Well here in Australia deliveries of the new Model 3 continued in earnest. With many of the online community posting some fantastic videos of their experiences and their opinion of the car, the software and the love they have for their model3. A big shout out needs to be made to the passionate staff at all Tesla stores Australia wide and globally for their commitment to deliver a great customer experience.
Environment
Climate change is on the lips of many people in the world this last week. This has been driven by the peaceful strikes by the children of the world. The scientific community finally has a unified voice in their displeasure with current standing of environmental status. Tesla for many years has professed their driven by improving uptake of environmentally responsible transport. All EV’s meet this criterion as well. I have hope that the next years will bring the changes that are required to start the healing of our environment and the electrification of vehicles is just one of those steps.
Software
This week
has been one of the most anticipated software updates that has come in recent history
of tesla. Version 10 has been coming now with new and fascinating changes that
will only grow and enhance the love for Tesla vehicles.
Tesla Theatre
Netflix
YouTube
Hulu
Tesla Tutorials
The introduction of these is a welcome
inclusion as it allows people to watch their favourite shows whilst Tesla recharging
at superchargers.
Smart Summon
One of the most anticipated
inclusions so far.
This has been one of the most talked about
features across the Teslaverse. This allows users to call their car to them
from across car parks etc.
Caraoke
This is just pure fun for anyone who
loves karaoke and loves to sing with the lyrics.
Restaurants and Destinations
this is one feature I think I would
love. I am always asking my wife what she wants for dinner now all I would have
to do is hop in the car and push the” I’m feeling Hungry “button and let the
car decide. This is also true for the “I’m Feeling Lucky” feature when I don’t have
much to do for the day and I click that button. My day of fun driving begins.
Spotify
Improving music players in the car
are a widely requested feature and now Spotify is available. This will give a
lot more options to people. Hopefully apple music will not be far away.
Tesla Arcade
Games have been a feature for a
while on Tesla’s but now they have even more with the introduction of the most
famous game “CupHead”. This game has frustrated people online for a while now
but it’s fun and excitement is unprecedented.
There have
also been some other enhancements including further uplift of sentry mode.
Inclusion of Joe Mode allowing reduction of noise in the car when kids are
asleep.
This software
update is large and full of features and fun. The future is bright for the
software and enhancements from Tesla.
Government
Australian government has been a back-seat driver when it comes to the environment and this week they have not been stepping up to their responsibilities to the people of Australia. Environmental issues both abroad and in Australia need to be looked at in a very different way and that needs to occur now. For the electric vehicle community, they can make simple changes that would allow for environmental improvement and allowing people who are passionate about the electric car industry to gain ground in Australia which by all reports lags behind the rest of the world by several years.
In my opinion
the future is still bright for EV’s within Australia and the new features and
fun that Tesla keeps introducing is only making me have hope that we can get it
right. The government will get on board and the world will work out the
environmental issues.
So, my advice
is, keep your chin up and go buy a tesla. That’s my plan in the future.
Today was a day that I had long waited for. For 3 years I have watched with hope that one
day I might be able to drive a car I had become enamored with for the curves, colours
and style.
The car I am
talking about is none other than the Tesla model 3. Today was my Test drive. To
say I was excited is an understatement. I have bored my family with my incessant
talk about tesla for many years now. I created the EV-HQ.com website to feed my
passion for EV’s and today I got to drive the most incredible Electric vehicle
of all.
All day I had
been talking about the day being special. My wife who loves Tesla’s as well,
just not as passionate as me and my son who has only recently jumped on board
my Tesla train, gave clear instructions that I was not to mention tesla to much
in the lead up to the test drive. This seemed fair as I know I talk about tesla
far too much every other day, so I kept my comments and points of discussion
till last thing in the day.
About an
hour before we were meant to go for the test drive, we arrived at the Brisbane
Tesla store and had coffee within visual range of the store. Outside parked in the
golden sunshine was the most glorious site, a white performance Model 3. The
carbon fiber spoiler and the red calipers with the performance wheels really
made it a site to behold.
But as with
most of my stories I had to wait. I held out until 30 minutes before I had my
test drive and decided to look at the cars in the show room. Before walking into
the show room, I took a good look at the performance model 3. It was white on
white and looked gorgeous. Simple yet elegant in it design. My anticipation
started to build.
As I walked
in the door of the show room, I took in another site that was just as if not
more so breath taking. Of course, it was a model 3 but this time is was in the
red. Now I am no paint expert but man the red is stunning. It had not finger
prints and was polished to shine. It had a white interior and looked divine. My
son and I hopped into the back and front seats and really looked around at the
workmanship and interior styling and design.
The one
thing that the model 3 has in spades is “less is more”. To say that there is
not much of the interior is totally true as there are no buttons that are not functionally
necessary like the door release button, there are no knobs, no dials or any
other piece of plastic that isn’t designed to be there. This is the new and
very appealing evolution/revolution that electric cars and especially tesla are
bringing to the table.
