Special Event with Elon in NYC on Nov 12?

[dsm363]

Wish I had gone! Amazing people got that time with the execs. Sounded like a good time.

 

[artsci]

Thanks again to Tesla for putting on another first class event. If you watched the LiveStream, I don't have much to add, but here are a brief summary from my PoV for those folks that missed it:

VINs:
Outside, White: VIN P 1235
Inside, Red: VIN P 1211
Inside, Black: VIN P 1245 (not sure about the 4)

Good booze and snacks. George gave a pep talk ("doing this is nearly impossible") and thanked everyone. Elon said they wanted to have this in NYC to help out the city that struggled after Sandy, and pointed to his mom in the audience who just got power back to her flat. He also thanked the team and showed the Motor Trend Video. Edward Loh (?) from Motor Trend then talked through the rigorous process of selecting the vehicles and said that A) the vote was unanimous and B) 5 of the judges were there and you could ask them anything. Journalists then were able to ask questions, but it was very difficult to hear them despite the mics (which is a shame since I would have like to hear the Q&A).

After the presentation you could go up on stage and look at the cars and talk to the execs. I took a photo with the trophy, and then Franz von Holzhausen asked me if he could have it which I thought was funny. Later I took a photo with him and he even suggested we take it with the trophy, so I did that too. I talked to Elon and asked if the problems with Texas might interfere with the SuperCharger network, and he said no, it was two separate issues. I also got a photo with him handing me my Model S key since the guy in front of me did the same. Later I talked to George B and he gave me some insight into why I might have gotten my car a bit ahead of schedule (around that time, they needed to put 50 cars through per week, and mine just happened to have all the parts ready). I thanked Elon's mom for raising such a great guy who is changing the world, and we had a nice chat. Talking to the Motor Trend guys was very interesting. One or two said they actually liked the non-performance better than the performance saying they felt the ride was a touch better and quieter than comparable vehicle. Not all were convinced of the long term success of Tesla, either--most took the 'time will tell' approach, but voted based on the car in front of them.

Otherwise, I saw a number of folks from the NJ Get Amped event, and quite a few Tesla folks introduced themselves to me which was great. I'm on the shy side, so I didn't reach out to as many folks as I would have liked, but I talked to quite a few. As always, Tesla crowds are great, and overall, it was a very enjoyable event.

Unsubstantiated rumor heard at event from random person: Boston to NYC SuperCharger construction may be underway.

I attended as well, and I'm so glad I did. Shook hands with Elon and chatted with George and Franz. Where else and with what other company could you meet the three senior leaders of the company that's designed and built your car? I think this was a lifetime experience for me, as I believe these kinds of opportunities will become less frequent at Tesla grows.

George told me two things that might be of interest. First, he said that they had known for about a month that the Model S would be named Motor Trend's COTY. Second, when I asked him when the supercharging network for the East Coast would be ready, he said that they had a member of the management team working on it full time who is totally dedicated to identifying and developing the network of sites. He didn't say when it would be ready, but knowing Tesla, I think it will be sooner rather than later.

 

[yobigd20]

Great event! I was there and practically glued to the black car because that is what I am getting. I couldn't figure one thing out though - was the interior of the black car the tan interior or the white interior? I thought it was tan in person, but when I look at my photos it seems more white to me now. I don't think it was a signature model so it had to be the tan interior, right? I am confused! To anyone else that was there - which color interior was that??? If that was the tan it is MUCH lighter than what I expected (and I really like it) , if not well then crap I have yet to see any real good photos of a black model with tan interior.

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a shot of the interior of the black using my iphone5

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[EdA]

Thanks again to Tesla for putting on another first class event. If you watched the LiveStream, I don't have much to add, but here are a brief summary from my PoV for those folks that missed it:

VINs:
Outside, White: VIN P 1235
Inside, Red: VIN P 1211
Inside, Black: VIN P 1245 (not sure about the 4)

Good booze and snacks. George gave a pep talk ("doing this is nearly impossible") and thanked everyone. Elon said they wanted to have this in NYC to help out the city that struggled after Sandy, and pointed to his mom in the audience who just got power back to her flat. He also thanked the team and showed the Motor Trend Video. Edward Loh (?) from Motor Trend then talked through the rigorous process of selecting the vehicles and said that A) the vote was unanimous and B) 5 of the judges were there and you could ask them anything. Journalists then were able to ask questions, but it was very difficult to hear them despite the mics (which is a shame since I would have like to hear the Q&A).

