Driving an electric vehicle has become part of my normal life. Someone the other day said to me: “What are they like, compared to a normal car?”

I am afraid I already think of an EV as “normal”. Just like lots of other things I do that are now normal but did not used to be.

Some examples from today would include recycling my cans and bottles (it’s not just about the 10 cents though that helps), separating my garbage into the bins that go to general waste and to recycling, mulching my lawn clippings, watering my garden with grey water and donating unwanted items to the charity shop.

I have done all these things today. There was a time when all of these activities were not normal, and they have all been normalised in the past 20 years. In fact it wasn’t long ago when you were thought of as weird to do any of them.

Just as many of these activities are good for the planet, so is driving an EV, though I would not put that as the most important reason to get one.

The most important reason to me is that driving my Tesla Model 3 SR + is about the most fun I can have in the day.

No, my life isn’t that boring. But dragging off a souped up V8, with the stereo blaring in my air conditioned cabin never gets old.

Put your heads back, I say to my grandkids, and they know grandad is going to do a launch. The closest comparison I can find is the 1400 cc mini Cooper S I drove in my 20s. That could drag off v8s too (though we had to be going uphill).

I wonder what the roads will be like when there are of lot more EVs launching at the lights – thankfully the car has lots of nanny features to keep you safe when you are playing with the technoking’s toys.

I won’t deny that I am an attention seeker and that I get a thrill when the school kids stare after the car as it passes or line up at the fence and shout “Tesla!” when I am doing the school pick up.

I am a bit of a miser and once I got over the shock of the initial price, I have come to love the fact that the car costs very little to run, powered by solar and minimal maintenance.

There were many reasons listed as to why you shouldn’t buy an electric car. The main ones were performance, range, price, and choice.

I am very happy with the performance of my Tesla, range isn’t a problem when I can charge in my garage while I sleep, the price is bearable when you consider total cost of ownership and more choice is inevitable as more EVs enter the market every year.

David Waterworth is a researcher and writer, a retired school teacher who continues to provoke thought through his writing. He divides his time between looking after his grandchildren and trying to make sure they have a planet to live on. He is long on Tesla.

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