Monday, March 09, 2009
Monday, March 02, 2009
Tesla
Last Tuesday was pretty exciting. The FedEx truck arrived! I did not know that FedEx delivers cars, but they do. This one had three Teslas, a little sprint car and an early Lincoln Continental aboard. I asked the driver if he loved his job. He told me that it was the best one he could imagine.
The silver Tesla in front of mine on the truck was on its way to George Foreman. The driver's wife had suggested that they get an autograph on their grill, I don't know if that worked out.
The car is perfectly amazing. The throttle response is unbelievable. Have not figured out the best way to take it around corners, but at speeds beyond what I would do in in any other car I have driven, it just goes. The traction control is relatively non-intrusive, generally I only know it is operating because I see the indicator light in my peripheral vision. Generally it seems to want to keep me from getting too hard on the throttle in the middle of a curve.
The one-speed transmission sounds all wrong, but it is great. Electric motors have an essentially flat torque band, which is the reason I put my money down all those years ago. It is always ready to go, there is no need to wait for it to wind up. The sensitivity to right foot movement is exquisite.
Was it worth the wait? When I put down my deposit, I had not yet met Jeana. We have now been married more than two years, and Clarence is sixteen and a half months old! Since my name is not DiCaprio or Schwarzenegger I did not get any special treatment. So was it worth it? I have to say yes, if only because this is by far the coolest car I have ever seen. Not to mention that having the first one in the state is neat.
As William Gibson said, "The future is already here. It's just not very evenly distributed".