Jul 14, 2014
ACDriveMotor I would take that trade! Then firesale my new firetruck and buy two (or three) new fully loaded P85+ in my favorite colors.
�
Jul 14, 2014
GoBlue88 Spent this past weekend at a very nice hotel called the Grand Del Mar here in San Diego for my wife's birthday. It also so happened that Detroit Lions running back Reggie Bush was getting married there on Saturday. On Sunday morning we checked out and went out front to wait for valet to retrieve my Model S. About 5-6 current and former NFL players who had attended the wedding as well as Reggie Bush's mom and dad were also waiting for their cars. I definitely recognized former Charger QB Stan Humpries, among others.
Anyway, the valet pulls up in a tricked-out black Range Rover which is Reggie's mom's car. Looks pretty nice but nobody really notices. Next up was a very nice looking Audi Audi RS7. Again, people are oblivious.
Next up my shiny, clean Blue Metallic MS85 silently slips into the area. All conversation ceased and super rich NFL players were staring at my car, no doubt wondering which of their brethren was driving this beautiful piece of technology. My wife and I walk over and start putting stuff into the trunk. The admiration from those guys was palpable. :biggrin:�
Jul 14, 2014
ACDriveMotor Nice! You might have just sold a few more cars!!�
Jul 14, 2014
brianman Did your wife give you the greenlight to give the the quick tour?�
Jul 14, 2014
GoBlue88 It was a bit of a zoo getting out of there and nobody asked, so we just hopped in and bailed. Was funny to feel the stares of these monster dudes looking at the 5'7" skinny dude getting into the best looking car in the valet area.�
Jul 14, 2014
jkliu47 If you had popped the frunk to put a piece of luggage in there, it may have prompted some raised eyebrows and perhaps a question :biggrin:�
Jul 14, 2014
GoBlue88 Yeah I thought of that after we drove away. Oh well.�
Jul 14, 2014
Btrflyl8e Rookie.�
Jul 14, 2014
ACDriveMotor LOL�
Jul 14, 2014
austinEV Implants? Treatment? OMG, is our model S ownership a total-recall-style memory implant? That explains so much. How it can be so strangely better and no one else gets it. Are we actually driving around in Ford Fiestas and the implants make us see supercars?�
Jul 15, 2014
andydoty I prefer to think of us as "evangelists". You would have thought they would have planted a little extra in there... Maybe a little concert pianist? Tennis pro? Nooooo...
Two weeks?!? Two weeks?!?�
Jul 15, 2014
Half Dollar Bill Weekend full of moments.
We went back to my college in PA this weekend for their annual artist festival. Checking into the hotel, the clerk hands me the paper to fill out my car info. I wrote �Tesla� and started to write �Model� when he blurts out �You�ve got a Tesla?!� I tell him I�d be happy to show it to him later if we weren�t out at the festival.
He calls us a few hours later and I take him down to the garage. He snaps pictures of the front and back �T�s� and I open the driver�s door and offer to let him get in. He gives me this �are you sure?� look and giddily jumps in the driver�s seat. He�s done some research and asks a few questions about price. I guess that he hadn�t gone to the site and spec�d a car because he was high by about 20K. He fiddles with the touchscreen a bit more and I can tell that he�s having a ball and doesn�t really want to get out of the car.
After what seems like half an hour of Q&A we start to walk away and he laughs one more time as the handles retract and mirrors fold in. I find out he�s a junior studying to get into med school and I wish him plenty of success.
There�s a free level 2 charge station on the edge of campus and I drive there to recharge for the trip home in two days. What do I find but another Tesla (silver, 12K series so a lot older than ours)! I leave a note for the owner to call when they�re done and sure enough around 10 I get a call and run the car over. The other Tesla isn�t there when I arrive but the funny thing is that we catch up with the gentleman at the Hagerstown supercharger on the way home and I thank him before he departs. Also of note at Hagerstown was another green car, this one a 60, using the supercharger for the first time even though they had the car since September.
Then we stop for ice cream at a MD dairy and an older gentleman walks up to the car. We start a conversation and he asks a bunch of questions about range. He wishes that he�d held the Tesla stock he bought a bit longer so he could more easily afford a the car. He�s also a big Elon fan.
Guess I need to get out more often.�
Jul 16, 2014
cgiGuy Ahhh.. my brain didn't even register the misspelled word. Maybe I'm dyslexic and don't damn a give...�
Jul 18, 2014
Btrflyl8e Wednesday on my way home from work I saw a girl behind me with her phone held high, snapping a few pics. I hadn't noticed anyone doing that lately; we're not as rare around here as we once were. As a matter of fact, on my way home last night I was next to another blue one, then passed a white one headed in the other direction.
I just recently had it corrected and coated, so maybe it catches more attention when it's clean and shiny!�
Jul 19, 2014
JST Guy on street (GOS): Hey!
Me: -looks other way-
GOS: HEY!
Me: hey?
GOS: That's a nice car, man!
Me: Thanks!
GOS: Let's hear some thunder!
Me: Uh...�
Jul 19, 2014
spentan Haha I had something similar. Was picking my car up at Paris valet (Vegas) and a guy was like "would you mind terribly if I listen to your beautiful car"�
Jul 19, 2014
jrreno Pulling up to the Disneyworld Parking Kiosk, attendent turns around like he didn't see me then with a wry grin says " sorry I didn't hear you drive up".�
Jul 19, 2014
ggr My excuse for missing TMC Connect is that the Big Gay Car was in the San Diego Gay Pride Parade today, marching in and supporting the ACLU contingent. I completely lost count of the number of people who shouted "It's a PINK TESLA!". In honor of the occasion I didn't even correct them :wink:. I gave lots of what I consider to be the official salute, three parallel horizontal fingers. I don't think many people recognized it. Anyway, it is always a hoot, and this year was even hootier, with the car. I also had a rainbow mustache, which got almost as many comments
My passenger was the mother of the Executive Director of the ACLU, too old to do the walk but happily waving to everyone and telling them in Spanish that she owned the car, and I was just her driver! I think she thought I couldn't understand what she was saying, but I get a bit here and there. Anyway, she had a great time too. There were about 75 of us marching for the ACLU. About 300k people came to see the parade.�
Jul 19, 2014
Tedkidd Chuckle...�
Jul 19, 2014
ggr Oops, somehow duplicated post...�
Jul 19, 2014
flashflood I have a Tesla moment in waiting.
