Jun 14, 2014
scaesare Erick is an engaging guy, I've spent some time chatting with him as well... Good dude.�
Jun 14, 2014
kirkp I was at the weekly Friday Night Drag races last night and had my car parked in the grid area waiting to go on the track for practice runs. Many people at these events have never seen a Tesla before, and one guy asked to look under the hood, so I opened the frunk as well as the rear to show him everything. This attracts an even bigger crowd, so I'm talking with everyone, explaining the car, showing off the screen, giving out brochures, etc�
One guy looks at the car kinda sadly and says "so this car costs about a half-million?" I burst out laughing and said "Oh no!" Then he asks, "more?"
I just lost it, and when I finally stopped laughing, I had to explain that they start at about $60K after the tax credits.
A bit later they have a parade where all of the cars entered into the "Show & Shine" competition ride around Atlanta Motor Speedway's 1.5-mile banked oval track for two laps.
A guy standing behind us said "I heard that a Tesla comes to these events, but I don't see it on the track." My wife told him "that's my husband's car, but he doesn't drive it in the parade, it's topping off its charge in the parking lot behind us." He then asked me how much I liked the car, said he owned seven cars, had just sold his Panamera Turbo S a short time ago and wanted to get a Tesla, but also wanted to talk to an owner first. I told him how great it was and offered to drive him back from the parking lot to the grid.
So he and his three little kids hiked over to the lot, talking the whole way. He'd researched the car, knew the prices, and knew that a loaded P85 cost a good-bit more than the base model. We got to my car and his three kids and my wife got in the backseat (all his kids immediately buckled up, with two of the kids sharing one seatbelt), and he and I got in the front. I told his kids to hang on, and then I did a quick blast up to 60 mph on a very short stretch.
He immediately said "Ok, I'm buying one tonight!"
�
Jun 15, 2014
AlexT +1
We should ask Tesla to provide some white papers on the Tesla to hand out to people that are interested. This car sells itself... :biggrin:�
Jun 15, 2014
Theshadows We were just out at a park and got our bag out of the frunk and another couple at the parking lot just had this fixed state of shock frozen on their faces. My wife said "Hey look! Frunk face." She then told me that she and our daughter were at Trader Joe's the day before and saw the same thing and coined the phrase at that time.
We see it all the time but now we have something to call it. It's the combined look of amazement, shock, and confusion that somehow appears to magically get glued to someone's face and it becomes a motionless expression for at least 5 seconds. My wife swears it lasted for a full minute on the guy at Trader Joes.
We ended our outings today at an ice cream parlor and got in the frunk once again and after closing the frunk we turned to walk towards the line and noticed about 5 frunk faces just staring at us. My wife, kids, and I all looked at each other, and just chuckled knowingly.
"Frunk Face"!�
Jun 15, 2014
DEinspanjer Okay, yeah... Frunk Face is definitely one I know will stick. Congrats on coining it.
My two favorite stories so far:
First road trip last year. Was stopped At the Delaware supercharger and having Tesla time with a bit of a doubter. At one point he said somewhat smugly, "Well you know you are still burning coal to charge it!" To which I was happy to reply, "Actually, you see all those solar panels on the fuel station pavilion? They installed those to charge the superchargers whenever the sun is out."
Second story was a local car show I went to recently. The car was very well received and during judging, they decided to put me in the Speciality/Military category and gave me a trophy in the shape of a gas pump. Picture elsewhere in these forums.
Edit: grr.. Autocorrect tried to change it to Drunk Face...�
Jun 15, 2014
FLDarren The odds were in my favor. I drove so much today it was bound to happen.
I was nearing the home of another Model S owner when I saw 3 people walking away carrying various items. The girl (late teens) said to me as I was driving by, "We took your hammock, thank you." I was definitely confused. A second later the guy said to her, "He doesn't live there." She then turned around to say to me, "Sorry." I called the Model S owner to confirm the hammock did in fact belong to them and they set it out to the trash. I had to pull over I was laughing so hard. I don't think I would have heard them speak if I was in and ICE.�
Jun 15, 2014
Btrflyl8e I'm just glad they took my hammock! Either they've forgotten that my Tesla is blue, or after seeing your MC red in my driveway in the dark Friday night they assumed all Teslas live here now?
I love that story on multiple levels!�
Jun 16, 2014
mibaro2 I had a printer repair person come to my office to repair our printer. As we are walking to the printer he starts talking about Tesla. Basically how great it is, and how he really enjoyed test driving it. I let him go on for a bit, generally always agreeing with him... and then asked him if he wanted to see my Tesla. His jaw almost hit the ground and he eagerly wanted to see my car.
Talked Tesla for another 30 minutes while showing him the car.�
Jun 16, 2014
ckessel A couple of stories, one recent, one old:
1) I was visiting a local butcher and he saw the car and asked about it. I was the only customer, they'd just opened, so I offered him a ride. Out we went and zipped around for maybe 6-7 minutes and back. He was pretty pumped and threw in an extra steak for free! He always remembers me now when we go back.
2) My cousin had my car for a week while I was on vacation. I told her drive it however much you like. She only ended up having time to use it for commuting, but loved it. Saw her last weekend and she said she's been going through Tesla withdrawal�
Jun 16, 2014
AndyO I had a couple fun experiences almost back to back. We were at dinner at a friends house. There were 3 couples. Toward the end of the evening I mentioned we needed to be up early the next day to shop for a hybrid for my wife (Can't afford two Teslas). One other guy (a techie like me) got all animated and said "If you REALLY want to get a cool car you should get a Tesla." Then he went on for several sentences explaining to us what it was. When he paused I said, "Mine is out in the driveway if you want look at it." Response: "YOU own a TESLA!!
Then the next day we were shopping for an Accord Hybrid. In the test drive the salesman went on about "See how good the pickup is!" When we got back I asked if he was interested in a ride in my P85. We pulled onto the street, I hit the pedal and got the typical response "HOLY S#!T!!" When we got back he with his huge grin went over to tell all the other sales guys standing around in the parking lot.�
Jun 17, 2014
HHHH Tesla Evangelism at it's finest! Preach on brother!�
Jun 17, 2014
Theshadows Someone asked me today "well what happens if you leave the headlights lights on?" I replied "The software shuts them off after a few minutes, however if it didn't I suppose they would stay on for a few months." Wow!
