Rode in my first Tesla today
 

One of my clients and I did a thing together. Holy crap, the torque is impressive. Not sure how big I am on the whole concept but I get why people go for them. Quiet, rough equivalent of 130 mpg, no gas stations, no-brainer to drive.

Similar to people moving from stick to automatic. These things are even easier.
As a motohead I'm not into a glorified golf cart but I'm afraid they are here to stay.

They are here to stay. Faster charging would steer me towards one.

My issue is the grid is nowhere near robust enough to charge a nation full of E-cars and there isn’t enough lithium on earth for the batteries needed.

dang ... when you said "my first Tesla today' you had me thinking you owned one ! BUT yes, those electrics can be ludicrous :D

Drove a Tesla X for a week a while ago, it's a non brainer to go electric. The pick up is instant, not stress when crossing a busy intersection. Because you don't hear the engine it's a much more relax way of transportation.

Within a couple of years the gas stations will be transformed into fast charging stations with maybe one gas pump left somewhere in the corner.

I’m not a fan of the big iPad control panel. I like buttons and knobs. I like Tesla but they feel very sterile

I think the drive behind these is not just a new way of driving but as a way to meet the coming emission standards. For a company like GM their standard is measured across the entire product line, so the more electrics they sell the more gas trucks they can sell.

Electrics will currently meet the needs of about 80% of the driving population. It will take years to get to that point, but it will get there.

Hilton is currently working on plans for electric charging at their hotels. The thought is you would fly to your destination, rent an electric car, and stay where you can charge it for free.

Somewhere in the past the first hotel offered a free breakfast. Now all the chains do so. Because they had to. It will be the same with chargers. Only low rent motels will not offer charging.

But times change and often people don't know they will like the change until they try it. Henry Ford was once asked about consumer research and he said that if he asked the average Model T buyer what they wanted they would answer a better horse.

If it makes anyone feel any batter F. Porsche was pushing this mode of propulsion back in the 1920s. But what killed electrics back then was the perception of them being a car for women.

Agree it’s ****ly. Besides the ugly screen I do like the minimalistic design.

I've ridden in a few of them, even had someone do a launch in Ludicrous mode a few times. My company had Tesla stop by and give out test drives before the pandemic hit. I drove a Model 3 around and its definitely a bunch of fun.

However, they are still quite expensive. And the charging times aren't attractive at all. I'm still a proponent of Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, especially to bridge the gap in the market. They can be filled much like ICE vehicles and still have the benefits of being a net zero emission vehicle.

I hope we get both options, both electric and HFC, with both taking up portions of the market.

I want a little trailer to pull behind my tesla for trips with a little diesel motor to keep my batteries full.

Trailering will draw the batteries down and then will need charging more often. It would then be a petrol vehicle with extra steps. If youre not kidding.

I sketched out how I would take a Tesla to FL.

It would be easy.

It is mostly Interstate all the way, so each bathroom or food stop tops off, and it is easy to stay at a hotel with a destination charger. With all the superchargers around, at most it would add an hour or two of just waiting.

A larger diesel generator is all that would be needed.

saw one in my area,which I think is stupid. To many mountain grades to consume power fast. No one rolls down windows anymore,and has to have aircondintioning

I've had a Volt for a few years now. I will say I generally drive it in gas mode. It only has a 40 mile electric range. The later ones had a 60 mile range (?). I would think the gas motor selected was not ideal as a generator. Still, the 40 to 60 miles range would be usable for say 80% of peoples needs. The Bolt has a 250 mile range.
I would say a fuel cell Plug In Electric Hybrid (PHEV) would be interesting. I think a 100 mile electric range would be good.

I don't think you are picturing it correctly. My trailer would be a charging machine. It would keep the battery topped off.