Dec 5, 2014
Btrflyl8e My sister saw a woman getting out of a black Tesla today, so she struck up a conversation and told her I had one, too. She asked her if she ever attended any of the local events, and the woman said "there are events?!?". She gave my sister her card with her email address and asked her to give to me. I'll send her info on TMC and our FL club, of course!
When my sister asked her how she liked her car, she replied " it's life-changing! "�
Dec 6, 2014
FLDarren +1
I always make a point of correcting anyone who calls a Tesla Store a dealership. Its the one thing that separates us from the savages. :wink: I usually tell people I bought my car sitting on my couch during a commercial break. I usually get a bug-eyed reaction to that. I've always been one for theatrics. :biggrin:�
Dec 6, 2014
Btrflyl8e That explains all the extra lights on your car!�
Dec 6, 2014
mknox Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but my wife ran into a guy with a Tesla jacked in the elevator where she works. She asked if he had a Tesla and it turns out he was a service technician at my local Service Center. He knew me and all about my car when she mentioned my name.�
Dec 6, 2014
ZsoZso I'm not sure I would categorize that as a positive thing -- I mean being so well know by the local Service Center technician. They have never seen me or my car and I prefer to keep it that way for as long as possible :wink:�
Dec 7, 2014
jerry33 Must have been a big elevator. (autocorrection is worse than typos
�
Dec 7, 2014
marshall Definitely!�
Dec 7, 2014
DITB In Hong Kong, few people charge at home, most of us rely on superchargers. The Model S only launched at the end of July this year, and I mine just over two months. Rumours and collection of statistics and government data suggests that there are 300-400 Model S on the roads of Hong Kong now, possibly 500 or more by year end. This is a place with less than 10 million people, but most people don't even own a car (there are taxis everywhere, and buses/trains are also everywhere).
The Tesla community is growing, and besides TMC Forums, we also have several other networks running, like several Whatsapp groups and a facebook group.
What most often happens when I am at a supercharger is that I meet someone who doesn't know (yet) about the networks. So first I get them to join the whatsapp group and then TMC. I have more tha 80 contacts now who own (or co-own, or drive) a Model S in Hong Kong. It's funny that most times I get to a supercharger I intend to read something but end up chatting up other Model S owners
These are typical "Tesla Moments", I had many already. Being an avid Teslavocate, I have recruited many already - and our strong force of owners will hopefully soon amount to a "plugged in" organisation in Hong Kong - to put weight behind the promotion of electric cars and in particular, the charging infrastructure.�
Dec 7, 2014
Btrflyl8e This could also go in "Random Sightings" but...
Last night my bf and I wanted to drive through a local neighborhood who go all out decorating for Christmas. They have been doing it for over 20 years, with donations going to the local Hospice org. Anyway, in true FL fashion, we chose to NOT take my Tesla, but take his brand new convertible Camaro, top down of course.
On our way back home, as we passed a strip mall a few blocks from home, out of the corner of my eye I spied a white Model S. As we approached the red light right at that corner it registered that there was also a MC red next to it with a lighted front T. Could only be two people... FLDarren and Great Dane! I told my bf "turn here, turn here!" He had no idea what was going on. We pulled in and it was them, alright. We had a nice chat and Jim got to show off HIS new baby for a change, although he had to endure lots of ICE jokes of course!�
Dec 7, 2014
MSEV I started reading this thread a couple days ago and am only about a third of the way through it. I will get my MS in early March, when the 85Ds start coming out. I would have had one by now, but when I switch from an 85 to an 85D the wait went from about now to approximately the first week in March. So I don't have mine yet, but I had something of a Tesla Moment last night, a different kind of Tesla Moment. That is, if a Tesla Moment is someone else having strong feelings about you having a Tesla.
We were out with some friends for dinner, actually the same friends that raved and did high fives with us when we told them a few months ago that we were getting a Tesla. Last night, on the way to dinner, we heard a thunk sort of sound, we had run over something in their Lexus SUV, but didn't think much of it. When we left the restaurant a couple hours later, their car was warning him of a low tire (7 lbs.!) so we stopped and filled it and headed to our house. So we were making plans to make sure they would get to their house with the crippled (we could watch the poundage go down every few minutes or so) Lexus. So in planning to get them home, the wife, let's call her ICE wife, ICE wife (she has a 5 series BMW) says, "I am not sure you are actually getting a Tesla. It keeps getting longer and longer for you to get that car! I'm calling that Tesla, the Unicorn, it's mythical" To get her back, I said, "Well, I guess if your tire goes flat on your way home from our place tonight, I'll come pick you up in the Tesla!" We all laughed.
I do believe she is really excited for us to get a Tesla and there is a bit of envy going on there...�
Dec 7, 2014
GoBlue88 Yeah, even here in SoCal people are still pleasantly astounded when I tell them that I configured, ordered, and paid for the car on my iPad and never had to deal with a dealer.�
Dec 7, 2014
xhawk101 Lighted t could've been me!�
Dec 7, 2014
Btrflyl8e I did think for a second that it just might be you, but it was so close to my house which means close to Darren's, so I figured it was more likely his!�
Dec 7, 2014
jrreno Back in March I decided I wanted the Tesla before a June vacation. I called the Orlando sales office ( Sarasota just opened) and asked for a test drive and was told they would be offering them in the area in April. I mentioned that I wouldn't buy without driving first and I really wanted the car for June and didn't Tesla only provide delivery in 90 days?