I just now did the math, they would stay on for almost a month (excluding all other loads and assuming draining the battery to 0.)�
Jun 18, 2014
evme Interesting enough, Musk was asked the same question during Export-Import conference:
Elon Musk Tesla SpaceX | Video | C-SPAN.org
(mentioned in the first minute)�
Jun 19, 2014
laalan My best moment was when I parked my loaner Tesla in the same place at work. Amazing number of people wanted to know if I bought another!�
Jun 19, 2014
TEG 
�
Jun 19, 2014
huntjo It's TEG!�
Jun 19, 2014
Theshadows That's almost it. It's just missing the confused wrinkled forehead portion.�
Jun 20, 2014
TEG 
�
Jun 20, 2014
Nobueno I just finished my order, but as part of the process deciding if I was going to make the plunge I was allowed to take one home for a couple days from Fremont.. My favorite scene happened on sunol road where a porsche 911 decided to see if I could keep up... I could.�
Jun 20, 2014
Seven7 Did you ask the 911 driver "What kind of VW is that" ?�
Jun 20, 2014
birdsaresmarter We recently decided to finally give a facelift to a crummy little house we own next to our main house and which we use as a kind of studio/guest house. The carport in front of it serves as my parking spot so we had originally installed the HPWC on the front of that house facing the street. As part of the facelift process, we decided to move the HPWC to a less conspicuous spot to a side-facing porch wall for aesthetics. While the electrician was removing the HPWC one of the neighborhood kids came by and seemed very concerned, asking if we were getting rid of the Tesla (!!!). He seemed so relieved when my husband explained that we were just moving the charger.�
Jun 21, 2014
Kraken ?!?!�
Jun 21, 2014
zwede Yesterday I drove the the immigration office to do the oath (I'm now officially American, yay). Parking lot was packed except some empty spots right up front. I assumed they were handicap spots and drove by but thought they looked funny. Stopped and read the sign: "Low emissions vehicle parking only". Hey, that's what I'm driving! Felt like a rock star as I parked right at the entrance with everyone passing by looking.�
Jun 21, 2014
GoBlue88 In Texas? Surprised it didn't say "Low-emissions-vehicle-purchased-at-a-franchised-dealer parking only" :wink:�
Jun 21, 2014
zwede Texans are a lot smarter and more rational than the politicians we (for some mysterious reason) keep electing.�
Jun 21, 2014
Btrflyl8e Congrats on your new status! Nor as rockstar, as an American!�
Jun 21, 2014
GoBlue88 Yeah. The dealers there are really integrated into the political system and seem to advertise heavily. You can tell just by being behind a car bought at a Texas dealer: there is usually a giant metal plate riveted to the car advertising the dealer it came from. I've seen this one a lot, even out here in California:
That would bug the hell out of me. They wouldn't sell me a car without making sure I get one without that big ugly dealer advertisement on it. Best the dealers out here can do is license plate frames, because they know their customers would revolt if they tried anything like mounting an advertisement to your trunk lid.
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Hear hear! I take it zwede is from Sweden. A little warmer in Texas than it is in Stockholm? :biggrin:�
Jun 21, 2014
zwede Thank you. It's been a long time in the making. I moved here in 1995.
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Thankfully! I can't stand cold. I'll take a 100F day over a 30F day anytime.�
Jun 21, 2014
Denarius When I bought a car in Pennsylvania they badged them. I told them if my car came out with a badge, I wouldn't take it. They assured me that it wouldn't, but it still came out badged. The sales guy couldn't believe that I wouldn't take it anyway, but I left and bought my car elsewhere.�
Jun 21, 2014
Larry93428 Zwede;
What a great story, thanks for sharing!
(We need more of those parking spaces.)�
Jun 21, 2014
beun I just picked up my new Tesla today (VIN 43347) And I immediately had my first Tesla moment and of cause the Tesla grin plastered on my face the whole time. So I was driving on the George Bush tollroad and a teenager in the passenger side of a truck photographed, probably filmed and got himself a serious neck twist trying not to lose sight of my new car. This was a great moment and made my already perfect day even better.�
Jun 21, 2014
zwede Another north Dallas-ite. Welcome!�
Jun 21, 2014
beun Thank you, when I picked it up this morning there were four other Tesla's at the Service Station still with plastic on them. They seem to be selling like hotcakes.�
Jun 21, 2014
zwede Oh, yes. I see Teslas every time I'm out. Dallas must be one of the bigger markets. Just have to laugh at TADA and the millions they spent bribing politicians to "ban" Tesla. Didn't work, did it?�
Jun 21, 2014
Rockster At the North Park grand opening yesterday, a Tesla rep from Houston said that Dallas is now the leading sales area in Texas. Was Houston, Austin, then Dallas but now is Dallas, Houston, then Austin.�
Jun 21, 2014
Ugliest1 Two Tesla moments today.
First one was while just finishing a range charge at Kingman AZ. An ICE pulled into the combined supercharger/handicapped spot next to my driver's door and motioned me to roll down the window. He asked if this was an electric car, yes; no - no gas; no, not any gas at all, 100% electric; correct, it's electric and it's not boxy or ugly; yes it's faster than nearly all production cars. We also gave the spiel about the Gen III coming out. Finally he thanked us and said he'd better move before he gets a ticket for the handicapped spot.
Second one was non-verbal - first I noticed a Nissan of some kind come up fast behind us on the way to Flagstaff. Next they slowed down behind us and did the 7 O'clock Stalk for a while, then slowly started passing us. As the passenger window came even with mine I glanced over. There was the passenger in the front seat, casually NOT looking at us, but with an iPhone held nonchalantly just above the bottom of the window, face out. Hmmm... wonder what they were doing. Once the passenger window cleared the front of my car, the phone went away.�
Jun 21, 2014
freds ok was at the Seattle store/gallery today; executing an inventory purchase, given it was the first day of summer; Seattle actually had a day of summer weather (generally can't be counted on till mid or late July). We have a local tourist attraction called the duck with WWII amphibious landing vehicles that do a tour followed by a splash in lake union.
