TESLA REVIEW PART II: THE ELECTRIC BOOGALOO

PART I: THE BASICS

Now we're on to the ACTUAL REVIEW! What's it like to drive a Tesla, for the average joe? I'm not a man who drives a BMW 3 series, or a Mercedes, or an Audi. Or a Lexus. Or an Acura. I don't have the latest Mazda 6 series. I have a FIFTEEN YEAR OLD Honda Accord. I imagine a large number of Tesla drivers will be coming from a similar experience - so I want to share what it's like moving from a car to an electric-powered rocket with wheels, airbags, and the most advanced cupholders I've ever seen.

Here's the car. It's smaller than I thought, has no power, and I can't get the trunk open.

A model Model 3. If I paid it to wear clothes, It would be a model model Model 3.

As for the ACTUAL car:

First, you gotta get INTO the thing. You walk up to it with cellphone in pocket, push in on a block bit which pops the handle out, pull the handle, and climb in. So far, I've noticed that this works 95% of the time. 5% of the time, it wants a key card. So you have to pull that out, and tap it on a spot just underneath a camera on the side of the car, then it [probably] lets you in.

Getting out is a bit MORE odd. In the intuitive space where you would typically grab the door handle to release the door, a door handle to release the door has been placed. DO NOT USE THIS DOOR HANDLE. Your car will become ANGRY and use it's magic to warn you that you have used the door handle, and it will RUIN YOUR CAR WINDOWS AND DOOR. This is an emergency release lever. The actually door release is a small glowing button that, from the looks of it, appears to do who knows the fuck what.

So every time you are leaving the car you have to stop the person and yell at them 'DONT PULL THE HANDLE. PUSH THIS PUTTON - THE BUTTON RIGHT HERE THAT OPENS THE DOOR. THE DOOR BUTTON. THEN PUSH THE DOOR OPEN."

They still don't push the button, ever.

Now, I'd put together one HELL of a playlist for my first drive, all kinds of cool audio to listen to. I was so ready to try it all - I couldn't WAIT to pull out of the dealership and head out. However, I'd sort of needed a lift down (seeing as how my old Honda Accord died) and I ended up listening to some odd selections from big 80's hair bands, which was not what I had in mind for starship, really.

BUT - the sound quality was AMAZING! The audio was crystal clear, and the radio selection is unbelievable. You just say the name of a song - ANY song - and it will play it.  It's unbelievable. It comes with FREE LIFETIME LTE, so you'll always have access to your music and Google Maps.

The unfortunate side effect of this is the following:

Every time you tell someone about this amazing feature, and ask them to choose ANY song, they choose 'Rock Lobster.' I don't know why. I don't WANT to know why. Maybe it's because the strange, foreign world of the Tesla feels as alien as the sea-Klingon otherwise known as a lobster. I don't know.  If someone tells you about this feature, pick a song that isn't 'Rock Lobster.' Yes. It has it.

Last is charging at home. When I brought the car home, I had NO 14-50 charger. That's the big honker. I only had the standard, wall outlet plug available in my garage. What the folks at Tesla refer to as a 'Trickle Charger.' It was sufficient enough to get me up and running the following day, but I wouldn't write home about it.

Thankfully, a good friend with a lot of electrical experience helped me install a 14-50 outlet near the back end of my car. This IMMEDIATELY jumped my car up to about 30 miles per hour. This amazed me. I want to reiterate this isn't the Tesla Wall Charger. This is just a cable that comes with the car.

This. Is. Amazing. Firstly, the unit itself is AWESOME! It lights up with a GREEN glowing Tesla logo when you plug it in!  To charger, you simply take the handle/charge end, point it at the charge port door, and push a button. The charge port pops open... and in goes your charger!!!! A little Tesla 'T' lights up, from blue to green, and the TESLA logo on the cable pulses.

This feels less like putting gas in your car and more like putting 1.21 gigawatts into your Delorean Time Machine. It's neat and FUN!

