Nick Hexum, 50, the Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter and guitarist of band 311, on his family’s Tesla Model 3, as AJ Baime told them.
As I grew up, my father informed me a lot about the culture of rock ‘n’ roll. My first love for music was his collection of 45 – Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis. Cars have always been part of the image. You know: “Fun, fun, fun, until her dad takes T-Bird away.” We went on car trips in the summer and I could tell the difference between a 1955 Chevy, a 1956 or a 1957, just at a glance.
Later, when I had some success with my band, I saw a 1955 T-Bird parked in front of my manager’s office and had a sales sign. I bought that car for my dad and surprised him on his 60th birthday. It was in this moment of tears that I was able to show my gratitude for my father’s love and support, but also for instilling love for cars and rock ‘n’ roll in me.
Over the years, I have had almost all sports cars powered by all German automakers. A Mercedes E55 AMG, a BMW M5, an Audi S6. It wasn’t about looking cool in an expensive car. I wanted a killer performance.
My band’s bassist, P-Nut, was one of the first to adopt the Tesla and actually bought the serial number 311 for the Tesla Roadster, the brand’s first model. He was telling me to get one. I decided to wait until the Model 3 came out because it was the size I wanted and it was cheaper than some of the cars I drove.
When I received my performance version of Model 3 [Tesla’s highest performance edition of this model] two years ago, I thought it was the best-performing car I drove, and having a $ 60,000 car that smoked some of the most expensive cars I had was a win-win situation. Because it is completely electric, there is a smooth acceleration – the car has no gear, it just walks – it looks like you are entering hyperspace. You are going from zero to 60 mph in about 3.5 seconds. At the same time, it is completely silent.
There are certain things in a car that, once you have them, you prefer not to be without. I started to love four-wheel drive cars after having my Audi S6, because you could accelerate around a curve and the car would have really safe steps. I learned to love adaptive cruise control because, in Los Angeles, there are so many things to start and stop. Adaptive cruise control does it for you. Tesla had all this technology. And the autopilot is huge; it guides you, so all you have to do is keep your hands on the wheel.
Now, my wife also has a model 3. We put a huge solar panel and two Tesla Powerwalls, so that the sun doesn’t just move our cars, but also our home. When I was a child and fell in love with cars, I never imagined that I would drive a car powered by solar energy.
Ultimately, what made me an Elon Musk fanboy [Musk is the co-founder and CEO of Tesla] is this: Most people will not go out of their way to save the environment. He created a car with a better driving experience than what was out there, from my point of view, for a cheaper price. And you can save the environment to boot.
Nick Hexum bought this 1955 Ford Thunderbird for his father, Terry Hexum. Both are in the car in old Mr. Hexum’s garage in Omaha, Nebraska, around 2014. Look at the license plate: ‘De Filho’.
Photograph:
Deanna Hexum
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