Anyway the store had the rolling door open where people could see or wander in for a peek and the driver of the duck was pointing out the Tesla gallery/store via the vehicle PA; which I heard and replied loudly that hey I just brought one LOL!�
Jun 22, 2014
brianman Revealing Model S Beta | Blog | Tesla Motors
Beta Reveal Pt. 3: Interior & Touchscreen
~2:00
�
Jun 22, 2014
Btrflyl8e Yesterday morning two middle-aged gentlemen knocked on my door, holding religious pamphlets. My bf answered, but instead of them trying to "convert" us, one of the men was so excited about seeing my Tesla in the driveway that's all he wanted to talk about. He knew all about Elon, the company, SpaceX, etc. I came out and gave them a tour of the inside. The other guy was not into it, but the one who was seemed so excited he was about to start jumping up and down.
I had planned to attend the local C&C earlier that day but backed out, but as they left my bf commented, "there, you still got to get your Tesla talk fix."�
Jun 22, 2014
DITB Hahaha, that's so funny!
I cannot imagine what it is to be the interested part of a relationship, and the other one - well, less excited. I find it hard as well, not to talk about it whenever I can, and I don't even have the car yet! Fortunately, my better half is also very excited about it, although not as much as I am obviously (!). I must have talked so much about the car I have sold at least one for sure, some maybe. A friend of mine ordered one and just confirmed it today, changing the colour at the last moment from silver to green, otherwise, pretty similar specs to mine (except steering wheel in the opposite sides and he has cold weather package).
I have tried on a few occasions that people talk vividly about the Tesla (without owning one), where I say I've ordered one - and usually that goes down quite well on top of someone else praising it.�
Jun 22, 2014
andydoty I had the same thing happen to me the other day. There were a string of Subaru's and one of them was doing the stalk then starts to speed up. The passenger takes out a really nice SLR and takes pics as he's going by. I did, of course, give them a little "demonstration" earlier up the road. The thumbs up was given and acknowledged and off they went.
It's funny, as usually I am a driver that prefers to be left alone while driving and enjoys the ride. However, I have discovered that it's simply not possible in the Tesla. I've got to get my Tesla talk down pat though. I'm all over the map.�
Jun 22, 2014
lmurphy137 At work we were talking about bitcoins and a guy that i only knew in passing jumped into the conversation. He brought up how at least one person bought a model s with money they made off of bit coin investments. I thought for sure my friends told him about my new car and he was trolling me so I let him go on.
He went on all about the car and finally said, "Did you know the key looks just like the car?"
I smiled and pulled my keys out of my pocket and said, "Like this one?"
His face just twisted around as his confidence in what a model s key looks like out grew his disbelief that I drive one everyday.
We then went on to talk all about it and I've given him a couple rides in the car.�
Jun 22, 2014
DITB Divine!
What a great first post - welcome to the forums�
Jun 22, 2014
Ugliest1 Just driving through the 5 mph one-way resort road on the way back to our temporary abode, and I moved over to allow a BMW to pass going the wrong way. Then a 20-something woman just starts to step out on the road about 100 feet in front of me, dragging a rolling suitcase, looks at the car in surprise (no hear I guess) and stops dead in her tracks, just at the side of the road. Her family was gathered on the other side, and I guess it was her dad who was walking down the right side of the road towards me (but it looked like he was just walking). Then I hear from someone somewhere near say "he's looking at your car", just as he comes up near the passenger window. So I stop and look over, he leans his head in the window and that starts it: "So this is a Tesla. How do you like it?".
Then it turns out that a relative (didn't quite catch how related) actually works at the Fremont factory, turning designs into actual stuff. The relative wasn't there, but his wife, daughter and son-in-law joined the group just at that time. I did the I Am Not Worthy bow to them. Then I showed the group my favourite part, the frunk. I guess no one in the group had actually seen a Model S in real life, so they all had the frunk jaw drop going.�
Jun 26, 2014
Ugliest1 Two in a row posted! I'm trying not to post similar moments.
Yesterday in Clarkdale AZ (south of Sedona), we took the Verde Canyon train, a 4-hour ride out and back through the Verde Canyon. Quite scenic. As we were leaving the train the fellow right behind me must have noticed my Tesla baseball cap, because he asked if we owned a Tesla. We had a short chat, during which his wife found out that they didn't have a Tesla �yet�. So that was funny.
Then, we were just backing out of our parking spot after the train ride, and another fellow came toward us beckoning me to roll down the window. �What kind of car is that?� �Tesla.� �THAT�S a TESLA??� So he had us carry on a conversation while we were still in the backed-out position, blocking any other cars from leaving (luckily only a few were reaching their cars). Then �There�s my brother-in-law! Hey Dan[? I think it started with a D]! Come see! It�s a Tesla!� So a small crowd gathers, with the car still in the middle. Then the first fellow from the train (with the wife) showed up and wanted a picture. Finally I managed to politely point out I�d better get out of the way, and everyone said thanks for the look etc and we left.�
Jun 26, 2014
nakedsushi I was parked in a charging spot at a super market waiting for my kid to wake up from a nap in the infant seat. The car lights had already turned off, so to the casual passerby, I'm assuming it looks like the car is empty. I had the window cracked a little to get some airflow. This man and his wife walk by the car on the way to their car and I overhear the man say, "Hello, my dreamcar." in a wistful voice. I almost wanted to say, "Hello!" back but didn't want to embarrass him.�
Jun 27, 2014
hikerockies Couple of weeks back I parked in the parking lot of a hotel I was staying at and was busy unloading the car when another car pulls in in the next parking spot. The guy gets out of his car (looked like someone in their 60s) and says "That is a beautiful car. What is it?". I respond with "It is a Tesla". He asks "is it Russian??".�
Jun 27, 2014
Pilot_51 First day back to work today with my Model S. It was the talk of the day in my department and I had to show it to at least a dozen people. Everyone was impressed and in some cases surprised. After showing the frunk and being distracted by lots of questions, one of them closed the frunk while I wasn't watching, which made me cringe once I realized it. Fortunately I didn't find any damage, at least nothing obvious. The same person decided to mess with me by parking immediately next to my car in the very back of the parking lot. (picture taken by him)
One of the department managers jokingly challenged me to a race against his new (I don't think he has it yet) $180k Porsche with a 0-60 of under 3 seconds.
