थे Arrival

Our Xebra arrived on the ferry this morning. The ferry was late. I went to unload the car and found it had already been taken off by a ferry employee. There it was in the parking lot! So we photographed it and inspected it, and prepared to go. Kids were falling apart with anticipation. I turned it on and put it in gear. It didn't start. Tia was watching with the video camera. Suddenly I was reminded of the Star Trek movie we watched the other night, when the Enterprise is called with a green crew to assist at planet Vulcan. It doesn't go when the captain gives the command.

Sulu says he doesn't know why it's not going into warp. Then Captain Pike says, "Is the parking brake on?" I checked the parking brake, and sure enough, it was engaged. Once released, we take to the streets and try out our new car. We didn't warp out, but moving at a fast clip nevertheless.

We drove to Saxman and hit all the gas stations along the way. Traffic was light but people walking and driving as well had equally interesting responses, all of them positive. We only visited the gas stations for a laugh. One last time around!

After putting 15 miles on the car we drove home. I have a few observations about the car to share.

The ride is a little bumpier than a regular car. It is also a little louder, since the electric motor has a cooling fan that kicks on and buzzes. The car in general is not soundproofed or insulated. It's kind of a "bare bones" design. Comfort lacks. The seats are hard and I will be buying padded seat covers to compensate. The inside fogged up with the three of us inside. The heater doesn't have a defrost option, so all vents are all on whenever the heater is on, defrost, mids, and floor all equally.

The body is not perfect. There are a couple of places that look like they were finished by a high school autobody class. Inside, the spartan comfort level suggests that carpet and a few decorations might be in order. The instrumentation is easy to read but I am not sure what to make of the information it provides.

Finally, the literature that accompanied the car doesn't offer much to go on. It is a challenge to begin a completely new vehicle with adequate information but this may challenge me to a different level. I will look on the web to see whether any other Xebra owner has light to shed on reading the power use and when conservation measures must be in order to avoid running out of juice.

Overall I am pleased with the car. It will be a great commuter for Ketchikan.