I Just Sat in a Tesla Model S

Yup – I just sat in a Tesla Model S. I just happened to walk Tesla’s downtown DC showroom after a nice morning studying at my church, thinking “Oh..what if they actually have a Model S in there…” — and they did.

If you read my post on Electric Car Power Sources, or what I thought of my first drive of a Chevy Volt, you’d know I LOVE electric cars. But there’s a big difference between lusting after a roadster that you’ll likely never have, and sitting in a car that comfortably seats 6 (with the RAD rear-facing seats), which can haul around my wife & kids, and actually isn’t even absurdly expensive.

The most defining feature I already knew about the inside was the massive 17″ touchscreen in the dash. I thought it was overkill when I saw photos of it, but sitting in front of it the first impression is: this is how big touch screens in cars SHOULD be. Big enough to actually see while you’re going down the street, and big enough to make BIG FAT touch buttons that you don’t end up swerving off the road whilst trying to find. It’s actually brilliant. And the fact that you can see a full-size Google Maps, plus your a/v controls, etc all in one display – it’s frankly awesome.

Next – the fact that the hood (bonnet) is just extra storage and there’s no need to actually have any space used by an engine compartment, it just looks like it would be a rad road trip machine. Provided the range is good enough. And provided I can find 240v charging stations along the way.

Count me among the impressed by the Model S.