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Does it pay for itself?
On the developer’s Model 3 Performance, energy use went from 300 to 240 Wh/mi after fitting the V3 Alpha. Here is what that change is worth in electricity against the $1,800 price, at 100,000 miles and beyond.
Read this first
300 → 240 Wh/mi is an owner-reported, before-and-after number from one car. It was not a controlled test, and it is far larger than drag alone explains: our finest simulation predicts about 3 Wh/mi less at the wheels at a steady 80 mph. Use it as one data point, and put in your own numbers below.
The benchmark: 100,000 miles
V3 Alpha at $1,800, 60 Wh/mi saved, starting at $0.18/kWh. Each scenario is shown with a flat price and with electricity doubling over ten years.
| Scenario | Energy saved | Price stays flat at $0.18 | Price doubles in 10 years | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg $/kWh | Gross | Net | Payback | Avg $/kWh | Gross | Net | Payback | ||
| 100,000 mi at 20,000 mi/yr | 6,000 kWh | 0.180 | $1,080 | −$720 | 166,667 mi | 0.215 | $1,291 | −$509 | 131,550 mi |
| 100,000 mi at 15,000 mi/yr | 6,000 kWh | 0.180 | $1,080 | −$720 | 166,667 mi | 0.229 | $1,373 | −$427 | 123,582 mi |
| 120,000 mi over 8 years | 7,200 kWh | 0.180 | $1,296 | −$504 | 166,667 mi | 0.241 | $1,732 | −$68 | 123,582 mi |
Net is gross savings minus the spoiler price. Payback is the mileage at which cumulative savings equal the price, at the same miles per year. The eight-year case runs to 120,000 miles at 15,000 miles a year.
Your numbers
Pick where you charge, how far you drive and what your car uses. State prices are the average residential rate, January to August 2026.
V3 Alpha at $1,800, 100,000 mi over 5 years, 60 Wh/mi saved, starting at $0.180/kWh (Starting assumption, $0.18/kWh).
Price stays flat
- Energy saved
- 6,000 kWh
- Average electricity cost
- $0.180/kWh
- Gross savings
- $1,080
- Net after the spoiler price
- −$720
- Payback
- 166,667 mi (8.3 yr)
Price doubles in 10 years
- Energy saved
- 6,000 kWh
- Average electricity cost
- $0.215/kWh
- Gross savings
- $1,291
- Net after the spoiler price
- −$509
- Payback
- 131,550 mi (6.6 yr)
Calculated on our server. Future electricity prices are assumptions, not forecasts. “Doubles in 10 years” compounds at about 7.2% a year.
Source for state prices: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.B, residential, Jan to Aug 2026 (preliminary). Home-charging rates only; public fast charging usually costs more per kWh, which would raise the savings.