Happy Friday lads! I hope the seniors enjoyed their week and everyone is doing fine. As all of you know, I am still stuck in China. Despite the fact that I cannot physically be in the states to finish my senior year, which is such a shame, there are still a few good things that I can manage to enjoy. In the past 14 years, my mum is the only one in my family who can drive a car. I managed to get my driver's license last summer and have been driving regularly for quite a while (no accidents in seven months). So, we bought another car around the start of 2021. After carefully examining multiple options, we decided to purchase an electric car. Within two weeks, our new Tesla Model 3 has arrived in front of our doorstep.

Thanks to Elon Musk's heavy investment in the Chinese market, our Model 3 was built and ready to be driven in only 12 days. We have decided to choose the silver painting, which somehow looks more like a dark purple to me. Anyway, the car's design is simply awesome and it has a shape similar to luxury sports cars like Aston Martin, while the price is only 30,000 dollars. We were able to get a better deal in addition to the original price thanks to the Chinese government's policies on electric vehicles. We are able to drive our Tesla every weekday without following the regular regulations and the car is 2,000 dollars cheaper, to prevent air pollution.

The car is simply amazing. I love every part of the Tesla and it is literally life-shatteringly fast. 0-60 only takes 5.5 seconds and with a top speed of 254 KM/H, Model 3 can almost break my neck every time I step on the gas. We installed a power charger in our garage and it only takes less than five hours to charge to 100%. We only charge it once a week and it can run 420 kilometers with ease. Even though the car is not very well-equipped compared to other normal gas-powered vehicles, I am starting to get used to Tesla's interior. A steering wheel, AC and a gigantic iPad set in the middle of the car, and Model 3 doesn't really offer that many options in terms of interiors. It does not even have a dashboard. The speed and every control button are all programmed into the iPad in front. I like the feeling that all I need to do is simply look at a screen and know how fast I am driving. The screen can control everything, and I mean literally everything. AC controls, front lights, glove box and even the wipers are all controlled by a touch on the screen. Is this sort of "simple" set up good, or is it just a way to save more money for the evil capitalists? I don't know, but I am trying to get used to it.

Last but not least, I have got to mention the amazing feature of Autopilot. We didn't get the full Autopilot system because it cost an additional 10,000 CNY, but we were able to experience the same feature during the Chinese New Year as a "gift" from Tesla. I can literally sleep on the backseat of my car without worrying that I will hit somebody because the sensors are just so high-tech that they can detect a child from a kilometer away and stop instantly when there is an accident in front. It can steer, accelerate and decelerate all on its own and I can just sit by and play with my phone. (They don't recommend it, but I didn't really care)

After driving the Model 3 for three months now, I am genuinely impressed by how far our technology has developed in the past couple of years. Who would've imagined that one day we can drive a car that can simply be powered by the same method as how you charge your phone and you don't even have to actually drive the car because it can drive itself?