Caution: TESLA caused me to leave my rental car running for 5 hours.

[evp]

Yeah, I had an ICE loaner when my Model S was in for service. I stopped by in between errands to see if it was ready to go yet, found out it wasn't. Walking back to the car, I had a little self-satisfied moment remembering I needed to get the keys out of my pocket. They were, of course, not there. They were in the ignition of the car, engine running, door unlocked.

 

[Chris P]

I've done it a couple times with our ICE (waiting for the 3 to get rid of it and be all electric). It has a push button start, as long as the fob is in my pocket, which makes it real easy to get out without thinking about either the fob or the engine. The first time I did it I could see the car from inside the fast food joint and thought to myself "hey, the lights aren't going off, I wonder what's wrong"?

 

[IamJohnGalt]

I feel so much better that I am not the only one. Thanks for all the funny replies.

 

[jlv1]

I recently did this in my LEAF. Unlike can ICE, you can't even hear it to realize it's still on.

 

[sdorn]

This is an embarrassing but true tale that demonstrates how quickly habits can form. I have owned my MS P100D for a bit over 100 days and love pretty much everything about it. While traveling on business, I rented "normal" car and appreciated just how special the TESLA really is. Its an entirely different experience- which led to an embarrassing mistake. I pulled into my office at 7:30 am, gathered my personal effects and went to in to work. When I returned to my vehicle with a colleague to go to lunch we realized that I had left the keys in the ignition with the engine running for 5 hours. I know I am going to get flamed by the forum for being so absent minded and it was certainly a stupid mistake, but I cant help but wonder if any other TESLA drivers have had similar muscle memory blunders. Anyone?

My wife reminds me constantly when we are in her mini van to remember to turn the car off as I leave it on all the time.

 

[mknox]

I mean no disrespect here at all... but I'm stunned that as many people as posts here suggest are actually doing this. Perhaps I am just more aware of my situation/surroundings than others, and maybe I'm the oddball, but I've never even come close to doing this. I guess it sort of explains how people (no one here, I'm sure) can walk away and leave infants in hot cars and such when you become accustomed to a routine.

 

[Naonak]

This happens to me fairly regularly with rental cars or even with my own Volvo when I have to drive it.

 

[IamJohnGalt]

I mean no disrespect here at all... but I'm stunned that as many people as posts here suggest are actually doing this. Perhaps I am just more aware of my situation/surroundings than others, and maybe I'm the oddball, but I've never even come close to doing this. I guess it sort of explains how people (no one here, I'm sure) can walk away and leave infants in hot cars and such when you become accustomed to a routine.

To equate developing muscle memory associated with the functionality of a car to the totally negligent act of leaving an infant in a hot car is absolutely ludicrous. You are either troilling or an imbecile.

 

[neroden]

Did this with a rental car with "push button start" -- I remembered to take the keys out but forgot to turn the engine off.'

I'm just not safe to drive gas cars any more. Won't do it.

 

[neroden]

Did any of you find that it was a big adjustment moving in the opposite direction ( from ICE to Tesla ) ?

Nope. Just a bunch of annoying things I *didn't* have to think about any more.

The trouble is, I'm not thinking about them any more, so when I get into a gas car...