Blue State or Red State - There is an Electric Car in Your Future - If You Live Long Enough

Two battery cars

Paul and Evelyn are on their maiden voyage

We were a 2 Tesla family for 3 days. Paul and Evelyn were here. They drove down from St James Bay NC on their way to visit family in Naples FL. This is their first trip in their 2023 Tesla Model 3 SR. They only have 3000 miles on it - and they are enjoying the quiet and luxurious ride. The blue car spent 2 nights in our garage next door to its red cousin. They left all charged up to 272 miles. 

Our red car is a 2021 Tesla Model 3 LR that will be 2 years old in July. We have 11,000 miles on it - along with long trips to Sarasota - Tampa - Orlando - Daytona - Jacksonville - and Pennsylvania. Our next long trip is to Miami in March. 

There are a few mechanical differences in the cars - but the bodies are identical. The blue one has one motor powering the rear wheels. It has a 58 kWh LFP battery. It can be charged to 100% every night. The red one has two motors - one on each axle - the computer decides which ones to use. They combine to give you 450 horsepower - so it can go from 0-60 in 4 seconds. It has a 78 kWh battery that goes 358 miles on a charge. 

At 12 cents per kWh - what we pay at home - it costs $9.36 to fill my battery to go 358 miles. Paul has a solar system on his home - so basically he can drive for free - when filling at home - but to fill is 58 kWh battery costs about $6.96 to go 272 miles. 

The blue one has white seats and the red one has black seats. We washed the cars - and I could not find any obvious differences in the bodies. 

Both cars have an MPGe of over 100 miles as compared to a gasoline car - example - our Honda van gets 28 MPG on a trip. Note - some figures are rounded off - no need for decimal points. 

Paul is the grandfather of our grandkids - Max and Helen - Liz's Dad. They are avid travelers. Evelyn was an opera singer by profession - and the step-grandmother of the kids.

 

I Just Watched the Rocket Launch at Cape Canveral

See the video here - 

https://youtu.be/WrN9AfidUmM

We are in Daytona Beach at a hotel. We spent 3 nights near Dineyworld - now 3 nights in Daytona Beach. Tomorrow night we will spend in Nocatee FL with our friend Joan. Then we go back home. 

Lulu is currently teaching her Monday night 8-10 pm. While she was teaching - she reminded me that there is a rocket launch at 8:32 pm. I went up on our hotel roof and pointed my phone down the coast toward Cape Canveral. 

I was surprised at how clearly I could see the launch. 

We are driving our Tesla electric car. We were able to fit our 2 folding bikes into the trunk. 

The weather was much nice rain the Disney area. We had 80s and sun. Here it has been mostly windy - 60s with some rain. As soon as we leave here tomorrow - the temps are supposed to go back to 80s. We did have a clear sunny Monday here. 

Winter Drive to Orlando - Davenport - Daytona Beach - St Augustine in the Red Car

Garden Theatre in Winter Garden FL

VTOL - Vertical Take Off and Landing
Florida Air Museum

Lulu's cousin Cathy owns a town house in Davenport FL. It is about 10 miles west of Disneyworld. There is a dramatic difference in the weather - among other things - between Tallahassee and Disney. We came down the west coast of Tallahassee driving our electric car. About 150 miles from home is Crystal River. We stop there often because the Wawa Market has 8 superchargers. We can be topped up in 15 minutes. Our car has a range of 350 miles - but I do not like to run it low - so the 150 mile stop is perfect. We could make it to Disney without charging - but I get uneasy. Also - Wawa Markets are based in Philadelphia - and they carry many of the foods from back home in Pennsylvania. I love the soft pretzels and the chicken soups. 

Thursday - while the cousins spent the day at the pool - I went touring to Bartow Airbase and the Florida Air Museum near Lakeland. I had both places to myself - I even had a free expert guide in the museum. It was $12 admission - I spent 3 hours there. I charged the car at the Gibsonia Wawa.

Gibsonia is famous because the freaks of the circus settled here. Ringling Brothers Circus used to spend the winter in this area of Florida. They would travel north in giant circus trains - following the good weather north and back. There were many cases of towns being burned out for racial reasons in this area - and the circus people were also discriminated against - thus they formed their own communities. 

I had to be back home by 5 pm - because we had dinner reservations and theatre tickets. We drove to Winter Garden to see "Rock of Ages." What a lovely downtown and theatre area. It is a perfect place for an evening stroll - to shop - eat - and see a show. 

11 pm is late for me - but we managed - we feel like night clubbers!

Today the cousins are thrift store shopping - and I am typing this story. 

Bartow Air Base - Free

Bartow

Bartow - it is also 
an executive airport now.

Bartow - they finish cop cars here.
These trucks are for Palm Beach School Cops.

My car at Florida Air Museum

Florida Air Museum

This is the BD-5 world's smallest jet.
It is a kit plane. 

Tiny little chain saw engines

This guy went from Detroit to 
Jamaica and back - nonstop

Bravest American Woman

Piper Cub was made in Pennsylvania - 
then moved to Florida. 

Painting this F14 Top Gun Tomcat.
It is really big. 

Russian Mig 21. 
Very small and low jet.