North America Blog 7 October 2019 - Epiblog
This series of blogs chronicles the Intrepids’ adventures driving round the coasts of North America in an electric car. The six month 32,000km journey followed the coast from LA to Alaska, across Canada to Newfoundland, then down the islands, bays and peninsulas of the east coast of the US and via the Gulf of Mexico to Arizona and back to California. Reaching the end of the electric road trip, the car has a new owner and the Intrepids are back in Australia. This Epiblog provides a summary of the practicalities of buying a car in the US as a foreigner and the unique challenges of driving an electric car well beyond the comfort zone of the supercharger network. It may refute the concern often expressed about the limited range of electric cars and impart a little of our experiences of driving one of the most innovative and extraordinary cars through some of the most amazing places on the planet.
Buying a car for an American Road Trip
When we contemplated this journey roughly a year ago, we found lots of mixed but generally well-meaning advice as to whether it was feasible, practical and sensible to buy a car in the US as a foreigner. This ranged from ‘sure, go for it,’ to ‘it’s not possible’, ‘not legal’ and ‘financially insane’.
Our experience would suggest that it’s very much a practical and potentially cost effective proposition compared with renting a car, but is not without its risks, takes longer and requires more planning and a lot more cash than simply rocking up to Hertz or Avis. However the advantages of driving your own car, not having to get anyone’s permission to venture into Canada, Alaska or Mexico or to drive on dirt roads or worrying about bringing it back on time, exceeding the mileage limit and a sense of ownership have to be weighed against the downsides. Renting a car means no worries about maintenance or repairs, nor does it require lots of upfront cash. In most circumstances renting would be the better option by far, but we were keen to explore the new frontiers of electric motoring so renting, even through Turo was not a viable alternative.
As non-resident foreigners with 6 month visas, we found the only requirements to buy, insure and register a car in California were to have a reliable local mailing address - a relative or friend’s is fine - and a valid driving licence recognised in the USA. The sequence of steps to buy and subsequently sell the car in California are relatively straightforward and for anyone who may be contemplating an extended road trip are outlined below:
As non-resident foreigners with 6 month visas, we found the only requirements to buy, insure and register a car in California were to have a reliable local mailing address - a relative or friend’s is fine - and a valid driving licence recognised in the USA. The sequence of steps to buy and subsequently sell the car in California are relatively straightforward and for anyone who may be contemplating an extended road trip are outlined below:
Step 1: Get a local phone number - we used AT&T as they had the widest coverage, unlimited local calls in US and Canada and 16GB of data per month for US$40/month. We found we had to actually visit an AT&T office as to apply online you need a credit/debit card with a US Zip Code billing address. At the shop a foreign credit card with an overseas billing address is fine. The process took 15 minutes, with no documentary evidence required.
Step 2: Open a local bank account - A US debit (or credit) card, with a zip code billing address is pretty much essential for a road trip, whether to buy gas late at night, use parking meters or buy insurance. Sure you can often use an overseas credit card but to download many US apps needed for a long road trip you need a US iTunes account, which has to be linked to a US payment card. A US bank makes it easier to get a cashier’s order/bank check to pay for the car and to deposit the check when you sell it. So, armed with our US phone number and a relative’s address, we opened an account with Citibank. We went with Citi as they were prepared to deal with non-residents without an SSN and didn’t require any proof of residency, although a passport and a reliable local residential mailing address are essential. Other international banks such as HSBC required some proof of residency such as utility bills, rental agreement etc. At Citibank it took about 40 minutes to open a fee-free current/check account with debit card which we received by mail 10 days later.
Step 3: Choose your car: With a local bank account, a debit card and a phone it’s time to go car shopping. Like most things in the US this is best done online although you can go and kick tires at CarMax or local dealers. Although it has no dealerships, Tesla had a good selection of used vehicles available online. Filters like model, price, year, mileage, accessories etc narrowed the field down to about 15 cars within a 300 mi radius, in San Diego, Las Vegas and LA which would be delivered free. (others from further afield could be brought to you for $2k). We shortlisted a few, inspected the standard set of photos emailed to us by return, chose one and paid an initial deposit by credit card. There’s no haggling over price, no salesman trying to upsell you and no opportunity to test drive. We chose a 2016 Tesla S85D with a 270 mile range which came with free supercharging for life and a 4 year/50,000 mile warranty, both of which were freely transferable to a subsequent purchaser. This was important for us as we were only intending to own the car for six months. Then after completing a few details on line, we sat back and waited for it to come.
