Tesla moments

[wdolson]

On Wednesday there was either a black X following me around the Portland area or I saw three separate black Xs. I saw two of them fairly close together, but the third one was about 30 miles from the other two.

I also saw two Ss. First time I've seen that many in the wild here in Portland in one day (I've seen around 100 at the same time at the service center, but that doesn't count). I know they are common as spit in many parts of California, but they have been relatively rare around here until this year.

 

[dgpcolorado]

Once in awhile (particularly after a long road trip), I stop by a gas station and park right by an empty pump - to reach for the squeegee and clear the bugs off my windscreen. Then I drive off of course - much to the confusion of the people starring at me with their fossil cars!

I can't bring myself to do that; I just don't go to gas stations anymore. I carry a squeegee and bucket in my trunk for cleaning the windshield at Supercharger or overnight stops. Bugs on the windshield is a safety issue.

Also carry some waterless wash and a microfiber cloth to clean the bugs off the front of the car if I feel like it.

 

[wdolson]

I can't bring myself to do that; I just don't go to gas stations anymore. I carry a squeegee and bucket in my trunk for cleaning the windshield at Supercharger or overnight stops. Bugs on the windshield is a safety issue.

Also carry some waterless wash and a microfiber cloth to clean the bugs off the front of the car if I feel like it.

At the supercharger in Centralia, WA the owner of the lot has provided at least one squeegee and a bucket and he changes the water daily.

 

[dgpcolorado]

At the supercharger in Centralia, WA the owner of the lot has provided at least one squeegee and a bucket and he changes the water daily.

Interesting. I saw that bucket and squeegee when I was there last year but didn't realize it was a regular thing.

 

[Barry]

I can't bring myself to do that

Me neither. Only time I did use a gas station's window washing eqpt was at a gas station that had a store where I bought an ice cream or something.

 

[henderrj]

Was in Redmond Washington turning out of a Microsoft parking lot to follow a BMW I-3, a Leaf was behind me, the three of us immediately passed a Kia Soul EV. American, German, Japanese, and Korean. Redmond may be an exception, but things they are a changing!

 

[drklain]

I've been to a gas station to buy 1/2 gal of gas for the mower. Don't even know how much gas costs anymore...and love it!

 

[FlyingCookie]

I've been to a gas station to buy 1/2 gal of gas for the mower. Don't even know how much gas costs anymore...and love it!

Every now and then I’ll pass a gas station and notice the price and go “I’m so glad I don’t have to buy that junk anymore”

I’ve had to stop at a few gas stations to clean bugs off my windshield, though... for all the work Tesla put into these cars, the windshield washer on my Cadillac was a billion times better at washing the windshield...

 

[navguy12]

I've been to a gas station to buy 1/2 gal of gas for the mower. Don't even know how much gas costs anymore...and love it!

When your current mower dies, go for a battery electric one. I've had one for two years now and it easily deals with my typical suburban sized lot. Plus no smoke and little noise....

 

[DrivingRockies]

When your current mower dies, go for a battery electric one. I've had one for two years now and it easily deals with my typical suburban sized lot. Plus no smoke and little noise....

Mine lasted less than a season. Back to gas.

 

[gavine]

When your current mower dies, go for a battery electric one. I've had one for two years now and it easily deals with my typical suburban sized lot. Plus no smoke and little noise....

Here's a good video review from a Tesla-focused YouTuber on an electric mower. They make a lot of good points about why they are better ->

 

[gavine]

Mine lasted less than a season. Back to gas.

What happened to it? Battery died? No warranty? Was it a lithium-ion battery? Did you store it at 100% charge over the winter or something?

 

[DrivingRockies]

What happened to it? Battery died? No warranty? Was it a lithium-ion battery? Did you store it at 100% charge over the winter or something?

Plug in, didn't like the battery idea. Motor/bearings gave out. No warranty left (I bought it half way through one season, it made two mows the second).

 

[navguy12]

Mine lasted less than a season. Back to gas.

Sorry to hear that. What brand? Did they not honour the warrenty? My unit (from Lowes) has a four year battery and four year everything else warrenty.

 

[DrivingRockies]

Sorry to hear that. What brand? Did they not honour the warrenty? My unit (from Lowes) has a four year battery and four year everything else warrenty.

Black and Decker. What brand do you have? Mine WAS about 5-6 years ago. Earlier model for some of this going-electric stuff.

 

[mspohr]

When your current mower dies, go for a battery electric one. I've had one for two years now and it easily deals with my typical suburban sized lot. Plus no smoke and little noise....

I've had small lawns at my house so I've been using a push mower. Good exercise and no fuel (just breakfast cereal).

 

[SmartElectric]

Black and Decker. What brand do you have? Mine WAS about 5-6 years ago. Earlier model for some of this going-electric stuff.

Not quite, B&D have had corded electrics for more years than I can count.
I had a 10 year old B&D corded electric 8A mower with heavy metal body that wouldn't quit, that was >5 years ago, so that mower would be 15 years today.
Damn thing ran strong, too strong!
I actually wanted a new mower with a light plastic shell/body to make mowing the ravine part of the lawn easier.
I eventually bought a new Black&Decker electric 10A mower, and "free cycled" the old one to a new home.
20 years with two electric mowers, we have 1 full acre of lawn, no issues with electric for us.

Conditions vary, but here in Ontario, storing them outside year round, no issues.

 

[SomeJoe7777]

I bought that very Ego Electric mower shown above last year (only difference is that mine is the self-propelled version). It's awesome. The surprising thing is the power. I had a Toro 6.5 HP gas mower prior to this, and sometimes it actually struggled in mulching mode on my yard. I live on the Texas gulf coast, the only grass that grows reliably here is St. Augustine, which is really more of a weed than a grass. It's really thick and coarse, with tons of runners/stolons -- can be very difficult for any mower, especially in the summer when it grows fast and high.

The Ego actually performs better on my yard than the Toro did. When I get to a really thick spot, you could hear the Toro's governor give it maximum fuel, it would get louder, but would inevitably slow down the blade ... which ruins the mulching action, causes the clippings to build up under the deck, which makes it the problem worse.

The Ego will actually deliver MORE power and torque to the blade in those thick spots, and you hear the blade speed UP!

I'm careful with the battery charge on it ... I fully charge the battery right before I mow (their charger is a quick charger, takes 30-45 minutes for full charge on the 56V battery), and then I leave the battery in a partial discharge state between mowings. I'm over 1 year into ownership, no problems so far.

I have a smaller yard, only takes about 25 minutes to mow ... so I haven't run into any problems with run time. Typically the battery is slightly less than 50% when I'm done. I would estimate that the mower could easily run 45 minutes on a full charge, maybe a bit longer.

I also have the Ego line trimmer and the Ego clean-up/blower, both of which work awesome.

 

[arcus]

+1 on EGO mower. 2nd season on mine and could not be more happy. It was the very reason I "insourced" mowing rather than paying 30 bucks to someone else. I have a decent yard size (corner lot) so I need to use 2nd battery towards the end, but it is a breeze to swap anyway.

Sorry for steering away from the topic, but someone mentioned EGO and it got me excited

 

[ggr]

There's a thread over in "off topic" about electric gardening equipment. Please take the discussion there.