They offered to come to the house and we set a date. I drove with my wife in the passenger seat and the Tesla rep in the back. After an hour of tooling around on various road types the rep asked what I thought. I said when I got home I would be sitting down at the computer to order. He said would I like to order now? He had his iPad. So I ordered my car while taking the test drive!�
Dec 7, 2014
KenN Anyone who thinks that dealing with a Tesla store is no different than a dealership needs to watch the movie Fargo.
fargo salesman - YouTube
NB: language warning!�
Dec 8, 2014
ACDriveMotor I was at first apprehensive ordering online. However after going through the process I found it so much easier and comfortable than dealing with a dealer.�
Dec 8, 2014
mknox To be fair, my car was actually in the Service Center at the time, so when my wife mentioned my name, he knew that was the car he was working on. I forget why, but it was in for 2 or 3 days that time.�
Dec 8, 2014
sickfox Tesla Moment #1 from me. hahaha
Picked up our P85 last week (12/3/14). The key fob is attached to my other keychain together with my ICE car key. This happened to me about three times already where I would get in to my P85, hold my ICE key and try to insert it to the car ignition realizing two things, one, i'm holding the wrong key and two, there is no ignition to insert the key or even a push start button. hahaha :tongue:
More tesla moments from me to come for sure.�
Dec 9, 2014
andydoty Wait until you walk away from your ICE car while it's still running and unlocked. The other fun one is to almost launch yourself (while in said ICE car) into the back of someones car when you let off on the accelerator expecting the car to actually stop.�
Dec 9, 2014
andrewket I've done the first. Almost the second..�
Dec 9, 2014
shelbri I still find mysef pushing on the emergency brake with my left foot only to find it isn't there anymore. I have also turned on the wipers in my ICE SUV when trying to go into reverse. And a bit scarier (without incident) I tried to squirt washer fluid by clicking P in my Model S. Fortunately, Tesla made it idiot proof and ignored my request.�
Dec 9, 2014
mknox That was my biggest concern when I first got my car because a lot of my previous cars have had the wiper stalk right where the gear selector is in the Model S. So far, I have not made the mistake in my Model S, but I have turned the wipers on in my wife's car while trying to put it into Park.:redface:�
Dec 11, 2014
Ugliest1 I was refereeing a basketball game a couple of days ago, and had my refillable water bottle on the scorer's table, manned by high school students. I came back to the table during a time-out, and one of the scorers suddenly said "whose water bottle is that!!". So I took a taste to confirm it was mine, and the scorer then said "Do you really have a TESLA??". (I had one of those tiny Tesla keychains hanging off the bottle's handle.) He went on a bit and I told him he could see it after the game. So we troop out and he was duly impressed with actually seeing the frunk for the first time, and the hidden footwell in the back. I had him sit in the driver's seat, and he was blown away actually seeing all the bells and whistles that the main screen and driver's screen provide. He thanked me profusely and we all left. The one downside is, I put my water bottle down outside when showing them the trunk, and forgot to get it before driving away. Less than 5 minutes later I was back looking for it, but, sadly, it and my keychain were gone. Chalk it up to the price of advertising!�
Dec 15, 2014
Btrflyl8e I have now been called "the Tesla lady" by employees in at least two eating establishments I frequent... I kind of like the name!�
Dec 15, 2014
LoL Rick And then there's Teslarette.�
Dec 15, 2014
Btrflyl8e only at parties!�
Dec 16, 2014
Amped-Up Haha - rented an Altima for a college tour in Chicago. Pretty quiet car. We got out and 2 hrs later we get back and my daughter is laughing hysterically. Still running and unlocked. Fortunately nice neighborhood or that car would have been long gone...�
Dec 17, 2014
mknox Interestingly I've never done that, but I still, after almost two years, occasionally reach for the ignition switch in my Model S.�
Dec 17, 2014
freds Or pull the key out of your pocket getting ready to put it into the switch!!!�
Dec 21, 2014
Rheazombi Had a very cute Tesla moment today. A young dad was holding a small baby (maybe 2 years old?). He walks up behind our car as it's charging in the Whole Foods parking lot and says to the baby (in a very "talking to babies" voice) "This car is plugged in 'cause it's a FANCY car!"�
Dec 21, 2014
SteveS0353 In my BMW M3, the wiper stalk is on the right and the turn indicator on the left, with the cruise control stalk also on the left below that. My Model S has the cruise control above the turn indicator on the left. Since I've owned the Model S, I've activated the wipers when parking the M3, and a bit more disconcertingly, cancelled the cruise control when attempting to indicate a lane change on the freeway. Conversely, I've set or changed speed with the cruise control in the Model S when indicating a lane change. The frequency of these "duh" moments is reducing thankfully.�
Dec 21, 2014
andydoty So how many of you have switched from a standard to an automatic and jammed your left foot into the floor to depress the clutch when there wasn't one?�
Dec 21, 2014
SteveS0353 Oddly, I haven't done that one. My M3 is a 6-speed stick. I think the confusion initially stems from the many different gestures with my hands and fingers. I don't seem to confuse the lack of clutch pedal in the Model S, or worse, forget that the M3 has a clutch.�
Dec 21, 2014
gavine An older woman today said my car was very nice and asked "is this one of those Buicks from the TV commercials?" I told her it was a Tesla and she said she would tell her husband about it.�
Dec 24, 2014
MSEV I don't have a Tesla yet, but I think I had another Tesla moment. I was having some solar panels put on the roof and had the electrician put in the NEMA 14-50 in the garage at the same time in anticipation of the Model S coming in a couple months. When the electrical inspector for the city came, he was very interested in the solar set up because there is not a lot of solar around here (no incentives, some home owners associations are against them). When he looked at the outlet for the car we, of course, talked about Tesla. He spoke of the limited range for electric cars to go on the road, I, of course talked with him about taking the MS on a road trip to the coast this summer. He was very interested in electrical devices (flies RC helicopters), solar panels, and EVs, so it was interesting to me that he didn't know a Tesla could travel with free charges across the county.�
Dec 24, 2014
Merrill It has been very common for me to talk to people about the Tesla and some seem to know about the company and the car but very few know about the superchargers. Tesla has not done any marketing about them so in the last year and a half I would say I have meet 3 or 4 people who were aware of them. So that is why when you talk to people most of them say range is a problem for them, even in California where the company is located.�
Dec 28, 2014
TesAus Just had a Tesla moment whilst waiting for a bus at Disney World. I was wearing the Model S black t shirt and this teenage boy comes up to me wearing a Ferrari jacket and asks me where I got the shirt as he is mad on cars. I let him know that you can get them at the galeries or on line from the Tesla store. He thanked me and headed off.
