87. The price of being an early adaptor

Dear Gerard

Thanks for your detailed ideas on what happiness is and how you can be lucky. If you have to work hard to be lucky, you will get the most and longest lasting enjoyment when you reach your goal.Last week, the American electric car manufacturer Tesla announced a $6 – $7 billion investment in a new battery plant in Nevada. This will use solar power to manufacture new and better batteries. The state of Nevada intends to provide a $1 – $1.5 billion subsidy, or this amount in tax breaks. Apparently there is no body in the United States that can forbid such a competitive advantage. Jobs for 6,500 workers will be created and the estimated economic benefits in the future for Nevada will be multiples of the amounts invested.
The range (maximum distance) of the battery is currently up to 400 km. This is expected to be extended to 800 km with the new batteries. It is very surprising that the creator and developer of the concept did not come from the auto industry. It is good to see that a solution for reducing fossil fuel consumption was finally achieved.
I purchased a Tesla last year, as it was time to buy another car and the tax advantages justified such an investment. It is a very comfortable car with high-tech screens and applications. In addition, the car has huge power and can match a sports car for acceleration.
Last week I drove to Luxembourg, a distance of around 430 km. With a charge in Breda, I thought the 350 remaining miles to Luxembourg would be easy. But I had not counted on two diversions and hills where the electricity consumption is higher from normal. With 20 km range left and 50 km to go, I had a real problem. Was there a place to recharge in the neighbourhood? We took the exit and arrived at a service station. No charging point. Ultimately, the caretaker at the service station had a bright idea. They provided a dirty electricity generator behind the restaurant. Luckily the plug was a good fit. With the extra electricity, we finally arrived much later than planned in Luxemburg.

This was an experience where we could laugh afterwards, but we see the price of being an early adaptor. As you can understand, this will not happen again!

Yours sincerely,

Jan Stam