A sincere effort from a hater to adapt to living in a world with Teslas

[GWord]

Speaking for my self it's not a Ford vs Chevy or MB vs. BMW thing.

Its a unique phenomenon, unlike any animosity I've previously experienced and defies logic.

When Priuses came out I didn't like them (still don't much although I recognize they are very good cars) but I never felt anything visceral against them. The anti-Tesla thing for me, and I suspect many haters (a group I am extricating myself from) runs much deeper than that.

I don't presume to know what psychology is involved but there appears to be a lot of deeply unhappy and scared people out there right now. I would hypothesize that this seems to manifest in all sorts of unhealthy behavior and Tesla seems particularly susceptible to concomitant biases in a variety of areas across politics, technology, jingoism, employment, and animosity or admiration of Elon Musk.

I would also hypothesize that the securities markets are also driving some of this with a perception that individual investors have won fortunes via TSLA and this creating a feeling of haves and have nots with the commensurate emotional response.

 

[FastDoc]

Probably, but I am most assuredly a 'have'.

As far as the stocks go, I am in an unusual position. I successfully made a lot money shorting TSLA early in the game. When I saw that was no longer viable I bought TSLA. Big time.

I did this for two reasons.

One, I like to make money (I'm funny that way I guess ;-)

Second, I thought it would help me psychotically. Each time I would see a Tesla I'd see money in my retirement portfolio rather than hate.

It has helped somewhat.

 

[GWord]

Probably, but I am most assuredly a 'have'.

As far as the stocks go, I am in an unusual position. I successfully made a lot money shorting TSLA early in the game. When I saw that was no longer viable I bought TSLA. Big time.

I did this for two reasons.

One, I like to make money (I'm funny that way I guess ;-)

Second, I thought it would help me psychotically. Each time I would see a Tesla I'd see money in my retirement portfolio rather than hate.

It has helped somewhat.

I can only imagine your response if you know someone else was making money on it and you missed out. Considering the constant news coverage of Tesla across a ton of different sources, it would be in your face all the time.

 

[Takumi]

"you talkin to me?"

No, I think he was talking to me.

 

[FastDoc]

LMAO GWord! So true.

 

[RSpanner]

LMAO also. I would have put a "like" but am blocked form doing so..it appears?

 

[Earl]

Before Tesla it was a problem Prius drivers dealt with, I suppose for the same 'reasons'

Unfortunately, there were a lot of smug Prius owners who used to block the left lane on freeways by driving well below the speed limit to maximize their MPG with their polarizing bumper stickers. A lot of people experienced this and I believe this behavior brought on the much of the hatred that has been transferred to Teslas and other EVs.
The only 'hatred' we've ever experienced in over 20 years of EV/hybrid driving was an egg attack on our street of the 2 Priuses, a Leaf, a Civic Hybrid, and our Volt. Our Teslas were in the garage. No other cars on the street or in driveways was affected.

 

[FastDoc]

Earl, Ever see the South Park episode about Priuses, (Prii?) Smug? I'm not a fan of the program but someone showed that episode to me. Very funny.

I also agree with you. Some of the anti-Prius animosity is projected onto the Tesla, which many people view as the new Prius. I thought other EV's are largely immune but based on your experience with the Volt perhaps I'm mistaken.

 

[Earl]

Earl, Ever see the South Park episode about Priuses, (Prii?) Smug? I'm not a fan of the program but someone showed that episode to me. Very funny.

I also agree with you. Some of the anti-Prius animosity is projected onto the Tesla, which many people view as the new Prius. I thought other EV's are largely immune but based on your experience with the Volt perhaps I'm mistaken.

Yep, that South Park episode is epic!

I also know early RAV4EV, EV1, and Leaf drivers who made a practice of driving extremely slowly all the time (I did on pioneering road trips as well) but most of them stuck to the right lane. I don't believe there weren't enough RAV4EV or EV1s to create much of a pop-culture impression though.
Priuses were almost an epidemic in California for most of the 2000's. Like BMWs, not all were obnoxious, but many are. Many drivers of BMWs and Priuses have switched to Teslas (a big key to Tesla's business case) so, of course, they're still obnoxious, extending the perception to Teslas.

 

[Tenuki]

Well... I'd like to answer the initial post from a Spanish point of view.

