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Tesla moments

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I have a Tesla moment in waiting.

Met a girl at the local Verizon store a few weeks ago. Ended up being there a couple of hours because we were on hold with HQ, yadda yadda. There was nobody else around (slow day), so we got to talking, and are now friends. I mentioned Mr. T the other day, and she said, "Oh yeah, I've heard about them. I don't know about electric cars though. I've heard they still have really limited range and super low power -- like, you can't even have a real subwoofer because it drains the battery."

I just smiled. I didn't refute any of it. In my head, I'm thinking, "This is going to be fun."

So we have a date. When she gets off work tomorrow, I'm taking her for a test drive.

I am new to the evangelical process, so any suggestions would be most welcome. I've probably already forgotten half the cool and/or strange things about the Model S, because they're all just normal now. The one thing I plan to do before having her drive is demo both the acceleration and the regen braking, because both are a bit... surprising.

I will, of course, report back on the experience. ;-)
 
I have a Tesla moment in waiting.

Met a girl at the local Verizon store a few weeks ago. Ended up being there a couple of hours because we were on hold with HQ, yadda yadda. There was nobody else around (slow day), so we got to talking, and are now friends. I mentioned Mr. T the other day, and she said, "Oh yeah, I've heard about them. I don't know about electric cars though. I've heard they still have really limited range and super low power -- like, you can't even have a real subwoofer because it drains the battery."

I just smiled. I didn't refute any of it. In my head, I'm thinking, "This is going to be fun."

So we have a date. When she gets off work tomorrow, I'm taking her for a test drive.

I am new to the evangelical process, so any suggestions would be most welcome. I've probably already forgotten half the cool and/or strange things about the Model S, because they're all just normal now. The one thing I plan to do before having her drive is demo both the acceleration and the regen braking, because both are a bit... surprising.

I will, of course, report back on the experience. ;-)

The cynic in me says "She really worked you with her easily-refuted-by-demonstration angle. She clearly wanted a ride at speed with the stereo cranked up to 11."
 
Two Tesla moments this weekend:

First one was last night. We went to our favorite local pizza place for dinner and parked right in front. I could see the car from our table. A couple sitting at the bar stepped outside to smoke, and I saw them start walking all around my car. I grabbed the fob and walked outside so I could let them see the inside. The guy was pretty quiet, but the woman was in love with the car! I had her sit in the drivers seat and walked her through some of the screen stuff and she was clearly blown away. It was fun!

Then tonight we went out again for dinner with some friends to discuss an upcoming Alaska trip. We met them at the restaurant, and I got to park in one of two parallel spaces directly in front of the outdoor seating. It was early so no one was out there when we arrived. When we left there were a few tables occupied, however. One of our friends came over to check out the CQuartz job I just had done. After we chatted a few minutes, I went to get in my car and a man having dinner at one of the tables yelled to me "nice car!". I yelled an enthusiastic " thanks! ". Always nice when someone appreciates the beauty of a Tesla!
 
The other day I startled a pedestrian in a parking lot, he didn't hear the MS. I apologized for startling him and he turned and said, "no prob, I thank you for buying that car." Some people do understand the difference this car and it's technology are making and I am proud to be part of the difference.
 
I was at a light with 2 street bikes right behind me. I had the pano vented and music off so I could hear everything going on around me. The one biker said to the other, "That's all electric ain't it." The other responded, "Yeah, and you get a tax credit when you buy one." Then the first biker said, "Look, no tailpipe, that's awesome." Then the light turned green. :mad: If the light would've stayed red for another 5 seconds I would have stuck my head out the pano and said, "Yeah, $7,500 and she'll give your bike a run for their money."

Shorty after that I heard a pedestrian ask "What kind of car is that?" I've heard this at least a dozen times. I need to make a small sign and stick it out the pano saying "It's a Tesla" just for these occasions.:wink:
 
I love this tread but I always ask me the same question. All those people who are interested in the car, are interested because it is a nice car or a brand new car company or because it's electric?. Do they know it is an electric car?.

