I placed my order online on January 2020 and thought I would get the car within 3-6 months but due to COVID, I took delivery of the car on September 2020. I think there were 800+ Tesla delivered to Hong Kong on that shipment alone. My batch was the 2nd of last Hong Kong deliveries that was built in Fremont, California. The subsequent Model 3s delivered to Hong Kong is built in Giga Shanghai.
I heard friends driving the Model 3 had various issues within the first 12 months. Some had the door not being able to be opened from the inside and various noises from steering etc. For me, the only issues I had was a low brake fluid on the 2nd day of delivery. I took the car to the Tesla Service Center and they refilled the brake fluid for me. They say sometimes the factory only fill the brake fluid to the minimum. I thought it was the start of a nightmare of issues but surprisingly there were none after 12 months with 25,000+km driven.
Charging is probably the most important thing for a driver of a fully electric vehicle. Luckily, I have my own Tesla Wall Connector in my parking spot so charging is not an issue for me. If you do not have your own charger at your parking spot, I would think twice about getting an electric vehicle in Hong Kong. Unless, your driving pattern such as your workplace have charging facilities available or you are only a weekend driver which means you don’t need to charge often and can splurge on using Tesla Supercharging facilities. Read more in detail on charging your Tesla in Hong Kong on my other blog post.
If you put the charging issue out of your mind, then it is a no brainer to drive an electric vehicle and a Model 3. If you have an old internal combustion engine car which satisfy the requirements for the one-for-one replacement scheme that the Hong Kong government has to attract more drivers to switch their old car for an electric vehicle then the Model 3 can be a bargain.
The car has an abundance of speed and the power is available immediately when you step on the pedal. Speed availability is also a good thing when you need to change lanes, pass slower cars or avoid certain situations that may mitigate risks on the road. It takes discipline to drive as Tesla Model 3 with its abundance of power but I look at it in a positive way.
The central control panel with no traditional speedometer took less time to get used to than I would have thought. The only issue is because the car is so quiet without any engines or gears, you might not realize how fast you are going. That, you need time to get used to.
Since everything is on the touch screen control panel, it is not that easy to change the temperature or audio while you’re driving with traditional knobs and dials. In fact, it is sometimes impossible until you are stopped. The voice control is getting better but not perfect but it doesn’t work on every single control in the car. You could use voice control to increase/decrease volume or change the temperature for example.
Hong Kong only gets the basic autopilot which means no automatic lane change or summon mode even if you want to pay for an upgrade. It is unlikely that Hong Kong will ever get it with it density of cars and people with strict and old fashioned rules. In a sense, this is a waste to get a Tesla with such advanced automation but you will not get a chance to use it. In other countries, full self driving is already a reality which the Model 3 is already fully ready for with its hardware. Unfortunately, the it will never get regulatory approval in Hong Kong which I understand.
Nonetheless, the basic autopilot with auto-steering is fantastic. I am amazed at how well it works at times but also a bit wary of it when time to time it will brake with no cars around you. It also doesn’t like double decker buses. There are a lot in Hong Kong and when you are using autopilot driving pass a double decker bus, the car would brake suddenly. This happens probably 20% of the time. Therefore, you always have to be alert when you are on autopilot.
Hong Kong also doesn’t get all the games and Netflix or web browser on the car. Again, this probably will never happen with a strict regulatory body. Again, I think this is a waste of getting a Tesla when you cannot enjoy these options which sets the car apart from other electric and regular vehicles.
The options to set multiple profiles with numerous driving setting is great. You could set whatever fits your driving style and save it as your own profile programmed to your phone key or key card. Whenever you use your key or phone to enter the car, the car will automatically tuned to your preset driving profile.
Regenerative braking with stopping mode is the best thing for any electric vehicle. It changes the way you drive forever. With regenerative braking, when when car is rolling down a hill or the remaining kinetic energy left from acceleration, the moment you lift your feet off the “gas” pedal, your car is in regenerative braking. The remaining momentum of the car turning the wheel will be used to charge the battery. This is also showed on the central control panel. (I will add a photo of this later). With the option to change the stopping mode to HOLD, you can drive your Tesla Model 3 without using your brake pedals at all. Of course, it will be challenging with the traffic in Hong Kong but it can be done. Hold means your car will stop at a standstill and it will not move even if you are in “drive” because it doesn’t have a combustion engine that is always running and turning the drivetrain like a regarding car. The car will “brake” itself with regenerative braking the moment you feet is off the “gas” pedals. I have it set to LOW as in STARDARD mode, I find the car to be a bit jerky when you immediately put your feet off the “gas” pedals. (I will make a video on driving without using the brake pedals soon)
The over the air software updates is fantastic. Your car is basically a computer/phone. My phone always get over the air upgrade to fix bugs or improve the user experience. This is the same for Tesla. The user interface was already completely changed once during these past 12 months. The look and feel of the interface is completely different than I took delivery of the car. It is amazing that you can drive a car that is always evolving.
The navigation is good with its gorgeous touch screen but the best thing is to use navigation with the mobile phone application. You can use your google map or iPhone map to search for a restaurant and you can share the location of that restaurant directly to your car using the mobile phone app. When you enter your car, the destination is already automatically shared to the car’s navigation and you can be on your way without spending more time finding the address on the car’s navigation.
Yes. You have an option to name your car, mine is “Aphrodite”, the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and passion.
The mobile app is great too in remote controlling your car. You can lock/unlock doors, open/close windows, honk etc. just by using the app. There is an option to mobile start your car which means you can allow someone to drive you car even though they do not have your key. The app also alerts you if you have a window or door open or an alarm went off. You can also turn on your air conditioning or open your trunk or frunk by using the app. This can be done anywhere in the world when you have an internet connection. Your car is always connected to the Tesla server. If you are on holidays on another side of the world, you can “turn on” your car using the app and lend it to your family or friends. (Not that you want to but it is completely possible)
The car comes with 2 key cards and you can buy more and set it up yourself in your car. You can add multiple phone keys as well. Gone are the days where your car key is programmed by the manufacturer which costs a fortune to replace. This is how car keys should be.
Other than the different autopilots modes which is not even available in Hong Kong, there are no “options” to add in terms of the usability of the car. Everything comes with the car as standard equipment. Unlike some manufactures that costs a fortune just to add sat nav in the car as an option.
It is really difficult to drive another car after experiencing a Tesla. It just makes sense and makes driving easier. Unless you are looking for pure mechanical performance supercars then I do not see anything close to driving a Tesla. It is a technological marvel.
I will write a simple PROs and CONs of the Tesla Model 3 in another post.
2 Comments
Neutronjv
I sat in many teslas uber rides. The so suspension makes it deeply uncomfortable and the rear sit is so upright. I was never a fan of the std Tesla. Maybe the higher raise of SUV which i sat in once is better.
Calvin
I remember there were a lot of comments about how uncomfortable the rear seats were when the Model S just came out. Although, I never really sat in a lot of Tesla until I got my Model 3 and I probably sat only once in the passenger seat of my M3 as I am always the driver. Although, I’ve mentioned, I am not a fan of the passenger seat as well. I think it’s too soft with not enough support. I understand Tesla makes there own seats compared to other manufacturers that have suppliers to supply them seats. If you sit in a Japanese or European car, the seats are much firmer and gives you much more support of your bottom and back. Soft seats although they seem comfy, the longer you sit in them, the worst it gets on your back. I had back pains for the first couple of months driving the M3, I got used to it now after 1.5 years but when I sit back in a Japanese/European car, is night and day.