Aug 14, 2014
Pate Yesterday, when walking to my car after playing some volleyball, I had just sat in my car when I heard a boy's voice saying "Nice car!". I turned to look and saw a boy of around 10 years old on a bicycle grinning at me. The following conversation ensued:
Me: "Thanks, yes it is very nice."
Boy: "It is electric, isn't it?"
Me: "Yes it is."
Boy: "How much power does it have?"
Me: "Around 360 hp. Goes from 0 to 100 km/h in about 5 seconds."
Boy: "Wow.. So it's a sport version?"
Me: "No, this is the standard version. There is also a sport version which is even faster."
Boy: "How much power does that have??"
Me: "Around 420 hp. It goes from 0 to 100 in around 4 seconds."
Boy, looking impressed: "Nice. Is it a Maserati?" (I thought this was a bit strange question, as he already seemed to know it was electric!)
Me: "No, it is a Tesla."
Boy: "Tesla?"
Me: "Yes, Tesla."
At this point my passenger arrived and we had to go, so I just thanked the boy for his interest and he cycled away while we went on our way.
Pate�
Aug 15, 2014
ThosEM Yesterday, a nice Audi 8 pulled up behind me in heavy traffic waiting for a light. He had his right turn blinker on, so I pulled up a bit to allow him access to the turn lane to my right. He edged into it and then stopped beside me to thank me and also to ask: "How do you like your car?" I had three heavy duty blowers and a dehumidifier in the back of the car, for drying our basement out after very heavy rains this week.
I said I liked it very much: "goes like a Porsche, loads like an SUV and gets 100 MPGe."
He said: "Great, I pick mine up in a month..." Thumbs up!�
Aug 18, 2014
Ugliest1 Several days ago I was coming back to our loaner parked and charging at Vancouver BC's Grouse Mountain's EV charging spot, unhooking the cord, when three Australians stopped and were looking at the car.
"What kind of car is that? Who makes it?"
"Tesla, made in Fremont CA."
"It's electric?"
"100% electric, no gas whatsoever."
"Only sold in California?"
Suspecting they were Aussies from their accent, but not wanting to guess and have them be insulted New Zealanders (so I've heard), I said
"Where are you from?"
"Australia."
"They'll start being delivered there in the fall."
Quizzical looks. One of them says "when is 'fall'?"
"Couple of months"
"Ohh, that's our spring!!"
We all laughed, I got in, they stayed there and watched the car leave.�
Aug 18, 2014
David99 I saw a local school cheer leading team raising money by offering car wash. There were two lanes and when it was my turn, I heard the girls say "I want to wash the Tesla". All of them came over and started washing my car leaving the other car next to me just waiting. LOL�
Aug 18, 2014
TexasEV Were they using two buckets and clean microfiber towels? If not I wouldn't let them wash my Tesla no matter how cute the girls were.�
Aug 18, 2014
HHHH ^This.�
Aug 18, 2014
Denarius ^Times infinity�
Aug 18, 2014
birdsaresmarter I just died a little for that car. RIP clear coat�
Aug 18, 2014
Theshadows Oh, wow, I won't even let the towel guys touch our car at the touch less car wash.
There is no way I would let any kids wash our car except ours. (They have been trained the correct way to do it.)�
Aug 18, 2014
Theshadows Last night we were on our way home form an amusement park in very light traffic and they just raised the speed limit to 70mph on our highway. So I had the cruise set for 81 (78 on my phone GPS) and our kids were sitting in the back playing on the iPad.
We were going up a slight hill with an additional truck lane and there were big rigs in the far right lane going about 55-60 mph.
I go into the settings and change the units to km. 130 on the display. Our daughter knows the car well and knows this is the top speed of the car. So I say, "hey, look how fast we are going, and it's so quiet". She looks up from the iPad and says "oh gosh, I'm uncomfortable going that fast, can you please slow down?" Our boy says "one three zero, wow." We go past two more big rigs in the right lane and she says again, can you please slow down. (She's the one that witnessed the big rig blow out last month.) Then she looks back at the iPad for a few moments and my wife switches it back to miles. Then I say, "There, is that better?" She looks up and sees 81 again and says yes. My wife and I both chuckle then we explained to her what we did and she said it wasn't funny.�
Aug 19, 2014
Half Dollar Bill Funny thing, I hated those "slight hills" during my commutes back and forth to my parents house during class breaks and family visits. I suspect I'd love them now in the MS, especially on the backside if the energy graph dips into the green.
Seems like it was MS week at the amusement park. They'll need to put in a second charger.
I wonder if your trick would work on unsuspecting test drivers. Seed planted.�
Aug 19, 2014
caddieo The best conveyor-type car wash in town also offers hand washing and mini-detailing but after seeing the unbranded liquids and the overused rags, I decided to continue doing it myself.�
Aug 19, 2014
PeterW Awesome, great people skills.�
Aug 19, 2014
gg_got_a_tesla I'd have found it really easy. Kiwis are just friendlier
�
Aug 19, 2014
Half Dollar Bill We visited my parents over the weekend and took them to mass on Sunday morning in the car. After mass was over, my mother stops the priest and asks him if he�d mind blessing the car. Seems like a few weeks ago he had a group car blessing ceremony and since we weren�t in town at that time she didn�t want us to miss out.
I thought it would be just the priest but he brings out the whole alter server cadre with him, does the blessing, then we proceed into Tesla time. He says he�s never seen one of these cars before and asks what kind it is � it's a Tesla. Well who makes it � we go into that explanation. Turns out one of the assistants has family in CA and they see many on the road. I get them curious about the engine and pop the frunk � met with wide eyed disbelief (not sure if they�ll be saying extra penance for that). One server asks to see the engine and is disappointed when I say it�s buried behind the second row of seats. Answer the usual questions about range and price. Show them the touchscreen and the group gradually starts to break up. The priest gives me a car magnet that would have been a nice gift but I�ll need to repurpose it since the body is aluminum. Haven�t tried it on our ICE car yet. I did find a nice spot on the rear view mirror mount to attach an icon that was a second gift. All in all, this might have been my favorite moment so far.�
Aug 22, 2014
Newscutter Two excerpts from my blog re: last weekend's trip to Cleveland.
TSLA Owner's First Sighting
As we sat in the car to see what we could dig up, I noticed a silver Mercedes whizzing past us-- in reverse! It was weird behavior in such a wide open parking lot, but when he turned our direction the intent became clear. I walked over to see if he needed directions or something and it turned out that he was a longtime TSLA stock owner and ours was the first car he'd ever seen! He had lots of questions and pretty much my answer to all of them was: "BUY THE CAR." My dashcam has the audio turned off (for legal reasons in my state) but you can see how this all looked from the car:
?
I sure hope he trades that Mercedes in on a nice Model S. If you ever find this post, Mr. Ward, please let me know how you're enjoying your new Tesla!
ZERO Time
Coming out after dinner at an Eat n'Park somewhere off the beaten path in Ohio, I noticed a motorcycle parked suspiciously close to Serena. I had her well away from the busy spots but for some reason a biker had parked up beside her. As we approached I noticed the rider on an intercept course from a store beside us. He caught my eye and immediately said, nodding towards the car "Any regrets?" What a setup!