Met a girl at the local Verizon store a few weeks ago. Ended up being there a couple of hours because we were on hold with HQ, yadda yadda. There was nobody else around (slow day), so we got to talking, and are now friends. I mentioned Mr. T the other day, and she said, "Oh yeah, I've heard about them. I don't know about electric cars though. I've heard they still have really limited range and super low power -- like, you can't even have a real subwoofer because it drains the battery."
I just smiled. I didn't refute any of it. In my head, I'm thinking, "This is going to be fun."
So we have a date. When she gets off work tomorrow, I'm taking her for a test drive.
I am new to the evangelical process, so any suggestions would be most welcome. I've probably already forgotten half the cool and/or strange things about the Model S, because they're all just normal now. The one thing I plan to do before having her drive is demo both the acceleration and the regen braking, because both are a bit... surprising.
I will, of course, report back on the experience. ;-)�
Jul 20, 2014
ItsNotAboutTheMoney The cynic in me says "She really worked you with her easily-refuted-by-demonstration angle. She clearly wanted a ride at speed with the stereo cranked up to 11."�
Jul 20, 2014
flashflood Heh. Not sure what the point of that would be, though. She could have just said, "Cool, can I drive it?" Would have gotten the same result either way.�
Jul 20, 2014
Btrflyl8e Two Tesla moments this weekend:
First one was last night. We went to our favorite local pizza place for dinner and parked right in front. I could see the car from our table. A couple sitting at the bar stepped outside to smoke, and I saw them start walking all around my car. I grabbed the fob and walked outside so I could let them see the inside. The guy was pretty quiet, but the woman was in love with the car! I had her sit in the drivers seat and walked her through some of the screen stuff and she was clearly blown away. It was fun!
Then tonight we went out again for dinner with some friends to discuss an upcoming Alaska trip. We met them at the restaurant, and I got to park in one of two parallel spaces directly in front of the outdoor seating. It was early so no one was out there when we arrived. When we left there were a few tables occupied, however. One of our friends came over to check out the CQuartz job I just had done. After we chatted a few minutes, I went to get in my car and a man having dinner at one of the tables yelled to me "nice car!". I yelled an enthusiastic " thanks! ". Always nice when someone appreciates the beauty of a Tesla!�
Jul 20, 2014
SBerg The other day I startled a pedestrian in a parking lot, he didn't hear the MS. I apologized for startling him and he turned and said, "no prob, I thank you for buying that car." Some people do understand the difference this car and it's technology are making and I am proud to be part of the difference.�
Jul 20, 2014
NigelM Mod Note: bunch of posts went to snippiness and two got deleted (this is a family-friendly forum)
Apologies to the innocent folks who just replied to the bad stuff.�
Jul 20, 2014
FLDarren I was at a light with 2 street bikes right behind me. I had the pano vented and music off so I could hear everything going on around me. The one biker said to the other, "That's all electric ain't it." The other responded, "Yeah, and you get a tax credit when you buy one." Then the first biker said, "Look, no tailpipe, that's awesome." Then the light turned green.
Shorty after that I heard a pedestrian ask "What kind of car is that?" I've heard this at least a dozen times. I need to make a small sign and stick it out the pano saying "It's a Tesla" just for these occasions.:wink:�
Jul 21, 2014
Cosmacelf No, women are naturally much more devious than that. Her way, she made the guy think it was his idea to ask her out�
Jul 21, 2014
Tharo I love this tread but I always ask me the same question. All those people who are interested in the car, are interested because it is a nice car or a brand new car company or because it's electric?. Do they know it is an electric car?.�
Jul 21, 2014
jrreno For me I enjoy technology and this car is loaded with it! The reasons you give are just icing on the cake for me�
Jul 21, 2014
bonnie Oh?�
Jul 21, 2014
FLDarren I think at first people like it because it's a nice looking car. Sometimes that's where it ends because the oppurtunity doesn't arise to educate and inform. Once someone learns about the company and what Model S can do and what it represents, it then goes deeper. That's the way it happened to me. I have a deep appreciation for what Tesla has accomplished in these few short years and I am very optimistic on what's to come.�
Jul 21, 2014
ItsNotAboutTheMoney Subtext: Be careful out there. *wink* *smirk*�
Jul 21, 2014
RichardL Not exactly a Tesla moment - more an EV moment:
Yesterday at Laguna Seca I was at the corkscrew while the vehicles were running - it was so quiet that the corner worker had taken off his ear defenders and was talking to me while the cars were running (try that during the ICE session!)
As the electric bikes came around for the first lap, one of them crested the Corkscrew for the first time and you could clearly hear his "Oooooooh!' as he saw the drop off - classic�
Jul 21, 2014
Gizmotoy Once I saw the vantage point of the pictures you took in the other thread (thanks!), I knew that must of been you posted up next to the corner worker. I saw you there on my first run. Canon SLR with a white L lens, if I'm not mistaken? (I was looking at the corner worker, I swear!)
I spoke with a couple guys in a WRX STI on the other side of the paddock after our final run and they wanted to know how the parade lap was. It was a polite, but thinly-veiled suggestion that the car probably couldn't cut it on the track. They were surprised to learn that we ran six full-speed sessions, and how fast they actually were. We were so quiet they didn't even know anyone was out on the track. :biggrin:�
Jul 21, 2014
pbleic Yesterday, in a parking lot, I had several people tell me what a beautiful car it was. Then, one guy walked over and said "do you have to plug it in, or does it charge by using the brakes. I heard it charges by using the brakes." So, I told him "yes, you have to plug it in" and explained about regenerative braking as an "engine thing." He said "really, I heard it charged by braking." I tried to explain to him that this would make it a perpetual motion machine, but I gave up. He seemed to reluctantly accept that you had to charge it too.�
Jul 21, 2014
brianman For EVs, this is one definition of success. If people just want and buy the car because it's better, it's game over for the competition.�
Jul 21, 2014
Cosmacelf It was meant as a compliment. Most men would rather be the initiator, most women intuitively recognize this and arrange things so that the man thinks he was his idea all along to do whatever the woman wanted to do in the first place. There are exceptions, doesn't apply to all people, situations, couples, etc.�
Jul 21, 2014
Gizmotoy My wife and I both really enjoyed Chelsea Sexton's closing presentation, and this was one of the points she made.
