Originally published on EVANNEX.
There’s no doubt that Peter Litherland is a serious Star Wars fan. Growing up in Vancouver, Peter dragged his Mom to the theater to see the original Star Wars film back in 1977. Nowadays, he dresses up as a Star Wars character every year for Halloween. So, when Peter decided to get a Tesla Model 3, he had an idea.
 Peter Litherland and his Star Wars inspired Tesla (Photo by @R2T3droid, used with permission) |
Peter’s last new car, a Toyota Prius, was purchased in 2009. He put a deposit down on a Tesla Model 3 on April 1st, 2016. According to Peter, although the Model 3 is not yet fully autonomous, “I knew long before delivery that this self driving car would be like R2-D2, a self-aware droid. … How cool would it be to paint it up like R2?”
 Even the wheels showcase Peter’s attention to detail (Photo by @R2T3droid, used with permission) |
Peter didn’t paint his Model 3, though, he went with a vinyl wrap. He approached a local company, Vinyl Labs, and they hired an artist to come up with the look. Peter explains, “We discussed the R2-D2. Should it be clean or distressed? Ended up with the distressed look as it gave more character and depth.”
 A rugged robot that feels at home in nature (Photo by @R2T3droid, used with permission) |
After the transformation was complete, Peter says, “Walking into the studio to see the work done was amazing. I had to stand back and absorb it all. They did an amazing job. … Driving home that evening I had a few people smiling and giving me a thumbs up. I get lots of people staring at it when it’s parked in public. Who doesn’t like R2-D2?”
 Peter even got his license plate “branded” to correspond with the look (Photo by @R2T3droid, used with permission) |
Peter explains, “I hope to help promote EV adoption and I see internal combustion engine [ICE] cars like celluloid film going digital. Eventually, gas cars will only be a novelty. The Tesla Model 3 costs less than a tenth to drive compared to ICE cars. Under a penny to drive 1km. Without any oil, oil filters, transmission fluid, intake filters, mufflers etc., [the] maintenance cost is low. No gas stations to stop at, just charge at home and if I go on a road trip, I just have stop at a supercharger for 30 minutes.”
 Peter’s new car definitely draws some attention in the neighborhood (Photo by @R2T3droid, used with permission) |
Proud of his new droid, Peter says, “I call it R2-T3. Inspired by R2-D2 on the Tesla Model 3. Now with the summon feature activated, I can make it drive a little using the app on my phone. Maybe one day, R2-T3 will be driving itself around Vancouver as Tesla pushes out updates over the air to the car. The car has been better than I expected too and am very happy with the Tesla Model 3.”