We dove into conversation and it turns out he has test driven the cars several times but as a single guy was struggling with the idea of a 4 door hatchback body style. I'm sure the presence of my family whooping around the car and smudging up the screen as we talked did little so calm his fears of settling down. It was clear he'd done at least one lap around the car in our absence as he asked detailed questions about the tires, colors and other options... then I noticed his motorcycle.
It that a ZERO?? Suddenly the tables were turned. I had only read about them prior to this and here on a back road in Ohio was a Zero. It's an electric motorcycle with crazy performance and a range of over 100 miles. Also made in America. Also dead silent and high tech. The parallels with Tesla are uncanny.
I asked him about his experiences with it and how he liked it-- basically all the questions he had just asked me about the Tesla! His other bike is a Ducati but he never rides it anymore. The Zero has no hot engine, no vibration, no sound and when he rides he says the experience is closer to flying like a bird than anything else-- silently blasting through the countryside with only the wind buffeting. Wow. I'm scared to death I would like riding motorcycles.. to my death, which is why I can't get one. But I love riding my bike because it also has no heat, no vibration and is silent. A bike on super steroids.
They're really like "the Tesla of motorcycles" if you think about it. Also a proud electric product from California with a mission to change their niche in the industry. If you can't afford a Tesla or need a different kind of silent thrill, you should definitely look into www.zeromotorcycles.com.
As we prepared to part ways after 10 minutes or so of eagerly explaining our rides to each other, I insisted he go first. He climbed on his bike.. no starter or anything... then just disappeared. No sound. A moment later he reappeared on the main road below, accelerating hard up to speed in what seemed to be an action movie on mute or a special effect of some kind. Surely he's just CGI, I thought, watching him silently vanish into the night.
�
Aug 22, 2014
KenN Bit off topic, but if you like the Zero, check out the Mission Motorcycles RS.
Mission Motorcycles
Warning: costs almost as much as a MS60!�
Aug 23, 2014
mhpr262 We have a whole thread on the Mission motorcycles in the electric vehicles subforum. Last news, from lolachampcar IIRC, was that the manufacturer had gone silent and wasn't answering emails ... I hope it's because they're busy with ramping up production ...�
Aug 23, 2014
Newscutter Hopefully Mission is still going-- but regardless the Zero hits the value mark a bit firmer. I think they're all until $15 pretty easily and considering the decreased fuel and maintenance they're in line with comparable bikes from what I can tell... Just like a Model S is a better value than an M5 or Panamera. :wink:
We now return you to your previously themed thread....�
Aug 23, 2014
kirkp I went to a car show in Newnan, GA, today; I had to park in the center of the lot, and it was really hot, over 100-degrees w/ no clouds. I had my usual posters in the trunk & frunk along with postcard handouts and a couple of drag-racing trophies I'd won over the summer. I left the AC running all day (even w/ all the windows down so people could see in), and I'd sit in the car for about 5 mins at a time to cool off and then get out for 10-15 mins to talk w/ people and give them a tour of the car, and then get back in to cool off again.
I got all the usual questions, but this time I also noticed that people would poke their heads inside the car and be amazed at how cool it was inside and that the AC was running the whole time.
One time as I was cooling off inside, a guy w/ his wife and son poked their heads in the passenger window to look at the screen and realized that it was cool inside. So they all piled into the car!!
The guy told his wife "It's cool up here" and she said "yeah, there's air blowing back here as well" The kid said "this is the nicest car I've ever been in". I went on explaining all the screen functions, and the guy asked me how come I knew so much about it. I said "'cause it's my car." He punched me on the arm and said "GET OUTTA HERE, this is your car??? I thought you were just checking it out!" Then I guess they got a little embarrassed because the guy told his family a few moments later to get out and move on. He had to tell his son to get out about three times, because the kid didn't want to leave. Pretty funny.
- - - Updated - - -
Also at the car show mentioned above, several people recognized my car from the Atlanta Motor Speedway Friday Night Drags (AMS FND) that I'd been doing all summer; one guy said he belonged to a Car Club that met every Saturday morning, and that the 'red Tesla that kicked-ass at the drags' was a huge topic of conversation each week.
All of the cars at the AMS FND races are seriously fast, and this was great fun for me all summer. These are un-timed 1/8-mile single elimination "street drags", so I don't know my actual times, I just know that my speedo reads about 90 mph at the end of each run, and that the P85 beat every stock production car it ran against, except for a 2014 Corvette that runs pretty-much identical to my car (our two cars swapped wins all season long). Obviously I'm pretty-happy that my 4-door sedan runs identical times with a world-class Corvette sports-car.
For anyone interested, a friend of mine put together a few videos of the AMS FND races at:
Tesla Model S P85 Drag Racing on Vimeo
The last four videos have a bit more Tesla content than the first one.�
Aug 24, 2014
Solarguy Would you be willing to share the file you use for your postcard handouts? I'm interested in using them in the same way you do. I had the two large posters printed up already. Now I just need me P85 to use them :smile:
Thanks for braving the heat for the cause!!!!�
Aug 24, 2014
jerry33 The posters can be found here and the postcards here and here.�
Aug 24, 2014
kirkp
I used astsci's layout but tweaked the graphics and text a bit. I got them printed on glossy card stock at overnightprints.com for about $0.32 each. The hi-res version of mine can be downloaded from https://db.tt/IEUHLGyh
�
Aug 24, 2014
invisik After all the regular questions, if they appear to be a serious potential buyer, I hand out the "Come in for a test drive" cards from the Service Center and tell them driving is believing, do not pass Go, do not collect $200, go directly to the Service Center.
-m�
Aug 25, 2014
Pilot_51 That does it. We need a Tesla themed Monopoly board.�
Aug 25, 2014
Vip Driving to work today which is 70 miles away and mostly on a 3 lane highway. I'm driving in the far right lane when a honda civic passes me. Then when the civic is about half mile in front of me it slows down and pulls behind a semi. With plenty of space ahead and no exit for a few miles I was confused as to why the person would do this. I thought maybe the person decided to use their cell phone. I move over to the middle lane as I approach the car and pass. I was coming around a curve and about to pass a semi I decided to keep my eyes on the road instead of look over. Well the Civic pulls behind me and then starts to pass me on the left. When I look over this time it is a young woman in her early 20's giving me the thumbs up. That put a smile on my face for a couple of reasons. First, with my long commute I get alot of 7 o'clock gaukers but never any thumbs up. Second, it was a pleansant surprise to get the thumbs up from a woman because from my experience they never notice the car.
Before I start getting hate mail...I know there are plenty of women who love and drive Tesla and I do appreciate that!!�
Aug 25, 2014
karmamule Good idea! The properties can be named after supercharger locations. :biggrin:�
Aug 25, 2014
ItsNotAboutTheMoney "With a Tesla, every day feels like Double 6, Double 6, 6-5."�
Aug 25, 2014
DjiM After a little more then one week of ownership, my wife commandeered the Model S to go rock climbing with our oldest daughter in the South of Belgium. A round trip of a about 250km.
On her way back, we agreed that she would "fill her up" at the supercharger that's conveniently situated along the trajectory. She planned to plug in around dinner time. Being curious whether the trip was going as planned, I fired up the App around dinner time, just in time to see her driving into the supercharger site (the accuracy of that thing is unbelieveable).
Not even two minutes after that, and while still spying on my better half via the app, I received a notification on my phone of a new tweet on my Twitter feed. Almost automatically, I looked at it, only to see a tweet posted by @TeslaClubBE "Nivelles. @Tesla_Europe Super Charger. 2 #ModelS already. Great peers, they left mobile Nr on Dashboard! Keep it up! ." With my car on one of the pictures!
