Tesla Rocks!
I used to tell my kids that if they ever strike it rich, they can buy me a Lamborghini and I would die a happy man—all that has changed with the Tesla. They were offering test drives a few months ago for electric cars. I stood patiently in the line for the Volt with a number of other folks, and then a Tesla made its appearance. The line for the Volt dissipated instantaneously. I hovered over the Tesla, as other onlookers purred their approval.
The owner and driver was a Tesla aficionado, quoting off statistics about the car as a baseball fan would rattle off stats about his or her favorite team. I have been in a lot of nice cars. One of my brother’s first cars was a black Corvette. I was happy in my MG, but I know a fine car when I see one. The Tesla sounded fine, but nothing could prepare me for the experience of driving in it.
It is probably not a terrific idea to test the 0-60 benchmark in downtown Baltimore. The Tesla is going to leave your Lexus GS in the dust, even though the Lexus can accelerate to 60 in 5.4 seconds. The Tesla Model S can get up to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. The Tesla is not going to beat my dream Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, which can get to 60 in 2.8 seconds, but who would want to go 60 mph in any downtown area? Is there any downtown in the US where a car can legally drive at 60 mph. No way.
As the driver in our test drive softly touched the accelerator, we rocketed forward. Even though we may have not reached 60 mph, we got pretty close in a few seconds. It felt like I was riding a roller coaster except much smoother. The acceleration took my breath away.
The major danger of the car is that it is so quiet that a pedestrian might not notice that the car is approaching. For those of us (read all of us), the startling thing about a Tesla is just how quiet it is. It is like skiing on a black diamond, you just hear the wind going by, and little else.
That is not the only surprise. Open the hood, and lo and behold, there is no engine under the hood. It is just empty space. And the inside of the car, is like your own surround sound entertainment system at your beck and call with any verbal command.
I once dreamed that I could drive my electric car up to my own solar carport, but electric car charging stations are popping up close to my home. Most Tesla owners charge their cars at home with or without a solar carport.
So if you see my kids, please let them know that if they ever felt like giving m