Less than 10 seconds later a black Model S drives past.....�
Dec 28, 2014
gg_got_a_tesla Had a similar moment to you, @TesAus, on the Big Island of Hawaii yesterday: I had the black Tesla T-shirt on as well and was at the beach picking up snorkel gear for my son when a couple of teen boys spotted it and exclaimed first to each other: "dude, that guy is wearing a Tesla T-shirt" and then to me: "that's a cool T-shirt, man". I smiled and gave a thumbs-up. Didn't hang around for a chat though.�
Dec 28, 2014
HHHH
That's great that your T-shirt raised awareness in some way, I like when the gear is used for that purpose instead of just branding / showing off like all of the Ferrari gear you see from owners / non-owners.�
Dec 29, 2014
LucM So yesterday I took my wife's car to run an errand since it was raining outside and I had just washed the Model S the day before. While sitting at a red light, a red Model S goes through the intersection and looks my way. I wondered what he was looking at and lo and behold, behind me is a black Model S. Would of been a bit crazy if I was in mine also as there were no other cars around at the time.�
Dec 29, 2014
morbot I've only had mine a little over a week but I still occasionally reach for the keys when getting out of the car. That and reaching for the door lock button when getting in.�
Dec 29, 2014
marchyman For years at the end of a drive the sequence was put the car in park... depress emergency brake... remove key. Now when I get where I'm going I press a button and then sit slightly confused because I'm sure I've forgotten something�
Dec 29, 2014
stevezzzz Ha! That lasts until you travel by air somewhere and forget to turn off the engine in your rental car, every day for a week... :biggrin:�
Dec 29, 2014
Gizmotoy My wife got so frustrated with me for doing this over and over a few months ago. You really get used to the car just always doing what you need it to do. The rental had a proximity key with push-to-start, which didn't help (no key to remove from steering column).
I will say it's marginally better than slamming the brake to the floor after mistaking it for the clutch, though, which is what would happen before I got the Tesla.�
Dec 29, 2014
sachinsc I do this too. Got mine on 12/20/2014�
Dec 29, 2014
DITB I was next to an Audi RS3 at a red light yesterday. I looked over and he didn't look at me, but revved his engine like he wanted to make a statement. I had just told my wife I would demonstrate how gently you can drive a Model S, on that ~15 minute drive back home. So much for that. I just had to make a statement of "What was it you said with your 340 HP engine?" while zipping near silently away from him. Of course, he couldn't have enjoyed that silence, over the roar of his own engine. (I didn't know at the time but looked up the specs of the RS3 last night)
"Meep Meep" and he was far behind me. But of course, he soon caught up, and must have been speeding to do so as he was quite far behind me.
I was in the inside lane all the time, and further up, my lane was blocked by road construction. Just before it I can see out of my mirror that he is accelerating to corner me in, but I am not having it. Flooring it again, I zipped in front of him so I didn't need to be stuck in that ending lane. He was already accelerating, but there was nothing he could do against my "fast forward" >> button on the floor. I thought I had enough and didn't mean to "play" at all to begin with, and further up when there was two lanes, I let him slip away and didn't pursue. I hope that made him regain some of his twice lost face for his race car being set back by a family sedan. A straight Model S that is, not even a "P".
What will he do next year, when the P85D comes? Oh, the world isn't fair, I feel so sorry for all those (ICE) sport car owners.
Having said that, there is nothing as nice as subtle power. Rather than adding noisy exhausts, fancy spoilers and other catchy eyeporn, I would much rather have a clean, sleek and discrete set of instant torque wheels. The contrast of what people want is amazing, and while me being "middle aged" these things still never fail to amuse me�
Dec 29, 2014
scriptacus You should read up on the Laguna Beach crash that happened a while ago. Drive safe.�
Dec 29, 2014
DITB I didn't race this guy, I just shifted position within the limit of the law, and in a safe way. Thanks for the lecture, anyway�
Dec 30, 2014
shelbri Spending the week at Mount Snow Vermont. My 15 yo son is now a ski instructor so every morning I need to drop him off at the mountain. When pulling up to the drop off zone, I am met by young guys directing the traffic and parking. Each morning at least one of them gives me a get thumbs up as I pull in. This morning, two snowboards did as well.
Then yesterday afternoon, I have to pick up my friend's kids at the mountain. The 12 yo boy gets in and says, "Wow - nice Tesla - all electric - cool!" His 14 yo sister than says,"Wait - you don't have the use any gas? That's awesome."
I love how the younger generation just gets it. Really makes me smile.�
Dec 30, 2014
MikeL Today, my wife & I needed to get some papers signed/notarized at our credit union. After that, she got up to go to the teller widow & said, "talk to her about financing." So I told the manager I'd put down about $50k which would still leave the need for a $50k car loan and there's no dealership. Without taking a breath she (the manager) said, "What is it, a Tesla?"
Nice!�
Dec 31, 2014
Notacarguy Going through a drive through the young guy working the window starts talking to me about the car and in the end says something like "Yo, man, for real? I gots to give you mad respects for the car." So now apparently Tesla has some street cred.
I had no Tesla last week visiting the inlaws and had a few reminders why I love my MS so much.
1. Drive sister in-laws Lexus 230 something or other which looked like a cockpit with its myriad of buttons and knobs. Mashed the pedal to accelerate on the onramp and then waited about 2 seconds for anything to happen until the engine made a horrible noise and the car finally began to accelerate.
2. Had to be reminded several times in the same Lexus to turn it off (it has push button)
3. Laughed hysterically at my wife as she tried to enter an address in the Acura MDX by rotating a knob to get to the next letter. It was a long address to so it tool her a few minutes to get the address and somehow even then the system could not find Sunset Blvd. in California.�
Dec 31, 2014
jamieb More of a personal Tesla Moment.