Amazed, I instantly replied "That's mine! My wife is on a roadtrip with it!" to which @TeslaClubBE immediately replied "I will only believe you if you honk twice. ;-)". A request that I immediately complied with, to the mutual amusement of me and my conversation partner who was "reading me loud and clear".
I can only imagine that he probably laughed out loud just as I did when he heard the two honks. It's also an excellent display of the great Tesla community we have here in Belgium. And a pretty good Tesla story if you ask me.�
Aug 25, 2014
KenN I was thinking more along the lines of "Muskopoly", with each property group based on his businesses past and present. The cheap properties (Baltic, Mediterranean) would be re-named after Blastar images, Tesla and SpaceX along the side between Free Parking and Go to Jail. Pacific, etc. could be named after Solar City (because, green). The Tesla properties would, of course, be named Roadster, Model S and Model X.
Chance and Community chest cards would include "Successful launch, receive NASA funding", "Texas passes Auto Dealers bill, go back three spaces", and so on. You get the idea.�
Aug 25, 2014
evme
And instead of going to jail, your Tesla is stuck at a service center and you are forced to drive a gas guzzler.�
Aug 25, 2014
HHHH Lol that's awesome. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, Proceed to ICE dealership haha.�
Aug 25, 2014
etheric_jerry Does anybody have the urge to go VROOOOOM VROOOOOOOM VROOOOM or make other noises that simulate ICE vehicles? Electric cars are so sneaky and they come up to you while jogging and you don't even know there there ............................�
Aug 25, 2014
Johan That's your Tesla moment???�
Aug 25, 2014
jkliu47 Great story!
A question - do you know if that site's SC platform as shown in the pic is a permanent installation? I have seen this same setup in Barstow, California - but it is only a temporary installation while the SC site is under construction to expand to 8 SC stations.�
Aug 25, 2014
LoL Rick No.
I made my car do the balloon squeal on the way home from work today and it was a blast!�
Aug 25, 2014
freds I was showing my friends the remote app to control the car and two nice looking blondes walk up to the car and start peering into it. I just had to hit the unlock icon and present the handles to them, which did get an reaction from them and my friends(grin)!!!
To bad that is far as it went (today)! I did leave them my number before leaving the restaurant offering a ride when I haven't been sharing a couple bottles of wine...
Ok can we say firmware request for enhancements? We should be able to trigger remote music/videos WEG!!!
Your thoughts on the Tesla babe/mouse trap RFE's???�
Aug 25, 2014
GasDoc I did this the other day at a red light. A metallic orange Lambo and an M6 were stopped in the left turn lane taking turns revving their engines. I pulled alongside stopped in the non turn lane and joined in the fun by rolling down my window and going "VROOOM!"
They busted up laughing.�
Aug 26, 2014
DjiM The platform is indeed a temporary installation. I understood that in some European countries the permanent superchargers require a lot of paperwork (permits) before the construction can be started. To avoid further delays, Tesla installed these mobile platforms throughout Belgium and France.�
Aug 27, 2014
flashflood We meet again:
This time, my parking skills have much improved, but ROSE BLK... oh my, we have to talk...�
Aug 28, 2014
JST One indication of why Tesla is so successful is the number of people who compliment me on the car and have no idea who makes it or what it is. In addition to the various "is that a Maserati?" comments I get, a woman today gave me a nice compliment, asked what the car was, and seemed very surprised when I told her it was electric.�
Aug 28, 2014
Chipper I had fun this morning. I was on my way to see progress on the Chattanooga Tesla SuperCharger at the airport. On the entrance ramp to I-75 two lanes narrow to one. I was not in the preferred lane but knew it would not be a problem. The preferred lane was occupied by a Porsche Panamera Turbo. The lady driving it took off to not allow my merge but I easily managed to safely merge in front of her. She then passed me on I-75 but slowed to fall in behind me when I exited at the next exit. She followed me to the airport and when I got out she pulled up beside me and said, "What kind of car IS that?" When I told her, the reply was classic, "My husband told me my car was the fastest thing on the road. He obviously has not heard of Tesla! I'm going to ask him to trade this in for a car like yours. Where can I buy one?"�
Sep 5, 2014
LucM I wanted to bump this thread and now I have a reason. While I don't have a Model S yet, I am expecting delivery in two weeks (fingers crossed)!
While sitting outside a local pizza shop tonight, I happened to look up and see a silver Model S being driven by a woman. Remarkably, there was a black one right behind it and they were both stopped for the red light. I ask the owner of the black one, in a joking manner, if they were heading to a Tesla convention. He laughed and I said I have one on order. He said the silver one was also his!!! Don't know if that was his wife, she had the windows closed. Now that family is All In with Tesla! What was behind them? A black Masserati. Don't really care for those much anymore as I am too excited about soon receiving my Sun powered car!!!!�
Sep 7, 2014
Rheazombi Some highlights after owning the car for a month! (Just hit 2000 miles yesterday!)
* Aug 16 - Met 2 young 20-something guys in Boston at 11pm on a Saturday night, who were oogling the car. I rolled down the window and they started talking to us. They seemed skeptical of EVs at first, asking all kinds of questions. We ended up giving them a ride down an empty street, flooring it. They were having a blast. By the end they were saying "Electric cars are the future!"
* Same night, while parked on Newbury Street a group of frat boys walk past the car. I over hear them: "What kinda car is that!?" Other frat boy: "Oh! I know, it's a... it's um... oh! It's a Maserati!" He sounded very proud of himself. (lol)
* Aug 17 - Met a young couple at night in Boston while I was in the car, parked. They noticed the car from across the street and seemed super excited about it so I rolled down the window and started talking to them. The guy was seriously stoked to even be seeing one in person. When I popped the frunk I thought he was about to plotz. He definitely seemed bummed he couldn't afford one yet but he said I had "made his night!". (I would have given him a test ride but the car was filled with luggage at the time)
* Aug 28 - Had a long conversation with a Toyota Tundra driver while we were both getting our cars tinted. He was pretty positive about EVs actually, but against any taxes/regulation/punishment of gas cars. We talked about nuclear energy, CNG, hydrogen, the Volt, the LEAF, Boston drivers, charging at 110v vs 240 v, the Tesla battery fires (he agreed the media hype was absurd). He liked the Tesla Roadster too: "my buddy has one". He talked about Elon with reverence. When I mentioned the LEAF in comparison to the Tesla he said "Well you have the Cadillac of electric cars", the phrasing of which I found amusing.
I'll add more fun Tesla moments later so I don't spam the whole thread, lol.�
Sep 8, 2014
LoL Rick One day last week I was driving to work on the interstate and the person in front of me slowed so suddenly that I was forced to touch the brake pedal. Felt very weird.
/TeslaMoment�
Sep 8, 2014
Pate Haha! Yeah, I hate when that happens.�
Sep 9, 2014
caddieo I'm in Chicago driving an ICE and find it exhausting to be constantly shifting back and forth between gas and brake during rush hour traffic.�
Sep 9, 2014
Ubbe I saw a Tesla Model S for the first time in person today! I stood at a crossing waiting for the pedestrian light to turn green, when I happened to look at the cars ahead of me and there I saw a beautiful white Model S with the registration plate "TESLA". I just had to do the "I'm not worthy"-bow a couple of times, it looked like the driver saw me and laughed. This was in Gothenburg, Sweden near "Sankt Sigfrids Plan".
