Fun story that means nothing.

[PEMDAS]

I used to own a Lucid Air GT but I don't any longer. (Long story.)

Anyway, I bought my Tesla Model S LR about three weeks ago. I love the car. I'm sure anyone here who's had their Tesla for any period of time knows that it takes a while to get to understand the car and its features, and I'm still working on that.

Anyway, the other day I was having lunch with a friend. He's kind of conservative, but I forgive him for that, and it leads to lively conversations at lunch. I drove the Tesla and met him at the restaurant, and during lunch he was having trouble understanding why anyone wants to pay Tesla money for a car. I explained to him that the technology is great, and doing my part to help the environment, etc, was important to me. I explained that it was the car of the future, or least electric vehicles are the car of the future. As I say, he's kind of conservative, and he wasn't buying it. He is one of these "I'll never buy an electric car" kind of people. Anyway, after lunch, he wanted to go out into the parking lot to take a look at it. So we did.

When I got out to the car, I noticed that some jerk had parked really close to the drivers door. (Isn't that always the way it works when you get a new car?) Anyway, my friend laughed. He thought it was real funny, I guess because he thinks that this could never happen to a gas powered vehicle. Smiling, he asked me, "what are you going to do now? You're going to have to crawl all over your brand new electric car to get into the driver seat!" However, just the day before I had been playing around with the "Summon" feature. So, I pulled out my iPhone (which also drives him crazy because he sees an iPhone as being "liberal") and I used the Summon feature to back the car out of its spot.

I must say, he was quite shocked, and it was quite satisfying for me. I really enjoyed it!

 

[Ostrichsak]

Conservatives buy cars too.

Honestly, I really think this community does a big disservice to itself but bringing politics into these conversations. It serves only to further perpetuate the fallacy that a certain "type" buys EVs, specifically Teslas. The sooner we get away from that false narrative the better the adoption rate will be. That's easily the biggest hurdle here in the Midwest to EV adoption and also why people intentionally park close to your driver's side door, ICE your charger stalls and even vandalize Teslas in more extreme cases. They're just cars (really good ones) and the sooner we can remove the politics, the better.

I think your issue was the reference that "any part you can play to help the environment" and how that comes off to most conservatives. (this is something that vexes me as ALL political affiliations should care about the environment but we all know that isn't how it actually is.. I digress) There's enough inaccurate info out there on this topic that I don't even touch it. We all know that they're better for the environment than an ICE car but they know the opposite to be true so it's a hopefully endeavor.

Convince them on the merits of the car and let them come into the environmental aspect on their own. That's what we did and now actively make other choices that better serve the environment. The draw for us was never that though and for other people who aren't interested in that you'll never "win them over" with that being one of the factors you suggest they consider.

The case for owning a Tesla is strong enough w/o even mentioning the environmental aspects that you don't have to worry about taking their attention away from the only part they care about: It's simply the best car I've ever driven in every single measurable way.

I jokingly tell people that "if it ran off of the tears of clubbed baby seals I'd still drive it because it's just that good" which tends to get a chuckle. I'm also from the Midwest and come from a long line of farmers and gearheads so just the fact that I've been all-in on Teslas for over 5 years or so now is also proof to the people who know me well that there's something to this whole Tesla thing that runs counter to what they "know" to be right about the topic.

I'm not trying to "convert" anyone in the moment with those conversations. All I'm trying to do is openly and honestly answer any and all questions they have. Those questions are always the same and come from a place of ancient urban legends that aren't relevant in the least to reality. During this knowledge transfer, my hope is that it plants a little seed of doubt on what they "know" to be true so they do a little independent research.

Like it or not, we're ambassadors to the Tesla brand and (more importantly) the EV segment. We need to be more inclusive to those who are resistive to factual data and getting into a political debate about isn't a good starting point.

 

[SO16]

I used to own a Lucid Air GT but I don't any longer. (Long story.)

Anyway, I bought my Tesla Model S LR about three weeks ago. I love the car. I'm sure anyone here who's had their Tesla for any period of time knows that it takes a while to get to understand the car and its features, and I'm still working on that.

