Farting mode and a fine for being left alone for too long: how I first drove a Tesla

Mother and blogger Summer Hall rented a Tesla electric car for the first time and shared her impressions with the project The points guywith whom she has been collaborating for a long time. Further - from the first person.

Photo: Shutterstock

When we arrived at the charging station, which we found through an internet search, it turned out to be just a locked fence. We were sweating in the Florida heat with the A/C on trying to conserve the remaining battery.

To say that we had to learn from our first rented Tesla would be an understatement, as they say.

Back home in Texas, I drive a gas-guzzling GMC Yukon Denali, but I hope to one day buy an electric or hybrid car. What better way to experience the electric car lifestyle than by renting a Tesla while on vacation, right?

You can now rent certain Tesla models from Hertz for a price comparable to the standard price of a sedan. So, I wanted to find out if someone who has never touched a Tesla can rent one without much hassle.

My kids have certainly learned how to activate the new car mode, which made a farting sound every time I pressed the turn signal. But the more important tasks on our Tesla trips around Florida proved a little more difficult.

On the subject: Supercharging station with drive-in cinema and restaurant: Tesla will open a new attraction in California

Here's what happened when I rented a Tesla without knowing much about it, and some things to watch out for so you don't make the same mistakes I did.

How to enable this thing

You know you're in trouble when you sit in a rental car in a parking lot and ask Google how to turn your car on.

To be honest, the Hertz employee taught us some of the basics. However, I mostly nodded and tried to absorb the information instead of understanding what he had said.

After that crash course, I had no idea how to start the car when he left. It wasn't much different than when you get your first child only to wonder, "So what exactly do I do next?"

I'm not old fashioned enough to expect a physical key, but unlike our home cars, there was no button here either. Instead, you put the key in the cup holder area and press the brake pedal to start the car.

Is it intuitive? No, absolutely not.

To be honest, this was the theme of rental adventures. I'm sure you can get used to all the Tesla quirks relatively quickly, but at first it's like learning to drive a car for the first time.

There are buttons for almost everything.

While there was no button to turn on the Tesla, almost everything else required a button or selection on the computer screen. You even use the button to open the door instead of just reaching for the handle. Yes, you can open the door with the handle, but the car doesn't like it - and it will tell you about it.

Even the air conditioner and glove compartment are controlled from the computer screen. So don't expect to just flip a switch to make adjustments while driving, as you do in most other vehicles.

It took days to figure out how to actually get cool air. And by that I mean that we finally figured out which area on the screen to scroll. However, we never understood the true order of operations when trying to cool down or conserve battery life.

Charging is (usually) paid

Tesla owners who have read this story up to this point are probably both embarrassed by my ignorance and shocked that there are still mere suburban mortals with no functional knowledge of the electric vehicle ecosystem. But here we are.

I confess that as a temporary Tesla driver, I was surprised to learn that charging is not free.

Charging is included with the Tesla purchase, so I didn't fully get the idea of ​​it being free. However, in the modern age, it will usually cost you money to charge—even on Tesla's own network of superchargers.

When we stopped in Florida to use the Supercharger next to the barbecue, we learned a few lessons. By this point, we already understood that charging would not be free, but we had no idea how to pay.

We turned on the car, went inside for lunch and hoped for the best. The fact that the battery on the computer screen showed green and looked like it was charging before we left seemed promising, even though we had no idea who was paying for it.

While we were enjoying the brisket and sandwiches, the car was enjoying its own recharging - however, only up to 80%.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York

When we got back, the display in the car showed that it cost about $17 to charge, but $13 of that amount was for staying too long in the restaurant. He charged more for leaving the car on charge (although it stopped at 80%) than for the charge itself.

Given the location next to the barbecue, I assumed that we should go eat while the car was charging, but it turned out that it would be expensive if the car finished "its meal" before you did.

On the positive side, we learned that Hertz had already set up the car with the network, so he passed the charge for charging directly to the booking company with no additional surcharges. This explained how the car started charging and we did nothing but plug it in.

However, if you risk using a different charger network (we didn't), you'll probably need to set up the app with your own payment method.

Not all hotels have chargers

We actually rented a Tesla twice before writing this story. This is mainly because I learned the hard way on my first trip that not all hotels, even the newest ones, provide chargers.

Our first Tesla rental experience was during a trip to Walt Disney World. We arrived at the new Star Wars-themed hotel and found out that it didn't have chargers. They were scattered throughout the Disney theme park, but the hotel itself did not have them. On this trip, we didn't go far enough to really need a recharge, so we skipped it.

During our second rental in the Florida Keys, one of our hotels had a charging station and it completely changed everything.

When you consider renting a Tesla, think about the charging plan: if your hotel has chargers, that's a plus.

At the same time, nightly charging at the hotel was free; you just need to get the adapter from the bag located in the trunk.

Finding a Charge Can Be Stressful

You can blame the free use of the A/C or the occasional hard press of the accelerator pedal, but watching the battery percentage drop while driving was stressful, especially when we weren't sure when we could find the next charge.

On the subject: You can allow Tesla autopilot to violate traffic rules: this is in the settings

According to our research, there were no superchargers near the Florida Keys destination. When we Googled for another charger network in the area, the map led us to something called the Tesla Destination Charger, which was located in what looked like a locked junkyard.

It's pretty stressful to see your phone's battery drain without a charger at the ready, but when it's your car with your family in it, it's a whole new level of panic.

Eventually

When we didn't panic about not finding a place to charge, the Tesla we rented was certainly a pleasure to drive. In addition, it has a cool function - be prepared for the fact that the car will start to slow down as soon as you take your foot off the pedal.

On our three-day trip from Miami to the Florida Keys, we spent a total of $4 on the charge—not counting the $13 in demurrage.

That's a hell of a deal considering current gas prices. My guess is that the savings only increase the longer the trip.

However, driving a rented Tesla without much preparation is full of challenges. I advise you to spend some time watching tutorials on YouTube before you get behind the wheel.

Otherwise, you'll be sitting in a farting car with music playing while you frantically google how to hit the road.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Housing in the USA: 10 life hacks that will help you save a lot on your mortgage

Camping in the USA: 24 magical campsites

How much cash can you bring into the US and what happens if you exceed the limit

Rules of conduct during a mass shooting: what to do to survive

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.