In the past six months, I have twice rented a Tesla Model 3. The first was rented using the “TURO” App, and the most recent was the more standard fly into the airport, board the rental car shuttle, and be assigned a vehicle (that may or may not be the vehicle you selected online). My intent was to write about the experience of driving an electric vehicle, but as always, my unmedicated mind begins taking my writing in many more directions than I would have thought possible. So, I invite you, the reader, to come along.
My late Father-In-Law once said to me: “no matter where I was in life, it felt as though it would always be that way.” He would immediately point out the folly of such thinking. The man grew up in rural Mississippi during the Depression, enlisted in the Army Air Corps at the beginning of US involvement in WW2, returned home, married, and with his wife of over fifty years participated in creating the “Baby Boom” generation. The man witnessed the electrification of rural Mississippi, used wall-mounted telephones where calls were connected by an operator, and the creation of the US Interstate Highway System. Ninety years after his birth, electricity and highway travel were taken for granted, and the man carried a phone in his pocket capable of performing more tasks than he knew how to use.
Our world overflows with change.
I first became aware of the Tesla automobile while making my annual Christmas pilgrimage to the shopping mall around 2012 or 13. There were two models parked inside retail space to examine, video screens on the walls and plentiful supply of literature to take home. The store was crowded, and one had to wait their turn to sit behind the wheel and inspect the computer screen which made the car feel like a command center. The car was sleek and stylish, promised speed and impressive battery life. A salesman answered my questions as to how these things get charged, why they don’t have a provision to self-charge, and what do you do out on the highway when the battery power falls to zero.
I was told of the growing network of chargers, and the ability to charge at home. The use of clean-renewable electric energy were huge selling points though the price tag of over 50K was well out of my transportation budget. Even so, I left the store quite impressed with the product.
At that time, I don’t believe I’d ever heard of Elon Musk. In the ten years since I first encountered his electric car, the man has become a household name who I regard as a true visionary. Like Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and other pioneers, Elon has almost single handedly ushered in a new age of personal transportation. Though he did not invent the electric car, nor did Steve Jobs invent the phone, they built products that appeal to the modern consumer.
I intend to review the actual driving, charging, and navigating the vehicle in part 2 of this series, though it is entirely possible that it may extend to a part 3.
DE Haines
Twisted Words OF D.E. Haines 