So - a few things:
1.) The port we installed is upside down, so the cable does a weird loop. Maybe look into that.
2.) At one point it told me my car wasn't charging, and it wouldn't go anywhere. This was worrisome. I rebooted the car (you hold down both scroll buttons on the steering wheel) and it went away. Still - creepy!
3.) If you want to feel like you're parking a shuttle in the bay of the Enterprise, buy a Tesla.

PART II: THE DRIVE

Anyhow, the first drive is a little odd. It takes a few minutes to get the hang of driving with only ONE PEDAL. When you take your foot off the gas, the regenerative brakes kick in, and the car slows significantly.  This is, of course, easy to change with the software, but I'd suggest leaving it on. It's odd at first, but it's actually a better driving experience as you move on - and it keeps your brakes from wearing out! It feels, again, a little like a skate board, where you push the car along, and then it slows down when you aren't actively pushing it.

Next is the speed - and the quiet. I'm used to knowing how fast I'm going by how exasperated my engine sounds. It sounded like a slightly overweight kid trying to run up a hill while pushing a slightly MORE overweight kid up the hill. This car has little, if any, sound. All you hear is music. The engine doesn't run. The wheel doesn't vibrate when you stop. The car is perfectly still. And quiet.

My daily commute is a perfect test. I drive about 7 miles in town, 7 miles on a freeway, and a further 7 miles in the country and on dirt roads and into an animal sanctuary.

Let me find some adequate words here: In the city, the car is like reclaiming your life. You can listen to music and sit in perfect harmony; in peace! It turns the entire drive into a peaceful, pleasant drive.

UNLESS.

You press down on the gas go pedal. Consider the folowing:

The traffic lights through town are timed - such that you press on the pedal, race up to 55 miles per hour (the speed limit is 45) and, upon reaching top speed, see a yellow light JUST out of reach. You can gun it, at which point you will most certainly run a red light, or you can slam on the breaks, such that your packed lunch, tic-tacs, and make up pouch/fanny pack of sunblock/cupcakes for work fly into the windshield in an infuriating fashion.

It is impossible to make one light if you catch the preceding light. You are stuck.

Unless you have 100% torque, all the time. Then you can rocket through the first light and get to the second one before it turns yellow.  For the first time EVER, I shaved 3 minutes off my commute. I pushed down on the pedal and the car smoothly, effortlessly glided up to 55, and through the right just AS it was turning yellow, not before.

No joke, it brought a tear to my eye. Zipping past both the 32 year old soccer mom in a RAV 5 adjusting her hair bun and yoga pants whilst answering text messages from her friend Tara, who's boyfriend Todd went out last night and didn't call her until almost 11:00 while going 40 AND the 75 year old geriatric grandma who's going to the store to pick up her medication and those little square cheese crackers her husband used to love so much whilst driving a 450 horsepower Lexus from 2008 at 12 miles per. fucking. hour. is an amazing feeling.

Weaving in and out of traffic no longer feels like a NASCAR race where you're struggling to get around other cars. It feels like an effortless jaunt. It's peaceful. If you want to get around someone, you can. It feels like snow skiing. You learn a bit to the left, the car goes left, around, and back.

There is also a great setting called, "Chill Mode." Let's discuss.

You will be tempted to floor it. Then, you will probably floor it. When you do this, the people in the car with you will want to puke. The car will suck you into the chair and your eyes will roll into the back of your skull, and then it will end because you shouldn't go 150 through a small town, or really ever. The experience is like shoving a rocket into the ass of a guy going down the luge in the Olympics, ridiculous speed, peanut-buttery smoothness.

Enter 'Chill Mode.' This decreases acceleration. To my little ear-bone balancing bits, it feels like it also evens acceleration out to a more linear curve. It turns the car a bit more into a Honda Accord. I imagine it saves on fuel by limiting the power used and by discouraging you from lighting a firework under your ass every time you start the car from a streetlight up until you hit 55 miles per hour.