I kind of disagreed with her comments about how for any given movement the most important person is the second guy to join, and that we were still the first guy with that one crazy idea that could change everything. I think Elon, the EV1 owners, Roadster owners, and so forth were that first guy. This a mass-production vehicle with high accolades from around the industry. I know, as a longtime motorsports guy who NEVER considered buying a "slow" quirky EV, I drove a Model S and thought "this changes everything." It's an amazing thing I didn't know I wanted, which, IMO, disqualifies me as being part of the initial part of the movement.
That said, with several of these Tesla moments piling up now, hopefully we've convinced a few more "2nd Guys" to join the party.�
Jul 21, 2014
CliffG Apparently not (don't ask me how or why). I had two such instances over the weekend: the first was when we were getting the tires rotated on my wife's car and one of the guys at the shop asked about my Model S: "what kind of car is that?" Says I: "a Tesla." Asks he: "Who makes it?" (yeah, they still ask that.) Says I: "Tesla. And it's 100% electric - no gas." Asks he: "what!?! no gas?" Look of astonishment.
Second case was at the Hamilton Township SC: walking into the Barnes & Noble with a BMW owner: "What? No gas? And I'm stuck with my prehistoric, 8-cylinder gas-burner." Since he and his wife (all smiles at the idea of a Tesla) know about them, you'd think he would have realized "no gas".
go figure.�
Jul 21, 2014
iadbound While waiting for my car to arrive . . . I stopped by the Tesla gallery yesterday just to remind myself exactly what my color looked like.:wink: I found myself talking to the people who were checking out the car (the store is in a big mall), and I think I was talking it up more than the sales people (big surprise).
In particular, two ladies were taking pictures of themselves behind the wheel, and I commented to them that they needed to close the door to make the shot look better, and when they got out they started asking me about the car. So, of course, I asked them if they checked out the frunk yet, and they had no idea about it. So I opened it. The look on their faces was priceless.
It's still fun to see how the car can delight.
Of course, right after the frunk was open, somebody else asked where the engine is located. Gotta love it.�
Jul 21, 2014
caddieo All the questioners I have run into so far are attracted to the car because it looks nice and/or they have never seen one before. The questions that follow are basically of two types: 1) They know nothing about the car and so you have to feed them information starting from ground zero. 2) They know a little bit about the car and want to know more or get a closer look.�
Jul 21, 2014
Denarius I'm a little behind, but I would have responded "this one is all lightning!"�
Jul 21, 2014
Jeffruby Well this was a moment!
My previous posts involve smoking corvettes and other hot cars- with visitors in my car.
I often get to a light on double lane road- and if the guy next to me looks annoying I'll let him pull away for a second than poof!
Well today- had my #1 fan in the car, my daughter. Never speed with her in car, but will give her the acceleration poof then stop at 60.
We are in left lane of three lane road at light. I hear this growling loud loud loud car in far left lane but couldn't see what kind of car it was bc of minivan in between us.
To my left (in turning lane) was another truck pointing to me, and then to that horrible sound. My daughter yells "smoke him" (of course referring to the acceleration to 60)....
Light turns green, I hesitate and see this rusted pos loud as hell pull out faster than I expected. I started slow then pushed the poof pedal and........ The rust ball blasted away from me! I don't know Wtf it was. Nos? He got a solid 40 feet on me at 60 mph, and he too slowed down. I told my daughter to give him the thumbs up- he laughed and waved then blasted away from me!
Negative moment here! Hahaha�
Jul 21, 2014
flashflood So, as promised, here's the trip report.
I picked up "Rachel" (not her real name) at the appointed time this afternoon. We walked out to the car, and she's like, "wait -- did the handles just come out?" I remember that feeling -- did I just see what I think I saw? So I realized almost immediately how much coolness I had already forgotten about, and mentally slowed down the pace. I showed her the trunk -- pretty nice, lots of space -- and then the frunk. The frunk reveal invariably produces a priceless expression, as the person fails to see what they were expecting to see: wait, huh? who stole the engine? That, of course, is a natural segue to talk about how *small* the motor is, which is a perfectly devious setup for someone who's already expecting lame eco-friendly performance.
I then spent a good bit of time (more than expected) on the UI. Again, I'd already forgotten how cool it is. No buttons, just like an iPad, and oh yeah, here's this iPhone app that can honk the horn (to show that it actually works) or, more importantly, turn on the AC ten minutes before you leave the restaurant/movie/whatever on a hot day.
Next, I drove for a bit to set expectations on both the acceleration (cf Tesla grin) and the regen braking, and explained the one-pedal driving concept. Then it was her turn, and it was like a duck to water. She drove like an ace from the get go. She was struck by how smooth the ride is, and how responsive the car is. Can't argue with that.
Finally we drove back to work (she was on break for our little adventure), and Rachel's first comment to her co-worker was, "I'm getting a Tesla. That's my new life goal."
So, to the crew in Fremont, thanks -- for a fun outing, and for making the future happen. That is the magic of Model S: from "I don't know about electric cars" to "new life goal" in half an hour. What an amazing creation.�
Jul 22, 2014
mhpr262 Probably a "sleeper" car with a few ten thousand bucks in engine, drivetrain and chassis modifications under the rusty panels ...�
Jul 22, 2014
eepic This. Awesome story, good luck with "Rachel"�
Jul 23, 2014
invisik I had the windows down the other day and stopped at a stoplight. A kid on a bicycle was on the sidewalk right next to me. He yelled out "How do you get in your car?!"
