If you’ve followed us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, you probably already know that this has been an exceptionally good week for us. First, we got the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) for our Model X, meaning that it will go into production any day now. Second, we found somebody in Washington State who is going to tow our camping trailer with his Tesla Model X in the upcoming Victoria Day Parade (May 23). Hurrah!!! And third, we hooked up the camping trailer’s solar panels and managed to charge my Model S from the trailer’s batteries at 6km/hr (12Amps) – (more about that coming soon from Rolf)!
Last but not least, we really started enjoying our electric loaner car. Since Rolf returned his Model S in January in anticipation of the Model X, he would have been without a ride after returning from Florida. Our friend Bert offered Rolf his daughter’s eSmart ForTwo as a loaner and, man, are we glad and grateful! Since Rolf needed a lot of supplies for his work on the camping trailer, he really needed a car. And what’s better than an electric car – given our recent history ;-)…!?!
Rolf in his ‘City Runabout’. Thumbs up!
I’ve seen the Smarts around all the time, often envied them the easy parking spots. 😉 I never really considered getting one, though, since they.are.small. That’s just me. But hey, we’ve started to really like that little “City Runabout”. I admit, inside, it looks more like a regular car than what we are used to now, but it does its job and it does it well, quietly and clean. And with a range of up to 109km, an acceleration of 0 – 60 km/h in just 4.8 seconds and a base price of about CAD27,000, it is perfect for city and “closer-range” driving. Lately, we started to pick the eSmart over the Tesla in cases where we were just going to the mall for a quick bite to eat, reason being that it’s easier to find parking…
You could park three of them in front of our hedge!
Mind you, I still love my Tesla and wouldn’t trade it in for the world. But it’s also great to experience that there are real alternatives out there when it comes to electric cars. It all depends on what you’re planning to use it for. Also, another aspect our experience shows quite nicely: Go and have a test drive! All the reading, thinking and pondering doesn’t really help you with a decision, go and try it out! You’ll end up with a free-of-charge added bonus when switching to an electric car: It will make you feel good.
Thank you, Bert and Sidney! We’re very grateful for your generous gesture! You might even get the car back one day… 😉
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PS: My intention with this post was NOT to pick the eSmart over a Nissan Leaf, Kia Soul, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, BMW i3, etc. It just happens that the eSmart is the only other electric car I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing in real life. Feel free to share your experience with your electric car below. Tell us how it’s making a difference in your life!
Promoting Sustainable Energy & Transportation 
Rolf can now compete with Martian Rover…..sleep by day while charging, drive by night!
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Haha, not the most promising approach to our Canada crossing! It’s supposed to be vacation after all, we want to see things…. 😉
Actually, our set up will be more like this: charge while driving…! = Charge the camping trailer’s batteries via solar panels while driving, and rely on that charge whenever we might find ourselves in a pinch. Awesome concept! Can’t wait to try it out!
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Use useful though it might be, that small electric car doesn’t win too many points for beauty, when compared to the Model S. It was kind of your friends to let you use it – there’s a lot of beauty in that.
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There truly is a lot of beauty in that generous gesture! The interesting background to this particular small electric car is, that it actually was the first step towards a Tesla. After the family purchased it, everybody in that family wanted to only drive electric! Not sure how much they had to fight over this one car 😉 Convinced by this eSmart that electric is the way of the future, the path was paved for the purchase of a Tesla. Imagine how many more times that will happen once the Model 3 as the more affordable model will hit the roads!
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