I had my baby son in a pram and was in a bit of a hurry, so I did not get the chance to stalk the MS and demand the obligatory thorough look-and-see�
Sep 10, 2014
karmamule It's funny to look back on the progression of things I was used to and now would find burdensome. At various times I used to think:
- Power windows are a luxury, it's easy enough to crank them down
- Cruise control is a luxury, no problem keeping my foot on the gas pedal
- Remote unlock is a luxury, it's no effort to turn a key in a door
- Keyless start is a luxury, it's not like turning a key is hard work
With the imminent arrival of my S85 I expect that I too will soon feel needing to use the brake pedal in traffic is annoying, engine noise/exhaust is archaic and unacceptable, and having to explicitly start/turn off my car is antiquated.�
Sep 10, 2014
invisik +10000000000
And lock/unlock the doors with a remote control every time to get in/get out of the car (and potentially forgetting to lock when exiting). It just feels like busywork.
-m�
Sep 10, 2014
Pilot_51 One of my coworkers a couple years ago, when returning from team lunch, would sometimes forget his keys in the ignition with the relatively quiet engine still running. He always remembered after 5-10 seconds. Of course, whenever that happened, it made me think how much he needed a Tesla, and happy that it wouldn't (couldn't) happen with my future Tesla.
Anyway, had to slip that in. Back to your regularly scheduled topic.�
Sep 10, 2014
flashflood The ROSE BLK situation escalates... three in a row! For benefit of Bay Area locals, this is behind The Counter Burger at El Camino and San Antonio.
�
Sep 10, 2014
Laurent ZEUS joined the party.
�
Sep 10, 2014
flashflood Last night, on the drive home, I wound up behind a Mitsubishi i-MiEV whose owner apparently has a sense of humor about his slightly egg-shaped vehicle. I was really bummed that I couldn't get a picture, but thanks to the magic of Google I found it:
There's a thread with a little bit of the backstory here:
Mitsubishi I-Miev Forum View topic - Even the Tesla Model S....
One thing I noticed browsing around that forum -- they're generally pro-Tesla, even though the owners there made a different choice, because Tesla is good for EVs in general. That's cool.
- - - Updated - - -
Whoa whoa whoa -- seriously, that happened and I missed it? Dang -- thanks for capturing this!
Dare I ask the relationship between ZEUS and ZEUS EX? I'm just trying to wrap my head around the idea of having a license plate that refers to my ex, if that's what this means.�
Sep 10, 2014
Lump 2nd from the left looks smaller, must be a Model 3 :smile:�
Sep 10, 2014
KenN Someone's got one heck of a wide angle lens!�
Sep 10, 2014
caddieo Agree. Wide angle distortion.�
Sep 10, 2014
purplewalt Okay, 'fess up.
Something is not right with the shadows on the attached pic.
Three of the original cars had shadows tilted to the left, and the "Zeus" car has sunlight on the left side (thus not in shade) of the car.
Simply not possible, because there is only ONE Sun.
Reflections on the far right car are also a give-away that this is a photo shop job....
Close, but no horse shoe.
Last Clue this has been tampered: reflection on rear windows on ROSE BLK and ZEUS are mirror image identical: again NOT possible.�
Sep 10, 2014
robby Also, car #3 doesn't have any Model S/60/85 emblems.�
Sep 10, 2014
purplewalt I have seen a couple of older cars that do not have any tags/emblems (or perhaps they were de-tagged), but you are correct, generally there would be a couple of tags/emblems on the rear of the car.
Good catch.�
Sep 10, 2014
DEinspanjer Heh. It doesn't have an emblem because it is a mirror image of roses car and using a clone brush to paint one on would be difficult not to stand out.�
Sep 10, 2014
Laurent Exactly right. I didn't want to spend more than 5 minutes on it... :biggrin:�
Sep 10, 2014
TexasEV Chelsea Sexton showed this slide in her talk at TMC�
Sep 11, 2014
artsci That's a hoot.
This morning I was at my 3D printing shop to pick up a few items. When i returned to my Model S there were three women gathered around admiring the car, exclaiming how beautiful it was. One said to me, "I love Maseratis," thinking that's what it was. What an opportunity! I set her straight immediately: Tesla, all-electric, American made, beats the hell out of a Maserati in almost every way, and beautiful to boot. Maserati owners should be so lucky.�
Sep 11, 2014
Theshadows I had to drive the Golf to work today. (First time in about a month) Got out of the car, the bell was dinging. Oh yea, I forgot to turn off the headlights. Turned them off, shut the door. Put money in the meter, walked to the office door and reached in my pocket and... no keys. Duh, I left them in the ignition AND I didn't lock the car.
Hey, at least I remembered to set the parking brake so it didn't roll down the hill.�
Sep 12, 2014
karmamule I don't have mine yet, but have my first 'Tesla moment': I mentioned to a co-worker that my Tesla would be arriving soon and he said his kids would probably enjoy seeing it because they love gadgets etc.. I told him I'd be looking for any excuses to go for a drive so would be happy to stop by to give a demo ride.
He happened to mention it to his kids last night and they seemed quite happy, but then later he was walking by as they were playing on their Xbox and they were excitedly chatting on their headsets boasting to their friends that they were going to get to ride in a Tesla soon and were going on and on about how cool it was going to be.
He said "it turns out this is a BIG thing....so I hope you meant it!". I reassured him I did and would be more than happy to drive up there in one of the next few days after getting it. I can't wait! :-D�
Sep 14, 2014
Rheazombi More Tesla moments from our first month of ownership...
* Aug30 - At the Whole Foods parking lot in Wellesley, MA. An employee was watching with interest as we drove into the J1772 charger spot and plugged in. She casually walked over and asked how we liked the car. Obviously we said we loved it. Then, to our surprise, she said her brother had one! She said she liked our license plate (JOULES) and said "He'll get a kick out of it when I tell him about it. He'll probably be jealous." She liked the energy implications and the fact that it has a double meaning (my name is Julie).
* About 10 minutes later, while we were charging and sitting in the car, an older man came up to us and said, "I really like your license plate. Are you in the science or tech business?" Me:"No, we just really like electric cars! ...Are you thinking of getting an EV?" man:"No, not at this point" with a tone that implied he was too old (!?)
* The Whole Foods parking lot is a goldmine for Tesla moments (especially on a Sat morning). Some other smaller moments: 10 year old girl yells "Look ma, it's charging!"; A dad with 2 boys in the back of his SUV circled around the parking lot just to get a better view of the car. They seemed very excited about it. Not to mention the countless stares and uttering of "Oh, it's a Tesla!". Then a little boy came out of the WF and shouted REALLY loudly "LOOK MOM, THAT TESLA IS STILL THERE!"
* Also, a wealthy-looking woman came up to us and said
Woman: "So, how often do you have to do this?"(implying charging)
Me: "Every 260 miles" (not true obviously, I charge it all the time here and there, but simple answers are sometimes best).
Woman: "So how do you drive long distances?"
Me: "Well they have Superchargers and it charges the car in ~20 minutes.". I mentioned Bourne and how it was going to open soon.
Woman: "How does it drive?"
My SO says:"best car I've ever driven. It's so smooth."
