What is the connection between the Coronavirus pandemic and a Tesla, the electric vehicle of the moment? Both had a big impact on personal experiences. The pandemic created the optimal conditions for the regression of human thought. The virus, created by nature, spawned not just disease but also countless conspiracy theories. Perhaps the most glaring example is the stupidity of the anti-vaccine movement. Globally, the current political situation is even bleaker if you consider how many authoritarian regimes emerged during the pandemic and how many rulers used the opportunity created by a world distracted by the spread of a deadly disease to carry out evil deeds, like the occupation of Hong Kong. And yet, when lockdowns started to proliferate, many thought that forced isolation would serve as an opportunity for serious reflection about what kind of society we want to live in. But we failed. No new school of thought has been born. No great pandemic novel — at least not yet. For a year and a half, we all lived like monks, locked in our houses, abandoning the outside world to nature not affected by the virus that dramatically changed our lives. Our human conversations during the pandemic were one-dimensional across the board — in the media, among friends, and even with our own family members. Covid is still an unknown, silent predator and killer whose strength increases with the help of dishonest people in power. 

It was no surprise that by this summer, everyone was worn out, ready to leave the confinement of home, eager to go out and celebrate the rebirth of life, only to realize that nothing would ever be the same again. We now mingle more selectively, socializing exclusively with the people we want to. Have we found more meaning in our lives, or have we become conservative misanthropes by trying to avoid crowded gatherings? I have no idea. But it seems like life is not going back to normal, and we will probably, no matter what generation we belong to, keep looking at other humans with suspicious eyes, wondering if they are infected. On the other hand, this selective approach to everyday life has made us work less and enjoy more free time. It’s a principle that goes against the age-old idea that working hard and earning more for whatever our spending goal might be is the way to live life.

This summer, my wife and I spent some time in Amagansett, Long Island, where we had to deal with the bizarre working schedules of shops and services. Some businesses operated for a few hours here and there, their schedule changing daily. Was it, as they claimed, because of the worker shortage or malfunctioning supply chains, or rather, just a simple consequence of choosing not to be exposed to human contact for a more extended period of time?  

This is where Tesla comes in. I have been driving one for the last three months and I find it to be the perfect electric vehicle for this period of silence and evolution.  It is an ideal distraction in a time when traveling is still quite limited. It is better than an airplane because it is silent, private, and fast. Tesla is not a car, it’s a device —  an iPhone on wheels. For me, Tesla has been a rare delight during this long cerebral period of isolation. It’s the next step to lead me through and out of the pandemic – a device that drives like my mind is thinking.

The whole thing began by coincidence. My wife and I have been leasing cars for several years. I lease my car, computer, and phone. If I could, I would rent everything and own nothing. I do not think that I own my life, so why would I own anything else? Please do not think I am a religious fanatic. I am simply of the opinion that America has developed financial services that support the fast-changing economy, and it’s time to take advantage of them. So, back to the coincidence. In the good old times, my wife and I did not spend much time choosing the brand and model of the car we would lease next. We got a new car every three years, as each lease expired. But this time, with the pandemic, we took more time to decide. In the middle of a prolonged lockdown, it was one of the few things we could actually make decisions about, other than what to eat for dinner. We agreed that we should upgrade to an electric car. We are environmentally conscious — not an easy job in America, which still produces an overwhelming amount of waste. My wife suggested a Chevy Volt, an option I rejected. We knew that a higher-end electric car would cost us more money, but what the hell? At our age, I wanted to drive comfortably. When the quality of life is deteriorating, you want to do something uplifting, ethically and materially. As we increased the budget for our car, we cut down our cable subscription, switching to a cheaper mobile carrier, and we were ready for the upgrade. 

I started to explore the electric car market. I went to many shops and studied all kinds of cars. But I could not decide on a model. I had to listen to a lot of trash the salesmen said in their attempts to sell me their products. It was a lot of talk about the little gadgets on the dashboards, the sensors, the sound system, and more. These features were irrelevant to me. My list of cars was never long, as I no longer wanted Honda and I could never drive a Mercedes, BMW, or any American car. So I settled on the Volvo XC60 after I watched it on the road. I liked the robustness of the vehicle. The car was silent enough, safe, and had excellent mileage for a hybrid car. I got all the figures I needed and went to the shop. But I could not get the color or the model I wanted. The delivery times were also uncertain. And the estimate for my Honda CRV 2018 that I wanted to trade in was humiliatingly low. When I could not even get the car for a test drive, I decided to look into Tesla. I stepped into a store and in half an hour, I was sitting in a Tesla Model Y, testing it out on the DC beltway. I immediately realized that I was sitting in my future car. I did not use up all the time they gave me to drive around the city. I was in a hurry to go back and get one. Because the vehicle I sat in was not a car. As I said earlier, it was a device on wheels — and an adventure to fill the vacuum created by the pandemic. An iPhone weighing over two tons, carrying a massive battery under its body, and basically glued to the road. Its acceleration was incredible. It was a vehicle on steroids that was ridiculously easy to lease and drive.