As we waited
for our turn to go for the test drive my wife, son and I all scrutinized the 3
cars in the showroom. The model 3 of course, the model X a beautiful grey with
white interior and a blue Model S that as always is incredible to look at and
sit in.
I spent
most of my time in the red Model 3 performance reviewing the seating position
and going through the User interface display to truly get a feel for what was
in the systems that had been specifically designed for this car.
At exactly
3:30 it was my turn. We handed over our license and signed the insurance form
and were introduced to our guide. His kind, friendly and positive attitude a
was instantly apparent and he put us at ease. He asked if we had seen the Model
3 before I mentioned that I had seen the left-hand drive Model 3 in store when
they were on display. I started talking about the features and he realized very
quickly that I knew a thing or two about the model 3 and Tesla. He said I could
possible tell him a thing about Tesla’s. We will see I thought.
As we
walked around the front of the cars, I realized we were heading for the white Model
3, I had hoped it would be the performance but alas it was not to be. A little disappointed
but not at all worried that the model 3 we were allocated to drive would not
let us down. After sitting in the driver’s seat Alex, our tesla guide,
explained a few elements about the car and then set up our driver profile. I realized
that it is one thing to look through the menu of the car it is a whole other
thing to use the menu and the functions of the car to drive the car.
Having
never driven the model 3 before I had to acclimate myself to the indicator being
on the left side of the steering wheel and the gear lever on the right. Glad when
driving and thinking the right lever is indicator that the car does not shift
into reverse. It just beeps at you and keeps driving.
Once we
were set, we drove out the entrance to loop around the block and head away from
the store to an area 10 minutes away where we can truly see the potential of
this awe-inspiring car. The silence of movement as the car pulled away from the
store was wonderful to experience. The calmness that provides makes me smile to
my core. As we glided down the smooth concrete drive, I held my excitement in
check. This was the car that I had waited a very long time to drive and now
here I was driving the model 3 and pinching myself with excitement. In the back
of the car was my wife and son and they too had a wide smile on their face
while they looked up out of the glass roof to the blue sky above. Nothing beats
experiencing new experiences with family and friends.
As we made
our way around the block Alex and I spoke about the regen braking as it felt
like it was quite heavy. It seemed unusual to drive with one pedal, but I am
sure it would be something I could easily get used to. Alex lessened the
strength of the regen and we continued on our drive. The feel of the car on a
rough under construction 40 km/hr. road was soft and supple in its rock and
roll. The springs are not too hard or to soft and they provide the smooth
timeless motion. The fact that the battery is under your feet is also a wonderful
feeling with a low center of gravity.
We finally
made it to a location with less cars and long straights and the ability to truly
understand the power of the motors that have been placed in this white knight.
Alex instructed me to come to a stop and hold the brake pedal down until hold
engaged. He then asked everyone to put their heads on the back of their chairs
as a precaution.
Now, I have
driven a model s and understand the power these cars can produce. So, I was not
surprised that my son was not quite ready for the power this car could produce.
As I punched the acceleration pedal the
car shot forward and the bodies in the car pushed into their seats. It was at
this stage that the all too familiar smiles appeared on all our faces, even Alex
who I am sure has done this many, many times.
But our
smiles did not stop there, as we approached the corner Alex instructed us to
turn the car around and do another acceleration test. So, I turned the car
around and waited for the traffic to pass. Once driving Alex asked me to get up
to 50 km/hr. Once I got to this speed, he said to punch it. I put my foot to
the floor again and the car shot away faster than I expected. This surprise speed
surprised me the most and gave me that roller coaster feels. This care is truly
special. My wife and son had not expected it and they loved it with squeals and
laughs and smiles all round. Alex enjoyed the pace as well.
As we
slowed Alex shoed us a car park where my wife had a chance to drive. I changed
seats with her and sat in the back of the car which was also an experience. My
wife went through the same set up and instruction I received at the beginning
and she was away. She found the silence unsettling but enjoyed the car as it
moved away. She too had opportunity to feel the punch of the car and I really
enjoyed the feeling from the back seats. I looked up to the blue sky through
the large back window and enjoyed the fun with my son. Michelle drove back to
the Tesla store and asked many questions and really enjoyed the drive. We
parked at the super charger on our return and Alex as a last homage to the
coolness of tesla showed us the dog mode. My son plugged in the tesla to charge.
It was at this point that our test drive ended with thanks and handshakes to Alex
for showing us the best car on the planet.
There is no
doubt that one day I will own a tesla. And it is no doubt that this test drive
just reinforced the idea that the future is electric, and it is here now.
Thanks to
Tesla and to Alex for a great experience.
Thanks to my
Wife and son for indulging me my passion and for being part of the experience.