EV Hostility?

[Magomboman]

The yearly EV tax is low compared to the yearly property tax you pay on the car.

I found the property tax for my MS is comparable to any make of car for the same $$

 

[AlanSqB]

Which is it, do you have them or are you planning to get them?

Both.

 

[AlanSqB]

in GA that fee is $200.

Colorado only gets $50/year right now. I did a calculation once and it’s within the realm of possibility that one could spend that much in gas tax every year with an ICE. But more than that seems like extortion.

 

[Max*]

I found the property tax for my MS is comparable to any make of car for the same $$

O yeah, I'm not arguing that.

I'm just saying that the $64/year EV tax is nothing when you're already paying VA $2k-$5k/year for the car.

 

[modamoda]

$80/year in Missouri for the "alternative fuels" sticker.

in GA that fee is $200.

WA for 150 USD/yr

Also WA is implementing another alternative way to charge EV more.
Washington state to test pay-by-the-mile as a way to fund highways

 

[Ulmo]

I popped over to the Model S forum from the Model 3 forum to ask a question to all you Tesla owners. Other than being ICE'd at a charging station, have you experienced any hostility because you are driving an EV?Thanks for any feedback you can provide.

Yes, quite a bit. It came from two point five ish sources:

• I had a Model S, so everyone looked at it like it was too expensive, and I was wrong for owning something that is too expensive. I was very marginalized for this.
• While driving, I got a lot of very angry anti-eco nuts, mostly driving pickup trucks, who would show their dismay of me very overtly. Since I was always going quite fast compared to other cars, I had none of the Prius going-too-slow issue, so I know it was about the eco thing. I can compare this to when I owned a Mercedes: I didn't get the same amount of anti-eco nuttery in my Mercedes, but did get a little more reflexive anti-Nazi kind of action going on, more like my first point above, so I suppose some of that could have bled over into my Model S ownership.
• I got a huge amount of Pro-Trump Pro-Country Anti-Coastal attitude from many of the obviously non-coastal people who moved here for work who hated my car because it was from the "wrong side of the fence"; these people would often tell me to "Buy American!!!" and say "Why don't you support America?". Since I'm a very pro-Trump person myself, and very anti-pollution, I saw through all this fakery, and understood it as just stupid people herding along as one bit of resolution (rather than being more full people -- see
  ). I especially loved how obviously fake the stance was against Tesla as being anti-American (it's one of the most American manufacturers in existence). Also, I think there was some pro-Union stuff in there (but Unions are all different, so they can't all be clumped into the identically same boat), and some anti-tax stuff (there is a lie that more tax money is spent on Tesla than on oil companies and their ICE vehicles that use their dirty energy).

I'm very curious how this will work out with Model 3. As I reported to TMC yesterday, my construction boss (who is a very typical construction grade-A asshole boss who works in an industry where everyone is used to polluting a lot) told everyone that he is interested in Tesla's pickup (I never tell anyone at work my interest or involvement in Tesla, so this was entirely prompted from news reports and Elon's very over-interpreted tweet and what I'm guessing is his own genuine interest); obviously, as more models that are affordable and fill market segments that are needed come out, this all will change greatly, and the opinion of "Tesla owners" will greatly change.

I simply see this as a thing that will take time; as in, exactly the amount of time it takes for Tesla to start delivering the Tesla Pickup in bulk. Exactly.

We'll see the needle move a lot with Model 3, as well.

Long term, I'm not worried, and I'm a Tesla supporter for the long term, as well as clean energy of all forms. Please note that my long term world view entirely allows the possibility that someone else will beat Tesla to market with a great (or good enough) electric pickup; if someone else comes to market first with that and Tesla just cedes that market "segment" to the other companies, that will put a serious dent in how Tesla owners are treated, and indeed, it would throw them down about 3 to 6 notches in the social order.

