Welcome to the next generation of drivers ed. Yes, our driving school car is a Tesla. No, it does not drive itself. That would of course defeat the purpose of driving school. But we know it’s not your typical Camry or Prius. And in this case, that’s a good thing.
After my first two Northwest Driving School cars (a Volkswagen Golf and a Prius C) I knew I wanted to go electric. Electric cars have finally reached a range adequate for the 170 miles per day on average I drive. I thoroughly researched and test-drove three 2019 electric cars: the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Bolt, and the Tesla Model 3. All had similar range and were very comparable in price.
The Model 3 was my last test-drive and although I’ve been fascinated with Tesla for years I was worried it would be too impractical and quick on the acceleration for student drivers. Even before hopping in the drivers seat though, I had hope when the sales team suggested we drive it in “Chill Mode”. This prevents the driver from accelerating too fast. Perfect. It also has incredible balance and a low center of gravity due to the placement of the battery packs underneath the car as opposed to a typical engine, transmission, carburetor, and radiator under the hood. These are a couple of the reasons why safety ratings are through the roof.
So obviously I was impressed and a week later my fascination came to fruition. Our mission is to teach new drivers real-life driving skills in a safe and enjoyable way. I believe the Tesla 3 enhances exactly that. And who said drivers ed had to be boring anyway? 🙂