It's 12/31 and my P85 is just over 1 year old. My electric bill cycle is nicely synched with my purchase date and my EV charging is split out on my bill. Our local electric utility gives time of use billing at $0.06/KWh with a $3/month metering surcharge. So I went online and put my EV charging for the previous year into a spreadsheet.
I SuperCharge or use public Level 2 chargers a couple of times a month, no more.
"Fuel" cost worked out to $0.02/mile. :smile:
I guess this guy: Life With Tesla Model S: Tires Cost Me More Than My 'Fuel' Does is right... tires are the most expensive consumable for the car.
Happy New Year, everyone!�
Dec 31, 2014
Footbag Just got my car yesterday, and already had a few Tesla Moments...
City bus driver gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up.
While showing the car to a friend on his driveway, an older Serbian man noticed it was a TESLA. It turns out Nikola Tesla was this guys hero, so before we could tell him about the car (which he was eager) we had to hear about how great a man Mr. Tesla was... it was cute (and a bit informative).
Arriving at work this morning, someone who was headed into a nearby business, called out to me "Is that a Maserati...Oh its a Tesla? All electric right? Aren't those like half a million dollars?"
Gave a colleague a test drive. As I started a launch, I quickly looked over to see his reaction (had to get eyes back on road of course). His Tesla Smile spoke volumes.�
Jan 29, 2015
caddieo Parking lot incident. I am exiting my MS as the guy in the next slot is exiting his Nissan 370 coupe. He nods his head in greeting and says, "Nice Jaguar". I reply "Thanks, but it's not a Jaguar - it's a Tesla". He responds, "Oh, the electric car - hey, that's even better!".�
Jan 29, 2015
Footbag During my first road trip a couple of weekends ago, I noticed _many_ of the vehicles that passed me (I was going the speed limit, so pretty much every one passed me) seemed quite interested in the car (double takes, pointing, big smiles). One of those cars had a group of young men, and they were honking and had huge smiles as they passed.
Yesterday an Audi sped up to get beside me, and gave me a big smile and thumbs up.�
Jan 30, 2015
Chipper Get used to it. It is an everyday occurrence for me...but it doesn't ever get old. I LOVE it. I actually made a sign that I can hold up that says: It's a Tesla. Just so people could know what it is.�
Jan 30, 2015
Footbag Simple, but what a great idea!�
Jan 30, 2015
FLDarren It's true. I've seen it.�
Jan 30, 2015
David99 Other than some boy racers that want to provoke a race on the freeway, I had very few Tesla moments. Lots of people come up and ask, but almost all of them know about it and they are interested in what an owner actually thinks and what the real world range is and so on. There are just too many here in LA.
The other day I picked up our daughter from her dance studio and she said that day she saw 4 other Teslas picking up their kids. Teslas are really not a big deal here any more�
Jan 30, 2015
DavidB I've had many Tesla moments--including recently spending half a day with a near-stranger showing him all the features of my car--So many happy questions!
I've learned that if you want a captive audience, take your Tesla on a car ferry! I did this from Dauphin Island, Alabama.
If you want to blow a stranger's mind, pick up a hitchhiker and deliver them to their doorstep! I've done this several times, with the most amusing reaction from a guy north of Presque Isle, Maine--his reaction was very much like the videos of people's reactions to a P85D, even though I "only" own the S85.
Instead of regaling you with Tesla moments similar to stories already in this thread, however, I'd like to share the two weirdest moments:
1) While I was near the southernmost road in Louisiana, I chatted with two elderly gents who were working on an old tractor. They, of course, had never heard of nor seen a Tesla before. After telling them that my car was 100% electric, I offered them a ride. The eldest stood up tall, looked down his nose at me (hard for him to do, since he was about 6" shorter than me) and asked, sneeringly, "Why would I want to ride in a glorified golf cart?" Nonplussed, I shrugged and replied, "I guess you wouldn't!"
2) I was sleeping in a motel in Georgia. I had run the Mobile Connector from my room to my car so it could charge overnight, with a DoorJammer keeping the door secure. Two o'clock in the morning I was awakened by the hotel staff pounding on my door! The graveyard manager incredulously demanded that I "immediately remove the cord from the gas tank and never do something so dangerous again!" After several futile attempts to explain that is was just charging my car, I gave up, got dressed, went out and unplugged my car. After she then realized that is was, indeed, just a plug, and that there was no gas tank, I was allowed to plug my car back in and go back to sleep.�
Jan 30, 2015
alexeiw123 That is so hilarious!!�
Jan 31, 2015
mhpr262 Can you imagine people's faces when they saw the first carriage moving along all by itself, without horses ... we laugh, but so little has changed since then.�
Jan 31, 2015
TesAus ironically the first horseless carriage they saw may have been electric, before petrol cars took off.�
Feb 1, 2015
Terapin I've had one Tesla moment of note so far. I was behind a young guy in a muscle car at a light, just before a highway onramp. The light turns green, and he just peels away on to the on ramp. I follow behind him effortlessly. He guns it even more, and I keep up without getting anywhere near mashing the peddle: this is easy. I see him look in his rearview mirror and see him try to eek out a little more speed, but wasn't willing to lose a nanosecond of speed by shifting his gear up, and so all I can hear is his engine screaming as he tries to fly away from me (unsuccessfully). He finally shifts and I pull back my speed as I didn't want to be dangerous and we were just above the speed limit. I let him tear off into the 3rd lane, veering across 3 lanes of traffic, and I just sat back, cruising, and patted the steering wheel lovingly. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.�
Feb 1, 2015
3s-a-charm Stopped to pick up Pizza for the kids... while waiting, a guy comes out of his pickup truck and starts staring at my car so my wife says, "Jump in!" and the guy gets in next to me. He says "Angelo (the owner of the pizza place he later explains) should be buying YOU pizza! This is his favorite car - amazing!" He spent the next few minutes explaining that he (about 50 years old) works at a Nissan Dealership in the city and can't wait to tell the guys that he was the first to sit in a Tesla and that he is so impressed with this car compared to the Leaf. He said that the pickup he was driving was an old '80's Chev that his Dad left for him in California - it was in amazing shape - but he drives a Cayman S and Mercedes. He was honestly like a kid - so excited. This was only on my 2nd day of ownership. I have daily encounters similar to this!�
Feb 2, 2015
DITB I made a Tesla moment.