Anyway, the other day I was having lunch with a friend. He's kind of conservative, but I forgive him for that, and it leads to lively conversations at lunch. I drove the Tesla and met him at the restaurant, and during lunch he was having trouble understanding why anyone wants to pay Tesla money for a car. I explained to him that the technology is great, and doing my part to help the environment, etc, was important to me. I explained that it was the car of the future, or least electric vehicles are the car of the future. As I say, he's kind of conservative, and he wasn't buying it. He is one of these "I'll never buy an electric car" kind of people. Anyway, after lunch, he wanted to go out into the parking lot to take a look at it. So we did.

When I got out to the car, I noticed that some jerk had parked really close to the drivers door. (Isn't that always the way it works when you get a new car?) Anyway, my friend laughed. He thought it was real funny, I guess because he thinks that this could never happen to a gas powered vehicle. Smiling, he asked me, "what are you going to do now? You're going to have to crawl all over your brand new electric car to get into the driver seat!" However, just the day before I had been playing around with the "Summon" feature. So, I pulled out my iPhone (which also drives him crazy because he sees an iPhone as being "liberal") and I used the Summon feature to back the car out of its spot.

I must say, he was quite shocked, and it was quite satisfying for me. I really enjoyed it!

Would be curious about his reaction if he drove it.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Would be curious about his reaction if he drove it.

This is the great unifier, in my experience. If someone sparks up a conversation I always am happy to answer all of the questions they have honestly and fully. At some point, I can see them starting to question what they "know" to be true and that's what I tell them they have to drive it. They usually seem surprised that I would offer to let them and always take me up on the offer.

At a minimum, I take them for a quick launch w/me driving if I'm limited on time. Usually experiencing a launch first hand is a game changer for them. Think about the first time you ever went for a ride in one and felt those butterflies in your stomach. It changes you.

Couple that with the seeds planted that piques their interest to want to learn more and you've got the recipe for someone who's going to do the work to arrive at the correct conclusion themselves.

 

[SoCal Buzz]

I used to own a Lucid Air GT but I don't any longer. (Long story.)

What‘s the short story if you don’t mind sharing? I drove one the other day; nice car with luxurious refinements inside. But overly complicated and software is not all there / seamless yet. I also don’t care for the exterior look as much compared to Model S or Audi GT.

 

[djlott]

It's always fun to have the "How far can it go" conversation. Sometimes I say "honestly I don't really know. I've never run my car completely out of electricity as I'm sure you've never run your car out of gas. All I know is that I wake up every day with a 'full tank' (so to speak) and then I drive".

Other times I'll say "how often do you stop for gas in a given year? Say, twice a month at 15 minutes each stop, not including the time spent driving out of your way to find a station"? Then it's simple math, i.e., "you stopped roughly 24 times for gas at 15 mins each. That's roughly 6 hours of your time spent getting gas throughout the year. That's WAAAAAY longer than I have ever spent in a year charging."

Then I watch the confusion turn to some sense of acknowledgement that I never really have to stop anywhere to charge except at home. But inevitebly the "road trip" conversation comes up and I say "I can go about 2 to 3 hours before I need to stop and stretch. That's when I'll get some coffee or a snack, charge up and get back on the road. I spend about 30 minutes charging in that time. That's maybe 250 miles give or take depending on weather."

I do often have to acknowledge though that on the seldom road trips, if you don't plan for destination charging, it does complicate the return trip a bit. Nothing that can't be accounted for but destination charging is better to have than not.

 

[Konicom04]

I used to own a Lucid Air GT but I don't any longer. (Long story.)

Anyway, I bought my Tesla Model S LR about three weeks ago. I love the car. I'm sure anyone here who's had their Tesla for any period of time knows that it takes a while to get to understand the car and its features, and I'm still working on that.

Anyway, the other day I was having lunch with a friend. He's kind of conservative, but I forgive him for that, and it leads to lively conversations at lunch. I drove the Tesla and met him at the restaurant, and during lunch he was having trouble understanding why anyone wants to pay Tesla money for a car. I explained to him that the technology is great, and doing my part to help the environment, etc, was important to me. I explained that it was the car of the future, or least electric vehicles are the car of the future. As I say, he's kind of conservative, and he wasn't buying it. He is one of these "I'll never buy an electric car" kind of people. Anyway, after lunch, he wanted to go out into the parking lot to take a look at it. So we did.