Handles in, it is a little strange for the unexperienced..... Heh!
-m�
Jul 24, 2014
Theshadows You were in my area. A friend sent me a text saying that we must be at the arts festival because he saw our car and he doesn't think that there are any others in town. We were in town and we parked on the street so it probably was ours he saw. We parked next to the waffle shop Saturday morning and the typical line was there and our daughter gets out of the trunk. There were a lot of faces with shocked expressions on them.
When our son and I came back to our car there was a young couple (like 18-20) checking out our car and the boy went to the front to take a pic and his girl went to the drivers door to peer inside the window and then she looked at her boyfriend and gave a thumbs up and he took a pic. I tried to time it but missed, I extended the door handles a second too late for the pic but she was shocked none the less when they popped out. I gave them an abbreviated 3 minute tour because we had to meet my wife on the other end of town. Our son had to show them his seats of course. They said they want to get one really really badly.
Back to the original intent of my reply, you could use our home charger next time too, it'll charge faster than the one on campus.�
Jul 31, 2014
Chipper Coming home from TMC Connect we came out of a Culvers to see three young men walking toward our Model S. One of the boys was commenting "Sweet!" and telling the others all about Tesla and Elon. So I sidled up and began giving them the Tesla Tour. We didn't realize there were three vans of these kids and soon the whole group was over for the tour. When I popped the hood they were all amazed (except for the one very knowledgeable young man). Their chaperone, a middle aged woman, said, "The engine is in the rear." So I popped the fully loaded trunk and watched her amazement and then allowed the young man to explain the facts to her. One of the young ladies commented, "THIS is going to be my first car!" As we silently drove off they were all watching and I told my wife, "This is the generation I want to influence. These kids will make Tesla the industry standard.�
Jul 31, 2014
lorih
So, the question I continually have to ask on this forum is why we keep getting comments about "women do this" or "women are this way"? Generally the posts are followed by back peddling of "most but not all" women? So, I gotta ask, why do we keep having to make assumptions about all women? (especially knowing that the women on this forum are a minority, and by definition unique compared to the general population or else the forum would be closer to 50/50 mix of gender posting).�
Jul 31, 2014
ElSupreme I was driving to soccer yesterday, with the windows down and stereo at 11. Then a lady pulls up next to me rolls down the window. I turn down my music a bit as she says "I like it." I start into my Tesla Model S spiel, then she says "No, I like the song ... I like the car too!"
It was great!�
Jul 31, 2014
freds You should have hit unlock on the touch panel and had them extend....
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I was about 10 miles east of Cody, WY and going 10-11 above the speed limit and a cop car passes me coming the other direction. I look up in my mirror and see him pulling a U-turn, I dropped my speed by five he comes up screaming up behind me without his lights on. Hangs there just long enough to read the zero emissions plate since I hadn't received my plates/tags before leaving on the trip and then turns around and continues on his way!�
Jul 31, 2014
bonnie Saying most women are naturally devious was meant as a compliment? I think most people on this forum know better than that. And I'm with lorih on this. Why is there this need on the forum to generalize about women? When there is an accident and a man is driving, there is zero discussion about 'male drivers'. But it doesn't go without comment, a LOT of comment, when it was a woman driving. It's insane.
Can't we all just be people here? Why does one group have to be naturally more devious, bad at parking, and whatever else I've read here recently? How would you feel? It's not the most welcoming feeling, to be completely open about it.�
Jul 31, 2014
GoBlue88 I'm doing an online traffic school right now, thanks to the first ticket I've received in 27 years. FWIW, the accident statistics they cited in both California and nationwide show that approximately 71% of car accidents resulting in fatalities involve male drivers. :redface:�
Jul 31, 2014
Tedkidd How did you get to Cody?!
How long did that take?�
Jul 31, 2014
Larry93428 As I was getting out this guy rushed up and said: "There's black smoke coming out of the back of your car!"
OH no, the dreaded Tesla fire I was thinking and the guy said: " out of the exhaust pipe. Ha ha ha!" and slapped me on the back.
Ha ha indeed.
He wanted to know how far it would go and I said 265 and went into the store.�
Jul 31, 2014
Cosmacelf I can't stop you from taking offense. I honestly explained my comment. If you don't want to believe me, there isn't much else I can do.
I agree, there could be a lot less of that.
Well, my comment was a good natured comment about a guy getting together with a woman for an initial meeting that could lead to a date. So it was explicitly about women/men relationships. It was an OT post that was meant to be lighthearted and not to be taken too seriously.�
Jul 31, 2014
bonnie No, we're good. It's just this whole forum sometimes gets to be a bit, well, you know. You see it. I wish it were more welcoming towards women. So comments like 'women are naturally more devious' are in flashing neon lights, even though you obviously didn't mean it that way.�
Aug 1, 2014
flashflood What would make the forum more welcoming towards women? Serious question. Admittedly, I'm relatively new here, and male, but what I've seen so far is that TMC is generally very polite and that the subject matter is gender-neutral and low-conflict in nature (a handful of explicitly political threads aside). I'm always interested in learning about things that I'm blind to.�
Aug 1, 2014
ElSupreme Pink?
:: Ducks and hides from Bonnie. ::�
Aug 1, 2014
ggr It's me you should be worried about...�
Aug 1, 2014
bonnie Overall, you're right. This forum is absolutely so much better than other forums in the respect of gender neutrality. For the language scale, we (moderators) go by the rule of 'would it pass on prime time television' (and sometimes doug has put my posts in moderation because they failed to meet that test - oops).
What's proven most helpful in my career was what would be most helpful here (and would make this forum shine) is this: Instead of letting the women speak up when some stuff is out of whack (like 'I've never seen a woman who can parallel park' or stuff like that), the guys should step up and say that's ridiculous. When I've had men at work step up to stop the 'hey, can you go make some copies for us' bs, it was much more powerful, because no one could say I was being overly sensitive. Make sense?
Anyway, I appreciate you asking. I love this forum 'as is' or I wouldn't be here. But I agree with LoriH, that if we could stop talking about women in sweeping generalizations, that would be a great first step. Because we're all different.
