Alex Almagro sold his boat. His Mitsubishi Triton The ute is reliable and a good tow vehicle but now, with a long commute to the Port of Brisbane, Alex doesn't need its towing capabilities or the $500+ a month diesel bill.
Now he is looking for a new fuel-efficient car. He also doesn't need to carry tools or furniture, and the family only has one child, so a regular-sized sedan is a reasonable choice.
However, diesel is still in his life as Alex drives huge Super B trucks to and from the docks. Motorists won't see Super Bs very often because they are restricted to specific roads.
These 30m monsters are 4m longer than the B Double and can carry up to four 20ft shipping containers or two 40ft containers at a time.
Alex decided to use Toyota's proven hybrid technology and put down a deposit to buy a car. Camry. The Toyota dealer told him frankly that it would take eight months.
At the time, long waits were common across the industry as a result of COVID and various supplier-related issues.
After six months, the salesman called and informed him that the price would increase by several thousand dollars – but could not provide an ETA.
Six months later, another call from the dealership didn't bring any good news. Not only is there no ETA, but the price also increases by $1800.
Two more months passed. At that point, he began seriously researching his vehicle options on CarExpert.com.au, and also enjoy a family vacation. The interstate relatives recently purchased a high-performance electric vehicle, and during their vacation, Alex's family got their first first-hand experience of fuel-free driving.
“The performance is impressive but what is really exciting is the low operating costs,” he said.
After further research and with thousands of dollars in Queensland Government incentives on the table, Alex decided to scrap his Camry.
“After 14 months they still don't have an ETA. They just contacted me to let me know the car I don't have will be more expensive,” he said.
He then ordered one Tesla Model 3 RWD.
“I wanted the LFP battery to be able to regularly charge to 100% and enjoy a full range of 450km,” he explains.
Tesla had the cars on sale not long ago, and by using a relative's referral code when making the purchase, he got a $700 7kW wall connector to charge the car in his garage – without must pay additional fees.
“I still have to wait,” he said. “The difference is that Tesla said it would deliver the car in seven weeks and I got the car exactly seven weeks later – and the price still hasn't gone up.”
Now that he's had the car for a few months, he can't believe how cheap it is.
“Even without the solar panels, the car would cost us about $80 a month in electricity, but the usual figure is about $50,” he said.
“Another thing I would enjoy is the lack of service, as the ute costs me $1000 per year in service.”
When asked how he figured out other aspects of the car, he said: “The technology is impressive. The navigation, the phone app and what it can do and how everything works so smoothly: it's very impressive. It doesn't hurt that it has a lot of jabs.”
When asked what he didn't like, he said: “The suspension can be harsh on rougher roads. Overall, it's not bad – just stiffer than I would have liked.”
Alex will buy another dual cab again in the future and doesn't miss the utility of his Triton but will wait until there are some decent plug-in hybrid or electric options on the market before spending any any amount.
He admitted that he received some criticism from his colleagues after the purchase but soon there were questions about how much money he was saving, charging and what Other typical things related to electric vehicles.
“There are a lot of them on the road now; it's just a matter of time and a little knowledge and people won't worry about technology,” he said.
THAN: Everything Tesla Model 3