When I got out to the car, I noticed that some jerk had parked really close to the drivers door. (Isn't that always the way it works when you get a new car?) Anyway, my friend laughed. He thought it was real funny, I guess because he thinks that this could never happen to a gas powered vehicle. Smiling, he asked me, "what are you going to do now? You're going to have to crawl all over your brand new electric car to get into the driver seat!" However, just the day before I had been playing around with the "Summon" feature. So, I pulled out my iPhone (which also drives him crazy because he sees an iPhone as being "liberal") and I used the Summon feature to back the car out of its spot.

I must say, he was quite shocked, and it was quite satisfying for me. I really enjoyed it!

I consider myself a conservative.
Yet, own 3 ( total of 5 since 2014) Chevy Volts, and an M3P,
There are a lot of people out there who misinterpret what conservatism is.

 

[Konicom04]

This is the great unifier, in my experience. If someone sparks up a conversation I always am happy to answer all of the questions they have honestly and fully. At some point, I can see them starting to question what they "know" to be true and that's what I tell them they have to drive it. They usually seem surprised that I would offer to let them and always take me up on the offer.

At a minimum, I take them for a quick launch w/me driving if I'm limited on time. Usually experiencing a launch first hand is a game changer for them. Think about the first time you ever went for a ride in one and felt those butterflies in your stomach. It changes you.

Couple that with the seeds planted that piques their interest to want to learn more and you've got the recipe for someone who's going to do the work to arrive at the correct conclusion themselves.

haha - love your profile signature
2011 Volt : Leia
2012 Volt: Falcon
2013 Volt: Vader
2017 Volt (sold): Maul
2023 M3P - hmmmmmmmm.... it probably should inherit the 2017's name - it is red

 

[PEMDAS]

Conservatives buy cars too.

Honestly, I really think this community does a big disservice to itself but bringing politics into these conversations. It serves only to further perpetuate the fallacy that a certain "type" buys EVs, specifically Teslas. The sooner we get away from that false narrative the better the adoption rate will be. That's easily the biggest hurdle here in the Midwest to EV adoption and also why people intentionally park close to your driver's side door, ICE your charger stalls and even vandalize Teslas in more extreme cases. They're just cars (really good ones) and the sooner we can remove the politics, the better.

I think your issue was the reference that "any part you can play to help the environment" and how that comes off to most conservatives. (this is something that vexes me as ALL political affiliations should care about the environment but we all know that isn't how it actually is.. I digress) There's enough inaccurate info out there on this topic that I don't even touch it. We all know that they're better for the environment than an ICE car but they know the opposite to be true so it's a hopefully endeavor.

Convince them on the merits of the car and let them come into the environmental aspect on their own. That's what we did and now actively make other choices that better serve the environment. The draw for us was never that though and for other people who aren't interested in that you'll never "win them over" with that being one of the factors you suggest they consider.

The case for owning a Tesla is strong enough w/o even mentioning the environmental aspects that you don't have to worry about taking their attention away from the only part they care about: It's simply the best car I've ever driven in every single measurable way.

I jokingly tell people that "if it ran off of the tears of clubbed baby seals I'd still drive it because it's just that good" which tends to get a chuckle. I'm also from the Midwest and come from a long line of farmers and gearheads so just the fact that I've been all-in on Teslas for over 5 years or so now is also proof to the people who know me well that there's something to this whole Tesla thing that runs counter to what they "know" to be right about the topic.

I'm not trying to "convert" anyone in the moment with those conversations. All I'm trying to do is openly and honestly answer any and all questions they have. Those questions are always the same and come from a place of ancient urban legends that aren't relevant in the least to reality. During this knowledge transfer, my hope is that it plants a little seed of doubt on what they "know" to be true so they do a little independent research.

Like it or not, we're ambassadors to the Tesla brand and (more importantly) the EV segment. We need to be more inclusive to those who are resistive to factual data and getting into a political debate about isn't a good starting point.

I understand. I think that it has become a sad situation in this country that even the mere mention of politics creates adversarial debate. I’m old enough that I remember when I could talk politics with people of differing political views and have them merely view me as someone with an opinion, and not the enemy. I served in the military and was disabled, and I was a police officer before going to law school. I am now a lawyer.