If standard driving is Pod Racing, then Chill Mode is a remote piloted shuttle docking with the Enterprise. You are a leaf on the wind. Watch as your soar.

So in town, it's a huge bonus. Sitting at lights is quite and pleasant. You can listen to any radio station, streaming station, or song you can imagine. You can check the traffic. You can just chill.

Second is the freeway. Leaping onto the freeway is amazing. It's a quick slide. The acceleration puts you at 70 before you're half way onto the ramp. The side effect of this quiet speed is that you'll probably need to use cruise control more, because you'll exceed the speed limit so effortlessly. The good news about THAT is you simply flick a scroll wheel and you're INSTANTLY going 1-5 miles faster. No problem.

Now, I don't have autopilot (though I hope to add it at some point in the future) but even without it, freeway drive is a quiet pleasure. I have no problem zipping along, silently weaving in and around every 70 year old, heavily medicated Florida resident. Trucks in my way are a thing of the past. The car never feels like it's bending, rolling, or like the suspension is trying to keep up with the bumps and turns. It just... is.

A lot of that road-feel is adjustable. You can turn the steering from COMFORT to STANDARD to SPORT. This adjusts the tightness of the wheel. When in sport, the car goes exactly where you point it. You point a little left, the car points a little left. It feels more an airplane than a car in this way - instant response.  STANDARD is a bit slower. The turns are a bit 'looser.' By this, I mean that the 'dead zone' where turning does nothing actually exists (where it did not in SPORT) and there's about a .5 second delay as you turn. It feels a bit more on par. Make a change, as you feel the change, respond as necessary. COMFORT feels like you're driving a Chrysler 300. It mostly works, and takes the car off in in a lilting, lackadaisical fashion. It does feel oddly comforting! It feels like you can 'do no wrong.' Sport feels like you could accidentally make the car fly off a bridge with a ill-chosen tilt of the wheel, and comfort feels like you could spin the damn thing like the wheel of a cruise ship and it would slowly veer off to the right. I suspect for most folks coming from a non-fancy luxury type car, the standard mode will be ideal.

The last leg of the journey is through some rough country roads, and then a series of dirt roads.  This is the weak spot of the Model 3, I feel. Where the road is quiet on nice streets, the sound of bumps seems amplified. The peacefulness erodes, if only slightly. The car handles the bumps, but it handles them like a sports car. More than the Honda Accord, you can FEEL the bumps. This, I suspect, is by design. You feel connected to the road, as if you're brushing your fingers across its surface while you drive. Because the car is so quiet, the sound of those bumps seems amplified. Rough road seems coarse.

On the dirt roads, the car isn't particularly awesome. It's a bit to firm for regular pot holes. I will say, however, that the weight of the car, and the fact that the batteries and balance of the car are all beneath you, makes the car feel well planted. I haven't tried to race the car, rally-style around the dirt roads, but I imagine it would handle extremely well. It might be a bit uncomfortable, but I bet it would be very pleasant, if not as exciting as driving a car that has almost, but not quite, slid into the alligator filled canal sixteen inches to the right of your car.

It makes me pine for a 'Top Gear' or 'Grand Tour' special in which they each take a different electric car on a multi-part road race.

So on that note, if you drive a large tractor more often than a car or truck, perhaps this isn't the car for you. If you live in a town that has twice as many dirt roads and NO Starbucks, and in which the tallest structure is a poll for a Barbecue Restaurant and/or a water tower, maybe consider a Ford F-150.

Lastly, the car handles great in the rain. I haven't tried it in heavy puddles, but the weight and traction on very, very wet roads is excellent. There appeared to be no serious hydroplaning - and there are two added bonuses - firstly, you can actually see all the rain through the glass windows. Secondly, the polarized, tinted glasses reflects into the water beading up on the car in the most beautiful way imaginable.



Now, all of that said, this really only addresses 95% of driving. What if you want to take a road trip?

