Advice: How to get tech-averse wife to embrace Model 3

[Atlantan]

Late March, getting close! Would love to see it when you get it. Congrats on that and the college grad. It took my wife literally over a year to drive my S, she was just scared to drive it...now she thinks this is the best car thus far (and I have gone through too many cars)...she still doesn't drive the S, which is fine by me

 

[Drone Flyer]

Tell her she'll get a new charge out of life!

 

[suwaneedad]

Would love to see it when you get it.

We can definitely make that happen...it's going from Decatur SC delivery straight to being wrapped in Duluth...so right near you. Easy to connect once real (I'm expecting mid-Apr).

 

[Dan Detweiler]

Most of the 'tech' is really just rarely used interfaces. It has a drive control stalk, a blinker and a cruise control mechanism. The basics are all there just like any other car.

But it drives really nice. Super nice.

The rest of it can be learned slowly and later. How does the lane keeping cruise control work? How does the self parking work? How do I navigate the radio? Etc..

Get her comfortable with the baseline and mention the rest. The rest doesn't need to be used right away.

Totally agree on this one. When I bought my Volt I forced myself to just drive the car for a while and not worry about the tech. Let her get used to just driving the car. Eventually all of those big screen interfaces are going to be simple voice commands anyway.

Dan

 

[nagypite]

show her these posts

 

[suwaneedad]

Eventually all of those big screen interfaces are going to be simple voice commands anyway.

Sure hope so. The way I see it, the screen is for watching movies anyway. I wish Tesla would just pay AMZN to have Alexa be the voice recognition solution. I'm confounded by Tesla's desire to build everything in-house. Soon we'll be getting Tesla-made steel-belted radial tires.

 

[ZooSean]

Same situation here, I also own a Leaf, and ICE RX350. I have my reservation on Model 3, god knows when it will come to Canada. My DW is not that against EV, but she is still saying we would keep the ICE car. I tried persuade her to switch to X when RX350 getting older, but at this time she is not willing to do so.

 

[Chopr147]

Perfect. I'll lead with "camper mode."

If I led with "Camper mode" I may have to contact a divorce attorney

 

[evJOULE]

OK team,
Need advice. Our Model 3 should arrive late in March. We do not own a Tesla, and have owned a LEAF for the past 6.25 years (my daily driver...wife drives it sporadically...range anxiety). I already know that I will love Model 3; my concern is how best to ensure that my wife embraces driving Model 3 as well. This is a critical issue, presumably a battle that is won or lost in the first days of ownership, and so I would love advice from those who've had a spouse with similar hesitation as mine when it comes to embracing tech. We are 46.

Thus far, my only thought is to try to have her view the new car as an extension of her iPhone (which is, already, an extension of her right hand).

Wondering who else has already been down this path, and what has worked (or failed to work) for you.

If I succeed, then we will be ending our ICE era within a few months. If I fail, our ICE use will continue until there's a more 'conventional' long range EV produced by somebody (years away!). So, no pressure.

I don't blame her for the range anxiety with the Leaf. If you got the long range Model 3, she should be good to go. Good luck and hope she likes the colour.

 

[slipnslider]

Your wife is a perfect example of why tesla should be providing a FOB for the model 3. Not everyone is a tech head who has the patience and skill to troubleshoot unreliable technology. A lot of people want their 60k purchases to JUST WORK all the time.

 

[AlMc]

Great topic OP: Not only for getting suggestions for my wife but my aging parents whom I intend to get a '3'. My father likes tech/mother does not but FSD can't come soon enough to make some of the roads they are driving on now safer (for other drivers!)

 

[oldtrip]

Great topic OP: Not only for getting suggestions for my wife but my aging parents whom I intend to get a '3'. My father likes tech/mother does not but FSD can't come soon enough to make some of the roads they are driving on now safer (for other drivers!)

I can definitely relate to this --- as the aging parent. I'm hoping this car will keep me mobile for years into the future. Especially is the suggestions here don't convince my bride to embrace this new technology.

