Just ludicrous!

I saw a vision. 

No.

Today I lived a vision. The future is here. And it has come so much faster than we ever imagined.
After walking into a Tesla demo car in the local shopping centre, the staff convinced me (without too much arm twisting) to book an obligation free test drive.

My boys liked

The huge 17" touchscreen that lets them open and close the huge electric sunroof. Over and over and over again.

Am I on the market for one?

Not yet.
Still waiting for that spare 300k to land in my pockets.
Still waiting for my kids to not drop crumbs down on the back seats.
Still waiting for the technology to settle down.
Still waiting to see what the Model X is like.
Still waiting for more Supercharging stations.
Still waiting for the government to catch up re. autopilot.

But.
I thought it'd be a win win situation for me and Tesla.
I'd see how well they would make the product.
I would experience everything I've been reading about Elon and his fantasy.
I'd tell all my friends.

So here's my end of the bargain.

So how it unfolded.

My wife Jenn and I grabbed lunch together at New Shanghai - the awesome dumpling place.
And then wandered over to the hotel where Tesla was stationed for test drives.
Bodie greeted us warmly.
He took my licence details.
We designed and talked about the options for the Model S.
We watched on Bodie's phone to see where the Model S "Her Royal Highness" was.
We watched its speed and turned down its aircon setting to 18.5'C.
We walked down to the driveway. Her Royal Highness was still on the road. But the red beauty "Phoenix" pulled up.
We got our happy snap with the redhead.
Bodie showed us around the car.
I jumped into the drivers' seat, with Bodie in the passenger seat. Jenn in the back.
We drove onto the freeway.
I stretched its legs getting onto the freeway in Sport mode. Gee it was quiet.
We tested the autopilot on the freeway.
Bodie highlighted the navigation and interface features of the car as we drove.
Bodie turned on Ludicrous mode.
I picked my jaw off the floor.
We pulled into the hotel driveway.
We thanked Bodie and went on our merry way.

Yes we can take photos. Yes I want to remain enigmatic.

Legendary

Before our salesman Bodie turned on Ludicrous mode, he gently reminded us to sit back in our seats.
But I was blow away by:

• how fast the Tesla team moved so fast to get this product to market. 
• from selling its first electric vehicle the Roadster in 2008 to producing a mid volume sedan of this quality
• how well Tesla understood its markets
• Rich middle aged men don't care about the price for an electric weekend car - very low volume, high cost car to break into the EV market. Pioneer the technology.
• Wealthy early adopters are prepared to pay a small amount more for the future - this is the Model S. This subsides investment for research and design for subsequent cars
• For families who need to move people and sit up high on the road - the Model X. 
• Finally, the high volume low cost Model 3 for everybody.
• how it understood its customers
• HEPA filter for polluted air (China!) 
• how easy it made it for us to transition to electric transportation
• Yes, we will take care of your concerns with quality by giving you a 4 year guarantee on the car, 8 year guarantee on the battery and 5 year guaranteed resale value!
• Yes, we will take care of supercharging stations, a major impediment for the limited range of the EV
• Yes, we will take care of your home charging by not locking you down to a very specific, high cost charging installation. 3 Phase power is best, 1 Phase 32A is better, 1 Phase 16A is ok. And when you travel you can plug it in using a plug we give you.
• Yes, we will make interfaces that are intuitive (like the iPad)
• Yes, we make great cup holders too
• Yes, we will add value that other companies don't or can't dream of - like auto pilot
• soon I (average Joe Blo) will ask the car to pick me up, using an app on my phone. And it will. When the government will make full autopilot legal.

Just. Ludicrous.

1. So we designed an entry level Model S. We could have paid ~$1000 a month for 5 years w/ guaranteed resale of ~60k. Can't remember the exact numbers. That is quite accessible. 
2. So pulling back what would normally be the cruise control knob put the car into autopilot mode. From then on the car drove itself. Deciding whether to follow the speed signs using its dash camera or match its speed and position with other cars around it. If I wanted to move into a faster lane, I would indicate - and the car moves into the lane when it felt it was safe. Ridiculous!
3. Goes without saying. 0-60km/hr in... I dunno. A second. My heart jumped.  I lost my socks and still can't find them.

What I liked

• that sexy 17" touchscreen that you can drag gadgets (camera/map/music) to like a smooth oversized iPad.
• Using your phone to see who stole your car and why they turned the air con so low
• Pre-cooling your car on a hot day
• truck/bike detection on the front dash. You could see the camera/sensors detect the different vehicle types and show them as symbols on the dash
• not being give the hard sell. The product sells itself. 

What Jen liked

• Huge, customisable cup holders. You could remove the dividers and fit a KFC bucket into the front cup holder I reckon.
• smooth and simple back seat interior - no spaces to trap food dropped from the kids

What we didn't like

• The sunroof option is mandatory if you want to put roof racks
• The sunroof doesn't come with a fabric screen to keep out all the heat
• You can't buy 2 rear facing seats in Australia to make the Model S a 7 seater!!!! Only in the US.
• We need a lot more Supercharger stations for regional Australia. The furthest west of Brisbane was Toowoomba. Even though I don't make frequent trips out west or up north I don't want to feel stifled. Just like Elon said, cars = freedom.
• Tesla could be a lot more open about the near/mid term plans for its Supercharger network
• The interior, though nice, lacked the WOW I would expect from a $100k-300k car. In every other aspect I was drooling. Not this one Elon.
• The standard regenerative breaking is quite jarring, compared with what I'm used to in the Prius. The "Low" settings was much smoother. I think this Low setting should be turned on by default for demonstrations.

For Bodie. When will I buy one?

I watched the Model 3 announcement video last night.
It looks really good.
Book me in for a Model X demo.
And then I'll find a way to get that spare 200k.

Well done Bodie.
Thanks Elon. Good job mate.