People who know my reputation as the EVangelist will usually ask me how long the batteries in my Model 3 Tesla will last. Truth be told I don’t know, or didn’t until today, and I am on my second Model 3. Second, you say? Yes, as I cheaped out on the first one and bought the $35,000 unicorn, have to ask for it, model initially. 

It had to be white with a black interior. Sort of like Henry Ford’s black model t(s) and it had a somewhat meager range, by today’s standards, of 220 miles on a charge. That changed when Junior decided he would matriculate at a college in the Upper Peninsula. On a winter trip up there, we only had 7 miles of range left before the Meijer charger. When I asked my wife if she was ready to push, I got a “we’re BUYING a long range.” That settled it. Liked the car, just needed one more appropriate for our new lifestyle! We traded up. The car only had 17,000 miles on it, so I am hoping Elon sold it cheaply to a deserving person. 

A recent article online with a known influencer on all things Tesla claims the guy has a five-year-old Model 3 with 135,000 miles that still has 95% of its battery potential remaining! He did say he is very careful about how he drives his cars. He has two Model 3s. He only charges them to 80% capacity, which is made abundantly clear in Tesla literature. He also charges mainly at home on his Level II, 240-volt, charger, which is also made clear in Tesla literature. 

Charging too much on the Meijer superchargers can be deleterious to the health of the batteries. It is, however, necessary when one makes trips from Holland to parts in the U.P. We also change our charge capacity to 90% for those longer trips. Otherwise, we keep it at 80% and use our level II home charger. Even sweeter is the use of our home solar panels in the summertime. Even then if one charges from midnight to 6 a.m. BPW rates are ridiculously low! Charge that chariot whilst you are sawing those proverbial logs. Program it through your phone. Easy peasy. 

Other benefits of driving a Tesla? So many I can’t even begin to explain, but I shall give a few. No fob is necessary. My iPhone and a card key in my wallet are all I need. No muss, no fuss. Those fobs can be pricey, too. A conversation I overheard in reference to a Land Rover fob quoted a $500 price tag. No, thanks. One pedal driving. That is so intuitive. When I go I hit the accelerator (not gas) pedal. When I want to stop, I ease off said pedal. 

When I brake I send power back to my batteries with regenerative braking. Not a whole lot, sure, but some. You can’t regenerate burned petrol. Now I read that some incredibly intelligent young people are working on regenerative shock absorbers. You read that right. So in the future when I drive over some not quite so smooth roads power generated by the motion of the shocks can be sent back to my battery. Big Gretch is fixing the damn roads, but there are still some that are far from being smooth! 

Gas savings are astronomical. No oil changes are necessary for my car. No tune-ups, no pricey mufflers. It is silent, smooth and oh, so quick and I keep mine in chill mode. Best of all I sleep better knowing that my American-made car burns no fossil fuels and doesn’t support awful, misogynistic regimes in the Middle East. No petrodollars of mine to support global terror networks! ICE engines have reached the zenith of their development. ICE engines can’t be made cleaner/more efficient. Had their time. Time to move on! Be a leader and example for your grandkids!

As the other kids said to Mikey in those really old cereal commercials said: “Try it, you’ll like it.” And he did. And so will you. Make the change. Don’t listen to the naysayers and those who peddle fake news and bogus opinions. Go EV!

— Jeff Raywood is a resident of Holland.