I have been following the fortunes of Elon Musk and his companies, including Tesla, for some time. It has been inspiring to see how he has tried to address some of the major problems facing the planet, such as global climate change, by encouraging the transition from fossil fuels to solar power and electricity.
So the announcement of a more affordable electric car, the Tesla Model 3, was exciting. One had to sign up to join a waiting list, which I did on 6th November 2018. Then in May this year I had to confirm the order and specify options. I chose the blue 'Stealth Performance' model (George said "you wouldn't want the gutless version!"), with dual motors and Full Self-Driving computer, but not the sports option ('Look-at-me', bigger wheels, lower suspension, special brakes, aluminium pedals, and go-faster spoiler).
After much waiting, she arrived in Brisbane on 28th September. I traded the Audi Q5, because Tesla gave me a better price than other offers I got more locally. George and I drove up and brought 'Blue Beauty' down.
She really is a beauty! By a long shot the fastest car I have ever driven. From home she is entirely powered by our solar panels. Silent, except for tyre noise. No NOx or CO2 emissions. O - 100kmh in 3.4 seconds! Partial self-driving, such that the car steers itself on the motorway, and maintains an appropriate distance from the car in front.
A good review by Car Advice.
An enthusiast raves about the Tesla Model 3
A good review by Car Advice.
An enthusiast raves about the Tesla Model 3
We decided to take a road trip down to see Anna, Sim and Aelie in the Victorian Alps. A good way to get used to the new car and stretch her legs.
While at home, her battery is charged by our solar panels, which have been upgraded this year.
A typical day, charging the car from the panels on the house (see the blue section between 10 am - 12 noon). The panels on the stable in the distance feed into the grid.
When on a road trip away from home, one needs to plan visits to a 'supercharger'. Tesla makes this reasonably easy to organize. Put in a route, like to go from home to Narbethong in Victoria, via Sydney, and this plan comes up with stops and times.
This is pretty much what we did, stopping for the night with friends in Port Macquarie, in Sydney at George's old family home, while we visited her ailing and aging mother, and then again in a few AirBnBs.
Camden Haven, near Port Macquarie
A 'Rabbiter's Hut', an AirBnB on a sheep property near Gundagai.
Then on to Myrtleford, near Bright, with some gorgeous walks on Mount Buffalo.
Lake Catani, Mount Buffalo
The Horn, Mount Buffalo
Hansel & Gretel's cottage in the forest at Narbethong.
The Black Spur Road
Sim, Anna & Aelie (6)
Granny George & Aelie
For those of a technical bent, this is a long video, which is a panel presentation by Tesla to some potential investors explaining about self-driving, or 'autonomy'. As well as Elon doing his thing, there are some of the backroom geeks explaining their role and answering questions.
Tesla Autonomy Day
Real stuff begins at 1:09:15
1:09:15 Hardware.
1:51.00 Neural Networks and computer vision
2:50.30 Software
I particularly recommend the Neural Networks section.
A further talk by Andrej Karpathy - AI for Full-Self Driving.
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