The Four Second Demo

Our new car is different than your standard car.  Sure, it's got nice seats and there are new gadgets on it.  But that's not that different than what's been happening since the beginning of car ownership.   Newer year models have new features.  New features and upgrades are fun to have.  People want to see your new car and sit in it and say, "hey that's cool".

Our car has a lot of those new features.  It's fun to get into the car, sit in the garage and go nowhere from that, "new feature" perspective.   But that's not my favorite part of the car to demo.   After the sitting and the looking; the pointing and the discussing; it's time to go for a ride.   That's where it gets interesting.   

Because it's a fully electric car, it runs silently.  For owners of other electric cars, this is no surprise.  The Prius has been doing this for some time.  Even so, many people have never ridden in an electric car.  So it's a novel experience.   Right now it's the middle of summer.  Running silent in hot, humid weather is also not fun, so we turn on the air conditioning and the car sounds mostly like a very-quiet traditional car from then on.   

The best part of the car is the unexpected four seconds I'm about to throw at the unsuspecting passengers after we exit our neighborhood.   I turn onto the road and after I straighten the car out, I bring on the acceleration.   For about four seconds I do this and it's the craziest rush you've ever been in in a car.  If you don't believe me, come to visit and I'll show you. 

Here's what happens.  In those four seconds we go from about fifteen miles-per-hour to over sixty miles-per-hour.  So the car is fast, but it's different fast.  It's an electric engine, not a combustion engine so the torque and power is right there, immediately, instantaneously, when you press the accelerator.   An internal combustion engine has a bit of a lag that we're so accustom to we don't even notice it any more.   But this is fast, immediate and it feels totally different. 

Have you ever been on one of the newer roller coaster rides that use magnetic induction to launch-start the ride?  It's unexpected and it's one of the most exhilarating parts of the ride.   That's what it feels like, but in a car with cushy leather seats.

What's happened every time I've done this (and my husband's experienced the same thing) is that people get this really interesting look on their face.  It's a look of surprise but with a smile.   

It happens fast at only four seconds and at the end, we're not traveling at a high speed, we've just changed speeds very quickly.   I followed my husband in our minivan today as he gave a demo to his parents and watched it happen.  The car was in front of me, and then it was way in front of me.  

With all that speed you can easily get in the new car, my husband and I have both agreed that we've found ourselves going more slowly on roads than we would in our other car, because you feel like you're going fast, even when you're not.   I suppose that's a good thing. 

#tesla 

The Big Boy Update:  Prepare for TMI.   I sleep in a t-shrit and only a t-shirt.  (Sorry for that mental image, but it's germane, I swear.)  This morning my son came down to wake us up and I gave him a hug.  He got under the covers with us and then he said to me, "mommy, your night night's not long enough."   

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter is a cry baby.  Her brother bothers her, yes, but she is working on milking it for the slightest of things.   We're working on responding appropriately.  Initially, she was much smaller and he would dominate her by sheer size and ability.  She's old enough to manage on her own now, so we're working on both our responses and her reactions.  Well, that and her brother as well, who still thinks it's okay to dominate her all the time so he can have his way.   She's started hitting, scratching and even biting him back if he's being a serious pest.   Aunt A, please let Aunt B know she doesn't put up with his crap anymore!