Tesla Dreamin’

The Tesla Model 3 costs twice what I’d normally pay for a car, but for a Tesla I was willing to make an exception.

Why, do you ask?

I’ve always liked the idea of electric cars, and Tesla got this one right. It’s not something almost as good as a petrol car for twice the price. It’s pure electric, not some mongrel hybrid that can’t make up its mind what it is, and even the base model is a driver’s dream. It accelerates like it doesn’t care, and the absence of gears means it just accelerates without pause, smooth as silk.

Was it so wrong to look at that black Mercedes sports car next to me at the lights, hit the accelerator, and leave it in my dust?

Rated at 0-100 kph in 5.6 seconds, it is better expressed as zero to over the speed limit in 2 seconds around here. And the low centre of gravity (all those batteries under the floor) makes it hug the road around corners. When we first bought diesel, the acceleration compared to petrol, especially at low revs, was impressive, and turned the Hyundai i30 wagon from a “meh” to a “buy!”. Well, at least until Hyundai dumbed-down to low-rev acceleration in later models. But even this base model Tesla is far better still. I can only imagine what the more expensive version with two electric motors (one on each axle) would be like, let alone the Roadster.

My only addition to the base model (though in Australia, the base model is the Plus with extras like full glass top) was red paint. If you grew up on Magnum PI and his red Ferrari, red is compulsory for a machine like this.

One old guy crossing the road in front of me pointed it out to his wife and blew me a kiss. Perhaps this is not the chick magnet you are looking for.

It is a no-compromise electric car. The only dashboard is the large screen in the middle. Anything that can be run via an electric motor is. From unlocking the doors, turning on the air conditioning, leaving your dog cool in the car and opening the charger port, the whole thing can be remote controlled from your phone. You can even limit the speed, especially in “valet mode”, so no fears of a reprise of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

The sensors put in to one day enable self-driving are interesting to watch. It recognises motor bikes very well, and cars, but it tends to think trucks are closer than they are (perhaps this is a good thing). When slow or stopped, nearby cars tend to jiggle around, sometimes turning at right angles, though this might be because the calibration wasn’t complete. But while driving, quite handy to have that extra assurance of where nearby vehicles are.

I referred to a “Tesla limousine” as background technology in my novel The Geneh War. So I guess it is appropriate I now have one for myself. Authors must ensure they do proper research 🙂 Hey, I wonder if that makes it a tax deduction 😀

What about charging? Unlike petrol or diesel, you aren’t going to find a charging station on every second corner. But its range of 400 km (farther with the more expensive models) is easily enough for my needs. The simple, no extra installation cost home charging (charger comes with the car), is enough for a trip to Brisbane (about 100 km each way) every second day. Also provided with the car is the special home charger that will do a complete charge overnight, though these may cost $1,000 or more to install. And there are a growing number of Tesla Supercharger and other electric car chargers (may need to buy an adaptor for those) popping up all around Australia, that can keep you going while you stop for a snack or a coffee.

If you are thinking of buying a Tesla, use my referral link https://ts.la/robin38081 to get us both 1,500 free Supercharger km!

Go on… you know you want to.