Not typical as those mentioned here, so for being something else, I think it's worth mentioning.
First of all, in our rapidly growing EV community in Hong Kong (totally dominated by Model S), I set up a meet-up for 70 people and 30 EVs (mainly Model S, but there was also a Roadster and BMW i3).
On that same day, we formally created charged.hk - an association I co-founded with other owners (most are on this board already and vocal in the HK EV community). We also have a FB page on http://www.facebook.com/chargedhongkong and we have lot's in store for how we will help boost EVs, charging infrastructure and whatever we can do to make more people want to buy an EV rather than a fossil fuel burner.
Pictures from this event is nicely captured by another TMC user, see here https://plus.google.com/photos/+LockyLoki/albums/6110887633576888961
More pictures here: https:[email�protected]/sets/72157648159736323/
We were even picked up by Tesla Motors and mentioned on their FB page (as we were gate crashed by several TM managers who heard about the event) https://www.facebook.com/teslamotors/posts/10153019074567801�
Feb 2, 2015
Pollux @DITB: Way. To. Go!!!!
Alan�
Feb 2, 2015
sickfox That's awesome DITB.
By any chance, do anyone of you remember a thread where TMC members posting pictures of people taking pictures of their car? I saw it a while back when I first joined this forum and I think it was hilarious.�
Feb 2, 2015
swaltner Two of 'em...
Pics of people taking pics of Roadsters
Pics of people taking pics of Model S's�
Feb 2, 2015
Solarwind Tesla Moments; There have been many in the one month of ownership of our P85D. The last one I thought kinda funny we had driven into town and were going to have supper with the daughter. We decided to go across town and pickup some spaghetti sauce. We took a 2 lane one way street. When we got to a section that was open with few intersecting street, I noticed a clunker had pulled along side in the left lane and was staying there, slowing up, then speeding, but always staying along side. It appeared to be a man and women and the women was driving. Finally I gave a quick stab on the go pedal. The clunker came back by with both people hanging out the right side with thumbs up. Don't know who was steering the car.�
Feb 2, 2015
DITB Thanks!
Most credit for Charged.hk should go to TMC user markwj - he is the Godfather of EVs in HK, and now - alas - the first chairman of Charged HK. Well deserved.
Thank you, Mark, happy and proud to work with you.�
Feb 3, 2015
sickfox Swaltner: You are the MAN! I've been looking for this thread for quite sometime now. I have multiple pics to share. :biggrin:
�
Feb 22, 2015
morbot Took my first mini road trip today, just a day trip to the nearest super charger and the car keeps finding new ways to make me smile.
Was a nice sunny Sunday so I drove from Seattle down to the Centralia super charger. On the way I stopped by Griots garage in Tacoma. Been hearing a lot about their products here on the forums when I realized their physical store is right in my back yard. Bought a bunch of supplies to build a new car wash kit. the folks at the store were really cool.
The new reason to smile was when I saw the rate of charge at the super charger. It was my first time using one and it's pretty impressive. Spent 30 min stretching my legs then headed home with plenty of charge to spare thanks to the super charger.�
Feb 23, 2015
sickfox My car is in the body shop getting something done so we rented a car (2001 Nissan Sentra) for a few days. Last night after dinner, my family and I were driving home and we got pulled over by SFPD. The cop said that our brake light was on all the time and the license plate bulb was out so he asked for the usual - license, registration and proof of insurance.
So the last piece I gave him was my proof of insurance which listed the car that I own. He read it for a second and all of a sudden, he goes... "YOU OWN A TESLA?" And I said, "yes officer." He goes back in his car to check if everything's good. Then all of us in the car looked at each other, didn't say a word and started laughing!!!!
Everything checks out and got away without a ticket! We're happy campers. :smile:�
Feb 23, 2015
mikeash I feel like I'm having these moments and I don't even have my car yet (delivery tomorrow!).
I had the electrician in a week or so ago for my charging outlet. He asked me what it was for, and then we spent a few minutes talking Tesla. "I heard those things are super fast!" He thought they did 0-60 in 2.8 seconds or something of the sort. I gently corrected him, but it was fun. Then I got the installation inspected, and had much the same conversation with the inspector. He's a car guy and he really wishes they would bring the Roadster back. Then, yesterday, I went to Carmax to see what they would offer for the Prius I'm getting rid of, and the representative and I spent more time talking about the Tesla I'm buying than the Prius I'm trying to sell him. I didn't get a very good offer on the Prius from him, but I ended up promising to come back and give him a ride in the Tesla.
It's great how seemingly everyone not only knows the car but is extremely enthusiastic about it.�
Feb 23, 2015
sandpiper I've had the car for about a month now and I get some sort of reaction to it pretty much every second day. There are very few of them in this area.
The reactions have universally been positive and almost always lead to conversations. I have yet to hear anything negative about what it costs, as you would with a Porsche or high end Mercedes. I acknowledge that it's expensive, and also that they are destined to become cheaper and people seem fine with that. It seems that the positive "electric/environmental" card trumps the negative "status car".
Yesterday I was walking out of a Home Depot with my son, and came across a guy taking a photo of the car with his wife rolling her eyes nearby. When she saw us approaching the car she seemed a bit embarrassed and shuffled her husband away.�
Feb 23, 2015
3s-a-charm Sitting outside a grocery store with my wife waiting for our kids to pick up a drink. Older gentleman walks right up to my window and KNOCKS on the glass!
