I Got To Drive a Tesla Model S

I got to drive a Tesla Model S.  And what's amazing to think about is the fact I was trying to figure out how to come up with $80,000+ dollars for the base model car immediately after the drive.  I want one of these brilliant cars.

First, I'm not a share holder, I'm not a rich man, and I'm not an employee of any kind.  I'm a car nerd...or at least I used to be.  Now you can tell, I don't blog about anything anymore.  Second, I'm not an environmentalist, nor do I focus on what "my part" is in protecting our planet.  Third, I'm not really an early adopter.  It took me a model to finally get into the iPhone because I wasn't sure I could deal with the first generation bugs.

I will admit, I have a level of respect for Elon Musk that is probably beyond most of his followers.  I'm a fan of this genius because he makes sense with what he does.  He's obviously about making life better.  Tesla, led by Musk, is working to sell cars better and with more control over product quality and price than traditional auto dealers.  Space X, also led by Musk, is working to offer the government a much cheaper option for space travel.  Here's a tweet about it from April:

Elon Musk fights old transportation with Tesla and SpaceX http://t.co/y5g3Ys73PX via @verge
— Jimmy the Gun (@jimmythegun) April 26, 2014

Then there are the following other stories by Musk and companies:

Who was the idiot at 60 minutes? / "60 Minutes' Tesla Dubbing Was Just The Beginning" http://t.co/Zqqg8N0RlG
— Jimmy the Gun (@jimmythegun) April 14, 2014

Why dealerships should embrace Tesla's direct sales competition http://t.co/pd4rbov4si via @therealautoblog @usbank
— Jimmy the Gun (@jimmythegun) March 22, 2014

It's his product. Who else deserves profits? “'This Musk guy, he wants all the profits for himself' http://t.co/xTKSX6VAh0” via @verge
— Jimmy the Gun (@jimmythegun) March 20, 2014

New Jersey auto dealers subverting democratic process to try to block Tesla sales http://t.co/PLY97W1oh0
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 11, 2014

You get the point.  This is more about the test drive, not the tweets about Musk and his companies anyway.  Find more tweets and retweets on my Twitter profile @jimmythegun.

So the car.  The first great thing about it was the door handle.  It slid out from being flush with the door as I approached with the key fob in my pocket (or in the dealer employee's pocket).  I sat down into a sporty and supportive seat, which I was about to find out is needed.  At that point all the computer systems lit up.  The massive screen that acts as the control center for everything from the A/C to the way the car handles a corner was beautifully laid out, simple but smart, clean and clear.  The control center was done, in a word, "Right".  The way the rest of the automotive industry tries to do intelligent car computers is not done by people who think about the user experience.  Telsa obviously did.

Okay, so the A/C kicked on and that was the only noise in the car.  The salesman turned it off for a bit, to show me the car was virtually silent.  He told me to press on the brake, move the lever into drive, and go.  No start up, no initiation of the motor, nothing.  Have you ever sat in a golf cart and hit the gas (or the "go pedal" as I'm going to call it, because there is no gas in this car)?  Yeah, it was like a really nice, powerful, version of the immediate response you get from a golf cart.  And if you think about it, it's a similar idea, with nothing more in common to a golf cart than a battery powered motor.  I silently leaped off the lot.  With the A/C turned back on, I literally only heard the noise of the air moving within the cabin.  It was weird and cool at the same time.  I pressed down firming on the "go pedal" as I turned onto the street.  The Tesla Model S quickly got us to 60mph, faster than I think I've ever really experienced...at least in a sedan.

We headed toward the freeway, where I was going to really "open her up".  As we approached the on-ramp, I realize I had a fairly sharp 180 degree challenge for the car.  The salesman agreed that I should push it a little to "experience the car's low center of gravity" thanks to the battery design and placement along the bottom of the length of the car.  I actually chickened out of the speed I was pushing the car to because it was that fast.  There was no roll, no sloppy handling, no feel of sliding.  The Model S hugged the curve and we reached 80mph the legal speed limit in no time.  This car can keep up with anything on the freeway and can work over probably 99% of them.  It was fast, powerful, and silent.  Also, as we approached the rear of a slower and weaker vehicle, I didn't have to brake.  As I let off the go-pedal, the regenerative braking feature kicked in.  This is a designed battery recharging system that uses the cars forward movement to recreate energy to recharge the batteries, naturally slowing you down as it steals that energy.