Woman: "My son would be drooling."
I mentioned there are test drives at Natick Mall and that she should check it out. It was a very positive interaction overall.
* Later that day, I met a nice dude with a French accent named Jim at the Rhode Island supercharger. He drives a Blue 85 with tan interior. He charges there daily, as he lives a couple miles away (jealous!) and commutes to Gloucester. Had a nice convo while both our cars were charging (talked about France vs New England living, plugshare, Elon, charging routines, etc) . Then, a Florida woman in her late-70s with two adorable poodles showed up and asked for some help charging her maxed out P85+.
�
Sep 14, 2014
djp Conversation with a pedestrian as I was at a stop light in my Roadster, top down:
"What kind of car is that?"
A Tesla.
"You mean it runs on free energy?"
Well, virtually. Electricity is pretty cheap.
"It's an electric car?!"
Ha - he thought I meant Nikola.�
Sep 14, 2014
ChadS We were at a grocery store in Cheyenne this morning. When we returned, a couple of people apologized for hanging out with our car. the woman said that after the Cheyenne supercharger was installed, her brother made her go down to see them. No cars, just the chargers. Our car was the first one she had seen in person.�
Sep 15, 2014
karmamule One other "don't even have it yet" Tesla moment: This weekend I was at a place that specializes in buying used cars, and was selling my current car to them, and as the guy was processing the paperwork he casually asked "So what car are you getting next?". I answered Tesla Model S and he froze, stared over his glasses at me for a good 5 to 10 seconds in silence, then finally said "You're getting the best car ever made!"
It turned out they'd had someone sell an S60 to them so they had had a chance to drive it for a while and evidently were very impressed. That's another good sign for someone just about ready to get his!�
Sep 15, 2014
FLDarren Had something similar happen to me at CarMax. Just wait karmamule, this is only the beginning.�
Sep 15, 2014
Btrflyl8e On my way home from work tonight a guy was motioning for me to open my passenger window. He was very excited! Of course I did, and he exclaimed "I'm a huge fan of Tesla!" I said, "me, too!" And he asked if I knew about Elon and his background (yes), then he motioned to the backseat and said, "I saw you and told my son 'that car runs only on batteries' and he can't believe it!" I saw a young kid in a booster seat waving. I said, "tell him it takes about 7,000 batteries!"�
Sep 16, 2014
Brass Guy I think I met that guy months ago! I had just plugged in at that charger, and another S pulled up - sure enough he parked exactly 4 spots away (the other 6 unoccupied). I told him about the SC pairing, he thanked me and got back in his car to move it. A minute went by, and another... It turns out he had just dropped off his wife at home, but she had the fob! She came by a few minutes later in a large SUV. He had only recently picked up the car, hadn't dared the Gloucester commute yet and was spending way too much money on gas, so I offered encouragement. We talked for quite a while. I'm so glad to find out he's utilizing the car's range.�
Sep 16, 2014
Pilot_51 When I came in to work this morning, unusually early before the parking lot filled up, one of the managers noticed my car in the way back and asked what kind of car it is. I said "Tesla" and was wondering if it would be an "I mean who makes it" moment, but instead he asked if it was a subsidiary of GM, Ford, etc. or an independent company, to which I responded "Independent. It's made in California." He also asked when I got it (June), how fast it goes (120mph. Not that I need to go that fast, it's all in the acceleration), and if Tesla makes other cars (Not yet, but they have others planned).�
Sep 16, 2014
Greyson My wife performed at the Cleveland One World Festival this last weekend. On our way back to the car, I noticed some teenagers eyeing the car just ahead of us. One of them obviously knew what it was and was gesticulating wildly while trying to describe it to the others, but didn't look back in time to see that the owners had just arrived. I figured that was my Tesla moment of the day. Then, as I'm fastening my youngest into her jumpseat in the back, a fellow walks up and starts asking the usual questions. He goes on the defensive after he finds out its range "my Audi gets 600 miles on a tank" -- so I give him the blank look and the "Why do you need 600 miles in 1 day?" question, which usually gets them thinking in the right direction.
While the Audi guy and I are talking, a truck full of maintenance workers pulls up beside the car and start talking about how nice it is. My wife, at this point, thinks they're talking about her performance, and it takes a few more sentences before she realizes (somewhat crestfallen) that they're talking about the car. They ask what kind of car it is and I give them my usual answer: "100% US made, 100% electric. It's a Tesla Model S!". They end up having to pull away when the car behind them vents his frustration through his car horn and it's back to the Audi guy.
As we're talking I'm loading my wife's costume bag in the frunk, which gives him a chance to make the frunk face. He wasn't the only one frunkfaced either; the maintenance workers had driven around the block and were back. Unfortunately, I had to cut it all short since my wife and daughter needed to get to their next performance, but in the end the Audi guy (who was foreign, but I couldn't place his accent) says "Thank you for giving me good idea, I think maybe I buy a Tesla next!"
On a side note, I have not been to CVS once since June without someone literally following me into the parking lot just to ask about the car.�
Sep 17, 2014
Pilot_51 Received my first direct compliment from a completely random person! As I was driving home about an hour ago, going 70mph in the left lane, a middle-aged black woman (saying that with intention to destroy any stereotypes) came up in the right lane, honked, I looked over, she gave a thumbs up and smile, I returned a smile. I didn't initially return a thumbs up since I'm not used to taking a hand off the wheel while looking 90 degrees to the right and going 70mph, but evidently she wanted a better response, so she honked again, rolled down the window, said "nice car!" (I think... my window was up and there was a bit of wind and tire noise), and I gave a quick thumbs up while slightly veering onto the rumble strip (told you I wasn't used to it).
A few minutes later, first at a red light coming off the freeway with an empty off-ramp ahead, I stepped on it when it turned green (as I always do) and then noticed the car to my left was revving his engine apparently trying to race me. I left him in the dust until about 10 or 15 over and leveled off, but he wouldn't settle for the loss, so his car, a Pontiac G8 GT, belched a loud noise and flew past me.�
Sep 17, 2014
paulkva I've had quite a few Tesla moments in the past few days...
This past Saturday, my family was invited to a block party where my son's best friend lives, so we only knew one family, and we were the only ones to arrive by car. Someone introduces himself to me, asks how I like the car, etc. Then he mentions he works at the same company as @jpasqua and heard he wrote an app for Tesla. (And yes, I use VisibleTesla regularly.) After a few minutes another neighbor joins the conversation, and we're discussing the usual questions like range and charging speed. Eventually the frunk comes up, so I open it and the trunk. Within a couple minutes the entire neighborhood is standing around the car asking questions! Kids are climbing inside, parents are telling them "this is the car we see in the [Tyson's Corner] mall," and I'm frankly a bit embarrassed at causing so much commotion. But it was all positive and everyone seemed to enjoy the diversion.
This past Sunday, I saw and recognized a 10-year-old kid from my son's Little League team a year ago (in a crowded setting that had nothing to do with baseball). He looks at me and says "do I know you?" I say yes, through Little League. "Do you own a Tesla?" I say yes, you sat in my car at the end-of-season party a year ago. (He and some of his teammates sat in the seats and in the frunk.) I think we were both amused.
