I met Murray Chamney at the Tesla Owners Club of Ontario back in 2017. He had a 2015 Model S, and I was waiting for my Model 3 at the time. We were both on the Club’s executive board at one point before Murray got his Audi e-tron and left the Club. We’ve kept in touch, and I recently caught up with Murray at his farm in Mono, Ontario. I drove around his stunning 2021 Audi e-tron Sportback in Siam Beige – 95 KWh battery, dual-motor, Quattro, 402 HP (boost mode) 351 KM EPA range.
We had lunch at a small cafe in downtown Orangeville where I had the chance to ask him about his experience with the e-tron versus his first electric car.
FIRST EV EXPERIENCE IN THE TESLA MODEL S
Why did you decide to purchase the Tesla Model S and what you were driving before that?
Kind of an interesting story. I was driving a Lincoln MKS. A great, big, huge boat. The kids called it the geezer mobile, but it was great. I spent a lot of time in the car, driving to Detroit, Montreal, and I wanted something that was comfortable. In 2014, I started reading about these new cars, these Tesla’s and I wanted to investigate further.
I’m in the electrical industry, and I thought, why not. I didn’t make car chargers and I don’t make cars, but I make wires, conduits, fittings and all the stuff that goes into hooking up the electrical.
I thought electric cars were good for the industry, so I test drove the Tesla, and I really liked it.
I had never been more excited about getting a new car than I was at the time. Before placing the order, I held off for about three or four months because I wanted the all-wheel-drive version. I live out in the country, and rear-wheel drive scared me, especially with it being so low to the ground.
How long did you wait for the Model S after placing the order?
About three and a half months. I ordered it in early December. And I got it at the end of March of 2015. So, needless to say, I was giddy about it.
What was it like to be an early Tesla adopter?
At this point, I was sitting on the board of the Electro Federation Canada, where everything electrical is tied into this board. All the manufacturers, the distributors and agents of that. I was the incoming chair, and I stood up in front of 300 electrical executives from across the country and told them that I was buying this electric car. I told them that it was fantastic and that we needed to embrace this as an industry. But they didn’t like it, and it was shot down. It just blew my mind. This is our industry. Why are we worried about expanding the petroleum industry to expand the electrical industry? They said it had range issues and that there was no charging and no standard setup. Only one person, the president of ABB, listened to me, and she bought a Tesla as well. Now, they’ve changed their tune, but it took them three or four years to figure out that it was good for the industry to promote it. So anyway, I became a big supporter of it. I spoke publicly, I joined the Tesla owners of Ontario group back before it was an organization at all, and at that point, there were about 25 to 30 people.
CHARGING THE TESLA
So in 2015, you have your Model S and your home charger. Were you using the Supercharger network?
There were maybe two superchargers in Ontario at the time. One in Toronto and one in Cornwall, and word that they were building a Supercharger in Kingston. The idea was that if I could go to Kingston, I could go to Windsor, Montreal, and Ottawa without any issues. And at that point, Tesla included supercharging for free. So I enjoyed that with my Model S. I took it to South Carolina, with no range issues. It was great.
Is that the longest road trip you took in the car?
Yes, it’s a 16-hour drive, with a total of two hours for charging in that time. The navigation system was absolutely flawless. The Superchargers in the Carolinas were typically at these superstores, plaza locations, where there’s a store, and restaurants. You use the facilities, check your email, grab a quick snack and get back on the road. So it was 20 minutes every time. We went down with two sets of cars, my buddy in his Hyundai SUV and my Model S. Yes, it took me two hours longer to get there, but we were far more rested than they were, and it cost him about $390 to go down there, and it cost me nothing.
In the six years that you owned the Tesla, was there anything that ever held you back because you had an electric car?
Never. I charged at home. The Superchargers are so well placed. I mean, the absolute strength of Tesla is the Supercharger network. I had range anxiety once, and it was my own damn fault. (I should have been very specific and said; we are going to have to charge, and we want to make sure we have lots of time to charge. I did not, and we were late for my son’s wedding.)
MAKING THE SWITCH TO ANOTHER EV
What made you start thinking about another car?