Q. "What kind of car is this?"
A. It's a Tesla - it's all electric, no engine, no gas
Q. Thanks, never heard of that before. Does it go fast?
A. Very.
Man walks away staring at the car... LOL!�
Feb 23, 2015
Pollux I love these kind of stories and, if I happen to have enough time, view them as big opportunities. I get out of the car, engage with the person or people. Would you like to see the engine? Show them the frunk. Oh, wait, I was having a little fun with you. Here, let's go check out the engine for real. Show them the trunk. Pop up the jump seats. Yeah, that's right, there's nothing... battery pack under the car, motor between the rear wheels. Put them into the passenger seat, check out the interior and the dash. From a few minutes to 20 minutes or more, depending on how interested the person really is. If there's even more time, and the person is willing, we go for a drive. I generally start very slowly, while explaining that electric cars are kind of like golf carts and there's a limit to how hard you can push them. As soon as we hit a clear stretch, I hit it (depending on the person, anywhere from a throttle blip to pressing the accelerator half-way to full acceleration). The "electric car still must somehow be a toy despite all this space and dashboard gadgets and whatnot" mindset EVAPORATES. I conclude by pointing them to the nearest showroom and explaining how easy it is to get a test drive and make a purchase. Not once has anyone walked away looking bored, put-upon, pooh-pooh'ing electric cars and/or Tesla.
I'm am absolutely convinced that we customers are the best sales force Tesla has. And I think the people we reach this way often may not be future Model S customers but are future Model III customers.
Alan
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Feb 23, 2015
Fezzik I've had a few now since Jan when I got the P85D. Lots of people noticing it and I took a few for a test drive and they were thrilled. Made my mom sick that I pulled over just in case she would toss her cookies lol. the one that stands out though was I didnt have child seats in the 2nd row and the teacher for my pre-K daughter opened the door and would not let my take my daughter. I had to open the car and show her that it was developed for kids with the 5 point harness. She was really excited to see that. I dont fault her because she is really putting the saftey of the kids first but she was very appreciative that I showed her that it was ok. She did have to ask her boss if that was ok and they said yes.�
Feb 23, 2015
LetsGoFast I drove up to the valet of my DC hotel after having my car detailed and explained that I was just going to pop upstairs and fetch my wife and gave him the option of putting the car in the garage and getting it back or leaving it out front. He said "A car like this, we should leave it out front. It classes up the entrance anyhow."�
Feb 25, 2015
msteinbeck So long time lurker and just recently put my deposit down for the 85D. My Tesla moment comes last April when me and my fianc� rented a Tesla Model S 85. We wanted to test the vehicle during a long trip before we purchased. We decided to drive the coast of California down Highway 1. During our trip we stopped at a local beach in Half Moon Bay just south of the Ritz Carlton. As we pulled into the parking lot of the beach we noticed several school busses and kids around. Apparently a school field trip was there. We parked our Tesla in an open stall and just before we got out several kids had already started surrounding the front of our car and started taking pictures of our car. My fianc�e turned to me and said she feels like a celebrity with the paparazzi all around. As we exited the car the kids ignored us and continued taking pictures of the car. We had already made up our mind of buying the car but this moment sealed the deal. May cannot come soon enough.�
Feb 26, 2015
Chipper Welcome! What a GREAT first post. Thanks!!�
Feb 26, 2015
gg_got_a_tesla Indeed. Welcome! Would have loved to see pics of the kids taking pics�
Feb 26, 2015
sickfox Welcome to the family. Your post put a smile on my face. I got flashback of people taking pictures of our car WHILE we were in the car. So this is how it feels like being a celebrity.... :love:
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Feb 26, 2015
FLDarren An electrician in a minivan snapped a took a few photos from his flip phone while we were driving down the road side by side. A bit of irony.�
Feb 26, 2015
SW2Fiddler More of an Alumination, I'd say.�
Mar 4, 2015
hingisfan Got out of my car after getting to work this morning.....guy who drives most of the same route I do says "It took me 2 days to figure out what car that was." I laugh, then "Nice car by the way".�
Mar 4, 2015
Pilot_51 Finally had my first random Tesla Moment conversation with a random person on Friday. Forgot to post about it until now.
On the way to work, after stopping behind cars at a light with a squeak of the cold brakes, the guy to my right honked and motioned to roll down the window. He asked "How does the battery hold up in the cold weather?", to which I replied "Pretty good" as traffic started moving again. Temperature was somewhere around 10-15�F.�
Mar 10, 2015
Footbag Two new Tesla Moments...
I've told my wife about many of the smaller Tesla moments... various thumbs ups/etc from other drivers, to a guy that walked out in (slow) traffic to say he liked the car.. but she had never experienced one until the other weekend... We finally get nice weather, and go out, parking in a busy (pedestrian) strip. When we got back into the car, I notice a guy really checking out the car. I go to open my door and chat with him, when my wife surprises me (she normally doesn't like attention) by opening her window (closer to the guy). He proceeds to come right up to the window... and starts the conversation "I don't know which I like better, the hot car, or the hot lady in the car" (i'm a lucky guy). My wife turned red! He then went on and talked about the car (quickly left the creep zone). Later she asked me if that happened to me a lot "No Dear, no one ever says I'm hot in the car, and no, I never have other hot women in the car!".
Last night, out at a show with a buddy, we return to the car, only to find someone taking picture after picture. I chat chat with him, showing him the car, as other people leaving the show walk by and comment about the car. When all was said and done, my buddy (good sport about it, we weren't in a rush) said to me "how do you get anything done if that happens every time you park the car?!".
They just keep coming...�
Mar 10, 2015
muleferg Today I had famous person checking out my Tesla. He was very impressed
Ex-pro wrestler Vladimir Koloff turns his attention to chickens | Toronto Star�
Mar 10, 2015
Aussie Bob During winter time in Ottawa the roads are covered in salt and grime to ensure the roads are as safe as posdible to drive. This of course necessitates frequent car washes. The great thing about this is the ability to drive into a gas station and ask only for a car wash. The usual reply "You did not buy gas!" The usual reply "Not needed with an electric car". The usual response "oh!" when they see the car, you see their smile!�
Mar 11, 2015
SW2Fiddler Oh My.