The prior Monday, I took my kids to my daughter's soccer practice, and there was a boys' team practicing on the next field. One of the parents from that practice (who I've met a few times through my kids' school) comes up to me excitedly, starts asking questions about the car, and ultimately wants to see inside. Smaller commotion than the block party, but still ended up attracting a crowd. At the end of practice, a kid asks her mom "can we buy a Tesla?" and she replies "no, because I believe in fossil fuels," making sure I can hear. I laugh, not sure how serious she is, and she comments that 55% of my car's electricity comes from coal. I simply reply that the real number varies widely by state, and the national average is closer to 40%. (I just checked Tesla's web site, their data from 2013 says national is 39% and VA is 27%.) Her only reply was "oh, I guess my numbers are out-of-date." It's funny, for me the environmental benefit is a plus but not #1 on my list, however I do like being able to educate a skeptic.
Yesterday evening, I walked past a grey Model S that was waiting in a carpool line. I gave the driver a thumbs-up, he rolled down his window with a confused look, and I said "nice car, I have one too." His next questions to me: "Cool, what color? How long have you had it? Have you gotten 6.0 yet?" (We commiserated that neither of us have it yet.) And at the end, something along the lines of "Still just as amazing as when you got it, isn't it?" It was a fun but quite random conversation, and I'm generally not the type to start a conversation with someone I don't know, even if I know we have something in common.
Across several of these instances (and others), I've recently noticed that when I get into Q&A about the car, it's REALLY powerful to tell people that I drove it from DC to Florida this summer. Much more so than PA or NJ. Expressions range from raised eyebrows to utter shock, and it inevitably leads to "Where did you charge it? How long did it take?" The anecdotes of hardly ever having to wait for the car to charge seem to hit home more so than any hard numbers do.�
Sep 17, 2014
timpoo Who the hell would "believe in" fossil fuels? What kind of a sentence or sentiment is that?
You can rely on it, put up with it, bitch about it, but "believe in it"? Bizarre.�
Sep 17, 2014
ACDriveMotor I think it is actually a clumsy way to say "I don't believe in electric vehicles"�
Sep 17, 2014
kirkp Yeah, I agree, but that's really a common statement, at least in my region.
I took my P85 to the Friday Night Drags at Atlanta Motor Speedway every Friday all summer, and gave several thousand people their first look at a Tesla. (This was in rural Georgia and not California, so Tesla's are relatively rare here.) I won most of my races, getting the most trophies ever for my class, and losing only occasionally to a 2014 Corvette and a few very souped-up Mustangs.
The majority of people are simply astonished that such a car exists, and are really impressed by it. A lot of "personal" betting goes on at these races, and I had countless people tell me how much money they won by betting on my car against people who haven't seen it race before. I had great conversations with people all summer long, and these races were my most enjoyable moments-ever, all summer-long.
The announcer for the races (who is also the manager for the Drags) was very supportive of my car, and every time I come up to the line he hypes up the crowd by saying "Who thinks/relies/believes in the fossil-fuel powered car vs. the battery-powered car�". It's all just minor semantics IMO�
I also see people saying "That's the battery-powered/electric car" in the grandstands and on the track every time I come up to the line, so that's a great hoot and ego-boost, even though it's certainly not me, it's just the car.
My most memorable moment was the first time I raced a 2014 Corvette in the Final Eliminations. The announcer said: "How many people think this battery-powered car can win this one?" <Very-slight cheers.> "How many people still rely on the old fossil-fuel-powered Corvette?" <Huge cheers for the Corvette.>
We launch: "It's gonna be close." "It's CLOSE!!" "OHHHHH!" <By the announcer & the crowd as the Tesla beats the Corvette at the end (the yellow light indicates the left lane wins, a green light indicates the right lane wins)>.
Dropbox - Friday, May 16
Certainly my best Tesla Moment ever!!�
Sep 18, 2014
mhpr262 I was just about to post the exact same sentiment before I had read even halfway though paulkva's post. That statement truly is beyond moronic.
It seems to be somehow detached from reality, incoherently stringing together words that grammar may allow you to combine but which do
not make any sense. Like fossil fuel and battery power are competing sports teams where you can support one side by cheering loudly enough. Or like fossil fuel is a child whose self confidence you have to boost by positive reinforcement like the parenting guides tell you to�
Sep 18, 2014
meloccom I bought a Tesla jacket 2 years ago and I have worn it to and from work for three winter seasons.
I got no comments until this year including the latest that happened today.
A guy came up behind me and said simply "Do you own one or is it just a jacket?"
I replied that " I have one on order" and he replied " you have excellent taste, congratulations" and kept walking.�
Sep 18, 2014
Terapin I really enjoyed that :-D�
Sep 18, 2014
ecarfan "And the crowd goes...<GASP>!"
Thank you for helping to educate Georgia about the power of EVs.�
Sep 18, 2014
paulkva There was at least some hint of sarcasm in her voice when she said it. Like I said, I couldn't tell at first if she was being serious (and trying to elicit a response from me) or just trying to be funny and deflect her kid's request to buy a Tesla. It definitely caught me off-guard when she said it, and the follow-up comment about coal power leads me to believe that she had pre-judged me as an environmental nut or extremist, which I definitely do not consider myself to be.�
Sep 18, 2014
scaesare Dropped off a couple of old CRT TV's and an LCD monitor at a local recycling event this morning... the woman providing instruction to us as the drivers entered the line of cars told me to "enjoy the day and your beautiful car!".
Then, while unloading the stuff, several of the folks processing the material stood around admiring the car, one jokingly asked "How many miles to the gallon?" while smiling. Then another thanked me for "considering the environment", and then asked me to "show us what it can do!"... so I punched it heading off...�
Sep 18, 2014
Pilot_51 Coincidentally two more brief/random Tesla moments on the way home today.
I left work about an hour later than usual and my highway route had a lot of red at the on ramp, so I took the alternate side street route. About half way home, someone in the left lane honked and waved, I waved back. We came up first at a red light, he motioned me to roll down my window and asked "How do you like it?", I said "It's amazing, best car ever!" As he was asking another question that I forget, I squinted because the sun was directly over his head and exclaimed "oh hey!" when I recognized him as one of my old team leads who I hadn't seen or talked with since shortly after he left a year ago. We then talked a little about work and he suggested we get together for astronomy sometime, which was what we did the last time I saw him. We said our see ya's just before the light went green and I stepped on it to give him a taste. Of course, when there's a good evening on the weekend, I need to invite him over for astronomy with a nice side of Tesla ride.
As I was approaching a stop sign near home behind a light pickup truck, I noticed the driver doing something with his hand next to the side mirror, but doubted it had anything to do with me. At the stop, he rolled down his rear window and gave a thumbs up, and I acknowledged it with a thumbs up as we parted ways.
Sorry if simple thumbs-ups are too common to post here, it's still quite rare for me and I wanted to share my excitement. Hopefully that urge to share fades quickly.�
Sep 18, 2014
Chop110 Hello all! I just got my Tesla a couple of days ago. Here in Houston, you are starting to see a few more of them so I didn't think I would have a Tesla moment. I guess I was wrong! I still haven't gotten a chance to get a toll tag on my Model S so I have had to go through the manned toll lanes that make change. On six different occasions, the toll booth attendants have commented on it or initiated conversations regarding it; sometimes while traffic starts to line up behind me. I have walked up to car while in the parking lot and have found people standing around to admiring it and asking questions.
