Fast-Paced Living Got You Down? Buy an EV

Decades from now, I suspect medical journals will report that owners of all-electric cars lead less-stressful lives.

(And by "all-electric," I exclude the extended-range variety, such as the Chevy Volt. I'm talking battery-only "pure electric" vehicles, as they're often called. ... Though not by me. Does anyone else find that label a little pretentious?)

Anyway, I got a glimpse of this healthier, more tranquil future when Tesla Motors Inc. founder and CEO Elon Musk dropped by Detroit this week. In a curbside chat with journalists, Musk was describing how his company has acquired a fanatical following.

Then, as if on cue, a customer drove up in his zero-emissions Tesla Roadster. It was Detroiter Brian West.

I asked West how many miles he drives between charges. About 90, he said.

But to celebrate Earth Day earlier this month, he embarked on a tour that took him perilously close to the car's 236-mile maximum. Which meant getting home might be an adventure.

What did West do?

"Found a nice KOA (campground) that was just outside of Flint (MI) and they actually said, ‘Come on down!’” he recounted, adding the campground had a 15-amp charging station.

“Those are really good ones, by the way,” Musk interjected.

Resigned to a wait, West pulled out his laptop to catch up on some work. (The park had WiFi.) And there he sat, tapping away at a picnic table “between the giant squirrel and the putt-putt golf."

Gas stations were never so serene. And finding the patience to recharge can only add years to our lives, right?