I showed it to one more coworker as I was leaving and forgot to turn on the A/C beforehand, it was about 117F in the car, but the A/C brought it down quick. He was the only one to get a ride, back to the building entrance.�
Jun 27, 2014
jrreno So we're traveling North on 95 and I'm getting a lot of smiles, nods and thumbs up but I don't know if its the Tesla or the Grateful Dead sticker.�
Jun 27, 2014
GoBlue88 You put a non-required sticker on your Model S??? :scared:�
Jun 27, 2014
FLDarren I had someone ask me today if my car was a Dodge. How insulting :wink:�
Jun 27, 2014
ToddRLockwood I was interviewed by our local CBS affiliate in Burlington, Vermont last winter. As fate would have it, the reporter asked to have a look "under the hood." It was a perfect setup, and I obliged. Her reaction to seeing nothing under the hood is quite classic.
Behind the wheel of the top car of 2014 - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-�
Jun 27, 2014
Caloncho no way to dodge that one�
Jun 27, 2014
MajesticSound That's so wrong�
Jun 27, 2014
GoBlue88 That is tremendous!�
Jun 27, 2014
Jason_T just took delivery today, and i got my tesla's moment already. just driving through town for dinner, there was another tesla high-beaming me with a thumb up.�
Jun 27, 2014
mhpr262
Great video, you explained everything so well. Btw Gina Bullard is super cute ...�
Jun 28, 2014
austinEV Wow great job. I think that is the best introduction to the model s I have seen.�
Jun 28, 2014
pbleic Todd: Great video segment! All we need is a Hookset supercharger and Vermont opens up for Tesla.�
Jun 28, 2014
jrreno What is all that white stuff all over the ground?
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If you're a DeadHead it is a required sticker�
Jun 28, 2014
Chipper Oh, I don't know Caloncho. He could have Darted away. Or he could have gone to the Charger. Or just Rammed him if he thought he was a Challenger.�
Jun 28, 2014
andydoty Todd,
Well done interview. Very polished. You must be used to giving the "Tesla Talk"! I still have to tweak mine a little.
Andy�
Jun 28, 2014
CatB That is great, Todd!
i have heard many numbers for the moving parts in drivetrain (being conservative I say "less than 30" because that is the highest I have heard), does anybody have an official verified number?�
Jun 28, 2014
brianman Nice representation of yourself and the car. You came across as very comfortable and (a compliment!) normal.�
Jun 28, 2014
ecarfan And I wondered if that had been staged. Apologies for my skepticism
You did well in the interview, thank you for representing Tesla and Model S owners so well.�
Jun 28, 2014
Rheazombi LOVE this! Refreshing to see a segment where the reporter doesn't ask FUD questions. It was more like we were witnessing her conversion in real time!
ToddRLockwood - great job!�
Jun 28, 2014
Half Dollar Bill So my wife and I went picking blueberries in Maryland today. My wife stayed with the car because she recently had knee surgery and has to stay off her leg. The proprietor of the picking grounds walks by the car with a customer who needed directions to the rest room and on the way back she stops and talks to my wife saying what a nice car and that she was welcome to move the car closer to where I was picking. When my wife indicates that she can�t drive because of the surgery, the proprietor offers to drive the car for her, tongue-in-cheek. My wife laughs it off and thanks her.
Then the gentleman needing rest room directions walks back and talks to her, indicating that his bosses were interested in getting one for their business and asked him to research how easy it was to charge on the road. She gladly explains about the superchargers and in-home charging. In the mean time, I�m picking blueberries and missing Tesla time!
I get done and need to get my wallet from the car to pay for the day�s pickings, so instead of walking back and forth I drive the car up to their tent. The proprietor comes running back over and wants to see the engine under the hood, so I happily pop the frunk and she goes all googley-eyed and says �so it�s in the back then?� So I pop the trunk and she�s even further surprised and I explain that it�s just a small box between the rear wheels. She jumped in the drivers seat and took a look at the inside and is all oohs and aahs and asks her friend to snap a picture of her sitting in the car. Friend calls her shameless and takes the picture anyway.
We had a nice time and it was very special showing off the car to someone truly in the �green� sector. We�ll have to go back again before the end of the season in August because I�ll probably wind up sharing most of the day�s bounty with family so I�ll need another trip to restock. I�ll have to figure out how I can share Tesla time from the field:smile:�
Jun 29, 2014
Kraken This is a bit delayed as I've been a bit busy lately.
I had a big truck catch up to me on the freeway the other day, an F-250... expecting the typical response, I was surprised to get a massive thumbs up and grin from the driver. Then as he pulled ahead, I noticed his license plate "KCELCTRC" or something like that. It's a local Electrician company.
Then, the other day, I was on my way to hockey in my Focus (My hockey gear isn't allowed to touch the Tesla under most circumstances). I saw a white model S pulling into the hotel next to the rink. Since it was coming the other way rather than from the superchargers, I decided I'd follow and say hi. He was on day 2 of ownership! Congrats to the new owner.�
Jun 29, 2014
artsci Todd, This story could not have been better. And you knowledge of the car help make it so. You probably just sold another 4 or 5 Model Ss in Vermont.�
Jun 29, 2014
scaesare At car wash yesterday with my wife... guy chats me up in the waiting area, asking all the questions about range, charging, quickness, etc... I told him about the superchargers, which really impressed him. He was very impressed. He said he's thinking seriously about one.
It turns out his was the vehicle behind mine coming out of the wash: a lifted and tuned up Chevy Crew Cab Duramax Diesel full-size, truck, lol...�
Jun 30, 2014
ToddRLockwood I totally agree!
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Nope. She walked right into that one!
