On 27 June, the first Model Y drove itself off Tesla’s Austin factory to its new owner’s house.
I want one!
If I get one, what shall I call the car? ‘It’ doesn’t qualify anymore. The car has a mind of its own and can find his or her own way. Maybe I will ask the car how ‘they’ would like to be addressed.
I’m not sure if I will get replaced as the traditional driver in my household. The car may well accompany [and physically carry!] my wife to all the places she’d like to go. At the same time, reply “Yes, dear,” “No, dear” without any pent-up anger or frustration. The car can be a good listener and intelligently offer any form of distraction, amusement, sing-along companion… Oh, now I am getting excited at the prospect.
My wife and I love long drives. When we got our first car in Canada 25 years ago, this passion became an outlet for all kinds of emotions and changes in seasons.
Hunting for the spectacular Fall colours, seeing Winter weaving an elaborate quilt and covering the countryside with a beautiful white blanket, and watching nature bursting with green on the treetops during Spring.
Summer drives end up with anything this country has to offer – hiking, canoeing, camping, tasting apple fritters with ice cream…
Driving is mostly a pleasure, but sometimes a chore. The driver doesn’t get to take his eyes off the road, one has to swing over three lanes without warning ‘cos the wife wanted to check out a waterfall.
If you’ve driven through the eighties, you’d know about finding the dots on city maps and printing out sheets of paper and highlighting every turn to the destination. How the early navigation systems would fail to pick up the route in the downtown core.
Such trips always came with a dose of fights. The pandemic brought a new spin on driving. With nothing much to do, the drives became more frequent.
But what happens when the thrill of navigation disappears? When there’s no more deciphering cryptic GPS instructions or the triumphant “I told you we should have turned left back there”? Will we miss the gentle chaos of being human navigators?
Will I get to enjoy the view more? Perhaps even hold both my wife’s hands while driving! When the traffic cop pulls us over will Tesla take over?
I can imagine my first conversation with our Tesla: “Good morning, Tesla. Where would you like to go today?”
And perhaps it will respond, “Well, based on your calendar, you have a dentist appointment. But judging by your heart rate, might I suggest we take the scenic route through the valley first? The maples are particularly stunning this week.”
The car might become the wisest member of our family – patient, observant, and immune to road rage. It will probably remember every anniversary, every favourite coffee shop, every shortcut we’ve ever discovered together.
My wife may joke that she’s already planning to confide in the Tesla about things she doesn’t tell me. “Finally,” she says, “a companion who won’t judge my sight-seeing detours or my sudden craving for roadside fries at 10 AM.”
Maybe that’s what I’m really excited about – not giving up control, but gaining a co-pilot who never gets tired, never gets lost, and never argues about whether we should stop at that quirky antique shop we just passed.
So now, perhaps I can hang up my driving gloves. Not as a defeat, but as a graduation. From driver to passenger, from navigator to storyteller, from road warrior to someone who can finally watch the seasons change without worrying about the next exit.
After all, the best journeys were never really about the driving – they were about where we went together.
Below: Video link of the Model Y making its way to the new owner
I am Madhav, a storyteller. I help transform local businesses and individuals through the power of storytelling, fostering connections where authentic narratives drive meaningful relationships and measurable growth.
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Featured Photo by Niek Doup on Unsplash
