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Sunday, May 26, 2019

My First Tesla Grin


Nine years ago today, my friends, Jesse and Jim, and I went to a Tesla Roadster Ride & Drive event. There was no Tesla store in the Portland area at that time. The Seattle store was hosting a traveling roadshow and luckily we had appointments to the event.

I had no plans to buy a one hundred thousand dollar plus sports car, but I sure wanted to drive one. The car did not disappoint.

Getting in such a low-seated vehicle was an unusual feeling. At that time, my daily driver was an electric pickup truck. As I maneuvered the car to exit the parking lot, the smooth quiet motion of electric driving was familiar. Entering the road, I mashed the accelerator. Here's where the sportscar diverged from my electric truck. I was shoved back in my seat and a grin, assisted by G-forces, spread across my face.

I'd experienced the "EV grin" from the smooth quiet electric acceleration that feels like magical propulsion. The Tesla grin was the next level of this experience. As we merged onto the freeway, I was again able to mash the accelerator. This car was fun! There was no delay waiting for an engine to rev up before zipping ahead. As changed lanes (to the fast lane of course), I was again surprised by the car's response time. I was apparently used to sloppy comfort steering. This car had tight sports steering. It seemed to start the maneuver as soon as I thought about it.

I left that day excited for the future of EVs and knowing that I'd keep an eye on Tesla.

Six years later, at the same location, I attended the "Meet Model X" touring event with my friend Gary. Below is a photo of Gary being interviewed by the local media.


The media came along on Gary's Model X drive. The Falcon Wing door blew me away. This was far more practical than the Roadster and it even had towing capability. Soon after this event, I ordered a Model X.

Disclosure: I am long Tesla
http://ts.la/patrick7819