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- Driving a Tesla is unlike any other experience I’ve had behind the wheel.
- The almost button-less interior was difficult to get used to.
- I still don’t like one-pedal driving.
In the more than 10 years I’ve been covering the auto industry, I’ve driven a lot of cars: electric, hybrid, and gas-powered.
One of the perks of this job is that I have access to a press fleet where I can try out all the cars I write about every day. As we cover this ever-changing industry, we’ve gained a deeper understanding of the evolution of technology and engineering in these vehicles.
But Tesla has always been difficult to obtain. Elon Musk’s electric car company doesn’t have a traditional press corps. I’ve only driven a Tesla for a short period of time, either to compare it to others or as a passenger at a car show.
Over the holidays, I decided it was finally time to put my Tesla in the driveway and rented a Model 3 from Hertz. Business Insider has reviewed the Model 3 before, but I’ll discuss this as his Tesla newbie.
Along the way, I realized that much of my past experience was useless at Tesla. Musk’s cars offer a completely unique experience, from the way they drive and feel to the way they interact with the technology.
Here’s everything I learned in five days with the Model 3.
Superchargers make a big difference
I’ve always known from data and conversations with actual Tesla owners that the Supercharger network is a game changer. But I was still shocked at how much faster and easier it was to charge my Tesla than when I owned EVs from legacy automakers.
On my second day in the car, the longest time I spent on the charger was about an hour to get it from about 20% to 100% (I later learned that charging to 80% is better, especially in cold temperatures). I learned that it wasn’t possible to fully charge it (I don’t think it would negatively impact my experience).
On the other hand, on a road trip in my 2019 Chevrolet Bolt, I spent hours on a Level 2 charger in a rural area and rarely fully charged the battery.
I’m not a fan of one-pedal driving, but it’s useful around town.
In my previous EV experience, I didn’t like the jerky feeling when I took my foot off the accelerator, so I turned off or weakened the regenerative braking system. I couldn’t find a setting for one-pedal driving, so I decided to take the plunge and try it out.
The jerky nature of one-pedal driving, even though I used to get better at slowly lifting my foot off the accelerator to simulate the same coasting effect you get in gas-powered cars. I still don’t like it. On the highway, you can’t coast, so it can’t be called smooth. Not recommended for people who are prone to car sickness.
Still, it’s convenient for driving around town once you get the hang of it, and I’m sure one-pedal driving saved me some range while running last-minute errands for the holidays.
I didn’t know how to stop the car
Most surprisingly, the first time I parked my Model 3, I quickly realized that I didn’t actually know how to turn off the car without push-button start or a key.
When I went back to the settings menu I found when adjusting the mirror, I was still stumped. So I pulled out my phone and literally Googled “how to turn off a Model 3.”
Like almost everything Tesla, it turned out to be painfully simple and I had little faith in it. Just grab your keys (or your phone if you’re using the Tesla app) and walk away, and your car will automatically lock and turn off.
I jumped out of the car and slowly backed up, waiting for the headlights to go out or for the beep to signal that the car was locked. There was no beep, but the light eventually dimmed and went out.
It felt strange at first, but I quickly got used to it. When I returned to the Subaru five days later, I got out of the car still running.
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