Millwater Motors

millwatermotors

When engineer, inventor and scientist Nikola Tesla died in 1943, he could not have foreseen the 21st century motoring marvel that today bears his name. We met up with local owner, John Fitness, to experience the future of New Zealand motoring.

Born in Papakura, John was working in London when he met his future wife Andrea before they moved to Brisbane, where John continued working in his specialist IT field. “In Brisbane I bought my first Holden Commodore, brand new, which brought at that time all that I ever dreamed of owning.” After 8 years in Australia, John and family moved home to NZ. We shared tales of powerful V8 motors for a while before turning to the story behind his Tesla Model S.

“We took a holiday last year in California, catching up with a pal from University and getting the chance to drive in his parent’s Tesla Model S – and I was totally smitten by the sheer joy of driving it,” John told us, “so I placed an order for the new Model 3, knowing that it wouldn’t be in NZ probably until 2019.” The trouble with a car ‘itch’ is that you just have to scratch it, and that’s what John did. “We went into the new Tesla Store on ‘K’ Road and – surprise, surprise – I bought my Pearl Metallic Model S.”

Describing a 5-metre long, 4-door sedan as a sports car may raise an eyebrow or two of disbelief, but a short drive melts away any scepticism – the basic Model S accelerates from 0-100kph in just 4.2 seconds of continuous and definitely

seductively torquey power – with next to zero fuel costs. It’s not all about performance, though. The technology within the car, available through a seriously large highdefinition touch-screen or from the owner’s smartphone, is staggeringly impressive. The 8-year warranty includes free Internet connexion, so the car is always online; software updates are regularly pushed out to the car. The Tesla Model S is always up-to-date, monitored and improved by Tesla HQ when this is needed. “It’s an iPhone on wheels,” was how John described his pride and joy, “including having Spotify and all satnav functions available through the state-of-the-art onboard technology.”

With Tesla’s exclusive country-wide network of Supercharger stations, range anxiety is a thing of the past with a Model S. You can confidently drive from Auckland to Wellington, allowing for a couple of recharging stops along the way,” John added, “BUT there’s barely time for a coffee at the first and barely time for a hurried lunch and trip to the loo at the second, before you waft into your destination – still with ‘amps in the tank.’” The car’s intelligent online satnav plans your route and charging stops for you, so all you do is enjoy the journey. Intelligent and reactive navigation also allows the car to monitor its own road environment and, literally, protect itself and its passengers from harm. A Tesla home charger comes as standard with the car; you just need to get an electrician to wire it in for you. The same charger is also provided to many NZ hotels and motels by Tesla, free of charge.