http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/lifestyle/20150528/tesla-model-s-zero-emission-electric-vehicle-in-ukiah Tesla Model S zero emission electric vehicle in Ukiah By Karen Rifkin 05/28/15
[image http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/storyimage/NP/20150528/FEATURES/150529858/AR/0/AR-150529858.jpg The Tesla Model S is a zero emission electric vehicle. Nathan DeHart-Ukiah Daily Journal ] When my friend Sylvia told me that her friend Lester brought his brand new Tesla over to her house the other day, I figured it might be my one and only opportunity to get up close and personal with a $94,000 driving machine—white, sleek and classy—that Lester says (trying to bring it all down to earth) is essentially a computer on four wheels. With solar panels installed on his roof, he figured an electric vehicle would be one more step in the right direction. Lester and his wife checked out the Chevy Spark EV, the Chevy Volt and the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid. As they searched, the Tesla kept coming up; he became more and more interested until he got really excited about the possibility of having a totally electric car with a good driving range. More and more it looked like the Tesla would fill the bill. So three weeks ago they headed down to Fremont to New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated, a 100 percent TeslaMotors owned production facility that Elon Musk bought for a very large amount of money—maybe as much as $42 million. They toured the huge factory, riding around on a little tram for over an hour and said it was as clean as an operating room with over 4,000 workers and scores of big red robots, one of which is so big that it requires a three-story underground support system. The first time it was used, the factory received a call from UC Berkeley, saying there was a seismic event under their facility. They chose a Tesla model S85, a full-sized, plug-in electric, five-door, luxury lift back, with a large 85 kilowatt hour battery and a maximum driving range of 265 miles. After an hour-long informational session they brought it home and plugged it into their newly installed 220-volt system. And now it’s time to mention range anxiety, a term coined in 1997 in reference to drivers of electric cars. Prior to his recent purchase, Lester had been suffering a great deal from this new disorder but after learning about the charging networks established by Tesla, he says he can just relax and plug in. A new Tesla supercharging station opened in February in Petaluma where he can plug in for free and within 15 minutes be recharged for the 76 miles it took for the trip; he figures he can get his car fully charged there in less than 45 minutes. There are Tesla service stores in Marin with five or six charging booths where you can make a reservation for a space and know you can recharge on the road. Generic charging stations can be used as well. Tesla has high-powered wall chargers available for the home— charging twice as fast as what he is now using—and for destination locations such as Super 8 in Ukiah and Sea Rock Inn on the coast. It is all part of a growing network of Tesla charging locations through the United States and Europe, allowing more and more drivers to take to the road, anxiety free. Lester updated his operating system from a 6.1 to a 6.2 the day after he bought the car and the 17.1 diagonal screen on the dashboard now indicates all charging stations en route for any trip with an alert system that lets you know if you are getting out of range of a charging station. The new software update will apply emergency braking automatically if it determines the car is going to run into something large. It indicates if there is a vehicle in your blind spot with a gray wide arc on the dashboard; if it judges you are going to hit that car, two red arcs appear with a chiming sound. It reads speed limit signs and alerts you if you are going over the speed on the sign. You can’t access the chrome handles on the doors as they sit flush with the sides of the car. With a bit of pressure to a cool-looking fob, the handles pop out for accessibility. The trunk is very roomy with space for two additional kid seats facing backward that make the vehicle a seven-seater. There is no spare tire but Lester bought a tire repair kit for $50, just in case. Walking to the front of the car, he takes out the fob, squeezes it and the front pops open to show another roomy trunk (no engine) with little in it except a couple of small traveling bags and a lot more room for lots more stuff. The batteries aren’t there either; they are underneath the chassis. The 4,600-pound vehicle with its single rear-mounted electric motor can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, and the fastest of the Tesla cars can do it in less than 3.1 seconds. His sunroof does not have a proper seal so he called the company and they said they would drive a truck to where he lives to bring the car to the service center in San Rafael for the repair and would he like a loaner while he is waiting. Starting the car is quiet and simple, and with the regenerative braking system in the on-mode, it is almost one-pedal driving. The car automatically slows down when he removes his foot from pedal, so much so that he has to keep some pressure on the accelerator or else the car will come to a stop. The windshield wipers come on automatically when they sense water; the touch screen has Google Maps indicating super charging stations; the car accesses KQED with Internet radio; and the software can do web searchers. Cruise control can adjust driving distance from one to seven car lengths behind the car in front. Each driver can pre-program specifics as to seat location, steering wheel adjustment and outside mirror adjustment. The Tesla Model S has won many awards, including the 2013 World Green Car of the Year, Time Magazine Best 25 Inventions of the Year 2012 and Consumer Reports’ top-scoring car ever. Lester sums it up by saying, “It’s a really cool car and I’ve always liked computers. We need alternative means of transportation and I love what Elon Musk is doing with his disruptive ventures. He lets the naysayers talk on and goes ahead and does what he wants to do. “He started with the Roadster, and now his company has electric cars and a charging network that allows you to drive without paying for electricity. I’ve never before been interested in vehicles except as a means of transportation; this is the first time I’ve paid so much attention to a car.” [© Ukiah Daily Journal] For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://www.boston.com/cars/news-and-reviews/2015/06/03/what-like-drive-tesla-insane-mode/lN3Pjn1QpYmSyelI6fdYSK/story.html What it's like to drive in Tesla's `Insane' mode http://www.nbc29.com/story/29239543/keswick-hall-and-golf-club-installs-electric-car-charging-station keswick.com Hall&Golf-Club-VA Installs L2 & MPWC EVSE http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/travel/inns-roll-out-electric-car-charging-stations/nmMLw/ FL B&B Inns offer L2 & MPWC EVSE to guests + EVLN: Feral kitten adopts Tesla-S EV motor-compartment as home (v) {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Tesla-S-an-EV-w-a-good-Ukiah-CA-driving-range-tp4676080.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