Unfortunately the promised 10 day delivery period grew to 24 days, mainly because Tesla initially sent our order details to Tesla in Australia and then needed to be persuaded that they could actually sell a car to someone without a US driver's licence. Eventually it was sorted out and we spent the intervening time touring California in a rental vehicle.
Note that a local driver’s licence is not a requirement to own or register a car in the US, nor in California is there any requirement to provide proof of residency at the address to which the car is to be registered, although this may be needed if you were to buy a car in some states. The mailing address however has to be reliable as your plates and documentation will be sent there.
Step 4: Obtain insurance. Again this wasn’t as complicated as had been suggested. State Farm, GEICO and Progressive appeared to be willing to insure non residents with no US licence, local driving record or Social Security Number. However, although we successfully got an online quote from Progressive, when we called to confirm they required documentary evidence of the residential address which we weren’t able to provide. We then went back to the local GEICO agent who had initially given us an online quote as foreign licence holders of more than US$2000 for six months based on normal coverage levels. The agent was extremely helpful and by providing her with scanned copies of our Australian driving record, obtained online from the NSW government website for a nominal cost, the premium was reduced to US$700 for high level comprehensive coverage for six months. This coverage included Canada and also the rental cars which we used at the beginning and end of the trip, saving us around $25-40/day which the rental car companies charge, and which isn’t covered by most travel insurance or credit card policies.
Step 5: Collection and registration: With insurance in place, the car was finally ready to be collected from a Delivery Centre in LA, although we could have had it brought to our address. Payment was done online by ACH (electronic funds transfer) but a cashiers check would also have been accepted. In addition to the purchase price there was a 9.5% sales tax and about $700 registration costs. (Note - The cost of the sales tax can’t be reflected in the price at resale as each purchaser has to pay, although it varies by state and county. Oregon for example has no sales tax, but to buy a car there you have to demonstrate residency.) Registration with the California DMV was handled by Tesla and we were provided with temporary papers and temporary number plates, which caused no problems when we crossed into Canada or back into the US. The temporary plates and papers were valid for 3 months and permanent plates and certificate of title were mailed to our registered residential address about 8 weeks later. We collected them while in Canada.
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| Taking delivery |
After a 10 minute briefing from Tesla, we drove the car out of the delivery centre and set off on a 32,000km road trip around North America. Six months later at the end of the journey we sold the car for a price close to what we had paid for it a few days after advertising it on CraigsList.
Step 6 Selling the car: Selling was pretty straightforward too despite our fears that we might have to offload it for cash at a CarMax on the way to the airport. We simply checked the price using Kelley Blue Book, put it on CraigsList with a series of photos for $5 and got an online vehicle ownership report for $25 which we could email to any prospective buyer. Within a few hours of the ad appearing the eventual purchaser had agreed to buy it at our asking price and paid us a holding deposit electronically. A few days later, after giving it a good scrub and removing a few centimetres of road grime we met up with the purchaser, completed the paperwork, drew up and signed a bill of sale and collected a cashier’s check for the balance. No test drive, no tyre kicking and no price haggling. The CA plates were left on the vehicle.
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| The end of the road - it's never looked so shiny |
Electric Road Tripping
Whilst a Tesla is perhaps not the typical car for your average road trip, the procedures for buying, insuring, registering and subsequently selling it are broadly similar and as straightforward regardless of choice of vehicle. However, what is different about a road trip in a used Tesla compared with almost any other vehicle is that our total costs for all fuel, repairs and maintenance amounted to just US$5.75.
A ‘normal’ car would have used around 3400li/900 gal of petrol at a cost of more than $3500 in LA, required at least one service and oil change and, according to the EPA, would have emitted more than 8 tonnes of CO2. Even allowing for the CO2 from the generation of electricity and those attributable to the manufacture of the car and batteries, our trip contributed less than half the greenhouse gases which a petrol car would have added.
But apart from the low emissions and minimal running costs, how practical is it to drive an entirely electric car around a continent? We all know that electric cars are great for your daily commute when you can plug them in at home each night whilst you sleep. With a range of 260miles/420km, you have a full tank every morning and rarely need to visit a charging station. But a long road trip with no opportunity for home charging is an entirely different matter. What happens if you run out of fuel? You can’t just hitch a ride to the local servo and come back with a few litres in a jerry can, and unless you are an electric bunny a stock of duracells doesn't really cut it.
