Revenge of the Electric Car

My first sighting of smog-filled Los Angeles brought a sad thought to my mind.   A few weeks back, I read a study which found that dirty air in Southern California’s coastal basin and the San Joaquin Valley kills more people than car accidents.  But I came to LA to glimpse the future, not dwell on the past.

I came to Los Angeles for the L.A. Auto show and to tag along with the “Revenge of the Electric Car” crew after winning an auction at the first Plug in America Fundraiser.  We arrived late Thursday night November 20th ( my 16th Birthday ! ).  My father and I picked up our rented Prius and drove off to our hotel.

On Friday we headed to Chris Paine’s home in Culver City.  The crew shot some interviews and we did a tour of the green renovation of Chris’s beautiful house. After a quick lunch break we moved on to shoot some video and pictures of Chris’s Tesla from the trunk of his RAV4-EV.  I’m guessing this was one of the first all-electric driving photo shoots from the camera car to the Tesla.  As the sun began to set, we headed to the ‘Revenge’ office to do some editing.  It was very exciting to see how a documentary is made and I’m glad we got the chance to tag along.

Next day, the first order of business/pleasure was heading to the Tesla Store in West LA to test-drive the Tesla Roadster. The last time we visited Los Angeles we had a chance to test the Roadster (although my age restricted me to the passenger seat) with the 1.0 drivetrain.  This time, Tesla promised us the updated 1.5 drivetrain and Tesla service manager Bob Sexton delivered.

Lunch with Dr. Buzz Aldrin

The car was even more unbelievable than before.  The performance was unlike anything I’d ever felt and it was hard to return to the Prius rental car.

Left to Right: Bryan Theis, Milton and Andrew Grin, Chris Paine, and P.G. Morgan.

After our Tesla morning, we got back in our Prius and headed over to the L.A. Auto Show.  Despite its formidable reputation, I was disappointed by the Auto Show.  It felt like a dead event.  It did not have an exciting feel nor were there especially large crowds – especially at the American automaker booths.  I did however find it interesting to find out what the automakers had to promise on the EV front from BMW’s MINI E to Mitsubishi’s iMiEV.

Our trip was almost over.  Before heading to the airport we saw the crew and met Dr. Buzz Aldrin for lunch.  It was an amazing experience and I wholeheartedly thank Chris, Peter and the rest of the crew for everything.