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I used to be driving a Toyota Prius for a number of years till I made the transfer to an EV in 2018, shopping for a Tesla Mannequin 3 Mid Vary. Final summer season I traded as much as a Mannequin Y Lengthy Vary. My admiration for Elon Musk has been dinged by his political pronouncements, however his vehicles and dedication to a clear power future are highly effective causes to stay with the model. That makes for a painful rigidity, so I’ll take pleasure in some nostalgia about shopping for a Tesla within the first place.
My first purpose to go electrical was concern about local weather change, so Tesla’s mission “to speed up the world’s transition to sustainable power” resonated strongly. It wasn’t sufficient anymore to drive a Prius and tease out probably the most mpg. However transferring to an electrical car meant with the ability to afford one, with the ability to cost it, and truly liking its design. The one inexpensive EVs available on the market on the time have been the Leaf, Bolt, and Tesla Mannequin 3. Being a New York Metropolis resident, I don’t use a automobile for day by day life, and nearly all I do is lengthy distance driving. Whereas the Bolt was enticing, the shortage of dependable quick charging was a dealbreaker. Identical downside with the Leaf, which I additionally discovered irredeemably ugly. So the Supercharger community was the sensible purpose to decide on a Tesla.
The opposite purpose was the design of the Mannequin 3 itself. It was simply stunning, inside and outside. When my husband and I sat in a single for the primary time in a Tesla showroom, we fell in love instantly. The inside had all of the options we wished for or had not even imagined: the flat surfaces on the sprint and console the place you possibly can place your take-out meals (so good if you are at a Supercharger); no pointless emergency brake lever or silly pseudo-stick shift taking over house between the seats; the flexibility of the passenger to regulate many capabilities on the touchscreen; the sensation that you’re sitting in a lounge fairly than a cockpit. I nonetheless assume that these practical features of Tesla’s inside design don’t get sufficient credit score.
And naturally, truly driving a Tesla is great for all the same old causes that EVs are superior. I even have Full Self Driving and discover it very useful on our lengthy drives, in addition to a wonderful security characteristic.
So whereas I wince with every new political assertion Elon makes that I disagree with, I can’t see myself abandoning the Tesla model. The vehicles are simply too good, and the mission of the corporate is simply too necessary.
By Stephanie Doba
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