Charging away from home
On a long road trip, whether in Europe, North America or Australia, where you can’t use your home charger you have three options to refuel:
Tesla superchargers: referred to as Level 3 or fast DC chargers, these are located throughout the US and in parts of Canada, and can deliver around 300-400km of range in an hour. (Australia is similar to Canada in terms of the evolution of its supercharger network with about 35 charging stations along the main routes between Adelaide and the Sunshine Coast, and inland to Dubbo, with one in the West) They are only available to Teslas and for many they are free, although occasionally in big cities you may need to pay to park. Superchargers look a little like petrol pumps without the smell, and typically come in groups of between 6 and 20 charging stations. They operate at 480v DC, supplying between 70 and 250kW of power, delivering a full tank in around 40 - 60 minutes. Many are located at shopping centres, hotels, museums, civic installations and occasionally at petrol stations. Generally there are cafes, shops and restaurants in the vicinity to occupy the time it takes to charge. Our favourite was in the Sierras at the Lone Pine Museum of Western Film History, a fascinating insight into cowboy movies that we wouldn’t otherwise have thought to visit.
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| Western Film Museum, Lone Pine, CA |
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| First charge, Mojave, CA |
In the US there are around a thousand supercharger locations so you are rarely more than 100 km from one, making long road trips in an electric vehicle virtually no different from a trip in a petrol car. When putting your destination into the nav system, the car will let you know if it’ll need to charge en route and where necessary it incorporates a stop at a supercharger into the itinerary, telling you how long you will need to stop. Overall we used around 60 superchargers spread from San Diego to Nova Scotia. Although some were quite busy, the only time we had to wait in line (tesla owners are very polite queuers) was at a 21 vehicle charging station near San Diego.
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Supercharging at Sudbury, Canada, the first in 3000 km |
Level 2 Charging: where superchargers aren’t available, in areas such as Alaska, Newfoundland and much of northern, western and central Canada, or where you just want to stop along the way, Level 2 chargers are the answer. These are similar to typical home chargers, typically operating on 230v and 30-40amps. They deliver between 20 and 30 miles (30-50km) of charge per hour, meaning that an 80% charge takes around 8-10 hours and depending on the type can charge a variety of different makes of EVs. Fortunately, many hotels and motels have chargers available free for guests, with others at restaurants, visitor attractions, national parks, civic centres and even craft breweries and distilleries. In Canada some local councils provide free level 2 chargers and in the east there are several networks of commercially provided chargers which provide charging for a few dollars. Even a number of car dealerships have chargers which are available to all EVs regardless of make and usually 24/7 at no cost.
Because it takes a few hours to fill up at these chargers it’s necessary to plan the journey to incorporate overnight stops at or near charging locations and to have a plan B in case the charger is in use when you get there. Fortunately there is the invaluable Plugshare app which shows pretty much all chargers by type anywhere in the world and where users can check in and post comments such as whether they’re working, any access issues or where the best coffee can be found nearby. Because it’s crowdsourced by users it’s updated in real time, errors are quickly corrected and new ones appear as soon as they are connected. We found it to be 100% accurate, completely reliable and could even use it to message other users when a charger was in use to find out when they would be finished. On one occasion another EV driver got up in the middle of the night to disconnect their car and plug ours in.
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| Charger in a teepee, Crater Lake, Oregon |
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| The most remote charger, Fogo Island Inn, off Newfoundland |
Other times in remote areas we charged at RV parks, using their 240v 30 or 50 amp outlets designed for the massive supersized-sized camper vans which Americans have fallen in love with. Although not usually designated as EV charging stations, with the right adaptors they can supply charge at a relatively fast rate comparable to Level 2 chargers and most RV parks have cabins for non-campers if you need to stay the night. Indeed in a tesla you can always fold down the back seats, roll out a duvet and sleep comfortably in the car in camper mode with the heating or a/c on with no risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
So despite the absence of superchargers in the more remote areas of our trip, we never ran out of electricity and never had any difficulty in finding somewhere to recharge. Most of our charging was done overnight, with occasional top ups during the day to ensure sufficient reserve to make it to our next destination. Sure, without fast superchargers we were limited to around 250miles/400km per day or occasionally 300miles/500km but this was a road trip and not a race. Although the range of electric cars is often a major concern of potential purchasers, there would be few if any occasions where anyone would actually want to drive more than 400-500km in a day beyond the supercharger network, even in Australia.
