Tesla moments

[Saghost]

It might be easier to just hook up a few solar cells to the hamster wheel. When you open the frunk, light would hit the solar cells and the wheel would start turning.
This should work:
Amazon.com : ALLPOWERS 2.5W 5V/500mAh Mini Encapsulated Solar Cell Epoxy Solar Panel DIY Battery Charger Kit for Battery Power 130x150mm (Solar Panel Only) : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Assuming the panels have enough power to get the wheel spinning at a decent speed, that's actually a great solution from a bunch of perspectives, with opportunities for teaching moments along with the original joke. I like it.

Edit: Just realized that the batteries and switch are in the hamster - and the wheel is braced on both sides and contiguous on the bottom. That means this particular hamster and wheel isn't compatible with a photocell switch or solar panel unless you put them on the hamster itself, which wouldn't work out too well I think.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

Auto Show, Babson College, Wellesley, Massachusetts; April 27, 2014

In the frunk:

View attachment 209111

and in the trunk:

View attachment 209113

but believe it or not, here's what won the show:

View attachment 209114

Electric Tesla hamsters rock!

Alan

Wow!!! Look at the size of that frunk. One more reason to go CPO.

 

[mspohr]

Assuming the panels have enough power to get the wheel spinning at a decent speed, that's actually a great solution from a bunch of perspectives, with opportunities for teaching moments along with the original joke. I like it.

Edit: Just realized that the batteries and switch are in the hamster - and the wheel is braced on both sides and contiguous on the bottom. That means this particular hamster and wheel isn't compatible with a photocell switch or solar panel unless you put them on the hamster itself, which wouldn't work out too well I think.

It looks like you'd have to run the wires through the axle of the wheel to get power to the hamster... might be problematic.

 

[Btrflyl8e]

Electric Tesla hamsters rock!

Alan

I want to form a band now just so we can call ourselves The Electric Tesla Hamsters.

 

[kevinf311]

I want to form a band now just so we can call ourselves The Electric Tesla Hamsters.

Dibs on Bass player!

 

[CuriousG]

I want to form a band now just so we can call ourselves The Electric Tesla Hamsters.

So will the band sound like a modern day Alvin and the Chipmunks?

 

[kevinf311]

So will the band sound like a modern day Alvin and the Chipmunks?

If so, I rescind my dibs on Bass player

 

[Btrflyl8e]

I'm sure it'll be more like a ska/punk/acid jazz fusion. Very hamstery.

 

[Saghost]

I'm sure it'll be more like a ska/punk/acid jazz fusion. Very hamstery.

You just want to party with the Soul EV Hamsters.

 

[wdolson]

You just want to party with the Soul EV Hamsters.

I was just going to ask if Soul was going to start using the band's music.

My SO doesn't like jazz, but she's had a number of bands over the years. One was a punk band and another did humorous covers of 60 rock tunes (like in one cover of a Hendrix tune the lead singer rolled out a Weber barbecue and put his guitar on the grill). The band was called Venus Envy and the Flytraps. They actually had a mild following in the Portland club scene.

 

[RogerHScott]

They actually had a mild following in the Portland club scene.

In other words, they were typical Portland residents?

 

[wdolson]

In other words, they were typical Portland residents?

My SO grew up here and is very into Portland culture. The Northwest is my adopted home, but I like it much better than California where I grew up. "Normal" around here is to be a bubble off center.

 

[RScottyL]

Wow!!! Look at the size of that frunk. One more reason to go CPO.

Of course, this would be on the Classic (non refresh) single motor only!

 

[steveho]

Figured I'd add my moments finally after owning the Model S for 1 full month now.

The best moment so far was this past weekend. I was dropping my son's friend off at his house. Before we left our house I asked if he'd been in a Tesla before. He hadn't. We had a nice drive to his house. When we got there, we walked him to the door and left. I was looking up an address of where I was to pick up my other son when suddenly the mom comes running out of the door straight towards us, in her socks. Note that this is Minnesota and there is snow and ice on the ground, and it's only 15 degrees f outside. She said that her son told her that he got to ride in a Tesla. She asked who/how and he told her that his "friends' dad." That's when she came running outside, with both of her kids in tow. She said that she's always talking about Teslas and her friends at work are always talking about them as well.

They (mother and 2 kids, along with my kid) got in the car, and I took them around the block. Told them it was a pretty quick car and floored it. Mind you I have a 60D, one of the slowest models. Grins all around.
==================================================

Another moment was this past week when I asked a friend if they were home on a friday. I was planning to stop by and show them the car but didn't tell them ahead. Got there, and Mr greeted me but didn't pay any attention to the car. I knew they both were car nuts, and we went inside and I asked if they wanted to see my new car. Mrs immediately said "You got a new car? What kind of car?" We went for a brief ride with all the usual questions. Mr suddenly said that they had just put something in the oven. If we don't get back in time, we have a good excuse.