Most folks give me a thumbs up if they recognize the car. However, I have had at least two instances of folks presenting me with another digit over the course of the last year. I don't have any idea why, though I speculate that perhaps, since I am in oil country, that that may have something to do with it. As far as I know, I had not done anything else to irritate them. Two of the three times, it was a large pickup truck, but that may just be co-incidence.

Aha! Underlined text. My experience as well, even in Santa Cruz County and Santa Clara County. Gosh, I get less animus in the Central Valley.

I would say that people are much more tolerant of my aggressive (but safe) driving in my MS than before with other cars. Some want to "race" once in a while though.

I think I noticed that as well (in my Model S). But, I was trying to go home one day, and got a ticket for "racing" even though I wasn't (the cop even said "You Tesla owners are all the same, trying to show off your #$&*#$ expensive cars! I hate it!" -- pretty well paraphrased from memory. He was amped. It helped, because he wrote the ticket faster, and I didn't have to wait forever). I've substantially slowed down since then, since that was a wake up call.

Been driving a Tesla for 4 years in San Diego, CA never a negative reaction. Of course, you can't throw a stone around where I live without hitting one .

That makes me want to move to someplace like that. Then again, I can't afford it. I'd rather live in a forest of mountains, though, where it is really wild. I could own two houses: one in Palo Alto, and one in the forest mountains, and alternate between them, escaping from one to the other periodically.

Another incident is when I went to the HOA for approval of my charging plug installation. It was in 2013, about a month before I took delivery of the car. They sort of made fun of me, like I was doing something stupid. They were sitting on a raised platform and I was in the "audience" area. There were like six of them (board members) and just 2-3 people sitting around me. They were like - "why go through all this trouble of an EV!", "I just bought a hybrid, and it goes vroom, and I don't have to worry about all this charging etc. It has practically zero emissions", and so on. I figured it was just ignorance, and tried to correct them a little, but it only made it worse, and they almost started making fun of me. Then I just let it be. They were older than me, and I did not want to come out as disrespectful.

Yes, I got a lot of that.

I was in Michigan about a month ago charging my car at a Meijer when a guy yelled at me..."keep buying foreign you a-hole". I laughed so hard I could barely contain myself. It still makes me chuckle today.

I'm not sure if he was mad that it was electric or "foreign".

Yes, I got a lot of that.

That helps to explain coal powered electric cars, but there's some additional information:

• Some of the power used to refine oil comes from the oil refining process itself.
• Most EV owners also support if not outright own solar panels. This is going to increase more and more.
• Solar power is being installed in concert with the conversion over to electric cars. Even though the exact volts used to cause electrons to bump back and forth to generate power into a particular EV may come from coal, it is being offset by other coal uses that are now solar, and other similar offsets.
  • This transition is accelerating in a geometric way as solar energy gets less expensive than coal.
    "Renewables are now deflationary to energy prices."

 

[Scoopa]

Kids love my Tesla Model S. I can't tell you how many wide eyed, smiling kids point at my car driving by, and I can read their lips saying "Whoa, cool car." I've gotten a cat call from a packed car of 20ish girls saying, "We love your Teslas" to another dude and me while supercharging. I've had multiple people tell me that my car is their dream car, or their spouse's dream car. I live north of Boston, for what it's worth. I've owned an Audi A4 and multiple Lexus IS and RX cars, and only once to my recollection did I get the "cool car" as I was pulling into a lot.

 

[PrGrPa]

Kids love my Tesla Model S. I can't tell you how many wide eyed, smiling kids point at my car driving by, and I can read their lips saying "Whoa, cool car." I've gotten a cat call from a packed car of 20ish girls saying, "We love your Teslas" to another dude and me while supercharging. I've had multiple people tell me that my car is their dream car, or their spouse's dream car. I live north of Boston, for what it's worth. I've owned an Audi A4 and multiple Lexus IS and RX cars, and only once to my recollection did I get the "cool car" as I was pulling into a lot.