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| Charging at a campground in Stewart, BC |
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| Charging on the prairie |
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| Charger at Glenora distillery, home of Canada's only single malt |
Although we rarely had to pay to charge the car during our road trip, if we were at home, it would cost us approximately 2c per km using our own electricity during the day, or 4c/km if we had to buy it from our utility company. This compares with about 19c/km for our petrol car. Over a year this would equate to a saving of about $2500 if we drove 15,000km. Still, road trips aside, the fuel savings over a year aren’t by any stretch sufficient justification for getting an electric car.
Driving an Electric Car
So aside from charging, which requires an element of planning and limits daily distances in remote areas to around 400km what makes a tesla such an exceptional car to drive, whether for a long road trip or around town? Why are teslas so popular in the US, where sales of the Model 3 rival Toyota and Honda and where it’s outselling Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Lexus, Volvo and Jaguar in the luxury car segment? If you live in Australia where teslas are about as common as prime ministers going full term you may find it hard to believe that over the past year Tesla 3 is the top selling car of any type in the US by revenue.
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| Massed teslas, Blue Ridge Mountains, N Carolina, almost more than in the whole of Australia |
So it’s cheap to run, doesn’t pollute and depending on your perspective isn’t bad looking but that probably doesn’t explain how a car company going for only 10 years is almost double the size of General Motors or Ford in terms of market value and with no advertising is the UK’s third fastest selling car.
Autopilot is the most obvious differentiator. After taking a day or two to get comfortable with it, we drove around 70% of the time on autopilot on all types of roads, from divided multi-lane highways to winding single lane mountain roads. The car basically drives itself, far more attentively than any human driver and giving us lots of opportunity to admire the scenery, read the map and look for wildlife. As long as there is a discernible line either in the centre or at the edge, it will follow the road, steer around bends, slow for tight corners or hills and resume its speed afterwards.
Unlike some auto-driving systems it doesn’t rely on the prior ‘mapping’ of the road or GPS although it does learn from other teslas which have been there before. The car has a series of cameras and radar devices to see the road, other vehicles and any obstructions. It reads speed limit signs, even in the dark and even temporary or mobile ones such as that on the back of a grass cutting tractor, and adjusts the speed to the margin over or under the limit we had selected. Usually we had it set to drive at 5mph over the speed limit, which it did faithfully, often seeing speed signs we missed and saving us from quite a few tickets. Surprisingly, when we were in Canada, it knew that the signs were in km/h and could distinguish between advisory signs and signs warning of a speed limit ahead from those indicating the actual start of the limit. However work zone and school speed limits were a bit of a challenge as they only operate when children or workers are present so sometimes it slowed and other times it didn't.
On autopilot the car maintains a selected distance from the car in front, slowing if comes upon a slower moving vehicle and resuming its set speed once the road is clear or the car in front speeds up. Changing lanes is automatic by flicking the indicator switch, with the car pulling out to pass or return to its lane when the road is clear. In heavy traffic it can slow to a halt and move on again as the traffic speeds up without any driver intervention. Although our car didn’t have the latest self-driving hardware which recognises traffic lights and stop signs and allows it to drive in suburban streets without lines, it was pretty impressive, until we ventured on to Highway 12 on the Outer Banks of N Carolina.
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| Not sure how autopilot copes with this sign warning of the edge of the world, in Newfoundland |
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| Autopilot challenge, Highway 12, Outer Banks, N Carolina |
However, we couldn’t go to sleep as it gets lonely and wants you to keep your hands lightly on the wheel, and give it an occasional reassuring twitch. We had to be prepared to take over at any time in case there was a pothole or obstacle on the road (usually a shredded tyre which were common on US freeways) or where the lines were indistinct, obscured by roadworks, heavy rain or snow. When we forgot to keep our hands on the wheel the car gave us two warnings before sending us to the naughty step, refusing to drive itself on autopilot for the rest of the journey, or at least until we stopped. We were really surprised how well the autopilot works; although it’s by no means perfect despite the videos of cars speeding along expressways with the driver and passenger fast asleep or drunk, or both, it certainly made long distance driving very relaxing as you don’t have to exert any effort physically to press pedals or turn wheels. There’s no aching shoulders, leg cramps or drowsiness we’d normally get from a day at the wheel. For an aging population it could be a great alternative to a mobility scooter.
Because autopilot doesn't lose concentration, get distracted or have momentary lapses of reason, it’s proven to be far safer than us mere mortals. The accident rate per 100,000 miles with autopilot engaged is apparently six times lower than that for all cars in the US, and half that for manually driven Teslas.
