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Ordered my (our) Roadster!

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This might be a bit of a sensitive topic, but do the brochures all have the price on them? I grew up in England where wealth is not always respected, and the funny thing with the Roadster is that it looks like it costs (say) $80K and really it costs $120K to $150K depending on options. And telling people that before leaving your car parked outside e.g. the methodone clinic might not be a good idea. Now we live in the USA the whole "class" dynamic is different but I'm already a bit uncomfortable talking to people about the cost of the Roadster. I suppose we can say we bought it to save money on petrol, and hope they don't do the mental arithmetic... I'm sure the joke has been made many times on this forum; I think I estimated mine would pay for itself after about 1,500 years. Admittedly when gas prices go to $10/gallon that comes down to about 300 years or something, unless the government imposes an eletricity tax to subsidise the price of gasoline.

With regard to the issue of explaining the price, it’s true that you can’t really argue that you made the financial decision to buy the Roadster so as to help save the Earth. Obviously there are ways that you could help the Earth more for less money than a Roadster (like buying a Leaf or two for commuting and a Prius for distance driving, with money left over to spare). If you worked out the math, the Earth-help per dollar wouldn’t be very high for a Roadster.

However, the driving the Roadster helps more than just what you work out on paper. All of the “Tesla Time” that is spent explaining the car to people (usually strangers that you wouldn’t have otherwise talked to) makes a big difference to the Earth. You’re letting people know that electric cars aren’t inherently slow or inherently low-range. You’re showing people that electric cars can be fun, can have good driving characteristics, can be fast, can have long range, and aren’t just ideas on paper, but are actually in an existing production car that’s been here since 2008. By showing someone a “cool” EV, they really will be more likely to buy an EV in the future than they would have been if they hadn’t met you.

If you factor in how many people you’ve talked to over the course of the life of your Tesla Roadster, and how many minds you’ve changed, and how many people you’ve caused to go home and research this stuff, it’s very likely that you’ve helped out the Earth more than you could have ever realized. In actuality, by being a Tesla owner and by spending so much time to show so many people the car (and thus cause more people to take EVs seriously), the real Earth-help per dollar of the Roadster is actually very high.

This is a very interesting point in history. This is the point where cars are just beginning the long switch-over from gas to electric power. Given where we are in history at this moment, if someone were to ask me what would help the Earth more, buying $120,000 of solar panels, or buying the Roadster, I think I would say buying the Roadster. If you’re ever worried about someone thinking less of you because you spent so much money on the car, you don’t have to feel bad. You Roadster owners are helping out more than you think.
 
Nigel, you left it to today to get the electrician for the outlet??? That's taking it right down to the wire! You do know that Bonnie1194 posted photographs of her NEMA 14-50 on Facebook months in advance, right?

We're actually dragging our feet a bit on the outlet too. It will be the first physical manifestation of the Roadster project in our lives ($10K deposit gone from our bank account doesn't count since we stopped keeping the cash under the matress). What if the car is delayed past the optimistic "delivery date", will we grow to hate that outlet, a statement of yet another unfinished "do list" item? Will we just stare coldly at it, or let out a lonely sigh as we walk past?

There's a nice shiny new outlet on my garage wall now.....and about 46 hours till the Roadster arrives.
IMG-20110420-00004.jpg
 
There's a nice shiny new outlet on my garage wall now.....and about 46 hours till the Roadster arrives.
View attachment 1643

I can see from the photograph that you (correctly I think) have it mounted with the roundish pin at the top, even though the embossed lettering on the socket might imply it should be the other way up. Did you intentionally do this to avoid stressing the plug on the Tesla cable, i.e. so that the cable hangs down straight? Or were you just lucky? Am I even correct about the orientation (current Tesla owners)?
 
I can see from the photograph that you (correctly I think) have it mounted with the roundish pin at the top, even though the embossed lettering on the socket might imply it should be the other way up. Did you intentionally do this to avoid stressing the plug on the Tesla cable, i.e. so that the cable hangs down straight? Or were you just lucky? Am I even correct about the orientation (current Tesla owners)?

That's the correct way to do the plug installation. If you don't you end up with the cord hanging upside down and wanting to pull. See the incorrect way from the Tesla site. Charging | Tesla Motors

charging
 
I can see from the photograph that you (correctly I think) have it mounted with the roundish pin at the top, even though the embossed lettering on the socket might imply it should be the other way up. Did you intentionally do this to avoid stressing the plug on the Tesla cable, i.e. so that the cable hangs down straight? Or were you just lucky? Am I even correct about the orientation (current Tesla owners)?

Am lucky to have a good electrician who looked it up on the website and noticed that the plug is oriented with the round pin at the top, so he put the box upside-down so it wouldn't stress the cable - Hope he's right!
universal_large.jpg
 
Am lucky to have a good electrician who looked it up on the website and noticed that the plug is oriented with the round pin at the top, so he put the box upside-down so it wouldn't stress the cable - Hope he's right!
View attachment 1645

You had it installed correctly with round plug on top. I noticed after the electrician left (even though I handed him the Tesla printout with the correct orientation of the plug) that it was incorrect and he came back and fixed it.
 
However, the driving the Roadster helps more than just what you work out on paper. All of the “Tesla Time” that is spent explaining the car to people (usually strangers that you wouldn’t have otherwise talked to) makes a big difference to the Earth. You’re letting people know that electric cars aren’t inherently slow or inherently low-range. You’re showing people that electric cars can be fun, can have good driving characteristics, can be fast, can have long range, and aren’t just ideas on paper, but are actually in an existing production car that’s been here since 2008. By showing someone a “cool” EV, they really will be more likely to buy an EV in the future than they would have been if they hadn’t met you.

I agree. I have people at work I don't even know come up to me and ask about the Roadster. I get asked usually once a day 'How's the car doing?' or something similar. People are very excited about the car and I tell everyone that the Roadster is very expensive but something like the Leaf is the perfect commuter car if you have a second ICE car in the family.
 
A very thoughtful post; thanks.

... if someone were to ask me what would help the Earth more, buying $120,000 of solar panels, or buying the Roadster, I think I would say buying the Roadster. If you’re ever worried about someone thinking less of you because you spent so much money on the car, you don’t have to feel bad. You Roadster owners are helping out more than you think.

I agree about the solar panels... In fact we already buy from a "renewable electricity" provider (even if all the electrons do get mixed up in their trip through the grid) so I think localised solar power generation is particularly ineffective unless you're determined to get off the grid entirely. You might argue that giving $120K to Greenpeace - or some other highly leveraged environmental cause - is better value for the Earth, but let's face it, the Roadster is just more fun.

A huge appeal of the Roadster to me now is that I will never, ever feel guilty using it every day. Imagine that! A performance car without the guilt! Incredible. (If only mine were ready...)
 
We converted the whole house to solar, also changed the lights to energy saving and the kitchen lights to LED's, changed pool pump to super high efficiency, then added 'SmartCool' units to the HVAC's. Last month my electric bill had dropped from $400 to $7.04, now it's really sunny and the power company will be owing me money, so getting the Roadster is perfect timing. Nothing like PV to EV to make you feel good!

On the subject of Roadster...she's due here in about 20 hours...just received this via e-mail:
Insurance Card.jpg


:biggrin:
 
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