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750 arrived in Detroit on Friday afternoon!

Then, 750 met up with Very Orange Roadster Sport #684 for a tour around Detroit.

750 will be on display at NAIAS – see you there!

Wow, what a day! Everyone in Chicago had been talking about the 8-12 inches of lake effect snow that was coming, so we got up at 6am and planned to hit the road early. As former Midwesterners, Michael and I were impressed by how quickly the roads were plowed in downtown Chicago, so we got started with confidence!

Frankly speaking, I was happy to let Michael start the drive out of the city in the snow so that I could have a preview into how the car handled. I was a little nervous.

Michael drove like a champ, the car handled really well in the snow with the winter tires, and we were making good time. The Tesla Roadster has earned some serious winter weather street cred – 750 drove confidently in the snow. While it’s only a RWD car, the weight is in the back which allows for great grip. In addition, the Roadster is equipped with traction control, so as a result, we can accelerate and change lanes with confidence. Aside from cars in the ditches, we did notice a lack of other coupes on the road.

Although we were on time, with a sufficient charge, we decided to stick with our planned stop at an RV park in Sawyer, Michigan to “top off” the battery. This gave us a chance to stretch our legs a little and try out one of the local diners, Eric’s Bridgman Café, for lunch.

On the road again, I drove the rest of the way to Grand Rapids. Although we were going a decent 50 mph, there were a few times when semi’s flew by us going pretty fast. Their size compared with 750, made me nervous. To our credit, we were the only sports car that we saw on the road today between Chicago and Grand Rapids. The nerves I had today were no different than what I’ve experienced before in a 4WD vehicle in similar driving conditions.

We arrived a bit late in Grand Rapids, but faithful Tony Helmholdt, an EV inventor himself, was there waiting for us and filming as we pulled into the hotel. Tony is into EV motorcycles and was joined by Andrew and Michelle Wright who also showed up to see 750. We gave all 3 of them a ride and discussed the industry, and their interest in the Roadster and Tesla. We had such a good time getting to know them I feel like we made some new friends!

Tomorrow’s the final day of this incredible journey from LA to Detroit, stay tuned…

DETROIT OR BUST!

Written by Andria Metrakos

We woke up early to meet Phil Krein, Director’s Chair in Electric Machinery and Electromechanics from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He took us to get 750 which had been charging all night at the University. We were met there by Engineering student Dylan Erb then followed Phil to The Courier Café (a local diner) for a great breakfast.

Before we even got out of the parking lot, Tony Banks stopped to talk to us and said he read about the 750 in the local paper this morning. He was enthusiastic about the car and it made a great start for our leg of the road trip to meet a Roadster fan.

Michael, Phil and Dylan had a nice discussion about motor technology and the use of AC induction (Andria, the non-engineer listened and learned).

We hit the road at about 9:00 a.m. in a chilly 11 degrees F, but skies were clear and sunny. We drove 65 mph on I57 towards Chicago, only using 15 kilowatts to run the car. AMAZING!

Michael and I arrived in the afternoon at Tesla Chicago and were greeted by Dustin and his team. We could not have felt more welcome by the team and their hospitality. We felt like we were visiting family!

Roadster owners and enthusiasts started arriving a little before 6 pm and spent time talking to each other and to Michael and me about our drive. What struck me was their incredible knowledge about the car, the EV industry and the way they had reached out to each other to form an extended Tesla family. The guys from the Chicago store – Dustin, Scott, Lawrence, Eang, and Seneca – all know our customers by face and name and seem like old buddies hanging out together. The culture at that store is really something special.

Scott and Michael gave a technical demonstration with a Roadster up on the lift and hosted Q&A session from reporters, customers and enthusiasts like champs!

A group of Purdue grads arrived and presented an award to Dustin, Michael and Andria. They had created a website to promote reducing range anxiety and wanted to acknowledge Tesla’s road trip from L.A. to Detroit by presenting us with an (very official looking) award!

The evening was a success and we were really grateful to the Chicago store team and the Tesla enthusiasts for making us feel so welcome!

Hotel Felix, who provides discounted accommodations for interested Tesla customers, hosted us for the evening and got us off to a great start before heading to Grand Rapids. Phil from the restaurant gave us some tips about avoiding traffic which really helped as we got out of Chicago (and gave Andria a big coffee to go). Thanks Phil!

Check out photos of from the day here.

Written by Ben Kanner

Today our visit to the engineering department at the University of Illinois in Champaign was a big recruiting day. After a tasty lunch at Zorbas with Phil, Rick, and Eric, dozens of students showed up to welcome 750 onto campus!

We were able to chat with groups of engineers in the mechanical and computer fields about Tesla’s expansion into 2010. Let me tell you; these are some bright kids with amazing talent…and tough questions too!

Being a Tesla engineering manager, Hank fielded many of the questions. He really knows the process of making this amazing machine move as fast as it does.

I’ve learned more about the mechanics of the roadster in the past three days than I have in the last three months at Tesla. With Hank as my co-pilot, I have had an outstanding resource. I, and the students today, learned the proper technique for getting in and out of the Roadster. Similarly there is a steep learning curve for understanding all the state of the art functions and capabilities of a Tesla Roadster. During the many hours and miles we drove over the past few days, everything worked and responded exactly how it was supposed to in the 750. This goes to show how easily our society can adopt the functionality, convenience, and practicalities of using electric vehicles for everyday driving. Now, more than ever, I believe we have a phenomenal product with some of the most innovative technology out there.

This trip was truly an unforgettable experience. And, whoever had the idea of keeping it dirty for the auto show is a genius. I can’t even begin to tell you how many people have asked, “When is 750 getting a bath?” The amazement on their face when we tell them it isn’t, that we’re pulling it into the show to display the true nature of the road trip is priceless!

We couldn’t be passing the keys off to better hands and we wish all the best to Andria Metrakos and Michael Balsamo. Tomorrow morning they begin the last leg of this incredible journey through Chicago, Grand Rapids, and to our final destination in Detroit for the North American International Auto Show.