I have been extremely happy with my 2021 Model 3 Long Range Tesla purchase. The one thing I really didn't like was my parking space has zero shade until 4 pm, when the sun is setting. My cabin temperature is typically 118 degrees Fahrenheit before noon as it sits in the sun baking, really making me sad. There is a window on the first floor that does not belong to me, and I have tried multiple solutions that worked well for me, but not for them. This has been the solution that everyone can live with, so I purchased the giant umbrella, 11 ft. in case you're wondering .
The base contains 200 lbs. of sand, and it is very stable. There is a mechanism that allows me to tilt the umbrella almost vertically, providing a wall of shade, and that's how I set it until I leave in the morning and put it back to the position pictured to make my neighbors happy. I am happy, and so is my Tesla. I was using the A/C to keep the car cool until I left for work, but it was using 5-10% of my charge to keep the cabin 74 degrees and still the sun was baking on the car. This covers my cabin perfectly and after some time I will add one more umbrella next to this one for complete shade, I want to ease my neighbors into it. The cabin now typically stays below 85 degrees all day, unless it's a hotter day than average.
Some of you may ask why I care what they think. Allow me to shed some light on the truth. This is not a parking spot for me on my lease, I have the garage but have too many toys. I also have the parking spot in front of my garage that's in the alley, and my Toyota Tacoma is parked in front of that. Yes, I like gas cars too. The neighbors that lived beneath me before needed me to help them with some tax work and I did, so I was able to start squeezing my previous car in the spot without them saying anything, they hated it, but they didn't say a word. Prior to me helping them they would have come out at 3am to tell (yell at)me to move it, but it ended up being a fair trade off for me getting the IRS off their back for free, knowing full well It would be my "checkmate" move. When my new neighbors moved in I was already grandfathered in but if they ever did complain my landlord would surely side with them, so I am very cautious because parking cars in the street sucks.
I was pleased to discover the LED lights are powered by a solar panel, I didn't even know this was a feature until the assembly process. The string of lights look great at night, and it's a pleasant time to detail the car while it's cool out instead of sitting in the front of the TV. It's a routine of mine to plug in the charger at night and use The Original California Duster! while I am at it to have her pretty for the next day, and I am happy to report: I now like everything about my Tesla thanks to this umbrella, and I am looking forward to buying him a friend in the near future. Please share your opinion or share links to similar stories in the comment so we can check them out. Thanks for reading.