Man, the word is getting out. I can't wait till Tesla really hits the mainstream with the Model 3. I have drank the brilliant red kool-aid! Elon Musk have made me a believer and I can't wait to see more people being part of the future!�
Sep 19, 2014
freds I was out to the airport the other day getting some paperwork out of the airplane to prove to the state I didn't own them a penalty. As I arrived at the hanger which is in a security exclusion zone a airport pickup with flashing yellow lights came screaming up behind me as I parked in front of the hanger!!!
I thought I was getting chewed out for some movement infraction but hey it was happy Tesla time where I ended up giving him a ride on the airport tarmac(grin)!!!�
Sep 19, 2014
bollar Have him close the runway so you can check for FOD at 130 mph...�
Sep 19, 2014
Yggdrasill Yes, do that.
Or have him convince the tower there's a spaceship coming in for landing.�
Sep 19, 2014
ajay Tesla moments by proxy:
1) When I went to pick out my elecrtic smart, we were in the dealership for... ages. When we were finally leaving, the finance guy we'd talked with was on his way out and saw the Tesla Model S (husband's) that we'd arrived in. There were a few general questions. I was a bit surprised - you work for Mercedes and you're unfamiliar with this car? Okay, hm.
When I went back to pick up the chosen smart a few days later, I spent maybe 15 minutes on paperwork and smart-related details and another 45 minutes answering Tesla questions from the 3 different people who just happened to stop by the desk while I was there. And I hadn't even brought the Tesla - the dealership had given me a ride from work.
2) I met some new neighbors while walking around the block. When discussing which house was ours: "Oh! You're the one with the car!"
3) Just attended a National Drive Electric Week event with my smart. There was also LEAF, a Volt, a PiP, an i3... and the crowd of people were all centered around the beautiful Signature Model S.
And, if you'll indulge me in a smart moment: I met up with some friends at a restaurant just a few days after I'd picked up my smart. One of them handed me his phone and said "check this out - we just saw an electric smart, and I got a picture!" It was fun to see the reaction when I said "Hey, that's me! I can give you a ride after dinner!"
I did get my very own Model S moment when I was driving the car. I was stopped at the line at a red light, and I noticed the driver to my right waving at me to roll the window down (I forgot which flavor of German engineering he was driving). He asked me a few of the usual questions - it's a Tesla, all electric, about 265 miles per charge, etc. Just as the light turned green, he asked "How much?" I wasn't really comfortable with the question (that's what Google is for, no?). I said "too much!"
Then I left him in the dust.
(note to husband: I swear the road ahead was clear and I resumed normal cruising speed once I had a reasonable lead)�
Sep 19, 2014
brianman "More than I wanted to pay, but worth every penny" is my stock answer.�
Sep 19, 2014
ajay That's a great answer.
I was a newbie to Tesla questions at the time, and it caught me off guard.�
Sep 19, 2014
SteveS0353 A few weeks ago, while in the Carmel / Monterey area of California with my new Model S, I took some friends along the 17-mile drive, stopping at various places to admire the coastal scenery and take the obligatory photographs. At one stop along the coast, just north of Pebble Beach golf club, I came back to the car and caught an avid photographer ignoring the coastal scenery taking multiple photographs of my car. The now-usual conversation ensued before my passengers got anxious about lunch at Pebble Beach.
I had another rather surprising Tesla moment yesterday. I was driving into a strip mall parking lot near home here in San Diego, and stopped to allow a woman with (I'd guess) a 5 year old girl in tow to cross in front of me. The mother seemed oblivious, and intently focused on getting to her vehicle, but the child recognized the car, and started jumping up and down, tugging on her mother's hand animately, yelling "Mummy, it's a Telsa!!!". I waved and gave a thumbs-up, to which I received a nice big grin. No doubt a future Tesla owner.�
Sep 19, 2014
Pollux Please don't stop being excited and please don't stop sharing!
Alan�
Sep 19, 2014
JBusch Stop at a 7-11 for a drink. As I was exiting the store, the person coming in looked at me and said, "nice car". I guess the Tesla Grin gave me away. Had the car 36 hours loving every minute!�
Sep 19, 2014
freds Yeah thought of that; but FAA requirement you have to have the yellow flashing lights on top and be under positive control of the tower, which I could have met with the hand held.
Though I did drive my tesla through a biker bar in Idaho (grin)!!!!
Me in the Tesla and my cousin telling people in the bar very few motorcycles could out accelerate me as I drove off.
Though I supposed I could go out at 2am when the tower is closed(grin)....�
Sep 20, 2014
CliffG how about taping some green plastic over the right DRL and red over the left (wait - scratch that - they don't blink), but tell them you're checking to see if the bottom of the battery pack gets increased lift from ground effect...?�
Sep 20, 2014
meteoritehunter I just drove from Tucson to Denver and back on a 2 week roadtrip for business.
I have a P85+ and have racked up 12,00 miles in 3 months, none of them slow.
On the way home I made it to Moab supercharger and found that all hotels in Moab area for more than 150 miles were full.
Angry and tired, I drove south toward Blanding supercharger and made plans to stay in Farmington New Mexico that night, arriving at 2 am.
While driving through Monticello Utah, a one street type town, I saw a police car chasing me from quite a ways back, I let him catch up hoping he was on a call and not after me, but quickly realized I was the target. I stopped andhe came up to the car.mit was about 11 pm so late and dark and quiet. I lowered the window and he stuck his head in, asking in a giddy-like voice "What the hell kind of car is this"?
He then told me he clocked me doing 61 in a 30 mph zone through town! He spent a while back in his car running my documents, then came back and made me show him all the navigation and systems for at least a half hour. He then told me to slw down and be safe and careful of many deer on the road, said it was the coolest car he had ever seen, and let me go.
30+ mph over the speed limit he cold have taken me to jail!
Tesla's cockpit saved my ass this time.�
Sep 20, 2014
Denarius That's a miracle in Montecello!�
Sep 21, 2014
Ugliest1 My miracle in Monticello is the espresso bar/restaurant on main st, since we couldn't find one in Blanding, anywhere, for our habitual morning travel coffee jolt a couple of months ago, on a trip. It was great coffee made by friendly staff, too.�
Oct 2, 2014
Kraken That's what a removable one is for.... though the one's I've used are magnetic to stick... and I haven't tested them out much past 70.. have been in a Camero and Pontiac doing that speed on the RWY though chasing planes. They had fixed lights though....�
Oct 3, 2014
Johann Koeber Last night 10 PM at the Supercharger near Frankfurt (Germany):
A dark Model S was next to mine and the driver looked a little helpless. Superchargers are super easy, even if you aren't an engineer (he was). He asked me for help. In my head I went: What can be so complicated about using a SC? He couldn't get the cable in.
To my surprize this poor lad had an US spec Model S. He told me he got it for test drive purposes from his company (hint: German car maker, think panamera). Unfortunately he wasn't intruduced to the car and knew too little about it.
He did have a level 2 charging cable that fit. I was able to locate a nearby level 2 charging station, get an RFID card to open it and get him started with charging. Whem I showed him my iPhone APP that showed my car charging at 587 km/h he was surprised that level 2 charging only gave him 60 km/h - about 10%.
How can his company be so foolish and let this guy go with no idea about how the charging works, where to charge etc. His navigation in the car didn't work (I suspect the SIM card was not activeted - US car in Germany). And he had no internet access on his mobile.
