A funny thing happened at work today.
I was installing a charger for Tesla electric cars when a woman in a new Tesla S pulled into the parking lot. My friend John and I approached to ask her to show us the charger connection port so we would have a better idea of how we could place the charger for best access. She was very accommodating and answered all of our questions. We thanked her and prepared to get back to work when she said "I'm going to be in the store for a while, do you want to take it for a ride?" !!!!
Mind you, this a $100,000 + car which can rival Ferraris and Lamborghinis in performance. There is a scene in the movie "Ferris Buhler's day off" that reminds me of how we felt about this...Lol. I'd never experienced 0-60 mph (0-96 kmph) in less than 4 seconds before. It was definitely an experience I'll never forget.
I've experienced many fine vehicles in my 30 years of driving but this was a different kind of car. Being all electric and battery powered changes what is possible. The car has electric motors at each wheel. Traction is monitored and power is distributed for the best possible control. It has no transmission nor gears to shift. Regenerative breaking recharges the battery as you slow the vehicle while providing the same advanced levels of traction control to each wheel. The battery is built into the floor of the body of the vehicle so the center of gravity is very low and widely distributed.
An added bonus is that she charges her batteries from a grid interactive solar system.. She is able to drive it at a "fuel" cost of less than $ 0.05 / mile as compared to a similar capacity petrol powered car getting $0.12 -$0.15. As electric vehicles become more common there will need to be a new of way for collecting road use tax because the US system taxes petroleum fuel. What will it be, a tire tax?