Not Your Daddy's Tesla!
I must admit, when I hear the name "Tesla," I think of the time when my eccentric high school science teacher brought a Tesla Coil into class one day...
He had one of the kids come up and hold his hand. Then he touched the coil, and suddenly the kid looked like boxing promoter Don King, or maybe Christopher Lloyd's character, "Doc" Brown, from "Back To the Future," with hair standing at attention like one of those guards at Buckingham Palace!
But, the future is now in Hillsborough County, Florida, and we're not talking sideshow carnival coils, either!
Starting tomorrow, the Tampa county becomes the first in the nation to use Tesla vehicles as a transit option.
Four Tesla Model X's, leased at $81,000.00 per car from Tesla, will begin providing rides, at $3.00 a trip, to people in the University of South Florida area.
The electric vehicles are equipped with self-driving know-how, and officials plan for the fleet to eventually be driverless. For now, an international transportation company, TransDev, has contracted with the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority to provide drivers.
The SUV model holds 6 passengers, plus the driver, and is equipped with the self-driving option, 8 surround cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and an autopilot able to adjust speed, change lanes, handle entrance and exit ramps, and self-park!
The transit authority expects the costs, for the first two years, to be around $860,000.00.
Cheaper than a cab or Uber, and a lot better than hoofing it in the hot Florida sun!
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Looks like you may have to start cranking those things out, Paul. If this program works in Tampa, it'll probably be instituted in many communities.
We're looking at 200,000 a year, once the 'Gigawatt Factory' is fully operational. Possibly more, if needed. Musk purchased a lot of land (at the Reno Industrial Park) that he hasn't developed yet. Google has as well, buy they're mum as to what's going in.
What leaps in technical progress I have witnessed in my "few" years on this amazing planet......may we make as much progress in humanity itself because to me we are sadly lacking.
Great information Rick!. What is the plan for driverless, guided rails on certain roads or satellite control!?
Wow, I've got a feeling I won't be seeing one of those around where I live anytime soon! Thanks for this, Sue :)
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It will be interesting to see how the car progresses...
Yep-The rest of the country is watching to see how it goes, Keith.