The day the Tesla came for tea
Yesterday a top of the range Tesla manoeuvred its way, ever-so-carefully, up our drive and reversed its way into our parking spot for plug-ins. It was a 14 point turn and it wasn’t clear whether the car was driving or if the driver was driving but I can quite understand why both would be nervous. The ceramic finished paint job gleamed beneath the thin coat of mid Wales mud and if just one of those 14 cameras failed to spot a bit of house sticking out then the consequences would be dire.
All went well and the car parked itself without either scratching itself or demolishing the house - not that the latter would have mattered as the bullet proof car’s sunroof is designed to withstand avalanche as well as the odd careless collision.
From the slightly soiled, but still shiny control centre, Mark emerged and soon his car was sucking hard on our 13 amp plug and breathing in its latest firmware download form Silicon Valley via our flimsy internet. Whilst the car talked to Elon Musk we talked to Mark about everything from DIY, rock climbing, British immigration rules, the horrors of Brexit day and, of course, the wonders of electric cars.
The conversation flowed freely, Sally came up with an exemplary and exotic curry courtesy of her beloved AGA and we even took in a video of sailing and climbing in Greenland. Over breakfast of baked bacon (sorry Roz we managed to corrupt him) Sally and Mark talked in the strange language of technical finance which left me nodding and pretending I knew what a derivative was. But then it was out into the muddy fields, through the churchyard carpeted in snowdrops and up on to our highest hill. On the summit of Corndon we marvelled at the view though it was blurred by wind driven tears as we leaned into the stiff westerly.
All too soon the car was unplugged and the Tesla, complete with its owner, took itself off on yet another electric adventure. We had all enjoyed the day the Tesla came for tea. As Mark swished homeward down muddy lanes both Sally and I reflected that driving is way more fun than it ever used to be - now that fossil fuels are a thing of the past!
