Carmel Magazine

To Visit our Design Center Call: 408.452.9166 275 E. Brokaw Road, San Jose, CA 95112 americaitaliana.com CUSTOM WINDOWS and DOORS: Wood, Aluminum, Steel European In-Swing Tilt and Turn or American Out-Swing, Interior Doors, Tuscan Products...and much more! Hargroves. "It's so much fun to drive," Karen says. "The range is about 270 miles and it's like a little rocket." At the top of any electric vehicle FAQs list is: "how far can I go on a charge?" "That depends on how you drive it," says Pèpe. "As with a gasoline car, the more aggres- sively you drive it, the lower the mileage." Then there's "how do I charge it?" Pèpe uses his Tesla mostly to get around town, and has installed a charger in his home garage. "I plug it in at night and it's fully charged and ready to go in the morning." Plugshare.com lists nearly 20 charging sta- tions on the Monterey Peninsula, including one in the parking lot of Sunset Center at San Carlos Street and 9th Avenue in Carmel. Pèpe would pre- fer more EV charging points in the city—and not for his own use. "I really want to see Carmel get out in front of this," he says. "It would be a great calling card for visitors from the Bay Area and beyond if there were charging sta- tions around town." With Tesla planning to roll out the Model X SUV this year, chances are that we're likely to be seeing more examples of this marque around car-crazy Carmel— especially if the hosannas delivered by current owners continue. "I love my other cars, a Lexus and Range Rover Evoque ," enthuses Jones, "but put them up against this Model S is like comparing a magic carpet to a covered wagon." "How much more could you ask for in a car?" adds Karen. "There's nothing that comes close to our Teslas." Eastman chimes in: "It's by far the most comfortable, most fun, most attractive and best-performing car we own." What does Rich Pèpe say? "You really should be driving a Tesla." Of course. 128 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 1 4 The 5-star safety rated company is named after Nikola Tesla, the inventor of the induction motor and alternating-current power transmission. 124-128 Tesla Cars_152-161 Garcia story 1/24/14 7:31 AM Page 5

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