Zero-Dark-30 to Vegas. The First 500 Miles.

I got up at 4:30am today. On a Saturday. I drove to the airport at 5:15 am (actually Hawk agreed to get up to drive me!) and got through security by 5:40 to be ready to board a flight to Las Vegas leaving at 6:40am. It's now just before 6am. Boarding should begin in 15-20 minutes.

Why am I going to Vegas, particularly as I've written before that I really don't like Vegas? Well, it's not to do anything involving a casino. I'm not even staying overnight in a hotel. This is the first leg of I Would Fly 500 Miles, And I Would Drive 500 More. I'm meeting a friend in Vegas later this morning to go with him to a car dealer in Henderson, NV, to pick up a new car, a Hyundai Ioniq 5, and drive it home to San Francisco.

BTW, you might think, "Oh, the advantage of going to the airport at 5:15 on a Saturday morning is nobody's there." Wrong. Everybody is there. The dropoff area at the terminal was a mess. The baggage check area was a mess (fortunately I don't have a bag to check). The security line was a mess. Fortunately I have Global Entry, and the TSA Pre line took only 9 minutes. "Only". Usually it takes about one-third that. Now we'll see if my flight leaves on time. It's the first flight of the day for this aircraft, so there aren't as many excuses available for delay....

500 Miles Later... Hyundai Ioniq 5

I landed in Las Vegas this morning after an uneventful flight. I navigated through the airport and hailed a ride to the high rise hotel where my friend, David, had stayed the night before. A bit after 9:30 his new car arrived. A new car? Yes! I had just flown 500 miles to drive 500 miles home.

The salesperson drove us over to the dealership in Henderson, NV, to finalize the paperwork and give David a lesson in driving the car. ...Wait, a lesson in driving? you might ask. That's because his new car, a Hyundai Ioniq 5, is an electric vehicle (EV). EVs have a bunch of different things you have to be aware of compared to a conventional, internal combustion engine car. But for the most part, as the salesguy quipped, "It drives like a car." 🤣



Here are some pictures of David with the new car. I'm not sure what the color is called in Hyundai-speak.... I'd call it "gunmetal blue", since I had a car of similar shade with that name years ago. It's basically grayish blue.



As I was flying out to Vegas this morning I saw an article in my newsfeed. Car and Driver magazine had just named the Ioniq 5 its EV of the year. What great timing! The Ioniq 5 beat out much fancier, more luxurious, and sportier cars because it provides a fair degree of comfort and performance at a price more affordable to the common person.



And the car looks sharp. I mean, all new cars have that new car glow... but this one's design is sharp. It's slightly taller than a sedan; it's basically an SUV. But it's not gangly looking like a lot of crossover SUVs are.



Inside it's comfortable and well designed, too. The broad dash with dual digital displays is clean and modern looking. There are subtle quality materials all around. No garish carbon fiber trim... no glossy endangered African wood veneer. It has a premium look and feel without being ostentatious.