And then there's this one moderator that I cannot do anything about.... but there is always TMC Connect 2015�
Aug 1, 2014
lorih I agree with Bonnie. I get caught thinking, "should I say something and risk being considered a bitch", or let it go knowing that any kind of group stereotyping (gender, race, etc) does a disservice to a supportive community environment as well as open intellectual discussion. But having conducted diversity trainings myself, I know it is important to keep pointing out when someone (intentionally or naively) crosses the line, in order to keep a welcoming community, so having 'allies' (folks outside the target group), stepping in helps.
I do understand humor, and when it is close to the line, saying so up front with emoticon or joking helps. When it is obvious (like El Supreme's "pink"), I find myself chuckling right along.
That being said, I am sensitive to the "women are" generalizations, and hope we stop doing these. Still TMC is a very wonderful community, and I do feel a welcoming place for women in part because of the type of folks on this forum, but in a large part do to the tireless efforts of all our moderators that work to keep things in-line.
Thanks to all the moderators here for their hard work (and special thanks to ElSupreme for carrying my purse around at Refuel without feeling the least bit emasculated, I will buy a special pink version for you next year).�
Aug 1, 2014
dsm363 He told me it was a European Man bag:smile:
I'm glad people feel welcome here. It really is a great community of people and it's nice when so many people with different backgrounds can get along.�
Aug 1, 2014
ggr I can't miss an opportunity to tell one of my best anecdotes. A long time ago now, Nobel Prize winner Arno Penzias was running Bell Labs, and one of my best friends was a researcher there. A bunch of High Muckety Mucks from somewhere trooped into a meeting room, with my friend, her boss, her boss's boss, and so on, all the way up to Arno. She was the only female in the room. So Highest Muckety Muck turns to her and says "I'll have mine black with two sugars." Before she could even say anything, Arno says "Dr. M. will be giving the briefing, I'll get the coffee."�
Aug 1, 2014
bonnie Yep! Almost identical to what happened to me one time. I was the 2nd most senior in the room, all men, sitting furthest from the door. The client walks in, hands me a stack of docs and asks me to make copies for everyone. Sooo, it was a client, right? You don't give them a hard time. I headed to the copy machine, mumbling to myself. And the docs were snatched out of my hands by the one person more senior to me, the VP of R&D, who said 'I'll make the copies, I told them you were needed in there more than I was."
That stuff makes all the difference. If I'd complained about making copies, then the reaction would have been 'hey, we all have to do that, don't make a big deal'. But because someone else made a big deal, everyone recognized it was a problem. And it was great support. That's how we help each other
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Oh, so no one told you that we're all chipping in to cover his subsequent therapy sessions?�
Aug 2, 2014
flashflood I was driving my MC Red Model S the other day, and ended up behind another MC Red. Then, *another* one appeared behind me! A convoy of three Red Teslas! Welcome to Silicon Valley...�
Aug 2, 2014
HHHH gotta love that! Those are the times you wish there was a photog in front of you to chronicle it.�
Aug 2, 2014
bonnie Sometimes there is
�
Aug 2, 2014
HHHH that's a great pic. had to go to my best friend's bachelor party this year or else I would've been there, hopefully next year.�
Aug 2, 2014
austinEV This guy always carries a purse/man bag.
Seriously, it is always there. I have been introducing the movies to my little girl and I suddenly noticed it. It was even a plot point in the third one, when his purse strap is caught on the tank turret and he can't get off. He is trying to break it but it is too sturdy and he ends up being saved by the driver being shot inside.�
Aug 3, 2014
brianman language!
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I will remember this Tesla moment for a long time:
The speed reported in the camera was "delayed" average. The speed was 0mph at this point (my car was stopped).
Love the brakes in my S; they definitely stick strong in the rare cases I actually have to use them.�
Aug 3, 2014
Btrflyl8e Love the shot of all those Teslas!
So my Tesla got me free BBQ Friday night. Here's how it happened: drove my 20 miles home from Tampa to Seminole, I never cook on Friday nights, so I was trying to think of a place to go for dinner. I wanted something GOOD. I thought of the best BBQ around, which is basically a food truck, back in Tampa near my office. But when you drive a Tesla, you don't mind the drive so hey, why not? My bf had never eaten there, and I sold him on the thought with my glowing review of their ribs and brisket. So into the car we go, for a 20 mile trek right back to Tampa. We get there and... They are out of ribs and brisket! It was close to closing for them, and it's not fast food, so I understood how that can happen. Still, I was crushed. The owner was there and saw my car (he loves my car, I go there for lunch all the time and he always chats with me about it). We were still able to get pulled pork so we were going to just be happy with that, but he had them take out a new brisket (I guess those are done in advance?) and they packed us enough pulled pork, brisket, coleslaw and brisket for 4 people. They also "found" about 4 ribs and threw those in there, too. Then they refused to let is pay for it! The whole time they were preparing our to go order, I was doing the typical run through of the car for a friend of the owner, who was there with his MB SL500. So I got Tesla time AND free BBQ!�
Aug 4, 2014
ElSupreme
It's all good. You shouldn't have to worry for another decade or so. I'm good at repressing things. :crying:�
Aug 5, 2014
Mario Kadastik I have to ask, do you have a keyword trigger to phone alert or do you just read all the threads 24x7�
Aug 5, 2014
ecarfan Great photo. What does the lettering across the rear of the Roadster say? I can't make it out.
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Aug 5, 2014
ggr Just lucky I guess.�
Aug 5, 2014
bonnie We're missing the pic right before this, the one where I was IN the lane you're in and decided to change to the other lane, just in case you hadn't noticed the traffic had suddenly stopped. Roadster owners are defensive drivers
It was a priceless moment. (And I'd do the same thing again. So would you, if you were in a Roadster with a beast of a Model S behind you.)
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TeslaRoadTrip.org�
Aug 5, 2014
ecarfan Oh so that white Roadster is Bonnie's car. Now I get it.�
Aug 5, 2014
brianman To be clear, it wasn't a critique just quite memorable. Also, the description above is a little deceptive.
