If you have not tried a Tesla on a steep incline, that's an experience you must try in the driver's seat.
Having driven a stick shift for the last 13 years, I always assumed I had the next best thing to a turbo engine when it came to inclines. I had full control over the power through the gears, and could pass whoever I wanted. But my car worked hard, and the sound of the engine gave away my every move. As soon as it started roaring, cars beside me knew I was ready to pass them.
And then I tried some of these steep inclines in my Tesla Model 3. It's so smooth! The acceleration is so effortless, you might as well be driving on level ground. The sound of the engine is no more louder, and the responsiveness is like none other. It's like pushing a hot knife through butter -- it's smooth and calming.
In preparation for the trip up the mountain, I figured at 200 kms left on my range, I should top up just in case. After all, it's a two way trip into the mountains. What I forgot was that I would be GAINING range on the way back!
When I saw how long the green status bar was growing on the way down, I started to glance at the kms. I started with about 210 kms. By the time I was down the mountain 20 minutes later, it was reading 225. The interesting thing is, it went up by 5 km increments, not one 1 km at a time as I had expected. So really, I'm confident I gained more than 15 kms, but definitely less than 20.
The thing is, I think I'm still experiencing "new-EV-owner" range anxiety. My suspicion is that because I have to have Sentry Mode on all the time (all day at work, all night at home), my range goes down during the week almost as much as I commute. So experiencing that rhythm of charging for the past 6 weeks, I'm expecting the same output when I'm on a road trip. But in actuality, I get MORE range because my car isn't sitting there losing battery power for hours on end. I get to use that to actually drive. It's a mental update that I need to consciously make when I'm on my road trips.
But the absolute best part was being able to actually enjoy the journey. Going down the mountain is when you are able to really view the backdrop of the snow-covered Canadian Rockies, and they were breathtaking. TeslaCam just doesn't do it justice. But with a crazy, winding road like this one, no driver in their right mind would be looking up to see the mountains. With Autopilot engaged, I was able to glance up on a regular basis to enjoy the view. And that makes the difficult drive so enjoyable.
Just as an update on my rims, I did have just enough rim protector to replace the one I scratched. It looks as good as new again, and amazingly easy to apply. I would highly recommend them.
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