Meet Serenity
The Mini grew up. And got smarter.
When you own a Tesla you're asked to name it. I'm not kidding, there's a place in the menus on that massive monitor where they ask you to name your car.
This isn't new to automotive aficionados, and it's even something less enthusiastic car owners do (more of pet names, so to speak), but it's definitely the first time a car I've owned has asked me to do it.
It seems a big decision. Of course you can always go back and change it to whatever you want, in fact you can do it just as easily as you can change the map you're driving on from your location on Earth to some equivalent on Mars. Nope, not kidding. Still, I put some thought into it.
I'm not the first person that will compare a Tesla to a spaceship (the fact that Elon Musk is responsible for both Tesla and SpaceX likely influences many to think this way), but I didn't want to be too obvious. Enterprise? Nope. Falcon? Tempting for two reasons, but no. I needed something a bit more obscure.
I reached back to a cult favorite: Firefly, in which a renegade band of smugglers fly around the 'verse doing their best to stay out of trouble while generating some pretty epic stories along the way. I like staying out of trouble. I like stories, too. Seemed a good fit. Serenity it is... and serene it is, as well.
Serenity is a black 2017 Tesla Model S 75D. Model S means it's a sedan; like an E-class Mercedes or a 5-series BMW. 75 refers to the battery capacity; it can store 75 kilowatt-hours of power (good for about 237 miles of range). The 'D' means it's a dual-motor; one in the front, one in the back, the two combined powering all four wheels. Those two motors put 518 horsepower to the ground. Ridiculous (but not ludicrous - that'll be my next Model S).
I'll tell the story of buying Serenity another time.
Meanwhile, a few minor mods are in the works in order to stand out in the crowd. This wouldn't really be a problem in Kansas, but in the SF Bay Area the likelihood of being in close proximity to another identical Tesla is almost a given, so I'm pretty much obligated to make Serenity stand apart. I'll update you on those as they happen.