We (3) were all in the 2nd lane from the right. The lead S pulled into the right lane and found traffic in front and started braking. The Roadster (#2) observed this and didn't switch lanes just yet. My car (#3) did make the lane change but left a comfortable gap for the Roadster. It was all safe and proper, just quite memorable.
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Aug 5, 2014
bonnie -laughing- In MY rearview mirror, it was happening quite quickly. And not all cars around me were stopping at the same rate. So I decided to move out of the lane, since the other lane was clear. And it wasn't a critique of anyone. Normal Roadster 'if there's an accident, I'm the smallest car' defensive driving.
That car has definitely upped my game, since I now assume no one sees me, unless I see their eyes looking at me directly or in a mirror (and even then, I am watchful) & always aware of how small the car is amidst large cars all around (most with tailpipes spewing poison directly into my line of sight).�
Aug 5, 2014
brianman And I must admit, there was a moment where I thought "If my car touches bonnie's car, I'll never hear the end of it."�
Aug 5, 2014
ckessel I had a Roadster loaner for a couple days last year in the summer. Fun, but I was terrified the entire time that I was going to die if some SUV failed to stop in time.
Not the car for me�
Aug 5, 2014
bonnie That would have made up for a lot, I admit.
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The quickness of the car is the saving grace. And always paying attention to those SUVs and other vehicles. Without a doubt, I'm a better driver because of the Roadster. And after almost 3 1/2 years of driving one, it's just as much fun now as it was the first day. No way I'm ever giving up this car.�
Aug 5, 2014
ChadS Expanding from what Bonnie said...I really like driving the Model S, and its capabilities (storage, supercharging, tech etc) are unparalleled. Most "Tesla moments" come from showing it to people that aren't familiar with it, and seeing their surprise and delight and knowing that they'll consider EVs in the future.
I like all that, but with the Roadster, I have a Tesla moment every minute I drive it. It really is a whole other level of fun. Now that we have the Model S, we don't need the Roadster and something like a LEAF would make a lot more sense. Or an i3, which would also fit in to the stupid tiny garage spot that my builder put in. I've driven them, and they're both nicer to drive than any gas car I ever had, and I could carry more passengers and cargo and so need to borrow my wife's Model S less often, and they'd be cheaper and have a warranty...but man. Giving up the Roadster driving experience is a difficult thing to contemplate. Nobody needs two Teslas and trading down is clearly the practical thing to do and I'm a very practical guy, but I sure am dragging my feet.
(And regarding being the smallest car in an accident...I've long pushed for small efficient vehicles while my wife pushed for big safe vehicles, especially when we had kids. I used to ride motorcycles so I figure any car is safe enough for me. I finally convinced her you can't make a big car more efficient, but you can make a small car safer in some ways, for example choosing a highly visible color. I first saw the Roadster in Thunder Gray and oh man, did I like that. But here in Seattle you don't want to drive a 44" tall car that blends in with wet pavement. Brilliant Yellow was the clear choice for us).�
Aug 5, 2014
brianman @ChadS
I already made the request to bonnie last year, and I'll extend it to you.
If you decide to sell the Roadster (for whatever reason), put me on your interested buyer list.�
Aug 5, 2014
Kraken Wait... I think I remember this... was this when you ditched us all in Fremont?�
Aug 5, 2014
brianman "Lost track of you", yes.�
Aug 5, 2014
Denarius Yep, I think it was. :tongue:�
Aug 5, 2014
LoL Rick Here is my collection of Tesla moments so far.
1. Guy in a Jetta pulls up next to me at a stoplight and motions for me to roll down the window.
Him: "Is it true that thing is all electric?"
Me: "Yep, no gas at all."
Him: "I bet it feels weird not to go to the gas station."
Me: "Doesn't bother me at all."
2. Showing the car to my brother and his best friend, I show the interior, talk about the range and efficiency, then show them huge trunk and underfloor storage. Here comes the setup: "Do you want to see what's under the hood?" Best frunk-face ever!
3. I let a friend who is a competitive go-kart racer drive the car. "Oh, this is so cool!" about a dozen times followed by "I got a little headache from the acceleration." Then "Oh, this is so cool!"
4. At the last moment before purchase I changed the license plate to be transferred to the Tesla, resulting in an overpayment. (Sorry Ben!) Today I received a refund check, computer printed, postmarked from San Francisco, with my name and address hand written on the envelope. Something hilarious about a company with the technology of Tesla having a person in a back office writing out envelopes.�
Aug 5, 2014
stevezzzz Sorry I'm late to the party with this: Roseville SpC, the Friday of TMC Connect, shortly before the convoy headed off to Monterey...
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Aug 5, 2014
CatB Fun Tesla moment at the local gas station this past weekend. I brought a can so I could get some gasoline to pour into an old wine bottle so I could get rid of some Japanese beetles that are wreaking havoc with some trees. Ended up talking to one guy on a motorcycle who really wants a Model III and has never seen a MS, another guy who had heard of Tesla but didn't know what it was and a sweet young guy who was hauling a lawn mower behind his pickup, who offered to help me get gas since I probably didn't know how to do it. I smiled and said thanks and didn't even think of telling him that I have been putting gas in cars since before he was born.�
Aug 6, 2014
Kraken I think we had our own Tesla moment at that same intersection... Denarius and I. Not nearly as scary, but definitely a search for that familiar headlight outline.
And if I recall, we were told you'd come meet us at the supercharger after picking up Bonnie's car... haha. oh well, all's well that ends well, and that weekend definitely went well.�
Aug 7, 2014
Btrflyl8e The two women behind me in this:
were very excitedly trying to figure out what I was driving. Too bad it never worked out for me to have an opportunity to tell them! Sorry for the crappy pic, that was a pretty Maserati Quattroporte, looked to be circa 2012.�
Aug 7, 2014
jrreno Now thats a twist, the Tesla owner taking a pic of the car behind�
Aug 7, 2014
UMD86 Here's my favorite collection.