 

[suwaneedad]

I can definitely relate to this --- as the aging parent. I'm hoping this car will keep me mobile for years into the future. Especially is the suggestions here don't convince my bride to embrace this new technology.

My 84yr old mother would benefit from FSD, without a doubt. She's already restricted herself from driving from dusk through dawn, which was made easier for her once I explained that personal pilots set personal limitations for themselves as a matter of course. But FSD would enable her to remain independent in her living for much longer. My perfect scenario involves FSD launching successfully very soon, so that I can get her comfortable with it and leave her with my Model 3...she can sit behind the wheel but let the car do the work. Without FSD, she's going to lose her independence via losing her ability to safely drive (combined with her resistance to adopting Uber/Lyft as her fallback...she feels like she's inconveniencing the driver). Can't wait to see my Mom driving around in the most technologically advanced vehicle in the world, leaving her ~2000 Buick LaSabre to finish rusting in the junkyard.

 

[jrichey]

Here's a different angle. Have her read up about Tesla, Elon, SpaceX, etc. and what they are all about and what Elon and company are trying to do to make this world a better place with their efforts. That helped my wife really understand Tesla as a company and Elon as a person and what he is trying to do and she then was more appreciative of the car but also more forgiving of some of the challenges of being in a car that's a first and a change agent and might not be like a normal car but still is awesome in it's own way. She doesn't totally embrace all the tech behind these cars, but she very much appreciates what the company is doing and how Elon is changing an industry for the better. And all the news about the traditional ICE manufactures and how they are now bringing EVs to market just reinforces how much Elon has changed the game. Hope that helps...

 

[suwaneedad]

@jrichey, looks good on paper. The problem is that quickly she gets to "divorced twice!" and thinks he's a cretin.
My ace card here is that our son interned at Tesla in Fremont last summer and loved it. So, that's my ticket to getting her to embrace the car, "in support of" something our son poured his heart into during the Model 3 launch period (by coincidence).

 

[Lloyd]

Tell her that it is like getting new shoes!!

 

[ithinkmac]

My wife is the same. You have to approach from what she's used to. I also had a LEAF, she drives only when the other cars are not available. Hated it.
Bought the X. Still not a fan, then I sell her on the Supercharger network, the auto-pilot, the auto parking (she hates driving). Now we only take the X for roadtrips. ICE SUV sitting @ home.
Model 3. Still complains. Too low, no center cluster (she likes things the way they were, not a fan of change). You know what finally turned her thinking around? We had a flat on the X and Tesla Mobile came out and patch the tire (1st time), then swap tire. All by just making an appointment. That alone changed her mind about Tesla. The tech and green, and anything else. But in the end, it was the service. She had an issue with the X and called Tesla Roadside and they help her out over the phone, and that gave it another +.

 

[Chopr147]

Model 3. Still complains. Too low

Too low, may be a reason many "older" folks like the SUV's. Now i'm only 54 but I do have back issues and I could see getting an SUV in the future. Model Y if it ever happens.
I passed on the Model 3 for now. Just not ready. My lease is up next year but I changed my mind. I do NOT like the smaller 3. I'm either buying my S or getting something else.

 

[EnrgyNDpndnce]

OMG reading this post and all the replies has cracked me up. @suwaneedad, I thought I was reading my own story! I’m 45, live in Buford, have a Leaf (3.5 years), wife doesn’t like the Leaf b/c of range anxiety (she drove it to work one time and nearly ran out of charge b/c she got lost going to an appointment after work), wife is tech challenged and uses me as her personal 24/7 tech support hotline, and our daughter (the primary Leaf driver) is a freshman at UGA. I’m a current reservation holder and my wife is anything but enthusiastic about the Model 3. Let me know how your situation works out, I will definitely follow this topic!

 

[DR61]

I'm still waiting to see ONE post on this thread from a woman describing her tech-adverse partner. Very strange...