After the freeway test, the salesman took me into the winding back-roads of the county.  The quick and powerful motor, along with the regenerative braking, made driving this road hugging sedan a cool and sporty experience.  I was able to power through and out of corners with the lower center of gravity and the amazing performance that comes from the car's standard 302hp (which I'm sure is outrageously fast and powerful if you get the performance upgrade to the 416hp version).  I tried pushing it to its limits, but didn't find them.  The car handled everything I asked of it, even keeping the power on the road when I tried to break the back-end loose.  The salesman did tell me later, they were not allowed to turn off the traction control, which is the only reason I wasn't able to smoke the tires on this rear wheel drive sedan.

As we returned to the dealership, which really isn't a dealership where I live, but a service center with a small showroom, I couldn't help but sit and design my Telsa Model S.  And that's where I learned, the base model with only the upgrade of the battery and the technology package pushed this impressive car north of $80,000.00.  And, while this is standard pricing for a luxury car like the Model S clearly is, it was out of my price range.

So, what's next for Tesla?  Well, Musk laid it out in Telsa's share holders meeting.  Next up is the Model X, a crossover, SUV type with all-wheel drive and falcon wing rear doors.

After that, the company will begin its mass production Model "E" (which is not really the name, since Ford told Telsa they'd sue over it).  This mass production model should be a $30,000.00 vehicle for the rest of us.  I'd be willing to bet, however, that Musk and the Tesla team do it with many of the same features found on the most amazing all electric vehicle, the Model S.  Someday, I hope I can drive something from this amazing car company and it's CEO and our generation's Albert Eisenstein level genius, Elon Musk.

I did borrow all the photos from Tesla's website, since I forgot to take pictures of my own.  Next time I drive a Tesla or go by the dealer, I'll get some of my own images.  For now, hopefully, they are cool with me using their stock images. 

Nice Uggs Sir

Nice Ugg boots, Sir. They really go well with flannel.

Define:

Ugg boots (sometimes called uggs) are a style of unisex sheepskin boots lined with wool on the inside and with a tanned outer surface. ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uggs - Definition in context

Really? Unisex? NO!

Sent from my iPhone

2011 Ford Super Duty

I'm not going to lie, I hope Ford figures out how to be successful above and beyond their current and past performances. I hope they show GM and Chrysler, the two American Car companies that took government money and are still struggling, how a company in a struggling industry can shed pounds, build better vehicles around what the consumers want, and make it through a tough economical time. Ford has the opportunity to be a leader in this country and others. Also, I'm posting the videos series about the new Super Duty for my own benefit. I want to be able watch these videos now and later, as I think Ford's use of Mike Rowe is really smart. They used him with the F-150 video series that showed off the F-150's benefits and better build qualities over the Chevy Silverado, Toyota Tundra, and Dodge Ram. Here are the videos for the upcoming 2011 Ford Super Duty (F-250, 350, etc): My only complaint so far is the fact that the yellow(orange) blinker is on top and the headlight is on the bottom. It's backward to me and looks weird. Take a look: I do think the truck is really good looking, much better looking than the current model. Here's my wallpaper: For a complete gallery, check out Autoblog.

Dead Bird = Gross Maggots Everywhere

First, this is a picture of the concrete area where my trash cans sit. Second, this is a close-up of just one of the score lines in the concrete area where my trash cans sit. Finally, this is a close-up of the maggots in the score line in the concrete area where my trash cans sit. This is the grossest thing I've ever dealt with; thousands of maggots drawn to a dead bird inside of a black garbage bag my "bug guy" found on the other side of my house. And do you want to know how I discovered the maggots? WITH MY BARE FEET, when I took out the garbage the other night.

And I Thought The Roads Were Bad in Placer County

Driving the roads in Placer County really beats up on a vehicle, not to mention the drivers and passengers. I didn't notice how bad it was until I drove from Lincoln to Hwy 99 using the back roads. If you followed the map below, halfway down Nicolaus is the Sutter County line. When you cross into Sutter County, the pavement lets you know. It is so much smoother in Sutter County you can't help but realize the difference.
View Larger Map But driving in Placer County has never resulted in this kind of pothole. This is a sink hole in the Ukraine. It swallowed this Golf almost whole. I've hit some pretty bad potholes but this is ridiculous. It might be time for a little money to be spent on infrastructure; here and in the Ukraine.