For me I enjoy technology and this car is loaded with it! The reasons you give are just icing on the cake for me :)
 
I love this tread but I always ask me the same question. All those people who are interested in the car, are interested because it is a nice car or a brand new car company or because it's electric?. Do they know it is an electric car?.

I think at first people like it because it's a nice looking car. Sometimes that's where it ends because the oppurtunity doesn't arise to educate and inform. Once someone learns about the company and what Model S can do and what it represents, it then goes deeper. That's the way it happened to me. I have a deep appreciation for what Tesla has accomplished in these few short years and I am very optimistic on what's to come.
 
Not exactly a Tesla moment - more an EV moment:

Yesterday at Laguna Seca I was at the corkscrew while the vehicles were running - it was so quiet that the corner worker had taken off his ear defenders and was talking to me while the cars were running (try that during the ICE session!)

As the electric bikes came around for the first lap, one of them crested the Corkscrew for the first time and you could clearly hear his "Oooooooh!' as he saw the drop off - classic
 
Not exactly a Tesla moment - more an EV moment:

Yesterday at Laguna Seca I was at the corkscrew while the vehicles were running - it was so quiet that the corner worker had taken off his ear defenders and was talking to me while the cars were running (try that during the ICE session!)

As the electric bikes came around for the first lap, one of them crested the Corkscrew for the first time and you could clearly hear his "Oooooooh!' as he saw the drop off - classic

Once I saw the vantage point of the pictures you took in the other thread (thanks!), I knew that must of been you posted up next to the corner worker. I saw you there on my first run. Canon SLR with a white L lens, if I'm not mistaken? (I was looking at the corner worker, I swear!)

I spoke with a couple guys in a WRX STI on the other side of the paddock after our final run and they wanted to know how the parade lap was. It was a polite, but thinly-veiled suggestion that the car probably couldn't cut it on the track. They were surprised to learn that we ran six full-speed sessions, and how fast they actually were. We were so quiet they didn't even know anyone was out on the track. :biggrin:
 
Yesterday, in a parking lot, I had several people tell me what a beautiful car it was. Then, one guy walked over and said "do you have to plug it in, or does it charge by using the brakes. I heard it charges by using the brakes." So, I told him "yes, you have to plug it in" and explained about regenerative braking as an "engine thing." He said "really, I heard it charged by braking." I tried to explain to him that this would make it a perpetual motion machine, but I gave up. He seemed to reluctantly accept that you had to charge it too.
 
For EVs, this is one definition of success. If people just want and buy the car because it's better, it's game over for the competition.
My wife and I both really enjoyed Chelsea Sexton's closing presentation, and this was one of the points she made.

I kind of disagreed with her comments about how for any given movement the most important person is the second guy to join, and that we were still the first guy with that one crazy idea that could change everything. I think Elon, the EV1 owners, Roadster owners, and so forth were that first guy. This a mass-production vehicle with high accolades from around the industry. I know, as a longtime motorsports guy who NEVER considered buying a "slow" quirky EV, I drove a Model S and thought "this changes everything." It's an amazing thing I didn't know I wanted, which, IMO, disqualifies me as being part of the initial part of the movement.

That said, with several of these Tesla moments piling up now, hopefully we've convinced a few more "2nd Guys" to join the party.
 
I love this tread but I always ask me the same question. All those people who are interested in the car, are interested because it is a nice car or a brand new car company or because it's electric?. Do they know it is an electric car?.

Apparently not (don't ask me how or why). I had two such instances over the weekend: the first was when we were getting the tires rotated on my wife's car and one of the guys at the shop asked about my Model S: "what kind of car is that?" Says I: "a Tesla." Asks he: "Who makes it?" (yeah, they still ask that.) Says I: "Tesla. And it's 100% electric - no gas." Asks he: "what!?! no gas?" Look of astonishment.

Second case was at the Hamilton Township SC: walking into the Barnes & Noble with a BMW owner: "What? No gas? And I'm stuck with my prehistoric, 8-cylinder gas-burner." Since he and his wife (all smiles at the idea of a Tesla) know about them, you'd think he would have realized "no gas".

go figure.