Newark, Delaware has had a couple incidents as well, one almost turning into a fist fight. There are a lot of people that come through here and ICE the stalls due to its high traffic and proximity to the entrance of the rest stop center. Trying to tell them that they can't park there or why they shouldn't park there usually sets them off. these are usually folks traveling between Baltimore and Philadelphia if that means anything (rough cities) lol.
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Supercharger - Superior, MT
- Thread starter Cottonwood
- Start date
Newark, Delaware has had a couple incidents as well, one almost turning into a fist fight. There are a lot of people that come through here and ICE the stalls due to its high traffic and proximity to the entrance of the rest stop center. Trying to tell them that they can't park there or why they shouldn't park there usually sets them off. these are usually folks traveling between Baltimore and Philadelphia if that means anything (rough cities) lol.
For what it's worth, I have had good results with the "how this car is fueled" approach. You don't always have to answer the question asked and at an appropriate point early in the conversation (definitely before you dissed the one guy's truck), simply say, "it's important to me to use U.S., not imported fuels -- this car is powered by coal & natural gas, all of which comes from within Montana."
Now, don't be mentionin' all that hydro and solar you have at home. Not pertinent.
Or people could try being honest, but more sensitive. Rather than saying something that could be taken as "your truck sucks", you can talk about how much lower _your_ fueling costs are than in a similar gasoline car.
And if you're talking to a pick-up owner you could do worse than mentioning how much the car weighs. Other car drivers might be aghast at the weight, but depending on the pick-up, you might find that the Model S weighs around the same as their pick-up.
When you're saying, without saying, "My car weighs as much as your pick-up, it has good performance and it only costs a few pennies per mile to fuel", then I think you're more likely to get them thinking positively about the possibility of more electrification in the future.
HankLloydRight
No Roads
I know nothing about this location, but since the town is so small, there could have been vehement opposition to the charging station during Planning and Zoning, but they lost and the thing got built despite their opposition.
GasDoc
Member
I charged here as the closest stop to Glacier National Park for our road trip this summer.
Didn't have any particularly negative experience going into the store to get refreshments. Came back to my car to find a youngish couple taking pictures of it and looking excited.
Stopped off at the 50,000 Silver Dollar Rest stop and overheard some excited skater boys talking about "Did you see the electric car?!?".
The only part of the trip that was slightly disturbing, but really more amusing, were the teenage girls in the rest stop gaping, open mouthed, in amazement at me. I seriously think they may not have ever seen a person of Asian descent before!
Didn't have any particularly negative experience going into the store to get refreshments. Came back to my car to find a youngish couple taking pictures of it and looking excited.
Stopped off at the 50,000 Silver Dollar Rest stop and overheard some excited skater boys talking about "Did you see the electric car?!?".
The only part of the trip that was slightly disturbing, but really more amusing, were the teenage girls in the rest stop gaping, open mouthed, in amazement at me. I seriously think they may not have ever seen a person of Asian descent before!
The Supercharger location is, ironically, on the property of a gas station. Seriously. It's off to the side of the station, about 30 ft from the pumps, clearly visible.
So I do not see how there could have been any local opposition to the location. It was essentially unused space.
SW2Fiddler
We Are Cognitive Dissidents
zarkuu
Member
Here is a link to the local newspaper article where the owner of the gas station was in favor of the location. Perhaps it would be worth contacting the owner of the S&S and voicing your concerns. As a member of the community he should be aware of what is going on. The economic value of travelers stopping in a small town like this would normally be a positive thing, but it wouldn't be the first time I've seen small Montana towns do things like this. If this stop gets a bad reputation then all that benefit will dry up quickly.
http://www.vp-mi.com/mi_county/electric-filling-station-debuts-in-mineral-county/article_e330565c-7c0e-11e4-b1af-ebd61dc96da5.html
I suspect it's about wealth, not electric vehicles. I've only had a couple of bad interactions in the 27 months I've had my MS but never at an SC. The worst was a woman at a concert parking area going on in a loud voice how "that car" is just unacceptable. Probably about wealth/equity or she just could have been a complete A-HO.
I agree with this supposition. We need the Model 3 to come out so that Tesla is less viewed as a toy of the 1%. I also wish that a pick-up truck was on the roadmap, something with a lot of towing capacity.
GasDoc
Member
Xenoilphobe
Well-Known Member
Realize that the average person in Superior only makes $14K per year. Your $12,000 comment combined with that fact that a "normal" battery only costs $100 probably gave them impression you were uber wealthy and the disparity was just too much for the guy to handle. When people ask me how much the car costs I tell them its cheaper than sending our troops to Iraq. I usually get an "amen" or "true that" depending on the age of the person you are talking too.
Khatsalano
Member
On the other hand, how many bad interactions do you have at the ol' gas station? I would imagine the number is greater than zero over the years.
- K
- K
During our trip to Montana we passed through the superior supercharger twice and did not have any bad interaction with anyone.
There are always yahoos in this world and it sometimes is not advisable to criticize ice cars right to the face of the owner.
I am a conservative Republican and I purchased the Tesla because of its technology and the fact that it was made in America by Americans and it doesn't stink up my garage or spew exhaust. I try to use friendly persuasion and logical arguments to win over my ice vehicle friends. Once the Bolt and the model three are out more people will see the advantages of electric vehicles.
There are always yahoos in this world and it sometimes is not advisable to criticize ice cars right to the face of the owner.
I am a conservative Republican and I purchased the Tesla because of its technology and the fact that it was made in America by Americans and it doesn't stink up my garage or spew exhaust. I try to use friendly persuasion and logical arguments to win over my ice vehicle friends. Once the Bolt and the model three are out more people will see the advantages of electric vehicles.
OTOH, putting the SC in Superior instead of St. Regis in the first place was the mistake, imposing a completely unnecessary 28 mile detour for east bound travellers heading to Glacier. I know Tesla said there were power issues that prevented it, but if the alternative is forcing that kind of inconvenience on your customers, you'd better suck it up and deal with the problem. If not St. Regis, then De Borgia 15 miles west.
Security cameras with prominent signage seems like an appropriate solution for every supercharger, just like there are security cameras at virtually every gas station.
I think you should always push the message that the car is made in America with American technology by American workers and is fueled by American electricity.
That should defuse the situation.
That should defuse the situation.
MikeBur
ManualPilot
/agree. I've found adding "reduces our dependency on foreign oil making the US more robust" helps too. A number of people I've spoken too didn't realize Tesla was American designed and built.
the discussion on helping fund the more expensive ones now to help more Americans afford these in the future did not work well, as it brings up animated conversations about costs, so I avoid that now ;-)
Similar threads
