A few days before new years, we drove to the Tesla factory in Fremont to pick up Jeff’s new Model S. Jeff reserved it months before and was actually one of the first 3000 Model S customers.

Tesla’s Crunchies award in the lobby.

When we arrived there, Tesla employees greeted us and then took us on a tour of the factory. Unfortunately, they didn’t let us take any pictures inside the factory. ): The factory was quite amazing. It was the first time any of us had been in an automobile factory. We were able to see all the steps involved in turning raw metal into a rolling electric car.

The amazing thing is that most of the factory wasn’t even being used. They will have more than enough space to ramp up Model S production and start production of the Model X.

After the tour, we were taken to a showroom to see Jeff’s car and learn how to use it.

The Model S has a lot of space. The front space that would normally be home to the engine is completely empty. Tesla calls it the frunk.

The Model S is the first car to completely eschew physical buttons and knobs on the center stack in favor of a touchscreen. All interaction defers to the 17″ touch screen. I think it is a step in the right direction, but I still would prefer a hybrid of physical controls and touch screen. The gauge cluster is also replaced with an LCD. It allows information like the current song being played or a gps map to be shown alongside normal information like speed and charge.

The charger plugs in at the rear quarter panel. Jeff bought the Supercharger upgrade. No, it isn’t some sort of forced induction system (how would that help in an electric car?). It is Tesla’s name for an advanced charging system. It allows much faster charges and most importantly, free access to Tesla’s (soon to be national) network of fast charging stations.

The Model S is very impressive in person. It looks futuristic without giving up its conservative, luxury aesthetic. It certainly doesn’t look dorky and stick out like the Leaf or Volt.

The Model S uses a keyless entry system with a fob in the shape of the car. Pressing the roof unlocks and locks the car. Pressing the hood opens the frunk. Pressing the back opens the tailgate. It looks great and probably makes a great conversation piece.

Here we are with Jeff’s car! It is hard to believe that the future of automobiles sits in the garage at Brohaus.