I had no intention of selling the Tesla until just before the battery warranty expiry date was coming up. That’s pretty much what it was more than anything else. It had been seven and a half years, and the Tesla battery warranty is eight years, and I decided that would be the time I would upgrade. On top of that, I had 135,000 kilometers on the car. Then, my son convinced me to take the Tesla off my hands, and I found myself shopping for a new car.
Did you and your wife both drive the Tesla?
No, she drove a Mazda, which is now eight years old. It’s a gas car, and it’s going to pack it in at some point. We’re both retired, and we don’t need two cars and a pickup truck, but we have to keep the pickup truck for the farm. So this time around, we decided that we were both going to drive the new car. So for the first time in my life. She influenced my car buying decision whereas before we’ve always bought our own cars.
Did you consider another Tesla?
We decided we wouldn’t go with another Model S specifically because my wife has mobility issues with her knees, and it’s difficult to get into lower cars. So we looked at the Model X, and the Model Y. We both agreed we didn’t like the minimalistic approach to the interior. We both agreed that we wanted a car that would have a lot of creature comforts and be more luxurious. If we were going to make long trips, we wanted to be more comfortable. Tesla was fast and had the best battery technology on the planet. It has great lines, but its interiors are sparse. I think they’re built for millennials. Millennials want minimalism, and I’m an old fart. I want some of the creature comforts, and I really liked the feel, look, and drive of the Audi e-tron.
What cars did you test drive?
I tried everything. My wife’s first choice was the Volvo XC 40, and I liked it. It was like the police call booth on Dr. Who. It had more room on the inside than it appeared. You got in it, and it was way bigger than it looked. Not great range. And what turned me off of it was that it was a brand new product. It was just coming off the assembly line. The first models are being released, and generally, there are some issues.
I drove the XC60 and XC 90 Volvo plug-in hybrid. And my wife said to me, pointedly, because I liked the XC 60, it was the right size and within range, and she said you’re not going to be happy in a hybrid. She’s right.
I tried the Polestar and the Lincoln Nautilus plug-in hybrid because I liked my previous Lincoln.
Did you test drive the Porsche Taycan?
I did not. It’s too low to the ground—the same thing with the Audi e-tron GT. My wife was going to be driving it, and even though it’s beautiful, it wasn’t practical enough for us. We couldn’t get in and out of the thing. I wanted something a little higher.
PURCHASING THE AUDI E-TRON
What were your first impressions of the Audi e-tron?
Well, I just loved the feel of the car. I missed having a luxury car after the Lincoln. With the Tesla, I appreciated the speed and the safety and everything like that. But the ride was a little rougher and a little noisier inside, it was a sports car, and when you buy a sports card, that’s what you expect to get. I decided I wanted to go back to something a little more luxurious. Tesla didn’t have anything in their barn that offered me that. And I thought the best car on the market that suited my needs was the Audi e-tron.
What was the purchase experience of the e-tron like?
The actual buying experience was interesting because I knew more about electric cars than the sales rep did. The sales rep they assigned me was a nice guy, and he was the “expert” at the dealership. But I was telling him things about the car he didn’t know. The questions that I had for him, he couldn’t answer. He did get back to me, but he couldn’t answer them right away. He has kept in touch with me since. It’s quite interesting that the car has now appeared in a YouTube video and will now be on a very famous person’s blog (ha!). But needless to say, the real meat and potatoes of the car itself, I learned myself. Audi really, really needs the Tesla Owners Club of Ontario – for Audi. They need some advocates to come out and help them out because even though they’re transitioning to an electric car company, they’re far from it now. With the advent of newer models, like the Q4 and maybe the A5 and some of the other sedans being electrified, very shortly, I’ll be interested to see how they do.
How was the purchase of the Audi different from the Tesla?
The e-tron purchase was the traditional way at the dealership. At this point, there was no shortage of cars. So there were still negotiations, unlike Tesla, where there were no negotiations. You buy it online, and then you go into a queue. And at the time, the original queue for Tesla was a real treat compared to what it is now because, there were so few of them sold, that you were in the loop. They told me exactly about my date of production, and I could go down to watch my car being built if I wanted to. Now, they don’t offer that anymore. But that was such a cool experience.
