Last week I touched on my weeklong training in D.C. and how it spiraled into a winter wonderland of activities. Following the week of fun, I took some leave in order to head back to West Texas and spend some time with my family and friends. Over the last few months, some major events happened, and due to my isolation in West Africa, I was unable to be there for my family. In August my grandmother passed away after and lengthy decline from dementia, and in September my father had a radical prostatectomy for treatment of prostate cancer. It was time to get home and see my loved ones.
Always one to try and kill a few birds with one stone, since the family would be moving back home next year and would need immediate transportation for Angeli to get to and from work, I took the liberty of procuring a vehicle for her to have when we get back home next month. Her main requirement was it needs to be electric, and from there I scoured the internet and found the perfect cruiser.
Above is a BMW i4 M50. It has about 275 miles of electric range, goes 0-60 in 3.3 seconds, and all importantly, has a huge rear hatch for hauling kid stuff around. I went with this for a couple of reasons. 1) it is highly regarded/rated as a car and EV. 2) Having owned several Tesla’s, I wanted a change 3) In the DMV, diplomats get nice discounts on vehicles from certain manufacturers, BMW being one of them.
Prior to my arrival in D.C. I worked with a local dealership that had the car above, they were able to hold it for me, give me an EV tax credit, and give me the 5% off MSRP discount for being a diplomat. 24 hours after I arrived, I was at the dealership driving away with my new ride. It was about as flawless a dealership experience as once can get, and with wheels in hand, I was ready to begin my adventure.
I broke my trip up over a few days. On day one, I drove to Jackson, Tennessee which is about an hour east of Memphis. On day two I drove to San Antonio, where I stayed with my sister for a few days to catch up and rest. Finally on the 4th day, I drove from San Antonio to Las Cruces, New Mexico, which is about 40 miles northwest of El Paso, Texas. All in all it was 2200 miles of pure driving fun. On top of that, since the car is 100% electric, it entailed about 16 stops for about 15 minutes to keep the car charged enough to get me to the next charger. The i4 performed wonderfully, and the charging network worked great without issues. One of the big knocks on non-Tesla EV’s is the lack of a proprietary charging network. 5 years ago, that might have been true, but not anymore. Electrify America and EVgo have lots of chargers throughout the country and it made my trip across 2/3rds of our nation a breeze.
Another added perk of the trip was getting to drive through Tennessee during peak fall weather. I had never been to Tennessee, but it was absolutely breathtaking during the fall. See for yourself.
Outside of Tennessee, the trip wasn’t particularly interesting or eventful. Once I graced the sweet motherland of Texas, I found myself in a Whataburger enjoying a green chile double, and outside San Antonio one charging station was outside an outlet mall which had me indulge in some discounted Adidas lounging attire. It was great however, in that it felt nice to just be able to drive forever, in a safe environment, with nicely paved roads, and restaurants everywhere. You never realize how much you take a good road network for granted until you find yourself in the developing world. I know our transportation infrastructure needs a lot of work in the U.S., but when it comes to a good old fashioned road trip, we do it so sooo well.
The road trip ended with me safely at my dad’s house in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It was great to be on the open road again and get a real American experience.
