Tesla-"It's so choice"

My 14 year old son and I took a test drive in the Tesla S yesterday at our local Tesla dealership in Woodland Hills, CA.  Heather was our guide and she was full of great information and very pleasant too.  While it is not a car that I can get today (I will get one one day) it was important to do for motivational purposes, if nothing else.

It is a car I have loved checking out online and occasionally in person, since it first came on the market.  I even watched the Model S delivery event live in June 2012, while I was working on a little movie down in New Zealand.

I was worried that driving the Tesla S might be a letdown.

Well I was wrong!  It is an absolutely the coolest vehicle I have ever driven.  Sorry Porsche.

The 17" touchscreen display is incredible in and of itself.  There are few actual physical buttons on the dash.  Most everything is on the display and you can navigate most things through the steering wheel too.  Whether you are checking out traffic, need directions, surf the web, control the speakers or the sunroof, it is all at your fingertips.

You can even set your driving style.  You want tighter handling?  Touch the screen. You want to conserve energy by regenerating power when you slow down?  Touch the screen.  You get the idea.

My favorite part though, was the acceleration.  From a stop, it accelerates so fast that it slams you into the back of the seat (Performance Model goes 0-60 mph in 3.9 sec).  My son had the biggest smile on his face when I hit the accelerator and he found himself jammed into the seat.  While cruising on the freeway next to other cars, you hit the "gas" and you leave the other cars in the dust.  It responds instantly and is absolutely AMAZING!

The Tesla S isn't just a great performance car with all the bells and whistles, Tesla has also invested a lot into the safety of its customers.  Recently the Tesla S received 5 Star Safety Rating from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in all categories, although not without some critiques.  Some complain that most other luxury cars are not even tested and that Tesla does not have features like collision avoidance features that some other luxury models have.  Still the Tesla S apparently managed to break the machine that tests the roof after putting the equivalent of 4 Tesla S's on it (that's over 18,000 lbs of force).  So where does it really stand?  Not sure, but take it for what it is worth, I'm sure we will be hearing more soon.

Now don't forget the Supercharging stations that Tesla is working hard on right now.  As we speak there are only about 21, mostly in California, but by next year, you will begin seeing them pop up all across the country, and the map of 2015 Supercharging stations looks remarkable.  In 30 minutes, you can get enough charge to drive 200 miles.  While you won't get range anxiety on most days (range of over 208-265 miles depending on the battery you get), the Supercharging stations will allow you to go on road trips without the hassles that you might now encounter.  

If you can afford a Tesla S, I highly recommend it.  As Ferris Bueller might say "it's so choice".  

Don't forget the Tesla X comes out next year and they are taking reservations now.  I can't wait!

I know this probably looks like an advertisement for Tesla, but I get nothing from Tesla and just simply believe it is one of the best products that I have experienced.

Cool Green Cars

It is no secret that America loves cars!

I love my car too, but for the first time in my life, I find myself guilty of having car envy.  No, not the BMW's or Mercedes that are a dime a dozen on the LA freeways.  Not even the fabulous Ferrari or Lotus that you see here as well.

I have car envy for vehicles that are changing the future of cars as we speak.  You are seeing them more frequently across in California and across America too.

I'm talking about the Nissan Leaf, the Chevy Volt and the car I absolutely drool over, the Tesla S.

The least expensive is the Nissan Leaf so let's start there.  The Leaf is great for the budget minded eco geek, and don't we all have a little geek in us?

While its range is just 75 miles, Nissan states that the average American drives just 29 miles/day.  Sounds like it could work for a lot of us, most of the time, but we may still want to have another car in the family for any longer trips.

The Leaf has some great features too.  You have to check out the birdseye camera that let's you see all of your immediate surroundings to help with parking.  Parking is like playing a video game.  You can actually see how close you are to objects on all sides of the car.  Very cool and very functional.

The remote start allows you to start your vehicle from anywhere.  Think about it, you are having that big production meeting in the restaurant, it's 100° outside and your car is charging in the parking lot.  You start it up while you are having dessert, turn on the AC and cool that baby off before you even leave the restaurant.  If you are fully charged, you won't even lose any range either.

While it's range is a bit limited, the Leaf does have some really great features.

The Nissan Leaf starts at $21,300 or lease for as little as $199/mo.


When I first heard about the Chevy Volt, I didn't like the concept. An electric engine that gets you about 35 miles, then a combustion engine takes over, not only propelling the car, but recharging the electric engine as well.

At the moment electric cars are limited, due in part because it takes so long to charge, and the mileage is limited.  That's why the Volt is a terrific segway vehicle for Chevy to get into the Electric Car market.

It's a practical solution for those of us with range anxiety.  Let's face it, you might not get 35 miles of actual range in LA traffic, heat and hills.  So what do you do when you get low on charge?  Just let the combustion engine take over.   It will recharge the electric motor and still get 37 MPG.  In fact you can drive from LA to NY and still get great mileage while having no range anxiety.

It's stylish inside and a fun car to drive too.  I'm loving this car.

The ChevyVolt starts at $34,185 (minus your $7500 tax credit), making it $26,685 or lease for as little as $299/mo.


The Tesla S is the car I just drool over.  Every time I see one on the road, I go into this crazy trance.  They aren't cheap, for good reason.  Not only is it a beautiful vehicle, it has amazing performance and according to independent testing, it is incredibly safe too.

I find the lines of the Tesla S to be absolutely amazing.  They flow from one end to the other, reminding me of the beauty of ocean waves.  Then you crawl inside this luxurious beauty and see the gigantic 17" touchscreen display that shows you everything about the car you need ever want to know and even let's you surf the web (but not while you are driving please).  It's a beautiful vehicle inside and out.

The Tesla S gets up to 265 miles on a single charge, so you don't have any range anxiety there.  Presently you can find charging stations that allow you to charge your Tesla S up to 50% in just 30 min.  The real excitement here though is Tesla's plan for battery swapping stations.  They are working on battery changing stations that would allow you to change your battery out, faster than you can get gas.  That will be something to see.

Let's face it none of us want to get hurt out there on the road and the Tesla S has a 5 star safety rating.  The battery pack is located directly underneath the car, giving it a low center of gravity, making it difficult to rollover.  Even if it did, the roof can apparently hold 4 G's, the equivalent of stacking 4 Tesla S's on roof, without the roof collapsing.  To date they have not seen a battery catch fire in testing or in any on street crashes.  It doesn't mean it won't happen, but they seem to be doing something right.

Tesla S starts at $69,900. Use that $7500 tax credit and it makes it $62,400 effectively.


I do like my Honda Insight.  At 42 mpg (my actual mileage) it works out very well in the stop and go LA traffic, that's the freeways I'm talking about.  When it is time to get a new car, you know where I'll be looking for my car of the future.

Remember, the grass can always be greener.  When it's your time for you to trade in and trade up, you now know where to start looking for that new eco car!  Cleaner cars are better for America, as all of these reduce emissions and save money on fuel.  These 3 cars and their successors will have a great impact on cleaning up our environment, and are pretty cool cars in their own right too.

America love's cars, why not get one that will love America back?