Ten years ago Chris van der Kuyl bought the first Tesla in Scotland.
The videogames entrepreneur famous for creating the console versions of Minecraft was an early adopter of electric cars.
In 2014 he contacted me asking if the motoring correspondent for The Courier would be interested in writing an article on the first Tesla in Scotland.
He collected the Model S in London and drove it straight to Broughty Ferry, where he took me for a spin.
At that time the car was ground-breaking. It had a range of 250 miles. It was incredibly fast. Charging could be scheduled from your phone.
It was even connected to the internet and I became the first person ever to browse The Courier’s website on a car’s touchscreen.
Tesla 10 years on
Chris, 55, still owns his original Model S and a decade down the road I caught up with him to find out what he thinks of the car now.
We meet at Water’s Edge, the old dockyard building that Chris developed into some of Dundee’s most stunning office space and where his videogame company 4J Studios is headquartered.
Sitting in the building’s cobbled carpark, the Model S still looks outstanding – particularly in the sparkling dark red colour Chris’s car comes in.
It has just shy of 40,000 miles on the clock and has clearly been well looked after.
Not having to make space for an internal combustion engine means there is a second boot under the front bonnet – known as a ‘frunk’ in America and a ‘froot’ in Britain.
Back in 2014 I folded myself into that space and emerged from under the bonnet to do a piece to camera.
Ten years on I had another go at fitting in the frunk and just about managed, although with a few more complaints from my knees and back.
On the road
Chris takes me for a spin across the Tay Bridge and into Fife. With 416bhp and a 4.2 second 0-62mph time it is a very fast car – later versions of the model S could do 0-62mph in as little as 1.99 seconds.
He pushes the accelerator and we surge effortlessly past a line of traffic. “That was gentle acceleration. If you really go for it the car pins you back in your seat,” he says, pushing his right foot down more firmly and pinning me back in my seat.
How is the range? “It will still do 200 miles quite comfortably,” he says. “I have a newer Model S that does about 70 or 80 miles more. That does help if you’re doing a multi-point trip, but the original car is still fine for most journeys.”
Reliability hasn’t been an issue either: “I’ve had to replace one air suspension unit and I’ve gone through one set of brake pads and tyres.
“That’s in 10 years. It’s never once failed me. My model is pretty rare. It’s one of the few early Model S’s without a sunroof and in the original red colour. Whenever it goes in for a service the Tesla guys always fight over who gets to work on it.”
In 2014 the Model S started at £49,900 and Chris’s top-of-the-range Performance model cost £68,700.
Last year Tesla cancelled production of the Model S in right-hand drive to concentrate on growing demand for its cheaper Model 3 and Model Y cars.
Over the air updates
Impressively, Tesla continues to offer over the air updates for the Model S. “The screen looks completely different to how it did 10 years ago,” Chris explains.
“They did a software update just last night. It doesn’t have the autopilot functions the most modern Teslas come with but it’s very up to date for a decade-old car.”
Tesla has its own network of charging stations called Superchargers. Initially Tesla promised free charging for life, but it rescinded this offer when it began to cost too much.
Charging changes
After an outcry, Tesla performed a part U-turn, offering older Teslas free charging for life as long as they were with their original owner. As such, Chris can top up his Tesla for free on Tesla’s supercharger network all over the UK and Europe.
What does Chris think of Elon Musk, Tesla’s famous and fabulously wealthy CEO? “I’ve never met him but he’s clearly a visionary and a very driven guy.
“What he’s done with Tesla is remarkable, as is his work with Space X. He’s made it the world’s top commercial space company by a huge margin. I’m able to separate his work as a businessman from his politics and personal values.”
These days Chris’s original Tesla is semi-retired. He has a 2019 Model S which is his daily driver and the older car is brought out on special occasions. But Chris has no intention of selling it.
“I have an emotional connection to it,” he says. “I also think it will be a future classic. Who knows, maybe one day it will be worth a fortune.”
Facts
Price: £68,700
0-62mph: 4.2 seconds
Top speed: 130mph
Range: Around 200 miles
CO2 emissions: 0g/km
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