After the presentation you could go up on stage and look at the cars and talk to the execs. I took a photo with the trophy, and then Franz von Holzhausen asked me if he could have it which I thought was funny. Later I took a photo with him and he even suggested we take it with the trophy, so I did that too. I talked to Elon and asked if the problems with Texas might interfere with the SuperCharger network, and he said no, it was two separate issues. I also got a photo with him handing me my Model S key since the guy in front of me did the same. Later I talked to George B and he gave me some insight into why I might have gotten my car a bit ahead of schedule (around that time, they needed to put 50 cars through per week, and mine just happened to have all the parts ready). I thanked Elon's mom for raising such a great guy who is changing the world, and we had a nice chat. Talking to the Motor Trend guys was very interesting. One or two said they actually liked the non-performance better than the performance saying they felt the ride was a touch better and quieter than comparable vehicle. Not all were convinced of the long term success of Tesla, either--most took the 'time will tell' approach, but voted based on the car in front of them.

Otherwise, I saw a number of folks from the NJ Get Amped event, and quite a few Tesla folks introduced themselves to me which was great. I'm on the shy side, so I didn't reach out to as many folks as I would have liked, but I talked to quite a few. As always, Tesla crowds are great, and overall, it was a very enjoyable event.

Unsubstantiated rumor heard at event from random person: Boston to NYC SuperCharger construction may be underway.

Thanks for the detailed blow by blow and thanks to Ben for streaming the event.
I happened to be asked to travel to NYC with Ben but had to decline...argh....

 

[digitaltim]

It was a fantastic event w/ great access to Elon, George & Franz...even Elon's mom...and a perfect venue to meet artsci, aaron.s, cinergi, hunterjo & Models1079!!! I took a handful of photos and will post an album over the weekend.

 

[stevezzzz]

Great event! I was there and practically glued to the black car because that is what I am getting. I couldn't figure one thing out though - was the interior of the black car the tan interior or the white interior? I thought it was tan in person, but when I look at my photos it seems more white to me now. I don't think it was a signature model so it had to be the tan interior, right? I am confused! To anyone else that was there - which color interior was that??? If that was the tan it is MUCH lighter than what I expected (and I really like it) , if not well then crap I have yet to see any real good photos of a black model with tan interior.

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a shot of the interior of the black using my iphone5

Except for the first photo, where I expect the color balance is way off based on the Tesla banner in the background, it looks like the white interior to me. One clue is the Alacantra bolsters, a Sig Performance touch. Since these cars had marketing VINs, I don't think you can expect them to follow all the configuration rules.

As posted, the first photo looks a lot like the tan interior in my Sig S: it's the color of light honey, a tad darker than I expected.

 

[teslasguy]

I was there also with Cinergi, Models1079, Aaron, Huntjo and Digitaltim. Ben G, Jim R, Aaron, John and I all met up at the White Plains store and rode into the city together. We had a really great time together in NY. Thanks again Aaron for driving us all into the city.


P1117 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[digitaltim]

@teslasguy - sorry to miss you in my post above...

I had a follow-up call from a freelance writer - Jim Motavilli - that contributes to the NY Times blog called Wheels. He asked me a number of questions about what I was buying, my reservation number and when I expected delivery which I made sure he understood that I expected delays as an early adopter - he even asked Elon about my specific delivery in the press Q&A. He also asked about my intended use a weekly Baltimore to NJ/NY commuter.

It will be interesting if anything makes the blog and in what context. Talking to reporters is always risky....

 

[Tommy]

Curiosity has got the best of me…. like a lot of you, I watched Ben's live stream of the event and quickly appreciated the quality of the broadcast and its spontaneity. Then I thought I heard GB say something about the presentation being live streamed to the factory and to us. That got be thinking, did Tesla have a live stream feed of its own or use Ben's feed. What ever the arrangement, I am just happy to have witnessed this milestone. Thanks again Ben.

 

[stevezzzz]

[snip]...Talking to reporters is always risky....

Ain't it the truth!

 

[jerry33]

If you talk to reporters they will only get some of the facts wrong. If you don't talk to them they will make something up.

 

[v12 to 12v]

I was there also with Cinergi, Models1079, Aaron, Huntjo and Digitaltim. Ben G, Jim R, Aaron, John and I all met up at the White Plains store and rode into the city together. We had a really great time together in NY. Thanks again Aaron for driving us all into the city.

I'm wishing I could have joined you all. I tried to figure out how I could make the trip work on short notice.

Just the fact that I was invited to this event was a huge gesture and I felt honored to be invited. I'm just a simple customer.
I think this speaks volumes about Tesla, Elon Musk, George Blankenship and the rest of the leadership. I'll be their guinea pig any day.