Started driving UBER and so there have been more Moments in a given week than from May to New Year's.
I won't forget the young inspector for the City, my last step in getting the License, grinning from ear to ear as we put Pearlie May thru the paces ... he already knew all about the cars. Need to get back to him and offer a proper test drive.�
Mar 11, 2015
DITB I haven't tried UBER yet but if I know they have Model S somewhere I will for sure support it
Is it possible to request a certain brand of car, or do you have to take what is closest?
Hope you enjoy driving your Model S - and be PAID to do so�
Mar 11, 2015
SW2Fiddler You see a map, cars on the map, punch each car to get the profile... it apparently gives driver's name and picture and Rating, car's Make and Model and pictures. You don't like what's close, you pick something you do like!
Several pax have lost bets with their friends, saying "NO WAY it's a Tesla, bet it's just his nickname for his car" - but they never hold a grudge once they slide in and we get going.
I moonlighted as a musician for decades... this has way exceeded that enjoyment factor.
Introduces a lot of new people to Tesla too!�
Mar 11, 2015
aneusomy I was driving home from work late one night. The main street I usually took approaching downtown had an accident or some commotion, so to avoid the traffic I pulled off into one of the side streets (which, in that part of town tends to be a bit shady).
As I came to a stop sign, I looked to my right and there was a prostitute right there on the sidewalk waving at me. I didn't know this at the time, but apparently here some of them just get in the car without asking, rather than waiting until you call them or talking through the window. I had looked away for a few seconds or so, then back to my right and now she was at my door. Funny thing is, I could hear her complaining and confused through the window-- "hey... how do I get in, what the hell, where's the handle... let me in...".
I kind of chuckled as I drove away, thinking it would be a funny ad for Tesla as a "feature" for their cars.. "prostitute-proof".�
Mar 11, 2015
Johan Great story! You should have pushed the P button to let the handle out (P for prostitute).�
Mar 11, 2015
aneusomy
�
Mar 11, 2015
Johan I meant the button on the end of the gear stalk...�
Mar 11, 2015
aneusomy Sorry I was trying to be funny. I understood about the button-- I had thought that they added that ability with 6.1. My mistake!
�
Mar 11, 2015
fadkar That's epic.
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Mar 12, 2015
Aussie Bob I live about 7 months in Canada and 5 months in Australia. This is a great lifestyle but my Tesla moment suddenly hits me when I start driving our Model S in Canada. The turn signals are on the other side of the wheel in Australia to what I am use to in Canada. This is okay when in Australia but, with the Model S, the "P, R, D" lever is in the same location as the Australian turn signal. I need to be extra careful when driving our Canadian Model S or the car will suddenly start to coast when I signal if I am not very very careful! Unfortunately I need to drive an ICE car in Australia.
Another Tesla moment will occur later this month when my wife and I will be able to join Melbourne Model S owners for a Brunch.�
Mar 12, 2015
3s-a-charm I wouldn't be touching your gear stalk around a prostitute... just sayin'�
Mar 12, 2015
Trev Page It's a good thing he didn't have the "D"�
Mar 12, 2015
Theshadows Special thanks to the silver Model S owner at IAD that we left a note on your door handle Sunday to please plug in the gray MS when you left!!! We would have had to wait during our return if a charger was available or creep to Hagerstown. A million thank yous.�
Mar 13, 2015
3s-a-charm "Is that your Panamara outside?"�
Mar 14, 2015
Pilot_51 My brother ordered pizza today and asked me to pick it up. When I went in, I said "Hi, pickup for [brother's name]." The guy at the register quickly noticed my car outside the window and asked "Is that a Tesla?", "Yup." Another guy asked "Who makes it?" and the register guy quickly said "Tesla." We talked a bit about which one I had and range of the 60 and 85, which he seemed to have a decent understanding. The other guy walked out with me and offered to help, but I just reached in my pocket and opened the frunk (smelly hot food stays out of the cabin), which kind of surprised him and he said "So the engine's in the back?", "Yeah" (not bothering to correct terminology). I didn't stick around to show off the car since I had hot pizza to get back home and I'm sure he had to get back to work, plus there was an annoyingly loud car idling a few spaces over. After reviewing the dashcam footage, I noticed two others were looking, one appeared to be the manager. Pretty sure I made their day. :smile:�
Mar 18, 2015
brucet999 �
Mar 19, 2015
Ugliest1 Last week I was coming home in the evening and waiting for the secured gate to open. The driveway is right beside a public walkway, and there happened to be a group of 16-year-olds hanging out (age a guesstimate... everybody looks so young now!!). There was some chatter I didn't quite hear and then I noticed one of the boys making the universal [anachronistic] roll-down-your-window gesture. So I opened the passenger window:
Kid: Is that a Tesla?
Me: Yes
K:[turning to the group] SEE!!! I *TOLD* you that was a Tesla!! That's a $100,000 car right there!! [turning back to me] If you don't mind, is that how much it cost?
M
[much hullabaloo, a few questions on what the car was like to drive. Meanwhile the gate closed on me and I had to back up to swipe my entrance card again. Finally:]
K:Oh, man, you're lucky!
M:Well... I actually got this car for you -- all you guys.
[confused looks]
M:I wanted to help in my own little way to ensure Tesla is able to get to making the Model 3, so it's more affordable for people like you. My son wants one in the worst way.
[again much hullabaloo and chattering]
K:Awwww, man, you're the best!!
[a bunch more chatter in the group. I waved and went in.]
The thing I liked most about this Moment was the general positive attitude of the young group, and not just about the car. You could tell they were just a group of good kids. Made me think it was all worthwhile!�
Mar 20, 2015
Rheazombi This happened at the Rhode Island Supercharger yesterday:
She was ICEing a SC spot with her Volvo. She came around and peaked at the back of our car and then hurriedly walked away. Mr. Zombi was in the car with me and we had a good laugh about it.
