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Pan Pro Pest Services covers Metro West Boston, working from mainstream vehicles. Pan Luo, the owner-operator of the business, has been using three minivans to meet his needs, visiting job sites and using his tools to manage pests. I’ve known Pan for many years now. He provides services to my residence and to some of my rental apartments. For quite a while, Pan has been considering changing his gas-powered work van to a hybrid or an EV. He pulled the trigger in March and got an insane deal on a new 2025 Model Y Performance AWD. Here’s his story.
Obtaining a New Model Y At a Low-Low Price
Pan was working with local Tesla dealers for many months, biding his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to buy a new Model Y. He told Torque News:
I waited until the new Juniper version of the Model Y was about to be available. Tesla had a lot of leftover new inventory of 2025 Model Ys, and they were offering great deals. So good, it is hard to believe.
Pan allowed us to look over his purchase agreement. Here’s what it revealed:
Model Y P AWD with $1K Paint Adder, Delivery Fee, and Order Fee = $54,130 Price
$8400 Discount From Tesla
$500 Referral Discount
$7,500 Federal Tax Incentive
$3,500 Mass. EV Rebate
After the math was finished, Pan had an effective consumer cost of just $34,230 after discounts and incentives. “This low price was well under any new minivan I would have purchased,” Pan says. So, the first way moving to Tesla saved Pan was on the vehicle purchase price.
Related Topic: Tesla Model Y Is the Best Limo
Charging Costs Are Lower Than Gas
Pan showed us his electric bill. His normal summer rate is $0.26/kWh. That rate is his rate from National Grid. In addition, he saves money by participating in an EV charging program that offers discounted rates and even offered him a $50 bonus to sign up. Pan has solar at his home, so it is tricky to calculate his cost per mile, but he is convinced it is effectively zero, since he doesn’t always use all the power his home generates from the solar. One thing is clear: by using electricity, he no longer has a monthly gasoline bill for his business vehicle.
Charging Is More Convenient Than Fueling Up
Pan is a loyal BJ’s member, and he bought most of his gas at a discounted rate. While this helped him keep costs down, he often waited to fuel up, since BJ’s gas price is so low it draws crowds. He found that by charging at home, and occasionally using some free Supercharger charging Tesla gave him when he bought the Model Y, he spends less time dealing with fuel. Almost all of the power he uses in the car is input from a Tesla wall charger he has at home.
FSD Is the Game Changer
Pan presently pays $99 per month for Tesla Full Self-Driving. Here are Pan’s own words explaining how FSD relates to his Tesla ownership:
FSD was the biggest reason I went with Tesla instead of another EV brand. I use it constantly. I would call myself a super-user. When I am moving from customer to customer, I often take phone calls. I feel it is much safer to take a hands-free call while using FSD. Honestly, it’s a better driver than I am! I have also used Summon. FSD allows me to drive more safely while still being able to accept an incoming call. If the conversation evolves into a detailed meeting, I pull over and park, but many times it is as simple as confirming my ETA or answering a call from one of my workers who just has a quick question. Without FSD, I would feel less safe accepting those types of calls.
Camera Safety
One advantage of the Model Y, in Pan’s view, is that it has so many great cameras. “I can see things like bicycles approaching from behind when I am stopped,” said Pan. He also likes the cameras for maneuvering in tight spaces.
Is the Model Y Big Enough For Pan’s Business?
Pan likes minivans because they are economical, and they also fit all his stuff. One item he uses is a long pole. It just barely fits in the Model Y with the rear seats folded. However, the rest of his gear, such as sprayers, containers, and such, all fit just fine. He uses the frunk, too.
Range Limits – How Far Does Pan Travel In a Day?
I asked Pan how far and how many miles he drives in a given work day, and he told me it can be as much as 3 hours of driving, but mostly local suburban routes. So, the total range is not an issue. His Model Y P AWD has a range of about 285 miles in summer. He is a little nervous about winter range, but not so much that it would be a big problem. At this time, he only “needs” to charge once every couple of days. Since he has a wall charger at home, he does usually top-up daily.
Long Personal Trips
Pan told me that his wife was reluctant to have an EV due to the vacation trips the couple takes. However, during a six-hour drive to Maine, they topped off at Superchargers (for free) and had no difficulty. Pan said that on his New England road trip, he never needed to wait to charge.
Local Free Charging
I’m the weird customer who offers to let my contractors charge while they work, but Pan says that he has a growing network of public chargers that offer free L2 charging. “I use the adapter that Tesla gave me with the vehicle when the charger is not NACS,” said Pan. “I will sometimes pull up to a free local charger and catch up on calls and billing on my phone while grabbing some free miles.”
Interestingly, Pan Does Not Expect to Buy Another Tesla For the Business- Here’s Why
Since Pan is having such a great experience with the Model Y, I was sure he may be considering another Tesla when the time comes to replace his two remaining vans. He surprised me by saying he likely won’t get another Tesla in the near term. Here’s what Pan says about this subject:
Although I love my Tesla, most of my workers don’t have home charging. Their residences don’t really lend themselves to that. So, they would be on Superchargers or L2 chargers during the work day, and I can’t have that be part of the routine. It would impact my profitability. Our working time is our only product, so I have to have my crew serving customers at every possible moment. Unless charging times get even better than they are now, and charging becomes more readily available, I cannot have another EV as a work vehicle for my crews.
When I asked Pan what he might do instead, he said, “Definitely a hybrid.” Ford has some great hybrids that may lend themselves to such a business. SUVs, the Maverick Pickup, and even the F-150.
Pan didn’t stress this, but he is a person who cares about the environment. That’s how I first connected with him. I needed pest services, but wanted a company that was considerate to the environment. His owning solar, and now an EV, is an extension of his lifestyle, as would a hybrid be.
What do you think about Pan’s choice of the Model Y as a work vehicle?
Do you think EVs like the Model Y might work well for other types of work? Tell us in the comments below.
John Goreham is a credentialed New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on Linkedin and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John’s by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ grammar and punctuation software when proofreading and he also uses image generation tools.
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Source: torquenews.com
