The TeslaXCanada Team consists of Rolf, myself (Silke), our dog Kye together with our Tesla Model X ‘Heart of Gold’ and Alto 1723 Camping Trailer ‘Marvin’. Yes, Rolf is a fan of Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” ;-), who would have guessed…;-)

We are not endorsed by or in any way affiliated with Tesla Motors. We’re just two happy customers doing what we believe is the right thing. Find out more about us below.

More Information on Rolf

Rolf is an engineer through and through, production engineer to be precise, with a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Technische Universität Berlin. After working for Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg, Germany, for two years, he immigrated to Canada in 1989. Rolf settled in Victoria BC and started to lead a project on computer aided ship building for the University of Victoria (UVic) that later on led to the foundation of ShipConstructor Software Inc., a developer of AutoCAD based shipbuilding production software located in Victoria BC. Rolf still holds the position of director at this company.

Rolf has extensive experience installing solar panels on house and boat roofs, including their battery and inverter set ups. In the summer of 2014, he purchased his first Tesla Model S and since then has been determined to never go back to a gasoline cars. In May 2015, he had 36 solar panels installed on his house roof and added another 3 later on by himself.

More Information about me, Silke

I’m the organizer and marketing go-to for our cross Canada trip, having received a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in European Business from the University of Portsmouth, England, and the Universität Münster, Germany. On my fist visit to Victoria BC, I fell in love with the city first and with Rolf second 😉 After concluding my university studies, I joined Rolf’s company as Marketing Manager in 2002.

I’ve never been a car enthusiast, never went to car shows, never read car related news… Nevertheless, I thought I liked my previous car, actually, I thought I loved it. It was an orion-blue Mercedes C230. Gorgeous! Love at first sight! Never happened to me before. I loved it so much, when the question came up – a year after hubby got his Tesla Model S – whether I also wanted a Tesla Model S, I almost said no. Too big, too wide, too fast. Oh my gosh, am I happy I said yes! One of the best decisions of my life, switching to a Tesla! Since then, I.truly.love.my.car. What used to be drives that were too long are now too short. Coming home is always too early.

Meet Kye, the Dog

Our dog Kye is a Golden Retriever/ Golden Lab Cross who we brought home from Red Deer AB in July 2015 when Kye was 2 years old. This trip to Red Deer started our passion for long-range driving in a Tesla.

How We Got ‘Hooked’ on an Electric Car

Spring 2014, we had time to spare in Ft. Lauderdale FL before meeting friends. At that time, Rolf knew a little bit about Tesla and had seen some around the Ft. Lauderdale area. I had no clue that company existed. There was ‘this Tesla store’ you could see from the highway and Rolf wanted to check it out. Me? Nope, cleaning up the motorhome for our trip home was more important. Didn’t take long and hubby Rolf called me over. He had been offered a test drive in a Model S. Me? Well, okay, if I have to… One block! It took us one block! One acceleration! One look at the big screen! And we were sold. THAT was the car of the future! THAT was going to be Rolf’s next car. Yes, we admit it, it was the fun factor that got us hooked first. And the beautiful exterior of this car. But then we learned more about Tesla Motors’ mission, and Elon Musk’s vision, got more and more involved environmentally, started to care more, and thus slowly, almost without noticing, got to where we are today.

Why We Are Promoting Sustainable Energy & Transportation

The short answer: Because it’s the right thing to do. The long answer: Hm, somehow, it just happened… Tesla S first. Then solar panels. Then another Tesla S. Then joining the Victoria EV Club. Then promoting Electric Cars at local car shows. Then getting more and more aware of environmental issues. Then getting excited about the potential of the Tesla Powerwall; the potential of the Tesla Gigafactory. It’s all Elon Musk’s fault! 😉 Elon proves that anything is possible. He’s been proving that over and over and over again. I think, for the first time in a very, very long time, we both feel: Hey, we, the two of us, can do something; we, the two of us, can make a difference! So, here we are now: Trying to do our part in making this world a better place. Our hope? Showing people and making others aware that sustainable energy and transportation is required for a sustainable future; that switching to, living and traveling with an electric car is easy-peasy; that solar panels are no big deal; that we can have a sustainable future, if we’re willing to change our ways just a little bit. We hope that we can – through our travels – show what it is like to have switched-over, so that others will find it easier to follow.

More Information on our Tesla Model X

Rolf’s Tesla Model X, ‘Heart of Gold’, was built by Tesla Motors in Fremont, CA and is one of the first delivered to Canada. The Model X is an SUV crossover with Falcon Wing doors and towing capability of 5,000 lbs. “Tesla‘s own internally conducted crash testing indicates that [the] Model X should be the first SUV to receive the highest safety rating in every category”, just like the Model S already has. It accelerates faster than a sports car. We took possession of their Signature Red Model X in Vancouver BC on June 2 during a special delivery event at Tesla’s new Service Centre on West 4^th Street. Since the Canadian Tesla Supercharger network is still in its infancies, we will heavily rely on other chargers such as Sun Country Highway and Campground chargers to make it across Canada in about 3 months.

More Information on our Alto 1723 Camping Trailer

The camping trailer, ‘Marvin’, is an Alto 1723 produced in Quebec by Safari Condo. It is a lightweight, teardrop shaped trailer with extendable roof. We think that those features will be of immense advantage when it comes to towing the trailer with a 100% electric car. On May 23, 2016, our trailer was part of the Victoria EV Club’s electric car convoy in the 118^th Victoria Day Parade. Rolf installed 8 semi-flexible solar panels on the trailer’s roof to help with their energy requirements for this trip. He also exchanged the regular battery with a high-capacity Lithium-Iron battery.

_______________________________________________________

Thank you for following us!

Rolf, Silke & Kye