Buying the Audi was a traditional negotiation back and forth, signing off, coming back and signing all the paperwork and doing all that stuff at the dealership.
How long did it take to take delivery of the car?
Well, that’s a story in itself. I was told that it would be a 16 to 18 weeks wait if I placed a custom order. However, the dealership had two cars on order that were due to be delivered at the beginning of May. And this was March when I was doing the negotiations. So I was supposed to get it by the end of May. By May 20th, I gave them a quick call and said, Are we still on track? Oh, there’s been a bit of a delay, but it’s on the water. I said, great, can I get my VIN? We’ll get back to you with the VIN. Two weeks later, I still didn’t have my VIN. I called them back up, What’s happening with my car? Maybe July. There’s a hold-up in Halifax right now with all the issues at the Port of Montreal, and Halifax is booked, and it might not be until the beginning of July. I had already given up my Tesla to my son at this point. So I’m driving the pickup truck, and as much as I like driving it around, it’s a pain in the butt driving it in a parking lot and trying to parallel park around town. So, July 1st came along; I called them again, and they fessed up that I actually didn’t have a car. Now, I don’t know if that’s the real story or not, but I am suspicious that they gave my car to somebody who yelled a lot more than I did. But needless to say, they offered me extra discounts if I was willing to wait another few months for a car. So I got my car in mid-August, and that was okay, because I still had a vehicle in the meantime.
So by the time you took delivery, it was a six-month wait?
Yes. It was six months to get it, compared to what it’s like right now with all the chip issues because the chip issue was certainly part of it at that point, but it hadn’t really manifested the way it has right now. Today, you’re six months to a year. So I was on the front end of this.
How did you get familiar with the car at first?
I did everything on my own. I read blogs and watched videos. Bjørn Nyland is my friend, and he’s got some great videos. He has two or three videos with the Audi, and everything he said was exactly correct.
CHARGING THE AUDI
How is the range on the e-tron?
The biggest shortcoming of this automobile is the range. It’s rated at 351 kilometres of range. In the summer, it’s actually more than that. But if you’re making a lot of long trips, it can be a bit of a trial, especially if there’s not a lot of charging along the way. The cold weather driving is very similar to what it is with the Tesla. I experienced about a 25% loss of range in the Audi. In the Model S, I was closer to 20%. But it’s still significant enough.
What has been your experience using fast charging on the e-tron vs your experience with the Tesla?
The charging network is not nearly as robust as the Tesla Supercharging network, and the chargers aren’t always working. It’s not often that the Supercharger network goes down. With the e-tron, I have free charging for two years on the Electrify Canada network. The stations are few and far between, and more often than not, at least one or two chargers are down. So that’s a bit of a challenge. However, 95% of my charging is at home. My trips are under 100 kilometers, maybe 150kms. So I don’t have to worry about the DC charging. When I have used DC charge, it has been successful. From 10% through almost 90%, I get 150 kilowatts. There’s no drop in charge current. It’s not until you get close to 90% that it starts to fall off. Whereas with the Tesla, it starts falling off at about 50%.
Have you taken the e-tron on any long road trips yet?
Montreal. That’s where I discovered my first issues with charging. The app didn’t work properly. And, unlike the Supercharger, which is plug and go – you walk up and plug it in, and 10 seconds later, you’re charging. Not with the Electrify Canada network – you have to call it up in the app, pick which charger you’re going to use that you plug it in, and then enable it. Then you wait 30 seconds for it to handshake, and then hopefully it’s good. So it’s about three minutes to get it to go. The first time I used it, I didn’t get past the first step. The app kept crashing, and I went to a Petro Canada and charged on their network, which worked perfectly. It certainly has to do with the CCS plug, which I’ve read on the blogs. The plug is so heavy, and you have to hold it up. The J 1772 communication cord seems like it doesn’t start communicating properly unless it’s really jammed in there. So I’ve tried that, and it does work fine. But I wish they would use the Tesla plugs. As you can see, I still miss aspects of the car. If Musk decided that he would create one vehicle and say, I’m going to make it for old guys. I don’t care about the millennials. I’m going to make it for the old guys and then really doll up the inside of the car and make it a little more luxurious and quieter; I think you would have a lot of happy people.