We had a small dinner together, chatted a lot on Tesla. In the end he said, he might just get a Tesla for himself
I'm wondering: How did this German car maker get an US spec'd Model S? Why didn't they just get a German one for testing? Why do they let their employees take it out for the weekend (today is holiday in Germany) without showing them the ins and outs of the car, charging especially.�
Oct 3, 2014
LuckyLuke Poor guy, and what a weird decision to bring a us spec car over here. Was it a very early vin (from the time no EU cars existed yet) perhaps?�
Oct 3, 2014
T B So they managed to put it back together again? :wink:
Obviously it was an early Tesla they bought for "engineering evaluation" meaning buying a competitor's car and dismantling it to pieces to see how it was made.�
Oct 3, 2014
mhpr262 German supercharger plugs differ physically from the ones in the US? That is news to me.�
Oct 3, 2014
point1 It's pretty standard in the automotive industry that you can borrow cars or trucks from the company to increase the product knowledge of the engineers, both of competitors and the manufacturers vehicles, without showing them the ins and outs. I wouldn't be surprised if it was as simple as he just sent a request to borrow it and then he could just pick it up, there probably were written instructions somewhere which most people don't read�
Oct 3, 2014
thimo Yes, Euro Tesla's can be charged 3-phase and therefore need a different plug. They choose, wisely, the standard Type 2 or 'Mennekes' plug on the car. The Supercharger plug needs to fit this connector.�
Oct 3, 2014
brianman This smacks of "boss X said I need to do ___ but my heart's not really into it". Kind of like compliance cars (where the "boss" is the government).�
Oct 4, 2014
Vip Wife and I were driving around the roadster today. (Trying to get as much roadster time as possible before the winter hits). Stopped by the mall and hung out for about an hour. When we returned there was a 13 year oldish boy standing by the car and taking pictures. He asked if the roadster was our car and when I said yes his eyes lit up. He was talking up how awesome the roadster is. He was even at the local Cars and Coffee earlier that morning. This guy was a car enthusiast. Then I asked him if he wanted to sit in the car. He looked at me like I was crazy but wasn't going to pass up on this offer. Took a few pictures with his phone with him in the car. We talked for awhile about Tesla and how he has an instagram account that profiles exotic car. He even said that Tesla is the future! Great to hear young kids are aware.
While I was talking to the young boy another family parked next to us and came out to look at the car. My wife ended up spending some Tesla time with them.
The other family left and then I offered the kid if he wanted a ride. At first he was hesitant about wasting my time. I told him it wasn't a problem, he quickly jumped in the passenger seat. He was amazed with the intant torque. That first run down the road all I heard was "oh my..oh my...". After the second run he said that he has never felt anything like that before.
When he was leaving you could see the excitement in his eyes. Pretty sure that this made his day if not his year!�
Oct 4, 2014
brianman Neat story. Suggestion for next time you have such an occurrence....
Point the Tesla enthusiasts at TMC and let them know your forum handle to reach you. You might end up with a fun follow-up story from the brother, sister, parent, or other relative that ends up buying a Tesla.�
Oct 5, 2014
Pollux Great story, @Vip!
I'm normally not particularly self-protective but thought I'd mention that when I give rides to kids under, let's say, 18, I always first check with their parent. Sometimes the parent wants to come along, which in my book is a double win. It's a funny, hyper-sensitive society we live in, and an act of kindness could rebound in a troubling way.
I've even let kids as young as about 20 *drive* the car, but only after first checking for alcohol consumption (ask, look, check breath) and taking a quick picture of the kid and his driver's license. So far, everyone has been *very* respectful... but there's another thread on this forum about a NH driver who has behaved similarly, and was badly taken advantage of by his landscaper.
Alan
�
Oct 5, 2014
Pilot_51 A sad cautionary tale of poor judgement
I haven't even let my dad drive my car yet, and he's a safer driver than me. When I do feel ready to offer test drives, he'll probably be the first. I'm not sure if I'll ever give test drives to people when I don't know their driving style, especially after reading the landscaper story.�
Oct 6, 2014
sandpiper My first moment came when I placed the order. My 11 year old son is wildly technology obsessed, and he whoops with excitement whenever we see a Tesla on the road.
I snuck up to our upstairs office one evening and selected the various options and such. When everything was complete I called down to him that I had a small job for him. He came around to see the the monitor, I handed him the mouse and told him that I'd like him to press the "ORDER" button for me. His face almost exploded. I'll remember the expression on his face forever. :biggrin:�
Oct 6, 2014
shelbri I did the exact same thing with my 15 y/o when it was time to confirm. He happily hit the Confirm button. The whole family loves the car, which have now had for 2 weeks!�
Oct 11, 2014
DrGuest I live in a small college town in Montana. Today the Autumn colors were so amazing I grabbed my camera and took "Inspiration" , my Model S up Beautiful Hyalite Canyon, South of Town. I walked for a while, took some pix and coming back to my car, a guy approached me with California Plates. He asked if the Tesla was mine and how I liked it. I said yes and said it was a Dream come True! We Talked and I asked him if he would like to take a spin. It turns out it was John Alexander from Auto Blog and Top Gear. https://www.media-match.com/usa/profile.php?uid=1354600 I drove him up the canyon and switched drivers letting him drive it back down. He was very excited and when the ride was over and he returned to his Partner, he was talking a million miles an hour! She said, Thanks for making my Husbands DAY! I will have to see if he does a video about his First Model S Test Drive and in Montana of all Places! I tell ya this car keeps giving me these "Rock Star Like" experiences, on Quite a regular basis!�
Oct 12, 2014
ACDriveMotor Now that is pretty cool!�
Oct 13, 2014
Rockster Not nearly as cool as giving John Alexander a ride, but...
This weekend we took a rather impromptu trip from McKinney (north of Dallas) to Houston to visit a friend. On the way down Saturday evening, we charged at the Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana. Upon pulling in to the lot, we noticed one other S charging. After we parked, we stopped and chatted with the owner, a younger guy who got his black P85+ just three weeks ago. He was on his way from Houston to Dallas to drop his parents off for a visit with his brother. We exchanged pleasantries for a bit, stepped into CSB for a bathroom break and a quick snack, and were on our way in about 20 minutes.
Sunday night, on the way back from Houston, we again charged at Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana. When we pulled into the CSB lot this time, who did we see? The same guy, on his way back to Houston from Dallas.
We were amused that our 20 minute charging stops coincided on both days.
There was some serious rain north of Houston Sunday afternoon/evening. I hope that this fellow was okay with his factory 21" tires. They can be a bit challenging in heavy rains, from my experience.�
Oct 13, 2014
RileyCPA I�ve had my car for three weeks to the day and have had a few minor Tesla moments that left me with a smile but today had me laughing and smiling throughout my commute this morning. If you�re a child of the 80�s you�ll understand this but when it happened this morning it reminded me of the Dukes of Hazzard. Watching Luke Duke hanging out the side of the General Lee while going what looks like to an impressionable five year old boy, highway speeds, was a favorite Friday night pastime for me.
This morning, driving to work, I notice a Ford pick-up pass me to the left. It pauses for 5 seconds at my 10 O�clock while the passenger hangs his entire lower body out the window, points his iPhone at the front of my car to take a few pictures�.all at 65 MPH on the freeway. After he�s satisfied with the pictures taken the truck speeds off. I started laughing uncontrollably and continued to laugh for the next 30 minutes until I got to work.
Yeehaaa!�
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