About 20 minutes earlier we had another Tesla moment when a Black 85 with RI veteran plates rolled up. A guy gets out - handsome, early 30s, well dressed with slicked-back hair, a goatee, and piercing blue eyes. He just had an aura of cool about him, like the main character in an action movie or something, ha. I rolled down the window and he came over and we talked for a bit. His name was Sammy, he'd had the car since April 2014 and had already racked up 33,000 miles. He commutes from Providence to northern MA every day (!). He also had recently taken a trip down to Florida using only Superchargers. We told him about the range anxiety press conference that had happened earlier that day and we talked about how great it is that the car basically gets better over time because of the software updates. He asked us if we knew if Hooksett was open yet and we told him about the event where the governor of NH showed up, and he was also interested to learn that Vermont had a SC. We talked for maybe 5-10 minutes. Super nice guy! It's funny how the Tesla enables us to talk to some really awesome people who I'd be way too nervous to approach in any other situation, lol.�
Mar 20, 2015
donaldp Great Pic to help decide yay or nay on the carbon fiber spoiler.�
Mar 20, 2015
ferdboyce The Tesla "SEG" S . . eatin' grin
We just returned from a visit with family in CA. Stepsister said "oh, you've got a Tesla . . . I've heard about them but never looked at one up close . . . I gotta go to the store to get some stuff for dinner, can we go in the Tesla?" So of course I let her drive, over a few polite protestations. While we were just getting into the car, she said that now she'd retired and sold her house, she was finally getting ready to get the Mercedes she'd always wanted. Well we left the neighborhood and onto an arterial that was fairly empty of traffic, and I said go ahead and 'punch' it. She stomped on the juice pedal, grabbed the wheel with both hands and exclaimed, " . . . Holy S---t", with that big Tesla grin all over her face. For the next 10 minutes she didn't stop talking about it. She was on the computer 15 minutes after we finally got back to the house, spec'ing a Model S. At the time I didn't believe it, but yes . . . her delivery date is confirmed for May. "Holy S--t"!!�
Mar 21, 2015
MSEV I live in Omaha where there are very few Teslas. I have spotted one three times in the last year or so. Within 24 hours of so of getting mine, I had two Tesla Moments. The first was at the insurance agent's, getting my proof of insurance card. Three men walked by and one said, "Is that the car with the insane mode?" I replied that mine (S85D) was slightly slower, but the same car. Then driving to work in the morning, a car stopped next to me at a stop light, leaving three car lengths open in front of him rather than pulling up to the car in front of us as we all do at stop lights, so I looked over. He motioned me to roll down the window, which I did. "How do you say the name of that car?" he asked. I responded, "Tesla." "That's what I thought." He said something about the engine and I told him it didn't have an engine, didn't use gasoline and his eyes got real wide, so I added, "It's all electric." "Wow. It sure is a good looking car!" And I said thank you as the light turned green and we drove off.�
Mar 21, 2015
shelbri Car just sells itself. Great story.�
Mar 21, 2015
TesAus Had a couple of Tesla moments this afternoon.
First took the car to a hand car wash place and the guys could not figure out how to "start" the car to move it forward out of the wash bay and had to sheepishly come and get me to do so.
Then I went to grab some groceries. Passed an I-Miev charging in the car park on the way in, thought good for them, and went off to find a normal parking spot. When I came out I found said I-Miev now parked next to me with enthusiastic owner half in and half out of the car. He was a keen member of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (complete with leaflets) and was very excited to see a Model S in the wild in his neighbourhood. Didn't need to show him around the car as such as he is a regular visitor to the "showroom" in Sydney. Still good to see someone else living the electric dream!�
Mar 22, 2015
Tourman First road trip with my 85D, and while charging at a Supercharger in the service center off the hwy, this older gent walks up to me and asks "is that some sort of fuel?" I explained to him it's an electric car charger, then he walked away. My first Tesla moment.�
Mar 22, 2015
Johan Anticlimactic�
Mar 22, 2015
Tourman Ah yep.�
Mar 22, 2015
andydoty I think I would've been a little more on the comical side... It's a fine mixture of matter/antimatter. It must be fed into the car slowly. I mean, after all, this is how the Model S achieves warp speed isn't it?�
Mar 22, 2015
breser I had a somewhat alarming experience on the way back from visiting the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum today. Nissan Xterra pulls up next to me in the left lane rather quick (I'm running in the center lane). Goes past me and then slows down and falls behind me. Then gets in the right lane in front of a Mercedes SUV and pulls past me and then slows down to get next to me and in the process pretty effectively cuts off the Mercedes. At this point it's pretty obvious the guy is gawking at my car. Ends up waving at us and then slows down again and then goes behind me and back into the left lane again. Waves as he goes by again and then speeds off.�
Mar 23, 2015
mikeash I belong to a glider flying club, and yesterday was my first time taking the Tesla out to the airport since I got it.
It sure got a lot of attention. Some club members already knew about it, and I got a lot of "how are you liking it so far?" One guy kept asking me, "You bought a Tesla? Really? I can't believe you bought a Tesla. Aren't those things really expensive?" I was asked several times, "If you had all that money, why didn't you buy a really nice glider?" (Answer: I already own a really nice glider and I don't need two!) I think the best one was one person who said he saw it out in the parking lot all day not plugged in, so how was I going to get home? That naturally led to a discussion of the real-world range of the car, charging infrastructure, the supercharger network, etc.
Just about everybody knew about Tesla, but few knew any details, and nobody had heard of the supercharger network. It was fun to show it off and talk about it, in between all the other excitement going on at the airport that day.
On the way home, one moment for myself. I was doing about 70MPH in a 65 zone in the second-from-right lane when a bunch of cars came on to the highway from an onramp all doing about 55. Some nut from this group (who I think was looking at her phone as I passed!) decided it would be a great idea to move into my lane just in front of me without accelerating. The collision alarm sounded and TACC braked immediately and brought me down to her speed while I was still trying to decide how to handle this novel (well, I wish it was novel) situation. A great demonstration of the safety advantages of a smart car.�
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