I don’t feel that I have to prove my patriotism or love of country to others, and quite frankly I have come to the point where I simply refuse to avoid talk of politics, religion, guns, abortion, etc., although I certainly don’t choose to pick fights over these issues either. I guess I just don’t like the idea that I live in a country that values free speech as long as I agree. I believe that our rights mean little if we are willing to ignore them when we find them inconvenient. And I want to emphasize that I’m certainly not focusing on anyone here, certainly not you, with these comments, but only on the general, and quite frankly disturbing, political climate we find ourselves in today. But as you say, “I digress.”

As for the Tesla, so far I love it, notwithstanding the banter that goes no between my friend and I at lunch. As I say, we banter the same about the iPhone, as silly as that is. And I’m not trying to convince him to buy an EV, even assuming that he will have a choice in the future, which I suspect he won’t.

 

[PEMDAS]

Would be curious about his reaction if he drove it.

He hasn’t driven it yet. I’d like to see him do that. He seems to like the characteristics of electric vehicles, and I even think he may come around. But that certainly isn’t my goal. We’ll see.

What‘s the short story if you don’t mind sharing? I drove one the other day; nice car with luxurious refinements inside. But overly complicated and software is not all there / seamless yet. I also don’t care for the exterior look as much compared to Model S or Audi GT.

Ah, yes - The Lucid. Let me say that my story involved a bit of “wrangling” between Lucid and I, and I have agreed with them not to disparage them or discuss the terms of any agreement we might have between us. But I genuinely mean them no disparagement. I viewed my time with the Lucid Air GT as a “love/hate relationship.” But we have come to terms, and Lucid was always a stand up company with me and I honestly wish them well. I hope they are very successful in their business. At the very least Lucid’s success will provide additional incentive to Tesla to make their vehicles even greater than they currently are. Let me just say that Lucid promised certain features in its advertising that I discovered after purchase that the car simply did not have, and I found Lucid to not be particularly interested in fixing their issues.

It is a topic that I would love to discuss, but I am not sure I am at liberty do that, so let me just make a few vague comments. The hardware (the car itself) seems very good. I would give it a “B+”. As for the software, I would give it a “D”. I think the software is designed poorly and is poorly implemented. Let me give you two examples. (And I assure you that while these are small items, they do embody what I see as a problem in a larger sense.)

The car has one volume for everything. If you want to hear the navigation system give you turn by turn instructions, you also have to listen to your music. You also have to have the telephone volume turned up. You can’t turn the music down, or the telephone volume goes down as well, and that also turns down the navigation system sound. But, it is fixable - if Lucid wants to fix it, and currently that does not seem to be the case.

Another example - suppose you want to back out of your garage using HomeLink. You press the HomeLink [software] button and the garage door opens. You back up and as you do so a window with video pops up over the HomeLink controls to show the backup camera. So now you have to close the backup video window so you can close the garage door with the HomeLink. But then you have to open the backup window again so you can continue to back out. And these are just a couple of many software issues.

Both the audio and the HomeLink are poorly designed, which I can live with (it is, after all, software so it can be changed), but Lucid has never changed either in over a year. The attitude seems to be “we will get to that issue when we get to it [in our very expensive car] but not today.”

Another problem I had with the car is that every time Lucid fixed one software problem, which is rare, they often created a new software problem. Again - it was poor design.

Finally, and again, vaguely, I didn’t find the car to be physically attractive, but I was willing to forgo that as the car claimed to have very long distance capability. Plus the interior is very good - better than the Tesla. But, I never trusted the car enough to travel long distances. There are many horror stories out there concerning a problem with its 12 volt system that Lucid never even addressed, and, as far as I know, this was never fixed. From a reliability standpoint the car scared me, and Lucid appears to be ignoring it.

Most importantly, as for its future, I fear Lucid will fail (even though I do know about the whole PIF, - Public Investment Fund a/k/a Saudi money). In my opinion the car is overpriced for what it offers (and don’t even get me started on the Sapphire, which starts at $249,000). The long[er] range battery is nice, but this will be eclipsed in the future by other cars with even longer ranges and better battery technology, and either way that does not compensate for the high price. As cars like Tesla drop in price, Lucid increases theirs even as sales drop. I don’t believe it can be sustained.