Let's talk about the road trip.

PART III: ROAD TRIP

I decided I really wanted to put this car through its paces - I have a sister deep in the mountains of North Carolina - far from superchargers and the flat, straight roads of Florida's coast. I decided I had to make the Trek! This would be my Kessel Run, my Briar Patch, my Antares Maelstrom. I wanted to see how difficult it would be.

I started my trip late on a Thursday night, with the intention of heading to Jacksonville. OF COURSE I ended up heading out late! This meant it was going to be dark. That's important. We'll get to that later And, since I'd needed to do about 50 miles of driving, I was probably going to need a supercharge.

I decided to take my first ever supercharger stop in Daytona/Port Orange at around 9:00 PM. It was raining. The car hand done fantastically - I felt less fatigue than in my usual car, and the ability to listen to radio stations, podcasts, music, or even to select the soothing sounds of bird calls all appealed to me. I was sort of excited to try the magic juice box!

I hopped out of the car into the rain. This is the moment I discovered the first two big flaws in the general Tesla design: The chargers aren't covered. In Los Angeles or Nevada, this is no big deal. In Florida, this sucks.

The second was more unexpected. The glowing lights of the supercharger made me feel better about the rain. They were beautiful, electrified beacons of clean energy, progress, and FREEDOM. But the also attracted spiders. Big ones. Every supercharger had it's own spider.

I mean that. Of the many superchargers, ONE didn't have a big ass spider living on it. Further inspection revealed it was guarding an egg sac, which is soon to be a giant ass-load of other giant spiders.

Got tied up at the Port Orange/Daytona supercharger.

I decided I wanted to be away from all the giant spiders. I needed to leave this place, immediately. At 9:00 PM in Florida, most things were closed, and it was very wet and nasty. There was one thing very close, and opened though: Chuck E. Cheese.

How to appear as a predator.

Now, I love video games and pizza as much as the next man. Hell, I'd say they're two of my very favorite things - however, I was presented by a dilemma: I am a man, in my mid 30s, wearing a soaked t-shirt, traveling alone.

I was about to walk into a children's eatery, alone. The interaction would, undoubtedly, go as follows:

ME (sopping wet guy in oversized, comfy t-shirt): Hello!
HOSTESS: Hello sir! Are you meeting someone here or...
ME: Oh! No, no. Just, uh... killing time. I thought I'd come hang out.
HOSTESS: OH! Do you have any children with you?
ME: Oh, no! I'm traveling along you see - I'm on a trip up north... I just thought I'd come in here, since it's open.
HOSTESS: OOoaaoo OooKAaaaaaAAy...?
ME: No really, it's fine. Is there a soda and somewhere I can sit and just...
HOSTESS: We're about to close... soooo.

This is awkward. TESLA: Please put chargers close to things that won't make grown men seem like pedophiles.

I climbed back in the car and just waited it out.

So - in the rain, I was arriving at Jacksonville. I was just about to head into the city when I saw a car on the right side of the road, flashers blinking. I immediately changed lanes to give the car more space. Out of nowhere, a man starts darting across the FREEWAY towards the car. I SLAMMED on the breaks.  I had a new update installed that supposedly changed the breaking distance, but it wasn't enough. I swerved into a different lane.

It was close. It was very, very close. I can't stress that enough. The man DOVE out of the way of my car. If he had not done so, I would have hit him going about 35 miles per hour. I was within inches of this guy. I swerved into the right side lane. The person behind me was INCHES... literal inches... from my bumper. This forced me onto the ramp for a different road. I attempted to stop and turn around, but I couldn't find a place to pull over and the other cars were all trying to get around me, because I must have appeared to be a crazy driver (despite the guy diving onto the road).  I don't know what became of him, and surely I hope he's OK. I hope no one else hit him. I hope he turned out alright. I don't know how he could have misjudged my travel speeds so completely. I ended up taking a different route, but I'm a little disappointed the car didn't have some sort of warning system or auto breaking or some such. I missed that guy by a half second and maybe 18 inches, total.

