Would You Drive a Computer on Wheels? This Eco-savvy Engineer Says Yes!

In Texas, things are big. They’re Guinness World Records big: the state boasts the biggest butter sculpture, the tallest living dog (a Great Dane), and the largest gathering of people dressed as turkeys, among over 500 other world records. But perhaps the biggest thing in Texas is the amount of sunshine the state receives—between 220-230 days per year on average. To soak up all those rays, Austin-based tech enthusiast Sal Marcuz has solar panels on the roof of his house, a rainwater collection system for the yard, and smart just about everything: LED lighting, irrigation systems, in-home thermostats, power strips, and even the garage door. Naturally, his car is electric too. “I’m somebody who’s very conscious about the Earth, about global warming and sustainability,” he says.

Yet even for an avowed environmentalist like Sal, getting an EV was less about the environment or saving on gas than cutting-edge tech.

Computers on wheels

“Of course, savings on gas are important,” says Sal, “but only if you drive a lot, and we don't drive a lot. I work from home, and we mostly go out on weekends. And Austin is pretty small—it’s a half-hour city. You can go anywhere from anywhere in town, in 30 or 40 minutes.” The real driving factor—pun fully intended—for Sal to choose a Tesla (Model X) as opposed to any of the other EVs on the market, was its self-driving capability. For Sal, a software engineer who works in artificial intelligence and machine learning, that was the real draw: “I wanted to see and experience this autonomous driving capability they have built.” He confesses he’s now hopelessly hooked. “I was one of the early adopters, the beta testers—I’m a huge fan of FSD. If I have a car without it now, I have trouble driving.” Sal also loves the convenience of a personalized driver setting set up according to his preferences, and the minimalist interface of the screen. “The Tesla is literally a computer on wheels,” he says.

Always protect your investments

The electric car is shifting perceptions of the ownership and driving experience. Used to be that a car was a largely mechanical machine you utilized until it was no longer repairable. It would depreciate to almost nothing, and then you’d get a new one and restart the clock. Today, EVs, and luxury EVs especially, are an investment that can actually appreciate over time (assuming, of course, a stable macroeconomic environment).

This is where the value of an extended warranty comes in. Sal’s original factory warranty was scheduled to expire in December of 2023. He knew about Tesla’s ESA, or Extended Service Agreement, which until recently covered 50,000 miles or 4 years. But just as he was about to sign up, Tesla reduced it to 25,000 miles and 2 years. For Sal, paying for just two additional years at $2,000 wasn’t worth it. He started researching other options. Being an active member of a number of Tesla owners groups, including his local group in Austin, helped—that’s how he discovered Xcelerate Auto and the XCare EV Protection® program.

But why would you need an extended warranty?

Getting an extended warranty for a vehicle is not a usual thing. We’re used to protection plans for our computers, smartphones, refrigerators, and washing machines—cars, not so much. The reason is that until relatively recently, cars have not been packed so full of electronics and various specialized parts that can be much more expensive to repair or replace the traditional car parts.

Sal concurs: “I’ve owned ten different cars in the past, but I don’t think I ever bought an extended warranty for any of those cars. I really love the Model X. I keep watching the market, but there still isn’t another brand that meets my needs. These EVs last a very long time; there are these stories of a UK taxi cab service that owns Teslas, and their Teslas have 500, 800 thousands miles on them. I want to keep this car for a long time. So how do I protect myself?”

Sal knew things can and do break, and repairs, especially for a Model X, are expensive. For him the answer was clear: an extended warranty. “So that’s why I decided to invest something like $7,000 on a 10-year warranty.”

XCare in action

The ideal EV ownership experience isn’t about never having to use your warranty—it’s about never having to worry about having warranty coverage. Sal experienced two different issues, both of which XCare covered. One weekend in June 2024, a hot summer month in Austin, Sal and his family were out for lunch. When they came back to the car in the parking lot, it wouldn't start. Several error notifications appeared on the screen, which led Sal to believe it might be his HV battery. He had the vehicle towed to a Tesla Service Center, and after a series of tests, the team concluded it was a malfunctioning coolant level sensor, not the main battery.

The second issue occurred later that summer. Remember how big things are in Texas? Texan heat is especially big. Hundred-degrees big. It's only a matter of time before your AC compressor gives in—after all, nothing is infallible. Of course, losing your AC in 100-degree heat is, as Sal puts it, “highly inconvenient.” In both situations, Sal filed a claim through XCare, and received an acknowledgment within 20 minutes. Not days. Minutes.

“They were unbelievably fast,” shares Sal. “I was talking to Tesla and to XCare to help coordinate the repair because you need to get approved beforehand, and the Tesla service guy and I both thought that XCare would take maybe two or three business days to approve the claim, one day if they’re really fast. But they came back within the hour. Within the hour of filing this claim for the AC compressor, they emailed and said, ‘It’s approved.All good. Go ahead.’ ”

Thinking back to how things work with repairing gas-powered vehicles, Sal breathes a sigh of relief. “Now I’m stress-free, and I don’t care if things break. I have this coverage. It’s a great feeling.”

Driving an EV should indeed be stress-free, and you shouldn't have to worry about breaking the bank if something does have a hiccup. Contact our rockstar XCare team for more info!