Funniest Tesla Question Thread

[MichaelP90DL]

Up until last year our local Chevy dealer had a Chevy Volt (NOT A BOLT) driving around with a big wrap indication “100 percent electric’.

Just sayin.

It is 100% electric, so long as you don't drive it beyond 35 or so miles.

 

[ellienovember]

*My work installed a NEMA 14-50 for me so I don't pay for charging there.

This may be a dumb question but how did you go about getting your work to install one? I am placing an order for an M3 next month. I work for a fairly big financial institution that prides itself in being green, but we have yet to see EV charging stations in our office parking lots (we have office buildings in about 15 states along the East coast.) I've already contacted our "Green Network" community but that pretty much went nowhere. I even gave them the flyer for NJ's grant programs for workplaces that install charging stations - perhaps you have other material that was more effective for you?

 

[CharleyBC]

I can +1 to this. I have found some people think that no matter what the car is or how it is propelled you must have to put gasoline in it somewhere. I suppose they think all cars must be some type of hybrid.

Yeah, that does blow a mind or two. In fact the dialogue I quoted above was a condensed form of the it-must-have-gasoline-somewhere theme.

 

[bbell]

Yeah, that does blow a mind or two. In fact the dialogue I quoted above was a condensed form of the it-must-have-gasoline-somewhere theme.

I open up the frunk to show where the engine isn't, and then the trunk and reveal the lower trunk where the gas tank isn't. That really blows minds.

I often lower two 5 gallon pails into the lower trunk for transport which gets quite the looks too.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

This may be a dumb question but how did you go about getting your work to install one? I am placing an order for an M3 next month. I work for a fairly big financial institution that prides itself in being green, but we have yet to see EV charging stations in our office parking lots (we have office buildings in about 15 states along the East coast.) I've already contacted our "Green Network" community but that pretty much went nowhere. I even gave them the flyer for NJ's grant programs for workplaces that install charging stations - perhaps you have other material that was more effective for you?

Electrify America paid for five Volta chargers to be installed in one of the parking garages at my work. I talked to the guy that dealt with EA and he said they covered everything 100%. It’s a hospital so that might be a factor.

 

[markc2]

I had a Tesla Model X for my Nephews birthday party, he just turned 17 and I have never gotten so many questions about a car. It was stunning, from adults to kids, EVERYONE had a question. I had rented the car from someone I know and I must admit I asked him a lot of questions over the time I've known him about Tesla's.

IF this is a small taste of what owning a Tesla is like, it's fun, it's challenging, and at the end of the day I feel like an Employee of Tesla. I felt like they owed me a paycheck for that day (not really but close). It was a bunch of fun to inform all the kids and the adults and to really break some pre conceived notions about Tesla's and electric cars in general.

My nephew got to drive the car in a parking lot and home with his dad, as did many of the parents for the birthday party. The beautiful window of the Model X is worth the price of admission. We live in the mountains and for once I felt like I could enjoy the mountains even while driving . To use the Tesla supercharger for the first time was a trip. The 2nd time we waited at the hotel with friends and had hot chocolate and waited for the car to finish charging. Felt like I was living in the future. Hope to be a Tesla owner much sooner than later now. On the return trip the owner let me drive a model 3 and do a 0-70 run. WOW!!! First time I ever felt my stomach move that way!

 

[Kevy Baby]

This may be a dumb question but how did you go about getting your work to install one?

I'm not going to be a lot of help on this as it was basically as simple as asking for one. But I am in a fairly unique situation in that

1. We have large industrial machinery (large printing presses) and we use a LOT of power. Adding charging didn't even cause a blip on power usage
2. I was in the middle of an extremely successful year (I am in sales and ended up selling 199.97% of my goal for the year) so the boss was more than happy to do it.

One of the things I was real careful about was making sure it was generic enough (with the NEMA 14-50) that if I left, there wouldn't be an expensive un-install. Another rep left the company and had a wall charger for his Bolt. The charger belonged to him and he made the company pay for the removal and it left a bad taste in the President's mouth.

I know I am fortunate to be in this situation and am grateful for this opportunity.

 

[WayneWA]

I have the base M3, wasn't asked a question but I gave the driver of a big white Chrysler 300 in Australia the answer to his attempt to roar past me into a merging lane when I let him get close listening to his engine roar then tapped the accelerator leaving him behind embarrassed so much he kept looking for another chance but twice more I silently left him roaring and crying I expect I answered his question about which was faster, all within legal speed limits I hasten to add lol

 

[bbell]

This may be a dumb question but how did you go about getting your work to install one?

Let me play the devil's advocate here.

You have to watch the office politics on this. Depending on your position in the company, other employees may be slighted to know you and a few others are getting free fill-ups (and probably prime parking spots).