I arrived at my destination around 10:30-ish and immediately fell asleep.

The next day, I headed on to the next supercharger: Kingsland, Florida. I woke up early and ended up there around 8:00 AM.

Beautiful day at the Kingsland, Georgia Supercharger

This was a beautiful spot. Behind the chargers is a small pond with a fountain, and a number of yellow dandelions. The only food that was really in walking distance was a Cracker Barrel. Since I had about 200 miles worth of charging to do, I went over and had a little breakfast. This was actually a very pleasant experience - the food was good, but their hot tea is crap.

I was seated a a small table with only one chair - it was a damn, damn lonely spot. I sat their, reading the news and drinking tea, hair shooting straight up. I must have looked like a crazy hobo. I'm surprised they never showed any concern as to wether I could pay.



After a filling breakfast of oatmeal, sausage, fruit, and toast, I left for my next supercharger stop.

The weather was much, much better - and the further away from Florida's oppressive humidity you get, the better. I felt refreshed, and the sunlight pouring through the tinted roof was just right - not to bright, not to dark. It made the car feel alive, despite the black interior. I've always been more a fan of beige, but the sunlight really seemed to 'wake up' the interior some what.

My next stop was in Savannah - at an airport. Of the superchargers I visited, this one is probably my favorite. Firstly, it's in a parking garage, which is covered, so the car stayed cooler and I couldn't have been rained on. Secondly, you have a whole CONCOURSE about 5 minutes away! The parking is pretty far from their, but the walk is worth it. The airport is lovely.  There's a Starbucks inside, a small place to grab a snack, and free WiFi. I was able to hang out and relax.

It is about 5 minutes from the freeway, but it's totally worth it. It's a great charging location. BONUS: There didn't appear to be any spiders!

Savannah Airport Charger

My next stop was in Columbia, South Carolina.  The drive there was fantastic - the weather was great, and, despite the crappy two lane highways of South Carolina, it was a pleasant drive among the trees.

The downside was I needed to charge! Again. I have a friend with a Model S - I mentioned Austin Meyer is part I. the guy I talked into a Tesla, who in turn, talked me into one. I was very much excited to get his opinion on the car, as he's an engineer and an avid fan.

Austin has had a Model S for a few years - we've discussed it at great length both in person and via email - I'm pretty sure there are 1,000 emails going back and forth regarding his car, the future of Tesla, the Model X, the Model 3, and the Roadster.



So thus began my first Tesla meetup. He drove the car. We drove to a neighbor's house, who also drove the car. As an engineer, Austin's mind is equal parts overly cluttered with math and strikingly clear when it comes to objectively reviewing things from movies (he has NEVER forgiven me more getting him to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) to iPods to VR headsets to, of course cars.

Austin's car history puts mine to shame - If memory serves, the first car I remember him owning, in his twenties I think, was a Camaro, followed by a gray Corvette - which, to this day, I love. That was my first experience with cars and driving as a SPORT - where cars could be something more than a utility to transport matter from point A. to point B.(oring).

Following that there was a Red 50th Anniversary Corvette - and, not long after that - A Ferrari 360, followed by a 420 Stradale, which I think meant 'without any features, at all.' It was damn quick, and a hell of nice looking car. I preferred the 360 - it was a lot of fun, and the transmission was actually a little 'off' so it always felt like every gear shift was either going to launch you into the stratosphere, or it would be your last. It certainly SOUNDED like the engine wanted to explode.

So this man, an aerospace engineer, software designer, and Ferrari guy, bought a Tesla. An electric car that looks like... a car.

  Here are Austin's thoughts, in no particular order.

• The steering is better, and tighter.
• The audio system is clearer than that of the Model S's standard audio.
• The car is smaller and easier to park.
• The U.I. was good - not great, but good. The hardware is MUCH snappier and more responsive.
• The car had more than adequate power.