Mrs said we also got a new car last fall. Mr chimed back "but it doesn't compare to this. It's almost not worth mentioning." It was a Subaru of some sort. Legacy?

 

[Chief holley]

I got a new one this morning (moment that is)! I pulled up to the gym at around 5:20am, which means no real lighting. While I was getting my gym stuff together in my frunk, a woman in a SUV pulls up behind me to give me light. I thanked her and told her I didn't need it, I was almost done. After she parks and I finally got my stuff together, I guess it finally dawned on her to ask what was I doing to my engine, I told her nothing and that I don't have an engine and that's when she does the doubletake at the car. All kinds of autopilot questions followed...

 

[wdolson]

Holy cow is this car great in snow and ice!

Here in the Portland area we had the worst snow storm in 8 years last night. I shoveled the driveway and figured I might as well run errands. The car handled like it was on a dry dirt road. I stopped at the market and almost fell in the parking lot. The car had driven over it fine, but I could barely remain standing. The only cars on the road were 4X4s, Subarus, and Teslas.

Or at least one other Tesla. I saw one on the road and one in the parking lot at the market. From the snow on it, it looks like it had been sitting there since last night. My first thought was "wimp!" but when I looked closer it looked like it was sig red which means it was a RWD version. I couldn't tell the color for sure because it was dark.

On a vacant, flat road I did try punching it to see what it would do. It skidded a little, but far less than any other car I've ever driven in icy conditions. Nearing home I got stuck behind an SUV doing 4 mph. When he pulled into a driveway I got up to 15-20 with no worries.

I was running around on the tires that came with the car (19" all season tires) and no chains. I was careful and as long as I'm light on the throttle the car stays planted solid on some really treacherous roads. I saw trucks slip in spots where the car just sailed on through like it was nothing more than a little rough road.

My SO has to be in court tomorrow (she's a lawyer) and was concerned about getting there, but she'll have no problems with the Tesla. She's admitted the Tesla is better in the snow than her Subaru, which is a major concession on her part.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

I'm surprised you didn't have ground clearance issues being in a Model S. There's no way I could have gone anywhere, in a foot of snow, even if I had AWD. Does the air suspension raise you up high enough to clear that much snow?

 

[wesley888]

We had more than 1 foot of new snow here as well, and the temperature was very cold. In turns, they are light and soft. I think the Tesla is heavy enough to ride over the snow and compact them. Since this is the first snow storm my Model S ever seen, I drove around and look for places with the most untouched snow and drove on it to test it out. Just like wdolson experienced, what an amazing car in snow.

 

[wdolson]

I'm surprised you didn't have ground clearance issues being in a Model S. There's no way I could have gone anywhere, in a foot of snow, even if I had AWD. Does the air suspension raise you up high enough to clear that much snow?

It's about 5-6 inches around here, I saw last night some parts of Portland got buried. I did drive over a pile of shoveled snow (about 12-18 inches deep) pulling out of the garage and the car made a lot of squeaking noises as the snow compacted, but it plowed right through it with not much effort. The bottom of the car being smooth, the center of the car slid over the snow like a sled.

The county plowed most of the roads today and it wasn't the greatest plow job, but it was mostly ice on the roads. I did have the suspension raised and that gave some decent clearance in the spots that weren't plowed very well.

I didn't think Tesla could impress me anymore than it already has, but I'm still gobsmacked at how well the car did.

 

[mspohr]

This

Holy cow is this car great in snow and ice!

Here in the Portland area we had the worst snow storm in 8 years last night. I shoveled the driveway and figured I might as well run errands. The car handled like it was on a dry dirt road. I stopped at the market and almost fell in the parking lot. The car had driven over it fine, but I could barely remain standing. The only cars on the road were 4X4s, Subarus, and Teslas.

Or at least one other Tesla. I saw one on the road and one in the parking lot at the market. From the snow on it, it looks like it had been sitting there since last night. My first thought was "wimp!" but when I looked closer it looked like it was sig red which means it was a RWD version. I couldn't tell the color for sure because it was dark.

On a vacant, flat road I did try punching it to see what it would do. It skidded a little, but far less than any other car I've ever driven in icy conditions. Nearing home I got stuck behind an SUV doing 4 mph. When he pulled into a driveway I got up to 15-20 with no worries.

I was running around on the tires that came with the car (19" all season tires) and no chains. I was careful and as long as I'm light on the throttle the car stays planted solid on some really treacherous roads. I saw trucks slip in spots where the car just sailed on through like it was nothing more than a little rough road.

My SO has to be in court tomorrow (she's a lawyer) and was concerned about getting there, but she'll have no problems with the Tesla. She's admitted the Tesla is better in the snow than her Subaru, which is a major concession on her part.

This has been my experience also. 85D is glued to the road. I've floored it and slammed the brakes and it doesn't slip. Third winter with it. Air suspension helps keep it above deeper snow.
Best car ever.