Joe Miller

Hoping to greatly reduce my reliance on internal combustion engine vehicles -- and have a little fun while doing it, while at the same time helping to fund the ongoing development and progress of new battery technology and the development of more affordable, mainstream electric vehicles for the mass market, this past December 17th I placed a deposit on a new 2010 Tesla roadster.

The highly acclaimed roadster -- faster than a Porsche and twice as energy efficient as a Prius -- remains the only highway capable electric vehicle for sale in North America or Europe.

My hand-built roadster's journey began last December in the Lotus factory in the United Kingdom, after which it was shipped to Palo Alto California by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Airlines, where it was then hand-assembled in the Tesla facility before being shipped down to the Tesla showroom on Santa Monica Blvd. here in Los Angeles. As of this past Saturday, my new Tesla is sitting on the showroom floor waiting for me to come get it. All that's left to be done is for my electrician to finish installing the electric charging station next to my parking spot here in my condo building. That process should be completed by the end of this week and I'll be able to bring my new car home.

It's not if, but when, we'll switch to an electric vehicle alternative to the internal combustion engines of today.  I'm eager to watch the progress of battery technology as more and more automakers develop and bring to market their own electric vehicles and, I am proud to say that federal stimulus funds are already pouring into my home state of Indiana to help fund battery technology research that will help push this progress forward even faster.

When I bring my Tesla back to Indianapolis in late May, I'll be one of only three Tesla owners in our state. One is the pioneer in Indiana, and a friend, who lives not far from my home, and I'm looking forward to getting together with her to compare notes and take road trips together!

I hope to blog more about my Tesla once I'm able to finally begin experiencing it.

See the Tesla in action in the video below.

NOTE: As each Tesla is custom built, the photo above is not my car, but a similar vehicle.

To celebrate the Swiss watchmaker's 150th anniversary, the TAG Heuer Tesla Roadster will embark on the Odyssey of Pioneers, a 12,000-mile trip around the world. Leonardo DiCaprio, one of the first Roadster owners and official TAG Heuer Ambassador, kicked off the trip with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and TAG Heuer CEO Jean-Christophe Babin. There will be a variety of ways for Roadster owners and fans to get involved with the trip.

Having not had any internet access for a week, and not seeing my email until this past weekend when I returned from Laos, I discovered that one of the messages waiting for me was from our condo association -- telling me that they've approved my request to install a Tesla charging station in our garage.

This will be the first electric vehicle in our building, and the fact that I have to run hundreds of feet of wiring through common areas will set a precedent. I am grateful for the board's approval.

Next step: have an electrician install the system as soon as possible. The car should be ready for delivery in a month or less.

Nice way to begin the day: phone call from the general manager of our building here in Los Angeles reporting that the association board is happy with my plan to bring a charging station into the building for my Tesla.  Still have bugs to work out, especially with regard to how to track usage and pay the bill, but it's exciting to know they're very open to the idea!