This is a repost of The Tesla Rationale from my personal blog, Skipping Steps.
I've always wanted an Audi R8, but I just bought a Tesla. Here's why.
I've wanted an R8 ever since they came out. And when they introduced the V10 version I wanted one even more. The R8 is the German answer to Ferrari's eight-cylinder two-seater sports cars like the 360, 430, and 458. Both the Audi and the Ferraris are beautiful, exotic and great sounding. But where a Ferrari is flashy, an R8 is understated. Where a Ferrari is passionate, an R8 is precise. It was just the car for me.
In 2010 I was on the verge of selling the company I had founded. I was so sure the deal would go through I tempted fate by going to the Audi dealership and picking out just the R8 I wanted. I even drove it home to make sure the front bumper would clear the lip of my driveway. Alas, fate couldn't resist the temptation and the deal fell through. No R8 for me.
Four years later I was back at the bargaining table to sell the same company (this time to a different buyer). And while I didn't want to again invite disaster, the thought of cars did enter my mind, this time with an additional contender: Tesla's Model S.
Now, these are two very different cars. The R8 has a monstrous 5.2 liter V10 engine, seats two, and is built by a German company that's been around for more than 80 years. The Model S has an electric motor, seats five (or five-plus-two if you get the rear-facing third-row seats), and is built by a startup in California. The R8 has been called one of the best supercars in the world. The Model S has been called more smartphone than car. Apples and oranges, right? More like jock and geek.
The way I look at it, the R8 is a jock: muscular, powerful, athletic, sexy, and loud, if a bit conventional. The Model S is a geek: intelligent, quiet, indifferent to social norms, and enthralled by technology. Each has its allure, so it was a tough choice. Then Elon unveiled the D.
Two days after my company was acquired, Tesla announced the dual-motor version of the Model S. It retained all of the original Model S's geek qualities, but added insane performance. Literally.
The new Model S P85D is much quicker than an R8, beating it from 0-60 by 0.7s, a huge margin in the sub-four-second range. Of course the R8 is still faster, but I don't drive 196 mph.
Suddenly the choice was easy. In fact, it was no longer a choice between jock and geek, it was a choice between jock and geek/jock convergence, which is the future. Or, if you like, the end of the world.
So I bought the Tesla. Yes, it's the future. And yes, it's awesome.
I've always wanted an Audi R8, but I just bought a Tesla. Here's why.
I've wanted an R8 ever since they came out. And when they introduced the V10 version I wanted one even more. The R8 is the German answer to Ferrari's eight-cylinder two-seater sports cars like the 360, 430, and 458. Both the Audi and the Ferraris are beautiful, exotic and great sounding. But where a Ferrari is flashy, an R8 is understated. Where a Ferrari is passionate, an R8 is precise. It was just the car for me.
In 2010 I was on the verge of selling the company I had founded. I was so sure the deal would go through I tempted fate by going to the Audi dealership and picking out just the R8 I wanted. I even drove it home to make sure the front bumper would clear the lip of my driveway. Alas, fate couldn't resist the temptation and the deal fell through. No R8 for me.
Four years later I was back at the bargaining table to sell the same company (this time to a different buyer). And while I didn't want to again invite disaster, the thought of cars did enter my mind, this time with an additional contender: Tesla's Model S.
Now, these are two very different cars. The R8 has a monstrous 5.2 liter V10 engine, seats two, and is built by a German company that's been around for more than 80 years. The Model S has an electric motor, seats five (or five-plus-two if you get the rear-facing third-row seats), and is built by a startup in California. The R8 has been called one of the best supercars in the world. The Model S has been called more smartphone than car. Apples and oranges, right? More like jock and geek.
The way I look at it, the R8 is a jock: muscular, powerful, athletic, sexy, and loud, if a bit conventional. The Model S is a geek: intelligent, quiet, indifferent to social norms, and enthralled by technology. Each has its allure, so it was a tough choice. Then Elon unveiled the D.
Two days after my company was acquired, Tesla announced the dual-motor version of the Model S. It retained all of the original Model S's geek qualities, but added insane performance. Literally.
The new Model S P85D is much quicker than an R8, beating it from 0-60 by 0.7s, a huge margin in the sub-four-second range. Of course the R8 is still faster, but I don't drive 196 mph.
Suddenly the choice was easy. In fact, it was no longer a choice between jock and geek, it was a choice between jock and geek/jock convergence, which is the future. Or, if you like, the end of the world.
So I bought the Tesla. Yes, it's the future. And yes, it's awesome.
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