I was at the Greenwich, CT charging station on a sunny Saturday afternoon last month. A group of 4 (3 guys and 1 female) got out of a car and 1 one of the guys came over to talk about my Model S. He was from Albany, Georgia (classic "friendly" redneck) and he was quizzing me about the car. He heard about the car but never saw one so I go through my sales pitch type walk through and he was amazed. I said do you think you will ever buy one and he said NAH - I like American Muscle. I paused for a second and said, "THIS IS AMERICAN MUSCLE". I said it was developed, designed and manufactured in the Good Ole USA. He had no answer!!! CLASSIC�
Aug 7, 2014
bonnie I think that's my favorite thing to say when dealing with the classic 'I only buy American cars' kind of guy. It IS all-American. Designed, developed and manufactured here. Created jobs here. Lots of 'em. Putting money into the economy. Doesn't use any foreign oil. Such an American success story. Who shouldn't be supporting them??�
Aug 7, 2014
GoBlue88 According to my Louisiana in-laws, California is a foreign country. :wink:�
Aug 10, 2014
Half Dollar Bill We were on vacation at a family community on the CT seashore and a gentleman in the next cottage stops us to ask if the car was a Tesla. He said he�s never seen one in the wild. I open her up and start to talk to him. Turns out he works for a company called Dymax based in CT; they make wire coatings and Tesla is a big account for them. He told me that they initially shipped the products in cans and syringes but now they use 55 gallon drums because of the growth in the volume ordered. The evolution of that relationship was funny to me. He was impressed by the cargo capacity, even more so when I popped the frunk. He really appreciated being able to see the finished product up close and I thanked him for his contribution in making it all possible.
Then my brother and I go golfing with his ten-year-old son one day and during the ride to the course he asks his son what he thinks of the car. His son replies, �It�s the kind of car the Jetsons would drive if their cars had wheels.� I love that kid!�
Aug 10, 2014
swaltner According to their web site, "Dymax manufactures industrial adhesives including UV light curable adhesives, epoxy resins, cyanoacrylates, and activator-cured adhesives." You shoulda asked if they make the orange goo oozing out of some people's hoods.�
Aug 10, 2014
Rheazombi Was driving the car around for the very first time yesterday! Noticed some head turning, pointing, etc. Was all pretty subtle and I was wondering if it was all in my head, but then I remembered this kind of thing never happened in my Toyota. While I was parked in Lowell, MA a group of middle-aged women walked by and stared and I was pretty sure they were talking about the car, two of them kept making eye contact with me while talking and it made me feel really uncomfortable (I try to avoid being the center of attention usually). My dad says I'm going to have to get used to it -_-;; . (He also lives in the Bay Area so he can't comprehend that a lot of ppl in New England don't know what a Tesla is, lol)
On a more amusing note, a guy and his teenage son walked by us in a Chili's parking lot (apparently quite a few Chili's have chargepoint chargers around here. I wasn't able to use it tho because we haven't gotten the chargepoint card in the mail yet). My window was rolled down about 1cm and I heard the guy say to his son (imagine a very thick Boston accent) "You see that cah right there? That's a $200,000 dahllah cah". Wasn't able to hear his son's response but the tone was of interest/excitement while the dad's was more disparaging. I wanted to roll my window down and say "Hey! It's not THAT expensive, jeez!"�
Aug 10, 2014
HHHH Cool tesla moment! Also, you should still be able to use the charge point charger using your phone, that's what I did before I got the card. I haven't had the opportunity to use the card since.�
Aug 10, 2014
Rheazombi
gahh that normally would be awesome! Unfortunately I only have a really old blackberry that can't install the chargepoint app. (can't use the Tesla app either till I get a new phone ~_~ )
tiny tesla moment today: was showing my SO's relatives (a middle aged couple) the car . We drove up to them and they exclaimed "I didn't think the car was even running! It's completely silent!" They were reeeally amused at the frunk, and were very interested in the key and what happens if the key dies. They also really liked the logo, and somehow didn't realize it was a Tesla until halfway through the conversation and then they had a look of disbelief and starting talking about Elon Musk and spaceships. :smile:�
Aug 11, 2014
caddieo I find it unusual and amusing that they did not make a priority of identifying the car. So far in my experience, "What car is this?" is almost always one of the first 2 or 3 questions.�
Aug 11, 2014
jrreno Went to a party and got in a conversation with a woman who was there sans husband. Evidently her husband is very into Tesla's. She had not been in one so I gave her the full demo. She kept saying " no one around here knows what a Tesla is!"
This in the Rochester, NY area.�
Aug 11, 2014
Tedkidd Not sure what that means. I suppose you could say it is absolutely false but generally true. As a general statement you could make it pretty much anywhere and have it be more true than false, just as you might say "most people are oblivious to the world around them."
I've only seen 3 cars in Rochester, and none in about a year. (One owner is on the threads, not sure if his was one of the 3.)
�
Aug 11, 2014
ACDriveMotor I saw a white one going up I-81 above Syracuse this past week. Wonder if it was the same white car as in your picture.�
Aug 11, 2014
jrreno If you spot a blue 85 with Florida plates that would probably be me�
Aug 11, 2014
roblab My wife and I spent about 4 or 5 hours at the county fair this Sunday, showing off the Tesla. Our grandson, 4 year old Tatum, was included at the last minute, to be picked up by Dad later.
Milli and I were busy talking to the many interested fair goers, answering questions left and right, usually from the front passenger seat, as everyone seemed to want to sit behind the wheel. I expect we convinced several that Tesla will be their next car.
Tatum was in and out and around, and although we offered to take him to the playground or the petting zoo, he wanted to stay by the Tesla.
I had just shown off the touch screen and was busy telling about experiences with maintenance, when my current questioner wanted to play "Let's find the engine", which they are consistently surprised to find is NOT under the hood. Always a fun thing to do. However, a few moments later, I noticed that the driver's seat was occupied again, by a grandmotherly type, and beside her was Tatum, waving his arms and telling her, "it goes REALLY fast", and "it uses 'lectricity", and showing her how the screen would open the roof. The lady was taking it all in.