Unsure if those potential cat calls or my fanboy-ism are the reason that my SO is questioning the financial sensibility of swapping out my MB for a Tesla.

 

[Scoopa]

Unsure if those potential cat calls or my fanboy-ism are the reason that my SO is questioning the financial sensibility of swapping out my MB for a Tesla.

Both are good reasons! I test drove a MB for my wife to potentially replace her old Lexus RX400h, and I must confess, I have been spoiled by Tesla. When I floored the three MB SUV models I test drove, it felt like a wet noodle compared to my 100D. So don't test drive a Tesla if you don't want to buy one, or you are toast! If you've already test drove one, and you're poking around Tesla Forums, seems to me just a matter of time before you're behind the wheel of a rocket ship, unless finances don't align. Good luck!!

 

[kort677]

Both are good reasons! I test drove a MB for my wife

just curious? why are YOU test driving a car she is going to drive, that has rarely worked well for me, she tests any car I want her to drive before I buy it.

 

[No ICE]

I have not encountered any hostility or been coal rolled by anyone. But I have a bumper sticker on the back that says “ guns don’t kill people, I do!” Not sure if that has any impact on the daily commute road rager or not?

FYI, totally kidding!

No issues here.

 

[Scoopa]

just curious? why are YOU test driving a car she is going to drive, that has rarely worked well for me, she tests any car I want her to drive before I buy it.

Good question. She is mostly uninterested in cars, but saw a.couple of MBs that caught her eye. But she trusts my opinion so asked me to test them out. We'll consider sitting tight for the Y for now, or perhaps something else.not currently in existence or not on the radar.

 

[kort677]

You may be sitting a long time waiting for a Y

 

[Scoopa]

You may be sitting a long time waiting for a Y

Indeed. A very long time. No rush on our end though.

 

[berkeley_ecar]

[...] We'll consider sitting tight for the Y for now, or perhaps something else.not currently in existence or not on the radar.

Today Dyson announced that it is working on an electric car! As one wag at USA Today commented, "presumably it won't suck." I'm a firm Dyson fan-boy , I'd hold out for that!

 

[FutureShock]

Today Dyson announced that it is working on an electric car!

Will it have excellent suction?

LOLs aside, this is good news. It means that just about everybody is jumping aboard the 'let's make an EV!!' bandwagon... even vacuum-cleaner makers.

Presumably even Toyota will catch the clue soon. They seem to be a lone voice in the wilderness, that, while hedging their bets with EV development, are still hoping for something else to win.

Pretty odd, considering they came up with the first popular hybrid.

.

 

[modamoda]

I've been seeing there are two major (kinda) hostility towards EV.

1. Condo HOA (for installing EV outlet)
2. State tax authority (for charging alternate fuel tax)

well.. it's not literally hostility, but it's kind of strong consideration when you buying an EV.

 

[boaterva]

I've been seeing there are two major (kinda) hostility towards EV.

1. Condo HOA (for installing EV outlet)
2. State tax authority (for charging alternate fuel tax)

well.. it's not literally hostility, but it's kind of strong consideration when you buying an EV.

Semi-understandable when people need to adapt and you know darn well most people can’t stand change.

Lose all that tax revenue?
Our parking is fine! Make it work for these new-fangled EVs?! It’s just a fad....

 

[Patrick W]

IF you want to buy best dash cam for your car then You can go for Falcon Zero F360 Dual Dash Cam, I am using this dash cam and it is amazing and very easy to use.

Seems a bit phishy, especially for a first post...

 

[calisnow]

I popped over to the Model S forum from the Model 3 forum to ask a question to all you Tesla owners. Other than being ICE'd at a charging station, have you experienced any hostility because you are driving an EV?

Thanks for any feedback you can provide.

I've been in semi-rural Wisconsin for a year (my permanent home is L.A.) and in that time I've gotten used to guys in huge ass trucks and baseball caps taking pics of my car, giving thumbs up, asking about it, looking amazed etc. it's pretty much all love even from the country folk.