 

[PEMDAS]

I consider myself a conservative.
Yet, own 3 ( total of 5 since 2014) Chevy Volts, and an M3P,
There are a lot of people out there who misinterpret what conservatism is.

Although I don’t agree with many conservative principles, I embrace others. And I understand that conservatism doesn’t have to mean hate, racism, anti-patriotism, etc., but sadly todays conservatism appears to be dominated by just that. And while you may be referring to true Goldwater/Reagan conservatism, which I can embrace in part, todays conservatism is far from Goldwater/Reagan conservatism. For now, anyway, Goldwater/Reagan conservatism appears to be dead.

Today, Tesla owners actually have to fear people scratching their cars and being run off the road due to a perception that Tesla owners are left wing, and left wing supporters are the enemy. In short, I don’t begrudge true Goldwater/Reagan conservatives their beliefs, but true Goldwater/Reagan conservatives seem to have gone the way of the dodo bird.

 

[SO16]

I understand. I think that it has become a sad situation in this country that even the mere mention of politics creates adversarial debate. I’m old enough that I remember when I could talk politics with people of differing political views and have them merely view me as someone with an opinion, and not the enemy. I served in the military and was disabled, and I was a police officer before going to law school. I am now a lawyer.

I don’t feel that I have to prove my patriotism or love of country to others, and quite frankly I have come to the point where I simply refuse to avoid talk of politics, religion, guns, abortion, etc., although I certainly don’t choose to pick fights over these issues either. I guess I just don’t like the idea that I live in a country that values free speech as long as I agree. I believe that our rights mean little if we are willing to ignore them when we find them inconvenient. And I want to emphasize that I’m certainly not focusing on anyone here, certainly not you, with these comments, but only on the general, and quite frankly disturbing, political climate we find ourselves in today. But as you say, “I digress.”

As for the Tesla, so far I love it, notwithstanding the banter that goes no between my friend and I at lunch. As I say, we banter the same about the iPhone, as silly as that is. And I’m not trying to convince him to buy an EV, even assuming that he will have a choice in the future, which I suspect he won’t.

Thank you for your service.

I prefer an iPhone just like I prefer a Tesla. They just work. Still using my iPhone 6S that I bought when they first came out in 2015 and plan to keep it at least a couple more years. Meanwhile friends of mine have had to replace their android phones a couple times (out of necessity).

And my 2017 MS just works. I’ve taken it to nova Scotia to GA to Montana and back to MI. Plan on taking it to VanCouver via trans Canadian highway in may and I’m not worried about charging or the car.

 

[Konicom04]

Although I don’t agree with many conservative principles, I embrace others. And I understand that conservatism doesn’t have to mean hate, racism, anti-patriotism, etc., but sadly todays conservatism appears to be dominated by just that. And while you may be referring to true Goldwater/Reagan conservatism, which I can embrace in part, todays conservatism is far from Goldwater/Reagan conservatism. For now, anyway, Goldwater/Reagan conservatism appears to be dead.

Today, Tesla owners actually have to fear people scratching their cars and being run off the road due to a perception that Tesla owners are left wing, and left wing supporters are the enemy. In short, I don’t begrudge true Goldwater/Reagan conservatives their beliefs, but true Goldwater/Reagan conservatives seem to have gone the way of the dodo bird.

The social group you're referring to isn't driven by conservatism. It's driven by the media, often - in fact - provoked by left wing media.
Those are people who aren't capable of drawing their own conclusions. Sadly - that social group is rapidly growing. On both sides.

 

[Konicom04]

Let me just say that Lucid promised certain features in its advertising that I discovered after purchase that the car simply did not have, and I found Lucid to not be particularly interested in fixing their issues.

I missed your other post, but wanted to also say : Thank you for Your sevice!.

Now - while I am a huge fan of Tesla - particurarily after owning it for a few months, I feel obligated to inform you that the above ( missing features that were promised) are quite common with Tesla.
I still don't have the FSD I paid for. Better yet - have no basic feature like parking sensors my wife "needs" to rely on.

 

[PEMDAS]

Believe me, I sympathize with the whole FSD thing. And worse yet, I feel that you should be able to transfer your FSD to another Tesla if you desire, which currently you cannot. I don't see why it is tied to the car, and not you, especially since it is taking so long.