Cost of gas: 1.40 €/litre. (Aprox 6USD/gallon)
Cost of electricity at night: 0,04 € kW. (0,047usd)
Anual distance traveled: circa 35000km (21700 miles).

Though Tesla cars are way more expensive than in the USA, the difference is shattered after 4 years of ownership. From then on, it's waaay cheaper.

 

[FastDoc]

I can see the case where gas is very expensive to use an electric car. In such cases the advantages may outweigh the disadvantages for many people.

Unfortunately, this is exactly what the current leadership in the US is doing. Driving up the prices of gas to try to push people to follow their agenda.

All this does, however, is put pressure on poorer people who don't live in their own houses and can't afford the premium price for an EV.

In my use case it would never make financial sense.

I have many vehicles. A car, a pickup, and 4 road motorcycles and use them all on different days for different purposes. As such my S Class travels only about 5,000 miles a year, much of that is for pleasure use as I commute on motorcycle in good weather, and the truck in poor weather.

It would take an inordinate amount of time to amortize the price premium of an EV in my use case.

 

[Earl]

Driving up the prices of gas to try to push people to follow their agenda.

One could see it that way, however, I've been watching gas prices for many decades. They are definitely a game with the rules written by others than me.

the current leadership in the US

also is not completely in charge either. Of course, many of those in power who spent their careers representing states where oil and petro-chemicals are major income sources certainly have made gains from oil prices.
I've heard lines similar to

It would take an inordinate amount of time to amortize the price premium of an EV in my use case.

from many but they still grouse about gas prices whenever they go up. I remain pretty much apathetic. For me, the ability to let everyone else (rich or poor) deal with oil issues is fine for them. Passing by gas stations or asking friends how much it costs when they're grousing has given me some non-trivial value over the past 2 decades (with a 5 year gap) that I've been driving EVs.
Most of my driving has been in an EV since 2000. My trucks are simply for play and utility. I definitely don't drive them enough to impact my budget, however I'll replace them once a suitable electric becomes available, just out of spite for gas costs.
While I've been tempted a few times, I haven't had a motorcycle (gas or electric) for many years. I have borrowed a Zero and taken it into the mountains a few times and it is certainly nice carving the curves in pure silence. Our Tesla Roadster with the top down has done a lot to scratch that itch though.

 

[CyberGus]

It would take an inordinate amount of time to amortize the price premium of an EV in my use case.

It's difficult to justify the cost of any vehicle that is rarely driven. My Mazda lease ended at the front of the pandemic, and I chose to just go without a vehicle since. It's been cheaper to just Uber to the few places I need to go, since I WFH now.

Still getting a Cybertruck tho ;-)

 

[K5TRX]

Good afternoon everyone.

This message has taken me a long time to commit to.

I am a hater. I do not wish to remain a hater.

Bill, I am late to this thread but really like everything you are saying.

Here is what I want in a car:

• Safest Car
• Newest Car
• Quickest Car
• Most Efficient Car
• Most Fun Car

Start with the basics. All the Tesla's were the safest cars and then the Model Y was ranked as the safest SUV ever tested. Tesla's are some of the quickest in each category. I bought a muscle car back in the day. My Model 3 is way faster. My Model Y SUV is way faster too.

But how can a car I bought in 2018 be one of the newest cars?

Other cars were frozen in time 12 to 24 months before they first shipped. No feature is ever added. Your "new" car was already old when you got it.

Since I got my Model 3 in 2018, Tesla has added hundreds of features and upgrades. See @R0cco_Speranza's list of hundreds of new features and upgrades since 2017. Here are some of my favorite features added to the Model 3:

• Santa Mode (car turns into Santa's Sleigh, other cars are reindeer, pedestrians are elves)
• Chill Mode (because it is so freakishly fast otherwise)
• Upgraded braking (yup, one day existing Model 3's could brake better)
• Navigate on Autopilot (set a destination and it goes there, interstate only at this point)
• Key Fobs
• Increased Braking Re-gen (more efficient and now one-pedal driving!)
• Auto Park (parallel or back-in perpendicular)
• Faster V2 Supercharging
• Track Mode (for when you want to go freakishly fast)
• Fart App (the most requested thing I show people)
• Sentry Mode (alarm system)
• Romance Mode, Dog Mode, Camp Mode
• Blind Spot Warning (cars in nearby lanes show up in red)
• 5% Faster Acceleration (yup, 0.2 seconds quicker 0-60)
• 5% Faster Acceleration (yup, it's quicker, again)
• 7 mph faster top end (155 to 162 mph, no lie, one day it could just go faster)
• Dash Cam (first 1 camera, then 3 cameras, then 4 cameras saved to a USB drive)
• Red Light Detection (it can stop for red lights)
• Summon ("it will come to you like a puppy")
• Auto Lane Change (if it sees you need to change lanes, it does)
• Faster V3 Supercharging
• Smart Summon ("it will follow you around like a pet")
• Voice Controls
• Text Messaging
• Watch Cameras from phone app
• Speed Limit Sign detection (Tesla was late to add this)
• Green Light Camera Detection (it can automatically go when the light turns green)
• Full Self Driving Beta (still really a work in progress)
• Light Show (make your own, watch the videos)
• Blind Spot Cameras
• Too many new games to count

As to most fun, my Tesla's have a dozen ways they make me smile. Like any time I touch the accelerator pedal.

I have not really mentioned Most Efficient but My Tesla's are over 120 eMPG. Even more fun for me is that in our area you can get a demand meter and pay a lower rate over night, typically 2-3 cents a kWh. But there are nights Com Ed pays me to take their power.

It's not a lot, but there are nights that Com Ed actually pays us to take their power because they can't turn off their plants at night. Now that is fun!

Oh, and I should mention that Tesla is saving the planet too. But the other things are a lot more fun.

 

[FastDoc]

K5TRX,

Thanks for taking the time for such a thoughtful reply.

Some of the positives you mention will be a partial compensation to me when I buy my next car, which will likely be in 7-10 years, and will likely be electric.

By then I hope that some of the automakers I favor (MB, BMW, Porsche/Audi) will have more affordable alternatives to their current offerings.

I like the EQS, but I have a hard time with it's looks. For an S-Class the price is OK, but needs to depreciate for me to invest in one.

Ditto the Taycan and eTron GT.

The Lucid has potential but like Tesla is too new a manufacturer with too little experience for me to make a six digit investment in at present. Although it seems to be the 'best' EV at present for what I am looking for, I'm still not in accordance with its looks and price point.

The iPace is nice, but I don't see many on the road.

One day the advantages of the EV will outweigh the negatives for me.

CO2, global 'warming', and saving the world matter to me not at all.

 

[nwdiver]

CO2, global 'warming', and saving the world matter to me not at all.

Why? Do you reject reality or you don't think the next generation deserves a better quality of life? Not trying to argue or debate... just curious. I often wonder if we need more education or more empathy.

 

[JimBob 909]

Why? Do you reject reality or you don't think the next generation deserves a better quality of life? Not trying to argue or debate... just curious. I often wonder if we need more education or more empathy.

I think more education is needed of countries that are Gross Polluter, China & India. Now in California I have to separate out my food waste, because evidently rotting tomatoes and moldy bread emit a lot of methane. What a crock of crap. Millions of cars sold annually belching out hydrocarbons gotta far exceed my food waste emissions. I am sure some trash company got to the governor and Cali legislature and sold them a bill of goods. Climates have changed for millions of years and will continue to do so, but my food waste recycle will save the ozone layer (or whatever).

 

[CyberGus]

I think more education is needed of countries that are Gross Polluter, China & India. Now in California I have to separate out my food waste, because evidently rotting tomatoes and moldy bread emit a lot of methane. What a crock of crap. Millions of cars sold annually belching out hydrocarbons gotta far exceed my food waste emissions. I am sure some trash company got to the governor and Cali legislature and sold them a bill of goods. Climates have changed for millions of years and will continue to do so, but my food waste recycle will save the ozone layer (or whatever).

Regardless of the impact on Climate Change, our civilization must unmake what it makes. Everything gets recycled, one way or the other, and reducing landfill intake is a positive step.

 

[JimBob 909]

Regardless of the impact on Climate Change, our civilization must unmake what it makes. Everything gets recycled, one way or the other, and reducing landfill intake is a positive step.

Yes I agree, but having another trash truck (now we have a green waste truck and a trash truck) spitting out diesel fumes (def or no def, it's still exhaust) while it drives around to every home seems worst than the little methane it's trying to prevent. I am guessing the trash companies got to the politicians (cha ching) in Sacramento.

 

[Unclepaul]

Our trash trucks use CNG.