Like many modern cars, there are lots of other tricks and toys with a tesla, such as automatic headlights and wipers and of course there’s no key to turn or button to press to unlock it. With a fob in your pocket you just walk up to the car, the door handle pops out and you get in and drive away. Indeed if you forget your fob you can still unlock and start the car with your phone. When the journey’s over you just get out and walk away - it locks itself, although we confess we sometimes had to keep glancing back to ensure it didn’t forget. You can set it to ‘dog mode’ to maintain the cabin at a comfortable temperature without the engine running (as there’s no engine to run) or have it pre-warmed or pre-cooled for you in the morning. You could probably set it to ‘kid mode’ too but that could get you into trouble.
Then there’s the automatic upgrades; most cars remain the same once you buy them so if you want a model with new or more advanced features you have to buy a new one, or at least take it to the service centre and pay to have someone install it. With a Tesla you get completely free automatic software upgrades over the air, like an iPhone. These happen overnight and sometimes involve minor changes, but other times are comprehensive improvements with lots of new features. One morning ours was keen to show us it had learned overnight how to park itself, both parallel parking and perpendicular parking. It also had new maps, could stream Spotify and Netflix and had learned how to open the garage door and drive itself out. Great when parked in a tight spot where opening the door and squeezing into the driver’s seat is tricky. The more sophisticated ones will actually drive themselves to you in a car park but that’s just showing off, although could be nice if it’s raining.
We even heard of an owner of an early Model S with a 60kWh battery pack taking it in for a service to find when it was returned it had been upgraded to a 75kWh with an increased range at no cost with even the S60 badge swapped for an S75 badge. He assured us he didn’t just take the wrong car by mistake. Then there were the owners in the path of hurricane Dorian discovering their standard range Tesla 3s were suddenly converted to long range models so they could more easily flee the storm. Unfortunately once the storm had passed their cars reverted to their original shorter range.
For a long road trip it has a surprising amount of luggage space, with our groceries and wine cellar in the front ‘frunk’ and wardrobe and shoe locker in the back. A couple of times when we had the front up to get at our picnic supplies someone stopped assuming we had broken down. Explaining that we didn’t actually have an engine to break down was quite amusing.
In fact the lack of an engine, or fuel pump, oil filter, spark plugs, exhaust system, radiator, alternator, fan belts, carburettors or anything that needs lubricating or makes a noise makes it great for a road trip. The only things that need any maintenance are pretty much the windshield washer and wipers, and the tyres. Even the brakes last for much longer as they are rarely used, with regeneration slowing the car when stopping or going downhill. With an anticipated life of well over half a million miles and no requirement for regular servicing, the ongoing running costs go some way to offsetting the high initial cost. But don’t expect EV costs to come down much anytime soon. Whilst batteries are getting progressively cheaper that’s being offset by their increased range, with the latest models having a range of 600km, almost double that of the early cars.
(A note for the trivia minded on the quoted range: there are 3 different range standards for fuel consumption and emissions used for all cars; NEDC, WLTP and EPA. Australia uses NEDC, the New European Driving Cycle, a testing standard introduced in the 1980s and replaced in 2019 in Europe by a more realistic driving regime test called grandiosely the Worldwide Light Vehicle Test Program or WLTP. NEDC figures are widely considered unachievable, with fuel consumption up to 30% better than can actually be attained. The EPA standard is used in North America and is considered to be the most appropriate as it best reflects driving conditions both in the US and Australia. We’ll stick with the EPA numbers as we found them to be pretty realistic.)
So it’s got lots of luggage space, doesn’t need much maintenance and is cheap to run, but so is a 2CV - well maybe not the luggage space bit. It gets free over the air upgrades and you can watch netflix, but that applies equally to an iPad. Where a tesla beats both an iPad and a 2CV though is its driving ability. It’s fast, seriously fast. And quiet. Without any V8 roar it will leave a Porsche 911 or Ferrari in the rear view mirror every time. That’s quite fun for the first few times but the real benefit is its acceleration when passing a truck in half the distance of a normal car or joining an expressway where you’re instantly doing the same speed as the semi you’re merging in front of. Because it’s electric with no fuel to pump around, compress and set fire to, there’s no delay when you press the accelerator. The power is instantly transferred to the wheels, just like turning up the knob on a radio. 0-100km/h in 3 seconds. With most cars you only get that acceleration if like Thelma and Louise you drive them off a cliff. You do get thrown back in your seat though, and like a plane taking off, anything loose is liable to end up in the back seat, especially hats and sunglasses.
