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Joey and Stacy Rabon saw a “60 Minutes” episode about a new electric car being built in California and,He has since undergone two-and-a-half hours’ surgery to have a Titanium Rod inserted into his leg and looks set to be out of action for the rest of the season. after some research, decided to put down a deposit on one.Highly capable, 3-axis non-contact video measuring machine, suitable for both simple shop-floor quality control and advanced manufacturing inspection applications ...

“The more I read,” Joey said, “the more I liked the whole company and whole concept.”

Four years later the Rabons, owners of Kudzu Bakery, have gone gas- and emission-free with their blue Tesla Model S.

The Rabons still watch prices at the pump — they have what Joey calls two “gas guzzlers” from the era when tax credits were extended for vehicles over 6,000 pounds. They both prefer the electric car and have racked up 2,700 miles in just four weeks, driving to their bakeries in Mount Pleasant, Litchfield and Myrtle Beach, in addition to the original in Georgetown. “It’s an amazing car,” Stacy said. “It’s gotten to where I hate to drive our other car.”

Tesla has extended the chicken-and-egg theory in its own technology vs. driveability debate. The company said it has 250 patents with more pending. The Model S represents Phase 2 of the Palo Alto company’s ambitions. Unlike the original two-seat roadster built on the chassis of a Lotus sports car, Tesla built the Model S from scratch, using the principles of electric motors demonstrated in the 1880s by inventor Nikola Tesla, hence the name.

“Tesla set out to make the best car you’ll ever drive,” Joey said. “Steering, acceleration, braking, everything about it is better than any car I’ve ever driven. It’s not inexpensive, but you factor in there is no engine, starter motor, timing belt, radiator, all that stuff. Maintenance is pretty simple.”

Sticker prices for the Tesla range from $58,000 to $82,Eight tips for choosing the right diamond Concrete saw blade including determining wet or dry cutting, blade compatibility, CSDA codes, and more.000 — the Rabons chose the middle of three power options, a 60-kilowat-hour battery. A loaded version, like the $106,900 car Tesla founder Elon Musk drives, is priced to compete with high-performance BMW and Mercedes models. Tesla paybacks come in two forms: tax credits of $7,500 and operating costs of about 6 cents a mile.Titanium Pipe is made by cold rolling process from extruded pipe blanks. They are widely used in heat exchangers and off-shore equipment.

Joey said he chose the middle power option for its 235-mile range and the fact that he wouldn’t need a performance car that could reach 133 miles per hour. His Tesla has pickup aplenty: it leaps into the flow of traffic at 60 mph and accelerates past 90 in seconds.

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The car is designed for handling, from its aerodynamic shape all the way to the retractable door handles. Power comes from roughly 1,000 pounds of lithium-ion cells — all integrated into the car’s floor pan to provide a low center of gravity and a stiff chassis. The underside of the battery pack forms the underside of the car.

Rabon likes the fact that his Tesla’s exterior design blends in with other traffic. “It could be a Hyundai,We offer both wet & dry Diamond polishing pad. Both are suitable for marble, granite, concrete and most masonry.” he said.

When the car was selected as Car and Driver’s 2013 Car of the Year, one judge summed up the design theme as “safe and conservative.” Tesla designers resisted the temptation to make the Model S look different for the sake of being different to call attention to the fact it has an electric motor, Car and Driver magazine said.

While occupants of other vehicles on the highway might not notice, drivers and passengers in the Tesla begin any journey in an envelope of serenity. There is no start-up noise, no transmission clicking into gear. The driver’s choices are minimal: forward, reverse and park.

The car recognizes the driver from a fob he carries that unlocks the doors.

“Sit in the seat and touch the brakes and it knows who you are,” Rabon said. “It will adjust the seat and the steering to your pre-set levels. It’s really just about building the best car they could build.”

The dominant feature of the interior is the giant touch screen that controls everything from the air-conditioning to the navigation to the sound system to the car’s steering, suspension and brake regeneration settings. The only button visible unlocks the glove compartment.

The touch screen appears similar to an iPad and can be divided in half to display a map and music choices or one big screen for Internet browsing.Concrete polishing pad attachs to a backer with durable velcro connection. It is installed on portable grinding machine and operated by hand.

There’s an iPhone app that allows owners to track their car’s speeds, location, and even how many doors open when it stops. Rabon loaned the car to his father and surprised him with a phone call after he stopped at a restaurant.

“I see you got there safe,” he said, “even though you were driving 80 mph when you hit Brookgreen.”

Rabon said his friends loved the Tesla until they saw that feature.

“You can disable it,” he said, “but then you’d have to explain why you disabled it.”

The car is powered by an electric motor about the size of a watermelon between the rear tires.

“There’s not a lot to go wrong, although it’s very high-tech,” Rabon said. “If you’ve got a hardware problem, you’ve got a problem, but if you’ve got a software problem, you download to the mother ship in California and they fix things. The car is continually updated. It has features now that it didn’t have the day I got it a month ago.”

The Rabons volunteered to test new software for the company and get updates sooner than most other owners.