First Post!

 My intent in this blog is to document my process of buying an electric vehicle (ok, probably a Tesla Model Y) and what happens after..... Maybe this will help others in their decision to go with a BEV and forgo the ICE life.

As a car guy, I've been interested in battery electric vehicles for a while, but always viewed them as a sort of niche vehicle, not really suited for mainstream use. Tesla certainly changed that and over time, their cars have become more and more suitable for daily driver use, to the point where range of 400 miles is available in the Model S now. The Model Y I am looking at (the Long Range AWD) is rated by the EPA at 316 miles of range, more than enough for the usual daily running around that I do as a Realtor. And it makes it usable for the longer trips we take - to my parents in Upstate NY and family and vacation in the Boston area. Fast charging means that you can 'top up' the battery in a short stop of 20 minutes or less. And the technology available in the MY means that you can plan your road trips with stops at charging stations as needed, built into the navigation.  

Why a BEV? Well, given that they are more mainstream now, it makes sense to maybe give up a little flexibility / ease of use for the greater good. Without meaning to be too altruistic, I do believe we need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and a BEV is great way for the average guy / gal to do that. You can argue that a lot of our electricity comes from fossil fuels, and that is still true today. But eliminating a big chunk of pollution and greenhouse gases caused by cars burning gas or diesel is a great way to start, and something that many of us can do now. And as more and more electricity is generated via solar, wind, thermal and water power, the effect will multiply. 

The Tesla, specifically, is loaded with technology that 'normal' cars don't offer. Over-the-air updates means constant improvement of your car, and the ability to buy additional features, such as the Full Self Driving package that is available now and being enhanced constantly. The AutoPilot feature which combines a lot of the various driver aid functions into an integrated package that allows a certain amount of semi-autonomous driving. The 'clean sheet' design of their vehicles, including things like eliminating the cluttered interiors we know today and integrating almost everything into a touch screen. The availability of mobile service for many issues. And certainly the revolutionary buying process the eliminates the most irritating part of buying a car, the dealer. So all of those things - and the acceleration! - combine to really pique my interest in becoming a Tesla owner.

The next blog post will cover my test drive of the Tesla Model Y!