.
For me, the Model Y ticks all the boxes and I will be more than happy to replace it with another one if it ever comes to that.
Bottom-line:
All EV opinions, trolling and reviews apart, SnowWhite brings a, 'honest-to-god', 'cheek-filled', 'eye-to-eye', smile on my face literally each time I drive it.
For a genuine automotive enthusiast, that feeling is priceless. What else can I ask for!
Thanks for reading.
