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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 stress, so I’ll bask in some nostalgia about shopping for a Tesla within the first place.
My first motive 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 essentially the most mpg. However shifting to an electrical car meant with the ability to afford one, with the ability to cost it, and really liking its design. The one inexpensive EVs available on the market on the time had been the Leaf, Bolt, and Tesla Mannequin 3. Being a New York Metropolis resident, I don’t use a automobile for each day life, and virtually all I do is lengthy distance driving. Whereas the Bolt was engaging, the dearth of dependable quick charging was a dealbreaker. Similar drawback with the Leaf, which I additionally discovered irredeemably ugly. So the Supercharger community was the sensible motive to decide on a Tesla.
The opposite motive 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’ll be able to place your take-out meals (so good when you are at a Supercharger); no pointless emergency brake lever or silly pseudo-stick shift taking on house between the seats; the flexibility of the passenger to manage many capabilities on the touchscreen; the sensation that you’re sitting in a front room somewhat than a cockpit. I nonetheless assume that these useful facets of Tesla’s inside design don’t get sufficient credit score.
And naturally, truly driving a Tesla is fantastic for all the standard causes that EVs are superior. I even have Full Self Driving and discover it very useful on our lengthy drives, in addition to a superb 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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