Tesla: Why Buy One?

Tesla is the darling of Wall Street. It inevitably comes out in casual conversation at work and among friends. Many people love Tesla, to the point that it has become a religion. Many who have one brag about it. And don’t get me wrong, I love the car too. But after several conversations among my circle of friends, I learned two reasons that haven’t been talked about. I see these two reasons that will help make Tesla, the largest number of vehicles sold in the world.

One conversation I had recently with my friend who moved away from us ten years ago. His wife had a job offer in another city, and it was a big promotion for her. The kind of job offer that gets offered once, and it won’t get offered again.

They moved. We lost touch eventually, after about two years, then would get a phone call during the holidays. As luck would have it, he came back to town to attend his godson’s graduation party. My wife and I were invited also. As we were walking toward the backyard, I noticed a Tesla parked in the driveway. It had out-of-state plates. I wondered who had a Tesla and was out of town. Not until I saw him at the graduation party, did I put it together that it was his car.

Lee had not changed. He still had a full thicket of blond hair and deep blue eyes. He had a quirky smile about him; he favored his right side by smiling more on the right side of his face.

“Lee, It’s great to see you, How many years has It been?”

“We left twelve years ago,” Lee answered back.

“I have to be honest, I didn’t expect to see you here. It’s great that you came all the way from Virginia for Sean’s Graduation Party,” confessing my surprise at seeing him after so many years.

“ I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You know Sean is my godson.”

“I didn’t realize, you know, now that you said it, I remember now.”

“Let me guess, that Tesla out on the driveway, must be yours, am I right?”

“Yeah, I bought it two years ago”

Here I started to get a little envious and a little jealous at the same time. I was kind of curious also. I knew Lee was an engineer and I wanted to get his perspective on why he bought the car. So I asked, “ What possessed you to buy a Tesla?”

His answer left me speechless.

“Cancer. I was diagnosed with cancer in my left eye two and a half years ago. I underwent chemotherapy. Unfortunately, I lost most of my vision in this eye.’ He pointed to his left eye.

My mouth was probably gaping. I didn’t know what to say. I was in shock.

Lee continued, “ I bought the Tesla because I wanted to drive. My depth perception isn’t good now with one eye. It helps with my driving, now. I love my Tesla, I just love it. All the safety features that it has now, make driving easier for me. I wouldn't trade that car for anything, not even for a million dollars."

Imagine how many handicapped people will want a Tesla, especially if their Tesla vehicle is equipped with full self-driving. It is a game changer for many people with disabilities. Imagine people with previous strokes, Parkinson's disease, or any other disability, becoming free and independent because of Tesla's safety features. This may seem a small difference to others, but not those with disabilities. They covet the independence that Tesla provides.