You have to remember their mindset will be "so when do I get a gas pump by the front door to fill up while at work". Think about how you would feel if they installed a gas pump for the other employees to use, leaving you and other electrics out.

Another thing to consider is that free filling up at work could be classed as a taxable benefit by the taxman if they should happen to audit your company.

If you are a high up executive, then this is probably less of an issue since you are the boss.

I am all for electrical charging everywhere, but I have a feeling free public charging is going to become harder and harder to come by as demand increases. I have already seen instances where people (generally non-Teslas) are swarming the free chargers at a local mall. There was one younger fellow that I thought was going to have a meltdown because there was no room to charge.

Installing "near cost" chargers is what I feel the best idea for workplaces and public places (IE charge not much more than the electric company). That way if you need to charge to make the trip you have the option at a reasonable rate.

 

[Effopec]

Let me play the devil's advocate here.

You have to watch the office politics on this. Depending on your position in the company, other employees may be slighted to know you and a few others are getting free fill-ups (and probably prime parking spots).

You have to remember their mindset will be "so when do I get a gas pump by the front door to fill up while at work". Think about how you would feel if they installed a gas pump for the other employees to use, leaving you and other electrics out.

Another thing to consider is that free filling up at work could be classed as a taxable benefit by the taxman if they should happen to audit your company.

If you are a high up executive, then this is probably less of an issue since you are the boss.

I am all for electrical charging everywhere, but I have a feeling free public charging is going to become harder and harder to come by as demand increases. I have already seen instances where people (generally non-Teslas) are swarming the free chargers at a local mall. There was one younger fellow that I thought was going to have a meltdown because there was no room to charge.

Installing "near cost" chargers is what I feel the best idea for workplaces and public places (IE charge not much more than the electric company). That way if you need to charge to make the trip you have the option at a reasonable rate.

For a "green" company it looks good politically to provide this as a benefit to encourage people to drive electric. It is also much cheaper to provide electricity than for them to provide gas, especially since in many areas commercial rates are MUCH lower than residential (our factory which is about 45 minutes from my office gets it's power for about $0.025/kwhr while I pay about $0.11).

I don't expect free charging to be a thing that goes on forever, but it is nice to get it when you can. And as long as short range commuter EVs are still a thing at work charging makes them viable for many people.

 

[ellienovember]

One of the things I was real careful about was making sure it was generic enough (with the NEMA 14-50) that if I left, there wouldn't be an expensive un-install. Another rep left the company and had a wall charger for his Bolt. The charger belonged to him and he made the company pay for the removal and it left a bad taste in the President's mouth.

Good points to consider. A generic charger is the way to go as our company also promotes flexible work schedules, where most employees work 1-3 days from home instead of going into the office so the same cars wouldn't necessarily be using the designated spots every day.

Let me play the devil's advocate here.

You have to watch the office politics on this. Depending on your position in the company, other employees may be slighted to know you and a few others are getting free fill-ups (and probably prime parking spots).

You have to remember their mindset will be "so when do I get a gas pump by the front door to fill up while at work". Think about how you would feel if they installed a gas pump for the other employees to use, leaving you and other electrics out.

Another thing to consider is that free filling up at work could be classed as a taxable benefit by the taxman if they should happen to audit your company.

If you are a high up executive, then this is probably less of an issue since you are the boss.

I am all for electrical charging everywhere, but I have a feeling free public charging is going to become harder and harder to come by as demand increases. I have already seen instances where people (generally non-Teslas) are swarming the free chargers at a local mall. There was one younger fellow that I thought was going to have a meltdown because there was no room to charge.

Installing "near cost" chargers is what I feel the best idea for workplaces and public places (IE charge not much more than the electric company). That way if you need to charge to make the trip you have the option at a reasonable rate.

I don't believe I specified it being "free" charging, just the availability to charge while at work. There could be a minor payroll deduction for the cost, or just allow one to pay through an app or via card. Our workstations already have outlets with USB connectivity so most employees charge their phones, earpods, tablets, etc while at work as well. A car is much different than those devices, of course, but they don't seem opposed to allowing charging capabilities in general. They offer free wi-fi in the office and our branch locations, as well.

If I'm worried about what my coworkers would think of me, it wouldn't be because I'd get "free charging." It would be because I have a Tesla.

For a "green" company it looks good politically to provide this as a benefit to encourage people to drive electric. It is also much cheaper to provide electricity than for them to provide gas, especially since in many areas commercial rates are MUCH lower than residential (our factory which is about 45 minutes from my office gets it's power for about $0.025/kwhr while I pay about $0.11).

