Tesla has ruined me

Habits are funny things. We develop them after performing a repetitive task for about 2 months. Having formed the habit, we continue doing the same actions but we tend to forget that we used to need to think about the actions. Habits let us be unaware that we’re still performing them.

Having driven autos for nearly 3 decades, I had a collection of driving habits I no longer thought about. Driving my Tesla Model 3 for a while has let some of them fade away. This came into focus this weekend while driving 400 miles to Moses Lake and back for a math competition.

  • Braking. With a Battery EV (BEV), letting up on the accelerator initiates regenerative braking. The car uses the motor to slow the vehicle and store that kinetic energy in the battery. It doesn’t take long to become proficient at one pedal driving. About the only time braking is required is to bring our Tesla from a slow roll to a complete stop. While driving an older vehicle on this trip, I found myself thinking about braking: when to start, how much, why doesn’t this car have “brake hold,” and “oh yeah, I must press that brake pedal!”
  • Starting: For 100 years cars had ignitions. Starting a car is a series of steps:
    • Fish the keys out of wherever you stowed them
    • Insert the correct key into the ignition
    • Twist the key to start the engine
    • Release the key immediately after the engine starts
    • Depress the brake and/or clutch
    • Release the emergency brake
    • Shift into gear
    • Press the accelerator to drive away
    • Manual transmissions also require a synchronized release of the clutch and accelerator. Newer hybrids remove a step as they automatically start and stop the gas engine as needed. Some cars have smart keys that let you leave your key in your purse or pocket.
  • Until you try to teach someone else to drive, or get used to driving a BEV, it’s easy to forget how elaborate the startup ritual is. A Tesla has no start button. The steps in our Tesla are:
    • Step on the brake and shift into gear.
    • (if enabled): enter the PIN code.
    • Press the accelerator to drive away.
  • Stopping a typical car has a similar sequence:
    • Shift the car into park (or gear)
    • Turn off the ignition
    • Set the parking / emergency brake
    • Exit the car (and wait for everyone else to exit the car)
    • Lock the car
    • Store the keys
  • To stop driving a Tesla, you shift into park, get out, and walk away. If you’re at home and the battery is low, you might also pause to plug it in. A Tesla sets the emergency brake upon shifting into Park and releases it upon shifting into another gear. It automatically locks the car as you walk away.
  • My phone is my Tesla key and it can remain in my pocket. There is no ignition nor clutch. There’s not even a transmission: just a gearbox with a single gear. As a result of not needing to perform the typical sequences for a couple months, it’s entirely possible that over the course of 400 miles and 8 stops that at least once I:
    • tried opening the car door before unlocking the car.
    • got in, fastened my seatbelt, looked at the dash expectantly, unfastened my seatbelt, fished the keys out of my pocket, stuck the keys in the ignition, and refastened my seatbelt.
    • was reminded by the sound of the running engine to get back in and turn the car off.
    • started driving before releasing the emergency brake.
    • returned to the car to lock it, upon remembering that it won’t lock itself.