Bugeye Progress!

 Facebook post from my friend Robert Juarez:

Robert is a true artist in metal! Nobody does it better, and the Bugeye's backside will certainly be cured long before mine is. Here are Robert's photos:

Finally in the Tesla Fold

Remember when I bought the 2000 Honda Insight and said it was to tide me over until the day that I could pay cash for a Tesla?

That day arrived last Saturday after my son sent me a text about Hertz thinning their fleet of electric vehicles. Despite the frenetic negative reports in the anti-Elon mainstream media, it was primarily a dollars and cents business decision on the part of Hertz management. The headlines were full of hyperbole like this:

Rental giant Hertz dumps EVs, including Teslas, for gas cars

Hertz's Tesla Fire Sale Portends EV Reckoning

Hertz USA say NO to EV... Dumps 20000 Tesla Cars

In fact the twenty thousand Teslas that Hertz has put on the market are about a third of their Tesla inventory and are largely high mileage vehicles that were part of Hertz's Uber initiative. The sky is not falling, but it was certainly an opportunity for me to pick one up for roughly half of what a new one would have cost. 

I chose a 2022 Rear Wheel Drive (LFP) Model 3 with 70,000 miles on it.

It's very clean and drives brilliantly. With the J1772 charging adapter I was able to use the existing charging stations in my garage and was pleased to find that a full charge showed a 258 mile range. That's only a 14 mile degradation from the quoted new car range of 272 miles, or .5%. Not bad after two years and 70,000 miles. Unlike the traditional lithium cobalt cells, Tesla recommends 100% charge for Lithium-Iron-Phosphate, so the range is actually comparable to a long range Model 3 at the recommended 80% charge. It got new tires 8,000 miles ago and apart from some small cosmetic imperfections on the interior, it is immaculate.

So the Honda served its purpose well and will likely be on the road for years to come with its new owner. I threatened to sell the Porsche and MG conversions and now have even more reason to move them out of the garage. If you have interest in either or both, drop me a line and we'll work something out. I'd like them to go to a good home with someone who appreciates the special nature of these cars. My wife will thank you for making room for her car in the garage. The eBugeye repair is underway and will be finished soon. Stay tuned for more on that front.

I've named the new Tesla the "Gogomobile" in honor of my recently deceased mother whom the grandkids called "Gogo". Mom would have been proud and the grandkids got the first ride. Easton was especially excited since he's been saying "Grandpa needs a Tesla" for a long time.