I rented a black Tesla model 3 Standard Range+ for a little more than two weeks for a trip to visit family in Illinois. I still have it for a couple of days before I have to take it back and fly home.

“Was is everything that I hoped it would be?”

In a way, yes it was exactly what I was expecting. Did I get the anticipated “instant torque”? Yes, I got it in loads but the thrill sort of wore off after the first couple of days. Did I get the dreaded range anxiety? Yes, I got heaps of that also. The closest supercharger was approximately 8-10% away in terms of battery range. I was able to slow charge at night using an 120V AC wall charger which gave me 20-30% overnight so I was never terribly concerned about range, but it was something that was always on my mind.

The biggest question is, did I have fun in it? Yes, but not nearly as much as I expected. After the thrill of the instant torque wore off and I became annoyed at needing to charge for 15-20 minutes every time I wanted to very far out of town, it became just another car.

That’s not to say that the exerience was at all bad, it wasn’t. A Tesla is just car and not a terribly remarkable one once you get past the newness of it. The most positive thing that I can say right now is that I have a firm understanding of what it means to drive an electric car. I know that as soon as the opportunity arises, I will switch over to an fully electric or Plugin-in hybrid vehicle.