Tesla moments

[RogerHScott]

That is something I've been wondering about (not the tickets but just test rides in general )....

I am expecting to pick up my MX60D in the next couple weeks and seems like there will be a lot of ride and test drive requests that will come up. I want to share the Tesla experience and encourage everyone to consider a Tesla for their next car but allowing so many people to test drive my new car sounds a little worrying. Thinking I'll limit test drives only to people I know well and ride alongs for everyone else. How does everyone deal with such requests? Or just hand out cards to folks at the Tesla showroom....

Maybe you run with a different sort of crowd, but I don't encounter people who ask to actually drive very often -- that takes a bit of nerve.
More often I'll volunteer that to someone and they'll take a bit of encouragement to take me up on it.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Somewhere on TMC is a thread about an owner who let his landscaping guy take this MS for a "test drive" and proceeded to drive it right into a tree. Or something like that. So yeah, be careful of who you let test drive the car as opposed to test rides.

 

[EVCarGUy]

Somewhere on TMC is a thread about an owner who let his landscaping guy take this MS for a "test drive" and proceeded to drive it right into a tree. Or something like that. So yeah, be careful of who you let test drive the car as opposed to test rides.

I let a coworker drive mine. I didn't go well when we turned on autopilot. he freaked out twice as soon as the steering wheel moved by itself and jerked the wheel the other way. This left him completely freaked out ,and he came to a complete stop in the left lane of Central Expressway instead of in the left TURN lane. Despite several "Jim", "Jim, turn left" "Jim, turn left" "Jim, you're blocking traffic", "JIM, WE"RE GOING TO GET REAR ENDED", he just stared straight ahead frozen. Thank god nothing hit us, and he didn't hit anything, but *sugar*. I'm going to be a bit more careful about test drives.

 

[CuriousG]

Somewhere on TMC is a thread about an owner who let his landscaping guy take this MS for a "test drive" and proceeded to drive it right into a tree. Or something like that. So yeah, be careful of who you let test drive the car as opposed to test rides.

I remember reading that story and the landscaping guy was totally irresponsible with someone else's property despite the owner asking him to slow down.

 

[LoL Rick]

Here it is: A sad cautionary tale of poor judgement

 

[Pollux]

After getting the job done the owner wanted to know all about the car, including asking for a ride next time I was in the neighborhood. At this the other workers in the lobby all put their heads up with "what about us?" expressions, and the owner suggested we should sell tickets.

Do it! All of 'em! Each ride you give (much less allowing someone behind the wheel) opens a closed mind, changes a wavering mind, confirms and broadens a mind already open to EVs. Along with explaining that you have a full battery every morning and drive long-distances via Superchargers the car itself knows how to find (and charging is free for you). $35K Model 3 next fall. Electricity costs ⅓ of what you'd pay for gas (or more or less depending on your local economics). Maybe best of all: totally American-made!

IMHO, you're not necessarily creating a pool of motivated buyers who will put down money tomorrow, but you ARE creating people who will have favorable opinions the next time they encounter oh... I dunno... a dealer lobby that wants to boot Tesla out of the state.

Alan

P.S. Then there's the fact that Tesla is working on a pickup truck. In my limited imagination, Montana is a place where people genuinely *need* pickup trucks, unless most folks in suburban America. You can love a Model S all you want and still with good reason need to have that pickup truck. You need the right tool for the job. I've met a lot of people who immediately grasp the value of Model S' instantaneous torque, but need that pickup truck form factor. I expect that the rides I'm giving them now will be remembered a few years from now when the Tesla pickup truck emerges.

 

[Pollux]

That is something I've been wondering about (not the tickets but just test rides in general )....

I am expecting to pick up my MX60D in the next couple weeks and seems like there will be a lot of ride and test drive requests that will come up. I want to share the Tesla experience and encourage everyone to consider a Tesla for their next car but allowing so many people to test drive my new car sounds a little worrying. Thinking I'll limit test drives only to people I know well and ride alongs for everyone else. How does everyone deal with such requests? Or just hand out cards to folks at the Tesla showroom....

IMHO, totally down to your comfort level.... maybe also with your estimation of the character of the person you're dealing with.

I will take pictures of strangers' driver licenses and then let them drive around the block with me in the passenger seat.

As another poster mentions, most people -- certainly all I've personally encountered in three years -- will be too polite/shy to ask to drive the car or even to get a ride. I basically push people into the car whenever I can. There are a lot of preconceptions about the performance and appearance of an EV that fly out of people's heads once they've been inside and ridden in a Model S.

Thinking back on it, I've easily put over 200 people in my Model S in 3 years. Kids in the rear-facing jump seats, teens, BMW auto show car models, young adults, middle-aged people, grandparents, one lady who was in her 80s, garage attendants, tradespeople who come by the house, friends, neighbors, people at charging stops... pretty much anyone who makes the "mistake" of looking in the direction of this vehicle...

Alan

 

[gastowatts]

Here it is: A sad cautionary tale of poor judgement

Wow! That definitely adds some serious context to my test drive dilemma. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Pollux]

I let a coworker drive mine. I didn't go well when we turned on autopilot. he freaked out twice as soon as the steering wheel moved by itself and jerked the wheel the other way. This left him completely freaked out ,and he came to a complete stop in the left lane of Central Expressway instead of in the left TURN lane. Despite several "Jim", "Jim, turn left" "Jim, turn left" "Jim, you're blocking traffic", "JIM, WE"RE GOING TO GET REAR ENDED", he just stared straight ahead frozen. Thank god nothing hit us, and he didn't hit anything, but *sugar*. I'm going to be a bit more careful about test drives.

