Handling a Tesla: How to Drive an Electric Car (And More)
As some may know (and some may not), fully electric cars don’t handle quite like a traditional motor vehicle would. That said, learning to drive our Tesla Model 3 was a bit of a learning-curve, and since a few of you have asked questions about it, I thought I’d address them in a post. Let’s dive right in—
Our beloved Model 3, AKA “Model-3PO”. :-)
No “creep”— how electric cars stop and go
In a regular car with a regular motor, a car in “drive” will “creep” on a flat plane. I.e, a car will slowly start to move forward when in “drive” as long as the motor is running. In an electric car, however, you do not get this “creep” effect (unless you mod your car’s specs to specifically imitate “creep”, which isn’t quite the same still yet and feels a little “off”), and if you aren’t putting your foot to the pedal, the car will not move. At all. Our Tesla Model 3, for example, will come to a complete stop in the middle of the road if your foot is not applying some type of pressure to the pedal. This can be very disorienting at first when you’re just trying to “coast”, but it has its benefits, too.
For example, at a stop sign or stop light, I can typically just stop applying pressure to the “go” pedal and the car will come to a complete stop (which the Tesla operating system refers to as “HOLD” mode.) In other words, unless you’re going down hill or need to stop more quickly, you don’t have to keep your foot on the break at a traffic stop. The car will simply “hold” itself in place if the “go” pedal isn’t being applied, which is pretty convenient in drive-thrus, IMO.
Auto-steer and self-driving and assisted-driving modes
The question my husband and I get about our car most often is, “Can it drive itself?” Short answer— yes, but it’s a bit nuanced.
Long answer: yes, but there are a few caveats, and a human being should always be paying attention at the wheel (just in case.) In general, Tesla’s in assisted-driving mode will drive at a set speed, but you still have to fully steer. The car will slow, accelerate and stop itself, but you have to steer in this mode. In auto-steering (or, more commonly, “self-driving” car mode), the Tesla will also steer itself, but it will get a little miffed and issue a “warning” signal on the dash controls if a human being isn’t applying a little pressure to (i.e., keeping their hand on) the steering-wheel after a period of time.
My husband and I find a ton of value in both self-driving modes, however, and find that not having to worry about keeping up our speed (via Tesla’s “assisted-driving” mode, which is like the world’s smartest version of “cruise control”) is super convenient on long road trips, especially.
Learning to drive an electric car is quite the learning curve, but once you master it I guarantee you’ll be loathe to go back to a “normal” car. The Tesla can accelerate to 60mph in 3.7 seconds as well, but I’ll save that (and other “fun” details) for next time.
That said, let me know what else you would like to know about Teslas. As we learn more about our vehicle we have a ton of fun stuff to share, so I’m always open to some Q&A!
Xoxo, MM.