- - - Updated - - -
I don't recall what my source was for that number (6 moving parts). I think it's probably fairly accurate, not including the rear axles and U-joints.�
Jun 30, 2014
Greyson I had a Chevy-something (angular and fast.. looking) try to pass me today; he kept downshifting to try to compensate and was laughing like crazy every time I matched his speed when he came alongside. Fun was had by all, though he was making enough sound for any three other cars by the time he made his last attempt.�
Jun 30, 2014
Newscutter Two quickies:
Road trip inbound to Hagerstown, MD Supercharger (maybe 50 miles out) from Pittsburgh. Black Dodge Avenger comes up from behind, respectful distance, as I'm passing a line of slower traffic. Pass complete, I move right and he pulls alongside. Driver (white guy/ballcap/beard) does a series of friendly honks and a huge across the car emphatic thumbs up. I return my usual mahalo and he pulls on away.
------
Waiting at traffic light to get on my usual on-ramp towards Pittsburgh, older silver Pontiac Grand Am pulls up behind me. Middle aged (?) couple (?) inside with man driving. Watching my mirror, I see woman holding bright red-cased cellphone very obviously up to windshield... for a long time. Not sure if she's taking a whole portfolio of pictures or video! It's a long light so after a minute or so the driver apparently decides he'd like to take pictures too. So he produces a full-on SLR and starts snapping away at the same time. Family is with me and we're all laughing-- then the woman takes the man's camera away (clearly he's not the photographer in this relationship) and now she's taking pictures with it. Light goes green and we whoosh away and merge towards the city.
A few miles down the road the stalking continues. Grand Am is riding in that 7 o'clock shadow position with cameras still going. Quite amusing to us as Pittsburgh isn't the desert of Teslas it once was-- but still rare enough, I guess! They finally pass by us slowly, still taking pictures/video and smile and wave. We follow them for a while then they move over and appear to slow down. Okay... So we pull beside them. I tell my wife to give them a countdown with her fingers: 3.....
2....
1....
Then I floor the throttle and we warp decisively into the distance, grinning all the way, with my daughter's arms over her head in full "roller coaster" mode!
You can't see much of this from the dashcam... but it's there (the launch is the slight downward lurch of the frame):
�
Jul 1, 2014
andydoty I had some kids with an SLR taking pictures at 74 out he window. How many people travel with SLR cameras these days. Hmm?!?�
Jul 1, 2014
brianman I really wish we had a mechanism to report "7 o'clock shadow" as it's illegal to use the passing lane in this fashion.
The "5 o'clock shadow" isn't explicitly illegal, though it's definitely unsafe.�
Jul 1, 2014
Cosmacelf Todd, that was the best TV interview I've ever seen about the Model S. Very polished. Great job. Nice of the TV station to give you so much air time to hit all the high points.�
Jul 1, 2014
ToddRLockwood Thanks! I'm getting a lot of practice at EV events around the region.�
Jul 1, 2014
Btrflyl8e Also, your hair looked amazing, lol.
It was really a great interview, you were very engaging and seemed very comfortable on camera.�
Jul 1, 2014
Caloncho Todd, I seriously consider TM should send you a surprise gift (a tesla sports jacket or something like that) for being such a proper Tesla Ambassador. The interview came out great. Can you upload the interview to YouTube?
The love we have for our cars (their technology, how much fun it is to drive them and their environmental statement for the future) is making many of us true Tesla Motors Ambassadors.�
Jul 1, 2014
freds I was showing my local small banker today the car after we jumped though lots of hoops to finance their first Tesla; while as I am showing it to her another bank customer walks up and I restart the spiel about how great the Tesla is, his next question to her is; "Can I get an auto loan?" to which I add "She worked miracles for me!!!"...�
Jul 1, 2014
lagann So, I just had my car delivered on June 20, but I was gone for the week so I didn't get to drive it to work ever. Today was my second day driving it to work. I work in a mostly-empty office building, but it is slowly filling up, which means new tenants in the building. For a while now, we've had some woman park in a corner of the parking lot where I would usually park. She would take up two spots with her new car, which was a mid-range sedan (don't remember the type). On the way out of work today, I noticed her and some other woman standing by her car talking for a while. I had been parking my car nearby, so I passed them on the way to my car. I got in and called my boyfriend before I left because I needed to talk to him about something. That's when a police officer pulled up. He got out of his car and went and spoke with the women for a bit. Then he went back to his car, checked something, then walked over to mine. I had to quickly hang up the phone. He had me roll my window down and said "Nice car you have there!" I said "Thank you sir" He then said "Can I see your license and registration please?" This confused me a little, but I figured something had happened nearby and he wanted to know if I was a witness. After I handed him the license and the registration, he told me what was really up. "Someone" had called them about a "suspicious" car in the parking lot that had been there two days, which was mine. I couldn't believe it. After this, I ended up showing him all around the car. He was blown away. I would have loved to give him a ride in it, but I had to go and he had other calls to get to. On the way out of the parking lot, it hit me at just how absurd the whole thing was. Someone had to have been really jealous to call the cops on a car sitting in the parking lot. So yeah, that's my first Tesla moment, lol.�
Jul 1, 2014
Kondo I confirmed my P85 last month, June 14th but had not taken a test drive. So the next Tuesday my wife and I went to Scottsdale to drive an 85 and a P85. After my wife drove the 85 we had to go back and wait for the P to get back. There were 2 high school boys sitting in the MC Red in the showroom. Going over to see the color more closely one of the boys asked if we wanted him to get out so we could get in. I said no, we are just waiting to take a test drive. He said he was online last night and picked out his dream car Tesla and would die for a test drive. Just then the salesperson came over and asked if we were ready for out next test drive. I told him we have 2 additional people going. The boys high 5'd one another and had that Tesla Grin. We went for the drive allowing the salesperson to drive the 2nd half and showing what the car would do and he did. The boys got out and hugged both my wife and myself and could not say thank you enough times. No doubt they will be Tesla owners, maybe Model ZZ. That's my Tesla moment and I won't have my car until September, many more to come!!!�
Jul 1, 2014
Mario Kadastik Was on a 1500km road trip to Lithuania and back the past weekend and it seems half of Lithuanian roads are currently under construction/repair
The second fun part at the road trip was the Lithuanian hotel. When I arrived and anxiously went to ask where the charging point was the receptionist called the owner who arrived within minutes. He had a huge grin plastered on his face as he came out of his car with a 3x32A -> 3x16A conversion cable, showed me where the charge point was and arranged for me to park the car so that it's comfortable to charge (not an official parking spot). He then asked for an overview of the car and I found out he'd spent days after I had e-mailed and asked for a room and charging to research the car so he knew already a lot about it
Oh and the Latvian hotel which I arranged for an intermediate stop actually built a meter and red plug out back just for the purpose of me being able to charge at their hotel. When I arrived and was given the key to the outlet (the breaker was inside a cabinet) I saw that the meter was showing 0.0 kWh�
Jul 2, 2014
Btrflyl8e I love this story...those boys will remember that for a long, long time!�
Jul 2, 2014
romac What a great story. Hope to see you in September when we both have our cars and exchange Tesla grins.�
Jul 2, 2014
caddieo Coming out of Costco with the usual full cart, I saw a man about 20 yards ahead pass by my car, do a double-take, back up and gawk. Unnoticed, silly me pulled out the fob and popped open the trunk in his face (no, he was not that close). The look on his face was priceless and when our gazes met, we both broke out laughing. Turns out he knows about the car but had never seen one this close. So I gave him an abbreviated tour, answered a few questions, and took the opportunity to load the non-perishables in the frunk which made him laugh some more. He walked away with the Tesla grin. My good deed for the day.�
Jul 2, 2014
DITB In New York city, staying at - of all places - the Wynham New Yorker hotel (three floors up from where Nikola Tesla spent his last 10 years). Yes, I saw the placard on the two rooms he stayed in most of the time.
