Tapas and Teslas

Just back from sunny Spain where the temperature averaged 26 degrees by the coast, and near 30 degrees inland.

We stayed at the Greek-owned Ikos resort near Estepona in Andalusia, our second visit to this particular resort and our fourth Ikos holiday, two of them in Corfu.

Most days were spent doing very little other than reading and enjoying the weather and the food.

Surprisingly, my wife and I were recognised by two members of staff, one of whom said we were known as the couple who “read and drink cocktails”, which seemed an accurate description although I would probably add ‘eat’ to that.

Most days we stayed within the resort, enjoying the all-inclusive food and drink. On Thursday however we took advantage of the offer of a ‘free’ Tesla for the day.

Last year Ikos swapped its fleet of Minis for Teslas so this was my first opportunity to drive an electric vehicle of any sort, and I rather enjoyed it.

We were given a Model 3, which is the smallest Tesla, and I have to say it was incredibly easy to drive.

The stalk to the right of the steering wheel had several settings including up for forward, and down for reverse. Pressing a button on the end of the stalk took you into ‘park’ mode.

I’ve been driving automatic cars for 20 years and this was even easier. Parking in particular, was a doddle.

Like automatics there are two foot pedals - one to accelerate, the other to brake, but it was possible to drive for miles, even in traffic, without using the brake pedal because the car had something called regenerative breaking.

What seems to happen is that, whenever you lift your foot off the accelerator pedal, the car doesn’t just slow down, you can actually feel the braking mechanism kick in.

Apparently, this helps recharge the battery, though goodness knows how. Perhaps it’s like the dynamos we had on our bicycles that created the friction that generated the electricity that made our lights work.

It takes a few miles to get used to but it was very smooth in the way it operated. The brake pedal, meanwhile, was for more urgent use, or if you wanted to come to a complete halt.

My major beef was the fact that most functions - from setting the air-conditioning to changing the position of the wing mirrors - were conducted via an enormous iPad-like screen that replaces virtually all the knobs and buttons I’m used to.

In practise it’s quite difficult, if not dangerous, to change settings while the vehicle is moving because you have to take your eyes off the road for several seconds, sometimes much longer, to navigate the fairly complicated menu.

Practice makes perfect, perhaps, but I wasn’t going to chance it.

Anyway, we decided to drive to Ronda, an historic old town in Andalusia with a famous bridge (completed in 1793) that sits high above a deep gorge.

Even though the car was very easy to drive, the journey took an hour or so each way and was quite tiring because the 120km round trip took us up into the mountains via a long and winding road that featured countless twists and turns.

Fortunately the road was quite wide and the bends were never too dramatic. Keeping my eyes firmly on the road, however, meant I missed a fair bit of the spectacular mountain scenery.

Walking across Puente Nuevo (‘new bridge’) was worth the journey, though, and we are tempted to go back - in the winter, perhaps - and stay in one of the hotels overlooking the El Tajo gorge.

The only other time we left the resort was on Friday night when we had dinner at a restaurant overlooking the main square, Plaza de las Flores, in Estepona, a 15-minute drive from Ikos.

We visited Estepona last year when I noted the regeneration project that has revitalised the old town over the past 20 years.

Ikos, however, is the only reason I would choose to holiday on the Costa del Sol. In future, perhaps, we’ll venture even further inland - to Granada, for example, which I’ve always wanted to visit.

The only issue is how to get there.

By road Granada is 240km from Ikos. According to one report, ‘The Tesla Model 3 Standard Range can cover up to 254 miles (408km) on one charge based on the new, more realistic WLTP test’.

But what if the air con is at full blast for most of that journey? Will we arrive at our destination without experiencing the dreaded range anxiety?

And what about getting back? How many Tesla charging stations are there in Ronda or, indeed, Andalusia?

First world problems, I know, but nevertheless …

Above: View from Puente Nuevo in Ronda; below: Plaza de las Flores de Estepone

Comments

[Gavin Southwell]

Sounds like a very satisfactory holiday - I'm quite tempted myself, and thank you detailing the practicalities of your EV experience, most interesting.