In short, he found the car to be better than his Model S.  He currently has Roadster 2.0 on order. IN FACT, The day it came out, I sent him the article, and he ordered it. Because it was that unbelievable.

A day after driving the car, he added a Model 3. To replace his Ferrari, which seems plagued with constant, expensive repairs. The Tesla, as he's stated in the past, 'just works.'

This endorsement, to me, is the most valuable I've had so far, and the most important indicator I've had this this is more than just a new car - it's a the start of some form of planetary transformation from liquid bomb-tanks to quite, electric futures.

Full disclosure, Austin helped make the Model 3 dream a reality for me in several very, very important ways - partly because he's a huge fan of sustainability and the move towards greener, cleaner energy (including Thorium reactors) but mostly because he's a really, really nice guy - to whom I owe a STAGGERING degree of thanks.

Anyhow, I plugged into the wall charger at his place, and discovered that I could pull down about 42 miles per hour - that's a LOT! It's actually faster than the Model S - as far as I can tell, it's because the Model 3 can handle more amps than the Model S. A few hours of charging (while he flew to Charlotte and back) was enough for me to drive around town the remainder of the day!

That said, the next morning, I still needed a bit of extra energy, and in a hurry! I hopped back into the car and ran to the Columbia, SC Supercharger. It's a bit inconvenient, as there are 3 freeways that all meet nearby, and I had to sort of head in the wrong direction to get to it.

That said, the charger was quite nice - it's part of a Hilton - and they had a great breakfast for something like $6.50, give or take! It was a nice way to start the morning.

Then it was off to our next stop, way up at a Sheetz gas station in North Carolina. The drive from Columbia through Charlotte is pretty boring. This is another decent location - located in Hickory, NC.  

While we're speaking of cars, by a strange twist of fate, I discovered my favorite car of all time there (or a very close approximation of it, anyway!) No matter how cool my car seemed, this is probably the coolest car of all time.  If I recall, the car itself, and ambulance/hearse, is haunted. Parking tickets placed on the windshield spontaneously burst into flames.  If anyone out there wants to sell a 59 Miller Meteor Futura Cadillac, please let me know!!!! Also, if you'd like to visit a really cool animal sanctuary and raise money one Halloween, also let me know!!!

Sheetz isn't a bad place to hole up for a bit!

The next part of the drive was phenomenal - I was in the mountains. Not hills, but real, honest to god MOUNTAINS.

The best cars weave through traffic and hills, sputtering along with beautiful sound as they dance across the pavement, paying homage to themselves as they race through loud, open tunnels in the mountains.

The Model 3 doesn't bother with any of that. It eats corners - taking a hairpin 180 degree turn still feels like a 180 degree turn, but somehow, you can stick to your lane, and you feel confident as you whirl through the mountains.

The downside, though, is that there are no superchargers - and only two wall chargers in the area. This meant I had to give up my car for about 5 hours.

During my time, I did have the opportunity to take a An Acura TSX into the Blue Ridge Parkway. It held it's own as I downshifted and tossed the car through the mountains - though you do tend to feel awful sick after an hour or so of sloshing about.

Once I retrieved the Tesla, however - it was like a slalom - skating around the turns was effortless and fun. The sharp edges and terrifying drop offs, which before had been a real concern, were now fun, tight rounds - the regenerative breaking made downhill great, and after a solid hour of downhill driving, I'd only used about 5 miles of battery, as the regenerative brakes had returned quite a lot of energy to the car!

It was, perhaps, one of the most enjoyable experiences of my ENTIRE LIFE, marred by the lack of charging ports and the worry that the uphill trek might overly deplete my battery.

Another small side effect, according to my sisters, was the oddity of the car itself in this small town. A number of folks stopped to gawk at the tiny white spaceship - not for any reason other than it's uniqueness. The mountains seemed to contain a huge number of Porsches - lots of beautiful Audi's and a number of nice Corvettes - but few, if any Tesla's. Many a college student stopped to see the strange white marble parked in the small town. I certainly didn't mind, but didn't think it was that unusual of a car - it does, after all, look like a car. It is possible that the car was more familiar to this crew, given the college (and town) focus heavily on sustainability and green technology.