CHOOSING THE E-TRON
What do you really like about the Audi e-tron?
The ride is like driving a chesterfield. It’s quiet, and there’s no wind noise. It’s double pane glass. All the seals are really snug, and the doors thunk when they close. It’s got a real quality feel to it. The seats are far more comfortable. It’s got ventilated seats, which is nice. It’s got a heads-up display, which I really enjoy. I love the overhead 360 camera. A lot of the creature comforts are working as they are designed to. It’s effortless to get into, and it cruises perfectly.
What would you say Audi could improve on?
I don’t like the range. I think that another 50 to 100 kilometres more range would make it a perfect car. Their CCS charging network is still a little weak, but it’s getting better. The MMI, which is the multimedia interface, is difficult on the Audi. On Tesla, typically, you can get things done in two changes. You’ve touched two things, and it’s done. If you can figure it out on the Audi, it’s five or six steps to get there. And when you’re driving, that’s stupid. That’s just too much. I mean, the heating controls are great, because they’re right there. And so it’s just one touch on heating controls. But other than that, if you want to do anything else and if you can find it in the manual, good luck. I mean, the MMI is probably the weak point. They need to bone that up a little bit so that it’s far more user-friendly.
Can you do over-the-air updates on the e-tron?
No, it’s another negative. Tesla does a lot of things really well. That used to be one of my favourite features on the Tesla and a story that I loved to share. When I bought my Model S, it was rated at 275 hp. They tweaked the inverters with an over-the-air update, and now it was 350hp. I gained 75 horsepower overnight. I was fascinated. I had more horsepower in the car a year after buying it.
It’s slightly a pain now. Do I have to have over-the-air updates? No, and it’s not a deal-breaker. It means that once a year, I have to ride my car in and update it at the dealership.
Would you go back to Tesla?
Well, somebody asked me the other day if I would go back to Tesla? I said yeah, I really liked my Tesla. But I wouldn’t buy it as a cruising car. I’d buy it as a fun car. That Model 3 is such a neat car. It’s fast, and it’s small. It’s just responsive.
I understand – You were looking for a different driving experience. And that luxury factor is a big part of what Audi is serving. That’s what they have that’s missing with Tesla, and they can fill that gap. And the same thing with the other manufacturers if they can fill that gap because Tesla can’t offer any more bells and whistles right now. If they added luxury to their price point, it would put them in a new category and one that I’m not sure they would be able to compete in properly.
Sure they could.
Do you think so?
Look at what Porsche has done.
Porsche can offer premium luxury because they’ve been doing it for years.
Yeah, I don’t know if Tesla would be able to do well; I think they would struggle with it. But it could be done. My guess is it’s not a big enough mass market for them. I mean, their entire future is going to be built in the Model 3 and Y. The model S, I suspect, will disappear at some point. I think the Model X will become their sort of luxury model. That’s my opinion. I mean, the Model S is just not where the market is growing.
Has your wife been driving the e-tron?
Yes, she likes it. She still likes her Mazda better, but she’s like a Toyota customer. She is very loyal to her Mazda.
So overall, my satisfaction level with the e-tron is great. I think in two or three years from now, with the next iteration of vehicles coming from Audi, it’s going to be big.
When I left the Tesla Owners Club, many of the other Executives didn’t want me to leave, but Mike made a point of saying that Tesla, one of their objectives was to make people want to buy electric cars, and even though I was changing from a Tesla to an Audi, I was still staying electric because of Tesla’s mission. Because Tesla’s vehicles were such a great car to drive, I decided that I did not want to go back to a gas car. Tesla converted me to EVs forever. That was their mission, and they did it.
Thank you, Murray, for letting me spend the day with you and drive your car around Mono. I enjoyed hearing your story and I suspect that many Tesla owners will relate to it as new EV models continue to enter the playing field.
This blog post was written by Aniseh Sharifi who has been an EV owner since 2018. She’s an active electric vehicle advocate, volunteering with the Tesla Owners Club of Ontario and EV Society. She’s the Co-Founder of Fierce Media, a boutique communications agency specializing in e-mobility and the transition to renewable energies.
Are you looking for new and creative ways to share your story online and increase brand awareness? Check out Fiercemedia.ca, and let’s connect!