Thanks for sharing the experience with us.

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BTW, who got the jump seats when you carpooled? ;-)

 

[aaron.s]

Hey All,

Actually, the 5 of us that met up at the White Plains Store (Me, John, Jim, Ben & John) just fit in my Ford Fusion Hybrid!

The whole afternoon/evening was a blast!

Aaron

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In regards to the event being broadcast live to the public....

Ben was the savior of the day... Tesla was *not* live broadcasting to the public. Just to the factory and other Tesla locations.

Go Ben!

 

[cinergi]

Aww shucks :smile:

I arrived, got quick permission to live broadcast, and away I went! The wifi there apparently was horrible (according to Tesla employees) so I whipped out the Verizion 4G/LTE mifi and away I went! Couldn't believe I got enough bandwidth inside that building in the middle of NYC to do a 650 Kbps stream. I got up to about 380 viewers at one point and I didn't really advertise. Ridiculous! I'm using LiveStream's live broadcaster hardware. Makes for an ultra-portable high-def internet streaming setup! Fantastic!

Stephen Pace -- did we meet? I think I missed you! Oops!

Thanks SO MUCH to Aaron for negotiating rush hour NYC traffic getting the rest of us down there. And what an AWESOME sushi dinner afterwards (at Ajisai on 9th). Had a great time with everyone there.

I practically got accosted by Tesla employees when I arrived LOL I know WAY too many of them.

 

[ModelS1079]

What an evening. I have pictures that are instant classics and need to post. But i am a little sleepy after the 3am arrival home to Boston from NYC. John G, thanks for getting me there. Aaron, thanks for the ride. John H brilliant move turning a liver conference into an evening with Elon and company. And Ben, the image if you walking in with enough gear to broadcast the Beatles at Shea will be forever indelible. Brilliant.

Please note: on August, 4, 2009 I made a reservation for a car, from a hospital computer. On November 12, 2012 I realized I'd long before made a reservation for a movement, a smarter way of looking at the world, and a long-term reservation with a heck of a great group of people...and I had a chance to speak casually with Franz about designing the Model S (Franz, did Elon put restrictions on you to keep the Coefficient of drag down? Franz: "No, we pretty much figured if it looked slippery, it probably was"), George about marketing and the MT COTY award (great comments regarding the factory Tesla team!), Elon and his personally most painful and joyous moments in getting to the MTrend award ("the low point came in 2008...(explains)...the joyous point is right now"), Elons mother and girlfriend (they are both beautiful), and many great folks from all over. A privilege to be there. Nice to see this event on the East Coast. Great job Tesla!

 

[doug]

 

[v12 to 12v]

Aww shucks :smile:

I arrived, got quick permission to live broadcast, and away I went! The wifi there apparently was horrible (according to Tesla employees) so I whipped out the Verizion 4G/LTE mifi and away I went! Couldn't believe I got enough bandwidth inside that building in the middle of NYC to do a 650 Kbps stream. I got up to about 380 viewers at one point and I didn't really advertise. Ridiculous! I'm using LiveStream's live broadcaster hardware. Makes for an ultra-portable high-def internet streaming setup! Fantastic!

Stephen Pace -- did we meet? I think I missed you! Oops!

Thanks SO MUCH to Aaron for negotiating rush hour NYC traffic getting the rest of us down there. And what an AWESOME sushi dinner afterwards (at Ajisai on 9th). Had a great time with everyone there.

I practically got accosted by Tesla employees when I arrived LOL I know WAY too many of them.

Thanks for everything again and for standing in for us as customers. You did us proud.

 

[ToddRLockwood]

More details from Tesla's NYC party: superchargers and delivery dates

At Teslas Party, Superchargers and Delivery Dates - NYTimes.com

 

[AnOutsider]

First chargers in Connecticut and Wilmington DE. Woot woot, I can use that Wilmington one.

I found this interesting

Although reservation holders have been assigned waiting list numbers, Ms. Ra said their cars have not always been produced in sequence, because it makes sense to manufacture them in batches with similar option packages. She said the sequence would be followed more closely in the future “because it’s so important to our early customers.”

Lol, so for the later customers they'll be in order, because it was important to the early customers...

 

[stephenpace]

@cinergi, yes, I missed you. I asked a few folks with nice camera rigs if they were you, but no dice. Linked are a few photos I took from the event. I didn't take that many as I was enjoying myself and forgot to take more.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152262723210088.928090.547905087&type=1&l=853f039985