Ford Flex Taxi

I saw a blog about the Ford Flex and I couldn't help but think it'd make a great new taxi for New York. It gets fairly good gas mileage (and Ford could make it better with their eco boost engine) and it's got a lot of room. Here's my attempt at coloring a gray one yellow. I suck at Photoshop. Of course, I don't have Photoshop. Anyway, it's an idea for Ford. Ford is the only one of the big 3 American Auto Companies not super close to bankruptcy filing. I think I should work of Ford. I'd do a great job of helping them. My first mission would be a Charger callenger that would replace the Crown Victoria called the Interceptor, off their Police Interceptor Model Vic. It would be an awesome car, built to work well for law enforcement, taxi services, and the big powerful car lovers. It would be rear wheel drive, of course, and be ready to go with technolopy that should already be in cars today. Dear Ford Motor Company, I live in California and want to work for you. I think I have ideas that would continue to lead you on to success over the other 2 American automotive companies. Send me an email and we can discuss my plan to save your company (UAW will needs to go). Thanks, Jimmy the Gun

Austrian's Use VW Golf to Move Cows

I remember helping Ted move once with the use of my Golf and the use of his Toyota Tacoma. I was able to fit more boxes securely in my Golf than we were able to fit in the bed of Ted's truck. This might be a little more than I was hauling, but it goes to the hauling ability of the Golf.

iPhone Restore Takes Too Long - Part 2

Ahhhhh?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? What the BLEEEEEP Apple? I restored my iPhone yesterday, and after 3 hours of restore I then spent another hour or so adding my media. Today........this happened. All my media was not there except it was. I couldn't use it but it took up the space on the phone. What's up Apple fans? Somehow it became "other" stuff not music or photos. ARGH!!!!!!!!

The Evolution of the Microwave Burrito

I've been eating microwave burritos for almost 2 decades now. They are truly a staple in my diet. Although I've always favored the beef and bean variety, I've recently had to make some changes to the burrito preparation. Today I reached a new level. I'm not sure if that new level is a "new low" or a "new high." For probably the last 10 years or so, I've added Taco Bell hot sauces to the burritos to give them a little more kick. As recent as the last 3 years, I've also added Parmesan cheese on top of the Taco Bell hot sauces, on top of the burritos. Today I opened the drawer in the fridge to retrieve the TB sauces and saw Kraft cheese singles. "Hmmm," I thought to myself, "that might be good melted on top." Well, it was. And that's how I ate my microwave burritos today. Take a look. Oh yes, and a little Mountain Dew, of course.

iPhone Restore Takes Too Long

First off, my iPhone has all sorts of issues. I don't want to go into all of them now. But I heard if you restore factory settings, it usually fixes the problems. Well, I wish I knew it was going to take this long. I have people coming to look at my house any minute and I can't take my phone with me when I leave if it's not done restoring. I could have driven to the AT&T store, purchased a new iPhone, brought it home to activate it (if that was allowed), and been up and running with my contacts, calander, music, and programs faster. Here is a picture of the slow progress of restore. Look at the three the red arrows. "Sync" time is the "Start Time." The desktop time was the time I screen printed the progress. And well, the progress bar is not even halfway across. I'm already at an hour and twenty minutes. As I hit publish, I'm still not halfway done. I'm thinking another hour. ARGH!!!!! Click on the image to enlarge. Thanks Apple for the great advice. UPDATE!!!!!! It took over 3 hours. And then I had to load all my apps and media. Stupid Apple. Stupid time. Stupid stupid. Here's a picture at three hours.

Trick or Treating at Obama's House

Thanks Stuart.

Far Cry - The Movie

I played the computer version of Far Cry and loved it. I thought it was one of the best games, both in graphics and game play, I've ever played. Now there is a movie coming out to ruin the franchise. The trailer, which I purposefully didn't link, looks as bad as the Street Fighter and Mortal Combat movies. If Van Damme was in it, it would only be better. Screen shots of the game can be found on my previous blogs about gaming here and here. Here is the official trailer for the game. This is better than the movie trailer. If you do want to torture yourself, you can find a link the the movie trailer at Crunch Gear. Yeah, they think it stinks too.

Chris Farley Lives?

I found this on digg.com and it scares me. I can't tell if that's a Photo Shop edit job or the scariest thing I've seen in a really long time. It makes me want to watch Tommy Boy and slap a baby at the same time.

YIKES!