Anyway, after a 15 mile inline skate in Central Park, I noted several Prius yellow cabs with the hood open, when skating back to the hotel. It's 85 or so, typical NY summer temp, so I had to take a picture of one of those stalled Prius:
Compare that to a Tesla Model S:
As an owner, which of these two "hoods" would you prefer?
A Prius is just an ICE with a stop-start battery assist motor attached. Like peeing to keep your pants warm!
Good for us, Tesla Motors is making the real thing, a real electric car ...
As for a Tesla moment - I rented a car a few days ago, and I was wearing my red Tesla sports "jacket". The rental supervisor saw the Tesla logo and started asking me all kinds of things, clearly filled with enthusiasm - and I told him all he wanted to know, including "You'll have that car for rent here some day" - even though it will be more than a month until I own my own Tesla Model S!�
Jul 2, 2014
ColinM This summer has been full of Tesla moments - from thumbs ups while driving to people asking me to roll down windows while they ask me questions. Yesterday I had two in a row.
I arrived at my car after work with a colleague who I was giving a ride to a local hotel. When we arrived at the car a couple were peering in the windows of my car and staring at the door handles quizzically. As I walked up to the car I said, "I bet we can get those door handles to pop out", which they promptly did as I got close enough. They smiled and then apologized for peering into the car, "but it is so beautiful". I said thank you and no problem at which point they asked what brand of car it was. When I replied Tesla I got a blank stare and the quizzical look was back on their faces. So then they asked where is it from - is it European? Their jaws dropped when I said no American - made in California. Having a bit of fun I asked if they had seen the tailpipes and where the gas cap was hidden. After a brief search I told them it was an electric car. Time for the coup de gr�ce - I popped the frunk and now everyone is laughing and my colleague (who also had never seen a Tesla) says, "I guess that's where I put my case". The couple said good-bye and thanked me.
A few minutes later when I dropped my colleague off at the hotel, I of course popped the frunk to get her case out. I forgot just how much fun that can be. Two guys sitting waiting for the hotel shuttle turned and stared in amazement as I reached in and got a case out. I couldn't hear their intense conversation as I quietly drove away but could see them turning and staring as I pulled out of the hotel parking lot.�
Jul 3, 2014
Pollux A few days ago, showing the car to my neighbor's five-year old son, who has been a car aficionado since the age of 3. My 9-year old son was the one giving the show. My older daughter, and my neighbor's young daughter, are in the background. There is nothing quite like the happy shrieks of children when one hits the accelerator.
�
Jul 9, 2014
Theshadows So yesterday I get in our Model S and reach to the left front corner of the dashboard where I keep my sunglasses when I am not using them. "Umm, where are my sunglasses?" My wife chuckles and says "oh, I took Kathy for a ride today and asked her if she wanted to feel the acceleration". Kathy is a Harley girl so she responded with an "Absolutely!"
So I reach down between the seat and the drivers door, which is where my sunglasses usually end up when I punch it. To no avail. Well it wasn't super sunny yesterday so I just left it go kinda perplexed.
Well this morning I get in the car and it's early morning and I need my sunglasses, so I reach and can't find them again so I stop at the end of our driveway and get out to look under the drivers seat. Not there. After looking around a but more I found them on the floor next to the back seat cup holders. (Side note, those are a waste of $150)
So I say to my wife. "What other type of car could one possibly get that would result in having to look around the back seats for your sunglasses when ones wife shows off the car to her friend."
We all chuckled and our daughter says "you should put that on Tesla Moments."
So here it is.�
Jul 9, 2014
flashflood So I just got my shiny new red P85. I drive to lunch and park pretty far away from other cars. Eat a burger. Then, as I'm walking back to my car, I see this:
I didn't stick around long enough to see who ROSE BLK is, but if you're out there, ROSE BLK, well played.�
Jul 9, 2014
Mario Kadastik Well Estonia is a non-core market and the amount of Model S's just reached 15 a couple of days ago. I was the first owner so I've been driving around about 7-8 months and only this Tuesday was the first time I happened upon another Model S (a red one) in traffic in a way that wasn't planned (I've met with all owners, but those were all planned). And a couple of hours later drove past a green one�
Jul 9, 2014
brianman The parking looks "off camber".
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Interesting point. Many of the cars that come to mind don't have back seats.�
Jul 10, 2014
austinEV I think ROSE BLK is messing with your newbie parking too, matching your angle in the parking lot.�
Jul 10, 2014
flashflood Yeah, yeah, I know. I've been driving a 1998 Lexus GS400 for the last 15 years. Mr. T is 7 inches longer and 6 inches wider, which feels immense to me. Still getting used to the new dimensions.
The lines of the Model S are so sleek, you don't immediately realize that it's actually a BIG car.
