You read the title of my blog correctly. When I was six years old, all I wanted for Christmas was an electric train. I still have that old electric train and I and my brothers and cousins played with that electric train for many many years. But now my needs have changed, although there is some truth in the saying about men and boys; “the only difference is the price of their toys!”
The day of the all-electric vehicle has arrived. How many of you have had their Christmas spoiled because your car needed a new muffler as it had so many holes in it that you couldn’t hear the Christmas carols on your car’s DVD player? Or your car failed to pass New York State’s inspection because that dreaded “check engine” light came on? And to solve this problem, the catalytic converter had to be replaced or you had to replace the oxygen sensor, or some other expensive engine emissions controls part. It forced you to become Mr. Scrooge himself; spend the families’ money on the car and delay the kids’ Christmas gifts until next year!
Take a look at the new TESLA S. Try as we might, we couldn’t find an engine! No tail pipe yearly emissions tests to pass; there is no tail pipe! No oil to regularly change. There no engine. No need to schedule appointments with your dealer who loves to sell you over priced maintenance items as there are no dealers for TESA! No need to get out of your car to fill the gas tank in the freezing winter winds that blow across the Finger Lakes: there is no gas tank. The only fluid that you need to replace is a gallon of windshield washer solution which you can buy at Wal-Mart for $1.99.
Are you really worried about the range of this vehicle? It goes 250 miles before it has to be recharged. You either recharge it in your own garage or at an electric re-charging station for FREE. (The range of the first 1908 Model T Fords was between 100 – 200 miles provided you could find a road (click here). In those days, there were only 144 miles of paved roads in the entire country! (click here)
I know that my buddy Al over at Canandaigua Auto Sales in Canandaigua, NY is already upset. He hates it when I stop by in my Prius which is only partially electric. He loves old cars that leak oil and antifreeze as it keeps him in business. And his idea of a great Saturday morning is to diagnose what is causing my “check engine” light in my 2003 Trailblazer to come on, and then repair it the next week because he knows that he will make enough money on that one job to buy his groceries for the week.
Elon Musk has the green space people in a spin. No emissions, no tailpipe. No global warming demonstrations to attend. Free charging stations powered by solar electricity (he also owns SolarCity Corp. which installs solar panels on roofs). Henry Ford created the Model T so that ordinary people would have mobility. Elon Musk has created the electric car so that you can drive to work and to the grocery and not be picked on by your neighbors for messing up the environment!