Before I purchased, or rather, booked my model Y, I deposited a hundred dollars. Then, with the shop manager, I calculated the installment I wanted. We included the value of Honda with the expiring lease. It was generous; I pocketed four thousand dollars of profit. After that, I needed to choose one of the four existing colors and one of the three current variants of Model Y. The color was the most difficult. But this was soon done. Then it was time to wait. The car was set to be delivered in the next six weeks. However, after two weeks, I became impatient. “Would it be faster if I ordered a different color?” I asked. “No, stick to it; you will be happy,” my salesman convinced me, explaining that the delivery wait times would only increase if I changed my order. But I wanted to drive a Tesla immediately. They offered to give me a car for an overnight, but I did not want to do that because I was worried I’d ruin it. So I just did another ride with my wife and then sat down and waited. And waited.   

The vehicle device is brilliant. But Tesla’s human infrastructure, the customer service, the interface with actual Tesla human beings who can give advice or solve problems — largely lacking. That’s not part of the genius of Elon Musk. He hates management. But not every company or service is suitable for control by the gig economy, where every interaction is conducted quickly, virtually. Musk is convinced that one can buy a Tesla the way I did — quickly, with a credit card for the deposit, signing the order, and opening a Tesla account where you can learn everything you need to know about your purchase. Even when you pick up your pricey brand new car, there is no human to greet you and give you your keys. Instead, the car itself sits in a lot, its lights flashing, bearing a card with your name. You key in a code, drop some papers into a slot, and drive away.  

And yet, the high-tech gig economy is not compatible with the more traditional aspects of business, like insurance. It took Tesla 65 days to provide me with the permanent registration for my vehicle. The miscommunication between the traditional paperwork-oriented DMV and highly digitalized Tesla administration somewhere in California was a nightmare, and I had to spend a lot of time locating the problem. 

I finally managed to meet with one Tesla employee after I had to bring my Tesla in for repairs because of a cracked window. It was fixed in the blink of an eye, and no one questioned or explained how the crack had happened. The only answer I got from the official on my question was: “I am sorry, I understand your frustration.” However, during this minor incident, I learned a lot about how Tesla is manufactured. The laminated glass windows have soundproof and ultra ray isolation material in between the two layers of glass. They can crack but cannot be broken.  Have you ever walked with good headphones over your ears? Have you noticed how the world around you changes with the music in your head? Well, that is Tesla. It’s a soundproof, smooth driving vehicle that reminds of one flying without jet or wind noise. So if you feel trapped, I suggest you choose some good music and get on a ride, perhaps in the Hudson Valley. There is no better way to leave the Covid world behind. 

I know that having my Tesla adventure in the age of Covid is a form of escapism only available to the privileged. But the way I see it, Tesla is expensive today, but it won’t be for long. iPhones, once available to the few, are now ubiquitous. The tech innovation and rapid improvement of everything the company has put on the market are impressive, and so far, it’s the best vehicle I’ve ever driven.  

Tesla was on the edge of bankruptcy only two years ago and now it’s the primary electric vehicle producer in the world, producing a million units a year. Why this sudden success? Either because Musk is a crazy genius, perhaps comparable to Steve Jobs, or because Tesla never produced like traditional automobile companies. It could start from scratch and design a car that was not a car in any conventional sense at all. Eleven years ago, when I purchased my first iPhone, a new world opened up to me. I became aware of the power of the device I was holding in my hand. But I also was afraid of what the iPhone was capable of doing. Now, I am no longer afraid to drive a Tesla, to glide away from Covid world. When the world was locked down, it took me on a journey to a place I’d never been and allowed me to fly. It is an illusion, I know, and I cannot tell you how eager I am to step out of it and walk again in a world that is healthier, less tense, and saner. But I will never drive a car that runs on gasoline again.