In my/our defense, these are EV parking spots, which I think are even smaller than compact spots. EVs have been dinky little things for so long... nobody saw this coming.�
Jul 10, 2014
KenN "P"s in a pod?�
Jul 10, 2014
GoBlue88 Heh. New P85 and already one-upped by a P85+
On a side note: :scared: @ ROSE BLK for attaching more than 1 of the ugly white HOV stickers and doing so on the aluminum body of that beautiful car. Yikes.�
Jul 10, 2014
flashflood Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the best part: when returning to the car, I was approaching from the left. From that angle, I could only see one car -- and I saw that awful white sticker! At first I thought some prankster had stuck that on MY baby, and I was not amused.�
Jul 10, 2014
JPP ...only in the SF Bay Area....�
Jul 10, 2014
caddieo I find this a very common angle with myself. Driving into the slot, I feel I am going straight but then when I step out, I find that I am angled slightly left. I have yet to find myself angled right. I think it has to do with the shape/proportions of the car from back to front such that the straight-ahead feeling is actually an illusion. Has anybody else encountered this?�
Jul 10, 2014
Pollux Cambridge Parking Garage
I am still stunned by how many people are interested in this car; wave to me; ask me about it. I feel like I have a duty to show the car to people, so that people learn that an electric car can be powerful, practical and even sexy, and one day may buy an electric car of their own. If I had bought a brand-new Audi A8L, I think I'd have really liked the car, but I don't think I'd've ever felt anything besides embarrassment at showing the car to people. I think in pretty much everyone's mind the A8L is a rich man's car and beyond that there may not be much to say. But everyone I've ever talked to immediately understands that an electric car is a different beast.
In the past 11 months, I have shown the car over a hundred times. During the summer months, I might have 5 "showings" like this per week. It falls way off in the winter, but still one or two a week. I'm not counting waves, thumbs-up, smiles and stares. Just conversations that last anywhere from a minute to an hour. Road workers, auto mechanics, grocery shoppers, cafe patrons, friends, passers by, kids, teenagers, three young men and an older drunken man standing outside a bar one night, car show models, a group of 70ish ladies departing a lunch spot, Prius owners, BMW owners, auto dealer sales staff, fishermen, and on and on.
I've decided to start taking photographs of these encounters whenever I can, and will share a few from time to time in this thread.
Here's one showing (of two) that took place yesterday. The security card smiled at me as I was driving into his Harvard Square garage -- yes, that's right, a Cambridge/Boston security guard *smiled* at me! -- and asked me what kind of car I was driving as I rolled by. I slowed to a stop and asked him if he knew about the Tesla Model S. He became quite excited about the car, so I hopped out and started talking to him. He occasionally had to stop to guide traffic around us. He asked me a ton of questions, and we inspected the car from many angles. One of his co-workers came along and joined the show, with his own set of questions, and with his mouth agape most of the time. Both men were awestruck by the vehicle. I reproduce their picture here with their consent.
Alan
�
Jul 10, 2014
ACDriveMotor Nice! The TMS is becoming increasingly less rare here in the greater Seattle metro area so I no longer get to experience this as often as I had anticipated.�
Jul 10, 2014
Pollux Not Quite a Car Thief
Yesterday, after "showing" my S at a Cambridge parking garage (see previous posting), I wound up taking my son to visit his pediatrician. As we came into the medical area's parking lot, I had many choices of parking spots. I was stunned to see a dark green Model S already parked -- a dead ringer for my car! I *HAD* to park next to this car, there simply wasn't any other reasonable course of action. So we had two S's in a row. The one on the left was the one already there when I arrived. My car is the one on the right, with my son standing in front of it in the foreground.
My son had been asking me about parking sensors as we drove into the parking lot. I don't have them on my car, as they were introduced a couple of weeks after I ordered. But my son remembered them from a Service Center loaner we had had. We began to inspect the parking sensors on a Range Rover parked *in front* of my car. As we were doing so, a nice man smiled at us as he walked by.
This man calmly seated himself in my car -- the handles on my door were extended! -- and began to make himself ready to drive off!
My son and I burst out laughing and rushed over to him to explain that there were TWO dark-green Model S's parked together. He was very apologetic yet good-humored about the whole thing.
He couldn't believe that there were two dark green S's in a row, and of course had naturally assumed that any Model S with its handles extended was responding to his key fob.
We fell into a good-natured conversation about the Model S. He had owned his for about a month, having traded in his BMW 325. We talked cold weather packages, parking sensors, and many other things besides. My son, who in recent months has become a Tesla showman himself, took it upon himself to show our new friend the Easter Egg hiding under the Tesla "about" screen.
I realized later that if my son and I hadn't been quick enough, our new friend could have driven my car for a looooong time before finally stopping and not being able to restart it. Although he should have noticed the "missing key fob" messages pretty quickly...
Alan
P.S. I reproduce the photographs of this gentlemen with his kind consent.�
Jul 10, 2014
CatB I love this thread
Due to some personal circumstances, I have missed too many chances for Tesla moments in my hometown of DC, (after a year of looking out for other Teslas, I ended up between 2 at a stoplight, unfortunately, in my Prius, so good news is that market is hitting critical mass) but am enjoying what I can in Baltimore County while helping my parents out.
So yesterday, at MOM's when the nice young man was carrying out my groceries, I asked "hmm, frunk or trunk?" Since he didn't know what I meant I opted for frunk. "Whoa, where's the engine?" "No engine, it's all electric." "Is this a Tesla? Omg I've never seen one!" He got a good look (quick tour of touchscreen, trunk and charging port), then an older gentleman nearby asked (somewhat derisively) "so, can you drive it from here to California on a single charge?" And I answered "no, but I can drive it to CA for free"
By the time I explained that, the first guy had run into the store and brought out a friend to see it.
And at the end of his tour, he thanked me for getting one. To me, that is the most amazing: the younger generation "gets" the car, "gets" the company and "gets it" that every consumer transaction is an economic vote for the future of the company.�
Jul 10, 2014
zwede I've had people stopping to ask about the car like everyone else, but one of the more amusing ones happened a couple of months ago.
I was at Home Depot and had bought some fertilizer. As I was loading it into the trunk (hatch open) the fellow in the car next to mine said "excuse me". I smiled and thought "here we go again", getting ready to talk about the car.