The only issue was going downhill - I wish there was a 'mountain mode' that would further utilize the regenerative breaking when on a decline over X percent.  There were a lot of twisty, downhill bits that could have used a bit of help!







So, I headed home. I did stop at a new supercharger in St. Augustine, Florida. For some reason, the meter told me that all the spaces were occupied - I arrived to find that NONE of them were occupied.  A few minutes later, my charging was 'interrupted.' I peaked around the corner, and nothing seemed amiss. I unplugged the cable and plugged it back in - and everything seemed fine.

I will add that the car was about 55 degrees when it arrived. When I stepped out, the 70 degree mountains and the 55 degree car met all my senses with 95 degree heat and extreme humidity. My whole body was covered with condensation. It felt like sweat, but it wasn't. It was terrible.

That charge cost about $1.00 - the most I spent on a charge was about $7.50. In total, I spent no more than $30 for the whole trip.

On the last leg of the journey, I did hit some MAJOR thunderstorms. Again, the car handled them ably. The headlights came on automatically. The wipers adjusted automatically to the rain speed. The car did great through puddles, pouring rain, and Florida drivers once gain.

I arrived home thrilled. It was a trip to remember in a car that still doesn't feel like mine. It feels like a rental, or a friend's car I'm borrowing. I'm still a bit cautious with it - but it's fabulous.

So what can I say about the car, in closing? After almost 2,000 miles in 2 weeks, I can say Tesla has made a fantastic car - one superior to any driving experience I've ever had. It's fun. it's fast. It's comfortable beyond measure. It's so customizable it can be anything you want to be - a little star fighter or a great, lilting luxury liner. It will satisfy you to no end.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to test the autopilot - if anyone would like a review of that, you can either pay to have it added (I'd be HAPPY to take it! Really. I do not fear the robot overlords) and I'll take a trip and tell you ALL about it, OR I can borrow someone's car, at some point, who does have it, and I'll tell you about that!

Thanks for reading!

Below is my list of improvements and recommendations I'd love to see for the Model 3 moving forward!

1. The button to open the door - make it more obvious some way. ANY way.
2. We have free LTE - I would love a weather map/weather updates/weather overlay for the drive!
3. Perhaps better warnings for people darting in front of your car? Please. Add this to the whole fleet. It could save lives.
4. Superchargers need covers!
5. Anti-Spider super chargers. Maybe a different kind of glowing light that doesn't attract bugs?
6. The button to switch audio sources is in an odd spot. Bring it closer!
7. A few more awesome easter eggs would be great! I tried saying 'Prepare to make the jump to hyperspace.' and "Warp 9. Engage!" The car did nothing. I am dissapoint.
8. A 'mountain mode' that more aggressively breaks on a decline would be much appreciated!
9. Why can't I adjust the fan speed without a sub menu?
10. Why can't I change from 'Standard' to 'Chill' or from 'Comfort' to 'Sport' with the touch of a button, or by saying 'Go, Go Gadget Space Car?' I found myself changing depending on the system!
11. A bit more customization! What if I could use Standard drive and Sport on the Freeway, but the car automatically pulled me back into 'Chill mode' through town? I'd love a sub menu to customize my day-to-day!
12. Apparently, my charge port is lifted up a bit. Apparently, it's not supposed to be - even though the folks at Tesla told me it's supposed to look like that. I'm not sure who to believe Is the charge port supposed to be completely flush?
13. Why NO Apple Integration? I had to mess with my phone for audio! That seems insane in a car this sophisticated!

That's all I've got.  The car is awesome. You save money on gas. Your drive is a pleasure! You get to reclaim your travel time as fun and/or relaxing. Your life will change a little bit!