With all the weight in the batteries which line the floor, it has a low centre of gravity which means it sticks to the road with more glue than a boiled down Melbourne Cup field. It goes round corners like a brick on wheels, giving a more stable ride than many cars. However the seats, whilst supportive are not as luxurious as you might expect, and the cabin furnishings are more Toyota than Lexus, H&M rather than Haute Couture. It’s quiet too, but that appears to be more, or rather less, noticeable to people outside rather than inside the car, particularly jay-walking pedestrians who sometimes only become aware of it by touch. It’s reasonably quiet inside but at highway speeds tyre and wind noise are similar to other cars.
As for storage facilities, the cabin must have been designed by the people responsible for croupiers’ uniforms or bridgeclimb suits as there are no door pockets or cuddies, just a little central tray thingy and a couple of very awkwardly located cup holders. Maybe they thought that with a big screen you didn’t need maps, books, phones, water, snacks, phone cables, coins or all the other junk that collects in a car. We also found the a/c system seemed to suffer from emphysema and wouldn’t suit an eskimo, but that may be because we had ours on range mode most of the time to maximise the driving distance.
Speaking of range, which was by far and away the most frequent question we were asked by people across the US and Canada, apart from those in California, the car tells you the range and the mileage you will have remaining when you reach your destination. After a few days we came to rely on this as it proved to be pretty accurate, even if part way through the day’s journey it looked like we wouldn’t make it to where we planned to spend the night. It seems the car calculates not just the distance to your destination, but takes into account our driving style, (hoon or hearse), the temperature (colder conditions use more power), the likely speed based on the type of roads on the route, and the topography - hills suck. As our trip, particularly in the western half of the continent involved some serious mountains, with climbs up to 2500m/8000’ consumption was far from linear. Going up uses far more electricity than driving on the flat, but the compensation is that on the way down the battery recharges itself. The main factor the car doesn’t take into account in calculating the range is the wind speed. This can also have a material effect, particularly if it’s a head wind, although if you are lucky you can find a truck to slipstream, provided you have good windscreen insurance. These factors affect any car but may be more apparent in an electric one as you tend to have more real time and accurate information about fuel consumption and range.
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| Downhill all the way - projected range: 875mi |
Then there’s the instrumentation, or lack of it. With no knobs or switches, the dashboard comprises simply a large iPad stuck vertically in the centre providing all the information, maps and entertainment, with a few toggle switches on the steering wheel. Behind the wheel there’s a smaller display, which depending on your mood can show the road, your energy consumption, passing cars or reindeer. However, if you want to know more about the reindeer, santa claus, the rainbow road or even the crackling log fire which kept us warm whilst waiting out a hurricane in Nova Scotia, you’ll have to get your own.
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| Baby it's warm inside - hurricane Dorian in Nova Scotia |
Yes, you ask, that’s all very well and good but the important question for a car which can burn off a Porsche at traffic lights and which costs not much less, is how does it perform as a chick magnet? Sadly we can’t relate, but we did have lots more conversations with fellow motorists than we’ve ever had at a petrol station. Sometimes people were just interested in electric cars, others had not seen one before and wanted to know what it was, mostly they asked about the range. The kids though knew all about them and wanted to look inside. Through a chat at a charging station In North Carolina we picked up an escort of 130 teslas for our drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway, whilst in Alberta we got into conversation and whisky with a tesla driving sculptor, and in Newfoundland were taken for dinner by a tesla owning couple about to set off to drive back to Vancouver. Tesla owners tend to be a friendly and hospitable bunch, even waving as you pass, a bit like the AA man back in the day, except of course in California where there are so many of them you’d look like a demented conductor if you tried to wave at each.
Finally in case this reads like we have been drinking too much of Musk’s Kool Aid or been brainwashed by the teslarati, at the end of the day, having virtually lived in the car for six months, would we get one on our return to Australia? Sadly the answer has to be yes, as it’s just too hard to go back to driving a normal car where you have to concentrate, be attentive, press pedals and turn wheels and go to petrol stations. Is it worth it? Almost certainly not, even if rational economics says otherwise. Rational economists would say you’d have to keep it for 20 years and send it out to earn its living in its later life as a self driving taxi, but then a rational economist would probably catch a bus.
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