But I just feel that Tesla has the desire and ability to make FSD work. Further, Tesla will be around to make it work. I'm not certain either is true with Lucid.

 

[Konicom04]

Believe me, I sympathize with the whole FSD thing. And worse yet, I feel that you should be able to transfer your FSD to another Tesla if you desire, which currently you cannot. I don't see why it is tied to the car, and not you, especially since it is taking so long.

But I just feel that Tesla has the desire and ability to make FSD work. Further, Tesla will be around to make it work. I'm not certain either is true with Lucid.

I agree. As many here stated - Tesla is a technology company and as such -it'll continue to make improvements to make their cars more user friendly.

 

[Big Toys]

Conservative here, and before my Tesla was a Volt. Yes, conservatives buy EVs too. However, I personally do not believe that EVs are the future, because physics is non-negotiable, and batteries as we know them are not as energy dense as gasoline. And, extracting the components from the earth to make the cars, the batteries and the electricity to charge them simply shifts one set pollutants for others. This will become apparent in about 50 years, when the current generation has not drowned nor combusted, and will have to shift their grandchildren's focus to cleaning up the effluent flotsam and jetsam left by this unsustainable fad.

And I understand that conservatism doesn’t have to mean hate, racism, anti-patriotism, etc., but sadly todays conservatism appears to be dominated by just that.

This is true only if you believe "hate, racism and anti-patriotism" as defined by propagandists who find power in such upside-down definitions. The 20th century is littered with the corpses of such redefinitions, the profoundness of which is seemingly lost on the current generation save for the propagandists who know their audience. To be fair, there are propagandists on all sides, and there seems to be no limit to those willing to fall in line. There was a time in the US when differences of opinion were required to temper each side's impulses, when civil debate was not limited to intellectuals alone and was the hallmark of a free society.

Physics is apolitical, but under new definitions, the math is problematic....(????) I just fell down that hole, didn't I!!

 

[TLLMRRJ]

And I understand that conservatism doesn’t have to mean hate, racism, anti-patriotism, etc., but sadly todays conservatism appears to be dominated by just that.

You literally just described liberalism/wokeism.

 

[oldsport]

I used to own a Lucid Air GT but I don't any longer. (Long story.)

Anyway, I bought my Tesla Model S LR about three weeks ago. I love the car. I'm sure anyone here who's had their Tesla for any period of time knows that it takes a while to get to understand the car and its features, and I'm still working on that.

Anyway, the other day I was having lunch with a friend. He's kind of conservative, but I forgive him for that, and it leads to lively conversations at lunch. I drove the Tesla and met him at the restaurant, and during lunch he was having trouble understanding why anyone wants to pay Tesla money for a car. I explained to him that the technology is great, and doing my part to help the environment, etc, was important to me. I explained that it was the car of the future, or least electric vehicles are the car of the future. As I say, he's kind of conservative, and he wasn't buying it. He is one of these "I'll never buy an electric car" kind of people. Anyway, after lunch, he wanted to go out into the parking lot to take a look at it. So we did.

When I got out to the car, I noticed that some jerk had parked really close to the drivers door. (Isn't that always the way it works when you get a new car?) Anyway, my friend laughed. He thought it was real funny, I guess because he thinks that this could never happen to a gas powered vehicle. Smiling, he asked me, "what are you going to do now? You're going to have to crawl all over your brand new electric car to get into the driver seat!" However, just the day before I had been playing around with the "Summon" feature. So, I pulled out my iPhone (which also drives him crazy because he sees an iPhone as being "liberal") and I used the Summon feature to back the car out of its spot.

I must say, he was quite shocked, and it was quite satisfying for me. I really enjoyed it!

lol... good for you... enjoy...

 

[airborne spoon]

i bought my tesla for the power, i DGAF about the environment. if i could get a car that ran on baby seal tears with this kind of power and the "fuel" was free like it is for the tesla I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Also I'm an Atheist republican, to further dilute the waters of the stereotypical tesla owner I just want lower taxes and less government overreach into everything.

Summon is a fun thing to play with back when tesla's weren't as common as a civic like they are now. I had the only tesla in my city and I'd see people out posing by it and crap while i was at work. I'd open the app, engage summon, and it would freak people out