He says "I've just moved here from Colorado and my house has grass I've never seen before. What kind of fertilizer should I get?"
So that threw me off a bit, but I explained to him about bermuda and st augustine grass, and the need for ironite and all the jazz. So after a few minutes he thanks me and gets ready to leave. I close the hatch and his eye go wide. "Oh man, you got a Tesla? I can't believe I didn't notice that!".
And we spent the next 20 minutes talking about the car.�
Jul 10, 2014
beun The wife and I were shopping for some new furniture and we ended up at Rooms to Go. Somehow we got to the fact that I drove a Tesla and the sales guy was dying to see it and even ran into the back to get another car nut. So what does a good hubby do ... he leaves the wife in the store and takes the sales guys out for a test drive. I did the obligatory acceleration demo and left them thoroughly impressed. When the wife got back into the car she asked me what I had done to them because she smelled fear.�
Jul 10, 2014
brianman I was hoping my dashcam would get a picture, but alas that video was "rolled over" (I neglected to switch the SIM card). Oh well...
Driving on the 4th of July, I happened upon a Jeep with the American flag for a roof. After some maneuvering (two lanes each directory but some traffic), I managed to have him pass me and held my speed to match. As he was about to pass, I made a gesture out of tapping my roof, pointing to his Jeep, and giving a thumbs up to him. He smiled. Held his position and made a very clear point gesture back at me, thumbs up, a smile, and a head nod.
Tesla awareness is spreading... quickly.�
Jul 11, 2014
scaesare This may be a "reverse Tesla moment'...
Driving South on I-95 heading away from DC the other day, I came up behind a lifted and modified full-size Tundra pickup with the license plate "ECO EATR".
So, I pulled up in the lane next to him, and gave him a friendly nod and smile. He nodded back, although with an expression in his face that looked slightly confused.
I then smoked him.
Providing education on the performance envelopes of ecologically friendly vehicles is just one of the services I offer...�
Jul 11, 2014
GoBlue88 That is tremendous.�
Jul 11, 2014
ACDriveMotor I am sure that guy will decide he just needs a bigger truck. Maybe a turbo diesel.�
Jul 11, 2014
caddieo .......maybe even with rolling coal mods.:wink:�
Jul 12, 2014
Kraken Currently, I am working night shift on base. They close the gate that is the most direct route to the house for a few hours, and of course it ends right about the time I get off of a full shift. I had driven a little extra the other day, so I didn't really want to go the long way, or I might find myself having to slow way down to make it home. So I initially stopped and waited for the direct route to open (and eventually gave up on it too..).
Other people wait in the same dirt parking lot. There was one semi there when I pulled up. While we were waiting, 2 more semis pulled up and I started to hear something out of the CB radios that were blaring as they were talking to each other to kill the time.
"That's one of those Teslas. They get 400 miles per charge, and can charge in 20 minutes. What a beautiful car."
I got out and invited them over to see the car (and get a proper education on the true capabilities of the car).�
Jul 12, 2014
andydoty Oddly, I never saw a single Tesla until I put the deposit down on mine. Then one right after another...�
Jul 12, 2014
Ugliest1 We pulled into Hamilton Township NJ a couple of days ago to charge and left for the bookstore. I realized I forgot something in the car and went back for it. By that time a mom was there with her 10 year old son; the boy was checking out our car. I later learned he was Cameron with mom Alyson.
So of course I asked if they had any questions. Then I tried to get Cameron with a few leading questions e.g. "have you ever seen an engine?�. He replied "these are electric aren�t they?�. Well that took the wind out of my sails a bit. But I was still able to start the engine search by opening the frunk and surprising him. �Aha! Rear engine!� he chortled. I then showed him the luggage in the trunk and the body cavity under the trunk, before I relented and explained about the watermelons between the rear wheels. Then I had him open the driver�s door and sit in the driver seat while I went over the basic things and let him explore the few buttons and the 17� screen. He was quite excited. I had to stop him though when he was interested in how to put it into drive.
While all that was happening, another Tesla pulled in. A couple of guys got out and they also began chatting with Alyson while I was busy with Cameron. A supercharger area does seem to be a place for conversations. The funny thing was the other Tesla owner went to his car, rummaged in the glove compartment, and came back with his original, if slightly outdated Tesla pamphlet book. We weren't trying to sell the cars, honest! Although Alyson and her husband are not in the market for a new car at the moment, she now knows about the Gen III coming out and of course Cameron got an eyeful for when he starts driving. He sounded depressed that that would be a whole 6 or 7 years away. Finally my wife came back from the bookstore, and I had Cameron unplug our car, hang up the charging cable, shut Sparky�s port, and we were off.�
Jul 12, 2014
xhawk101 Love it! Reverse is sometimes the fastest way forward�
Jul 13, 2014
artsci I'm grocery shopping today and loading all of my goodies into the frunk. A couple comes over exclaiming what a beautiful car mine is. The man says, "it's a Telsa, right?" I correct him. Then they ask the usual questions -- range, top speed, where I charge, and "is it really all electric?" As they walk way they keep saying how beautiful the car is. Out of the corner of my eye I see them get into a white Mercedes SLK. They man shouts to me as gets behind the wheel, "Your Tesla makes my car look like a Chevy."�
Jul 14, 2014
cgiGuy Rick, just out of curiosity, what's the correction?�
Jul 14, 2014
caddieo TeLsa vs. TeSla�
Jul 14, 2014
brianman You got your implant when you put your deposit down, right? Note that some of the early adopters also underwent a "treatment" so they don't remember getting theirs.
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I met a nice couple charging in Vegas, and then went off to go gamble some time away. When I returned, my car was ready (successful time killing!).
At my next stop in Kingman, I found them again and had some time to talk.
A fire truck showed up (on break getting a milkshake), so we had a 3 on 3 (3 firemen) Tesla Time gathering. Also, I got offered a trade of the $400k firetruck for my Tess. Immediate no from me and the other driver, but his passenger said yes. I cannot confirm that she got to ride around the block and make noise in a shiny red vehicle toting 500 gallons of water.�
Jul 14, 2014
artsci Yes, he said Tellsa.�
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