Tatum tells me he will buy his Tesla when he gets old enough to drive. There's a good chance he will want to work for Tesla, too.�
Aug 11, 2014
Tedkidd :smile: See me, stop and say hi!
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Aug 11, 2014
trils0n I spent 6 or so hours on Saturday showing my Model S at an Experience Electric / The Better Ride event put on by the California Center for Sustainable Energy. All the other electric cars were there. Don't know if it was local dealers, or manufacturers showing their electric cars, but there were Nissan Leafs, BMW i3s, a Cadillac ELR, Fiat 500e, Mitsubishi iMiEV, Ford Focus Electric / CMax / Fusion Plug-In, etc. Tesla didn't have a presence there (which was odd because the event was in Fremont about 3 miles from the factory), so I was kind of glad I volunteered to show my car. Two Tesla assembly line workers even showed up and chatted while on their lunch break. Both of them had been working there since June 2012 and they said they were still getting the kinks worked out of the new line. Tons of Tesla moments. Was fun watching people's minds getting blown. I don't think I stopped answering questions for the whole 6 hours. EDIT: Also talked to a guy who worked at a machine shop that was making the Supercharger pedestals -- he said they are making quite a few more than they were even a few months ago.
The most asked questions were "What is the range?" and "How long does it take to charge?".
My favorite interaction was a guy asking all the usual questions, and surprised by the range, free Supercharging, no batteries in the trunk, tons of cargo space, etc. Then he said, "Why do all the other electric cars look weird, why can't they look like a normal car like this?" I don't know. "Why do the other cars only go 20-80 miles? And why do I have to give up my trunk or middle seat to their battery" Their battery packs are about 1/3 or 1/4 of the capacity of this car. Battery intrusion is due to being gas cars converted to electric. <Gears turning in his head> "It's almost like they don't want to sell electric cars!" <He's angry now> "Why aren't they letting the consumer choose what kind of car they can buy!? Why are they making all these compromised cars?" <He storms off>. Made me laugh.�
Aug 11, 2014
Tedkidd Mmmm hmmm. Nicely done.�
Aug 12, 2014
Jeroen Tirion I was on the German Autobahn last week, coming back from Austria between Superchargers - love those as they fill the "tank" at 550 kmh. I didn't spot a single Tesla Model S in 3000 km, but I did notice lots of stares. One was from a big Vin Diesel-like character in an open-top BMW. He buzzed around us a few times, then gave us a big thumbs-up.
Besides this I had some fun keeping apace with the typical German blasters (Audi's, BMW's and Mercedes). Traffic was too busy to go beyond 180 kmh / 110 Mph.�
Aug 12, 2014
Cosmacelf Jeroen, would you consider the model S a good Autobahn car?�
Aug 12, 2014
brianman Heh. Poke that dragon!�
Aug 12, 2014
paulkva Two kinda funny moments tonight.
First, I was leaving a Miami Marlins game, in traffic in the parking garage, and a couple walks up to my car and motions for me to open the window. The guy said he noticed my Virginia plates and asked if I used any superchargers to get down here. I smiled and said, "All of them." Then he asked if they really charge at 100mph. "Up to 350mph," I said, and I explained how I didn't really need to wait for the car to charge. Turns out he owns a Model S but has only used a supercharger once, and it was when he already had 200+ miles of range.
Second, I arrived at our hotel and plugged in, and the security guard (who hadn't heard of Tesla and asked me all the standard questions the night before) said with a big grin, "I googled your car" and started talking about how amazing it is. I could only smile and agree.�
Aug 14, 2014
Vip So not the typical Tesla moment butthought it was humorous to mention.
I was driving home from work the other evening. I was almost home when Inoticed the climate control was on. It was off before. Just thought I mighthave accidentally turned it on when I touched the screen to change music.
Well it happened again when I got home 5 minutes later. At that point I thoughtthere might be some software issue or my car was possessed. Believe it or notmy car was possessed. When my son arrived home with my wife about 5 minuteslater he asked me if there was anything funny going on with the car. Find outthat he opened the Tesla app on my wife's phone and started messing with theclimate control. My son was laughing his butt off!!!
Needless to say the Tesla app is now logged off from my wife's phone!
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Aug 14, 2014
Zextraterrestrial I was walking to my car when someone was looking at it and another passerby had just stopped when he realized what they were looking at.
The first person was asking if he could take a look inside and as the door handles extended, second passerby exclaimed 'My mind is blown!" and didn't want to see anymore.
we all laughed as he walked of shaking his head.�
Aug 14, 2014
Pollux Geez, after promising to capture more pictures of these Tesla moments, I've managed to forget each time... Two of 'em today.
First, at Panera Bread Company. I park and go in to check on my daughter, who is finishing up her shift. I come back to wait in the car. As I start to get in, a guy seated in the passenger seat of the car next to my driver side says, "Nice car!" Sure enough, we get into a deep conversation about the vehicle. He is scared to go to the Tesla showroom, because he might have to buy the car once he gets too close. I invite him to sit in my car, but he turns me down because he has limited mobility.
Second, at the municipal parking lot in the center of Newton, MA. I'm sitting in my car, reading, waiting for my son to arrive on his bus from his camp. I notice that the meter has decremented to zero, so I get out to put a quarter in the meter. As I do that, I see a meter maid writing a ticket only two cars away. I yell over to her, "honest! I didn't just run out to put money in the meter because of you!" She laughed and we started to chat. When I told her I was just waiting for my kid, she chided me and said it was OK to wait in the car without paying the meter. Then she realized that the Tesla was mine, and was instantly gaga! She completely stopped writing tickets. We walked all around the car, she sat in the back, she marveled at everything. We talked electric power, cargo and people capacity, acceleration, price, and how her husband had just spent $45K on a Jeep, and so $61K (after tax credits) wasn't so outrageous after all (but still expensive!). While we were yakking away, another woman walks up. My meter maid sees this woman as she's about to get into her car, and the woman notices us. The meter maid yells over to this woman, while smiling and laughing, "this is your lucky day! I'm way too busy with this Tesla to come over and write a ticket for your car! Enjoy your day!"
Alan�
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