Driving into the Future

My youngest son recently purchased a Tesla Model Y. The other day, he said “Let’s go for a drive.” This was my first time ever touching a Tesla and I had trouble just getting in. For those of you who have never been around the car, the door handles are flush with the body of the vehicle. You press them and they pop out.

The car uses cameras and sensors to provide a 360-degree view, which is displayed on a dashboard monitor. The vehicle senses all the other cars and pedestrians and, in full self-driving mode even reads signs. While I was in the car, it maneuvered through heavy traffic, and changed streets and lanes. At the end, it parked itself. Later, I did some research and discovered a couple of operating modes that interested me.

Dog Mode

Some people still leave pets in a car during hot weather even though it is dangerous and often tragic. Because of that, Tesla developed the Dog Mode. This option maintains a comfortable temperature in the vehicle while it is parked. Owners can check on their pets at any time using their phones.

Sentry Mode

When enabled, Sentry Mode keeps your Tesla’s cameras and sensors on. If the vehicle detects a threat, the cameras start recording, an alarm sounds, the headlights pulse and the owner receives a message on their phone.

My son just sent me a video showing him summoning the car to him. It’s weird to see an empty car drive through a parking lot. I know this all sounds like a commercial but, it isn’t, I’m just sharing my experience and a bit of research. I receive nothing for writing this post. I’m sure there are those out there saying, “Yeah, I know all about these Tesla features,” but I didn’t and so, the vehicle impressed me.