What a story! It didn't feel right to me to mark it as informative or funny or love-it... gotta say, though, I'm glad you shared it. Wow. I'll definitely keep this in mind when I get a car with AP. Maybe just not worth letting a new driver tinker with AP.

Alan

 

[aesculus]

At the Lovelock, NV supercharger. Note sign above

charging spot.

 

[ferdboyce]

I visited my sis-in-law in La Quinta (So. Calif) and met her sis-in-law for the first time. She said "so is that a Tesla? . . . I've heard about them" and then, "take me for a ride". So I (figuratively) tossed her the key, and when we got out to a nearly empty arterial nearby, I said to her " now stomp on it". Tesla moment: an immediate "Holy S**t" and a look on her face that was priceless. 30 min. after we got back she was on my brother's computer ordering her own. She picked up a pearl white MS 2 months later and promptly drove it to the Mercedes dealer where she had previously canceled her S550 order right after our "test drive". She loves her "baby" even more now ...

 

[Btrflyl8e]

I haven't had a good Tesla moment in a while, but today I had two just getting groceries! First was as I was putting groceries in the frunk. An older man in a big truck who had just parked next to me made some kind of comment and laughed, I didn't really catch it but it had something to do with where I was putting my groceries, I'm sure. He and his wife waited to "hear" me drive away.

Then, on the road before I made it home i was first at a light, in the left lane. A car full of 4 young people was next to me in the middle lane. I had all windows and roof open, and I could see them excitedly checking out the car. I could feel the little smile you all know so well start tugging at the corners of my mouth, as I waited for the light to turn green. Before it did, the back window went down and a young man yelled, "hey, how do you open your doors?". I grinned as I hit the button on the end of the stalk, to the cheers and ooohs and aahs of all the car's inhabitants. Then, the light changed! I floored it, for all of about 20 seconds until we ended up side by side at the next light. "what IS that?" backseat boy yelled. "It's a Tesla!" I say, expecting some sign of recognition. Nope, clueless. I said, "you've never heard of Tesla?", He said no! How is this possible? Just as the light changed I yell, "Google it!" and he said "you bet I will!"

I was completely surprised they had never heard of Tesla!

 

[meloccom]

A new house is being built on an adjacent block of land and it is nearing completion so the new owners were moving in the large furniture this week-end. They are a retired couple from a rural town called Wagga Wagga and their daughter's husband and her 2 sons were doing the heavy lifting. I don't think Tesla's get to Wagga often.
We arrived Saturday morning as they were dragging the fridge out of the removal van and I heard a young voice say "That's a Tesla!".
Later on after the big items were in their right places we had a visit from the new neighbors, to say hello. Towards the end of the conversation the retired grandfather asked, "what's a Tesla, the grandkids can't stop talking about it" quick explanation electric car 400 Km range etc. "You see the thing is the grandkids would love to take a look", so I invited them over for a test ride.
Half an hour later 2 shy 18 and 20 year old country kids turn up with mum and dad an I took them on the usual test drive, with the usual squeals and wows. When we got back I left it in front of the garage so they could crawl around it and take picture. They were about to leave when the 18 year old future electrical engineer said, so will it park itself, I said "yes, it's called summon" 4 gaping mouths as I summoned it into its parking spot, almost the first time Summon has worked flawlessly too.
Think I know who the budding engineer wants to work for now.

 

[RogerHScott]

I floored it, for all of about 20 seconds

"Your honor, may it please the court, People's Exhibit A is entered into evidence. It is a public admission by the defendant on
the Tesla Motors Club so-called ``discussion board'' of her driving her vehicle well in excess of 100 miles per hour on a city street."

 

[Half Dollar Bill]

"Your honor, may it please the court, People's Exhibit A is entered into evidence. It is a public admission by the defendant on
the Tesla Motors Club so-called ``discussion board'' of her driving her vehicle well in excess of 100 miles per hour on a city street."

Tsk, Tsk.
Any good defense attorney can argue that it's getting colder in Florida this time of year and the defendant's car may have had a cold battery and therefore was limited as to the speed the vehicle was capable of achieving.
I mean seriously, if I were ever to floor it, I'd have to lift way before 20 seconds
Just making an Amicus Curiae appearance for the defendant.

 

[Btrflyl8e]

When you post on a nerd forum.

smh

 

[Old Wyseguy]

I'm thinking she meant 2.0 seconds. And even that would exceed the 40 MPH speed limit.

 

[Saghost]

I'm thinking she meant 2.0 seconds. And even that would exceed the 40 MPH speed limit.

I figured the twenty seconds were the total time until she was stopped at the next light - acceleration and braking.

 

[GTIceman]

"No exhaust?" - Guy in a minivan
"nope all electric" - Me
"Very Cool" - Minivan guy


"How do you get in it?" Guy in a lifted pickup,
"the handles present themselves as I walk up" - me
"Ha neat" Pickup Guy

 

[Cyclone]

"How do you get in it?" Guy in a lifted pickup,
"the handles present themselves as I walk up" - me
"Ha neat" Pickup Guy

For me, that usually happens at red lights, so I just put the car in park to unlock the door and demonstrate.