I don't expect free charging to be a thing that goes on forever, but it is nice to get it when you can. And as long as short range commuter EVs are still a thing at work charging makes them viable for many people.

Exactly. Our company is constantly looking for more sustainable options for branch locations, office buildings, and participates in hundreds of environmentally-friendly volunteer events like tree planting, park restoration, building free outdoor gym equipment, etc. It would be very on-brand to install a few stations at each office building, as it would provide incentives for employees ready to buy a new vehicle to choose EV instead of ICE. And New Jersey has grant programs providing up to $6k per charger installed for workplaces. Our corporate HQ is right here in NJ as well so I'm hopeful if this initiative kicks off it will start here.

 

[swaltner]

The “when are you going to give me free gas” question (even if done as just a joke) is why my company spends $3k per ChargePoint station instead of going with a $100 14-50 outlet or $500 dumb EVSE. They have the price at slightly higher than the commercial electric rate, which is still about half the local residential rate, so you still save money by charging at work. That is, unless you have free charging at home, like I do, due to solar panels. Of course, the same people that complain about free EV charging drink the free coffee and cappuccino that I don’t drink, bu,t whatever.

 

[Kevy Baby]

One of the things I was real careful about was making sure it was generic enough (with the NEMA 14-50) that if I left, there wouldn't be an expensive un-install. Another rep left the company and had a wall charger for his Bolt. The charger belonged to him and he made the company pay for the removal and it left a bad taste in the President's mouth.

Good points to consider. A generic charger is the way to go as our company also promotes flexible work schedules, where most employees work 1-3 days from home instead of going into the office so the same cars wouldn't necessarily be using the designated spots every day.

[snip]

Our company is constantly looking for more sustainable options for branch locations, office buildings, and participates in hundreds of environmentally-friendly volunteer events like tree planting, park restoration, building free outdoor gym equipment, etc. It would be very on-brand to install a few stations at each office building, as it would provide incentives for employees ready to buy a new vehicle to choose EV instead of ICE. And New Jersey has grant programs providing up to $6k per charger installed for workplaces. Our corporate HQ is right here in NJ as well so I'm hopeful if this initiative kicks off it will start here.

When I got my Tesla, it was a bit of an unplanned purchase (my previous car was totaled), so I did very little research before the purchase. I was lucky enough to have a friend who uses a Tesla (currently on his third) as his daily driver and I bugged the heck out of him with questions before buying.

In retrospect, it would have been smarter to have installed a generic EVSE such as the Clipper Creek EVSE. I may just buy it myself simply for ease of use (not having to schlep my cord out over day).

 

[Stars_Fan]

I was that guy saying where is my free gas. I started working from home 2 days a week as my perk.

We have 18 stations around our campus that allow for five hours of free charging. I plan on taking full advantage of them the three days I’m in the office.

 

[Spacep0d]

Up until last year our local Chevy dealer had a Chevy Volt (NOT A BOLT) driving around with a big wrap indication “100 percent electric’.

Just sayin.

Gonna be harder to fool people these days if this was intentional. If not, that's sad.

 

[Mr. Burrito]

Dumbest question was the spouse of one of my wife's co-workers (who I've never met prior to that day) asked if she could test drive my car. She didn't understand why I wouldn't let her because she's "a really great driver".

 

[CharleyBC]

I wouldn't let her because she's "a really great driver".

What's that old statistic? 98% of drivers believe they are above average. Yeah.

 

[brucet999]

What's that old statistic? 98% of drivers believe they are above average. Yeah.

I thought that was all the children in Lake Woebegone.

 

[markc2]

I had a Tesla Model X for my Nephews birthday party, he just turned 17 and I have never gotten so many questions about a car. It was stunning, from adults to kids, EVERYONE had a question. I had rented the car from someone I know and I must admit I asked him a lot of questions over the time I've known him about Tesla's.

IF this is a small taste of what owning a Tesla is like, it's fun, it's challenging, and at the end of the day I feel like an Employee of Tesla. I felt like they owed me a paycheck for that day (not really but close). It was a bunch of fun to inform all the kids and the adults and to really break some pre conceived notions about Tesla's and electric cars in general.

My nephew got to drive the car in a parking lot and home with his dad, as did many of the parents for the birthday party. The beautiful window of the Model X is worth the price of admission. We live in the mountains and for once I felt like I could enjoy the mountains even while driving . To use the Tesla supercharger for the first time was a trip. The 2nd time we waited at the hotel with friends and had hot chocolate and waited for the car to finish charging. Felt like I was living in the future. Hope to be a Tesla owner much sooner than later now. On the return trip the owner let me drive a model 3 and do a 0-70 run. WOW!!! First time I ever felt my stomach move that way!

All things are possible, took a while but...Stardust got delivered this June.