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Laurent
Member
artsci
Sponsor
That's a hoot.
This morning I was at my 3D printing shop to pick up a few items. When i returned to my Model S there were three women gathered around admiring the car, exclaiming how beautiful it was. One said to me, "I love Maseratis," thinking that's what it was. What an opportunity! I set her straight immediately: Tesla, all-electric, American made, beats the hell out of a Maserati in almost every way, and beautiful to boot. Maserati owners should be so lucky.
InTheShadows
Active Member
I had to drive the Golf to work today. (First time in about a month) Got out of the car, the bell was dinging. Oh yea, I forgot to turn off the headlights. Turned them off, shut the door. Put money in the meter, walked to the office door and reached in my pocket and... no keys. Duh, I left them in the ignition AND I didn't lock the car.
Hey, at least I remembered to set the parking brake so it didn't roll down the hill.
Hey, at least I remembered to set the parking brake so it didn't roll down the hill.
karmamule
Member
I don't have mine yet, but have my first 'Tesla moment': I mentioned to a co-worker that my Tesla would be arriving soon and he said his kids would probably enjoy seeing it because they love gadgets etc.. I told him I'd be looking for any excuses to go for a drive so would be happy to stop by to give a demo ride.
He happened to mention it to his kids last night and they seemed quite happy, but then later he was walking by as they were playing on their Xbox and they were excitedly chatting on their headsets boasting to their friends that they were going to get to ride in a Tesla soon and were going on and on about how cool it was going to be.
He said "it turns out this is a BIG thing....so I hope you meant it!". I reassured him I did and would be more than happy to drive up there in one of the next few days after getting it. I can't wait! :-D
He happened to mention it to his kids last night and they seemed quite happy, but then later he was walking by as they were playing on their Xbox and they were excitedly chatting on their headsets boasting to their friends that they were going to get to ride in a Tesla soon and were going on and on about how cool it was going to be.
He said "it turns out this is a BIG thing....so I hope you meant it!". I reassured him I did and would be more than happy to drive up there in one of the next few days after getting it. I can't wait! :-D
More Tesla moments from our first month of ownership...
* Aug30 - At the Whole Foods parking lot in Wellesley, MA. An employee was watching with interest as we drove into the J1772 charger spot and plugged in. She casually walked over and asked how we liked the car. Obviously we said we loved it. Then, to our surprise, she said her brother had one! She said she liked our license plate (JOULES) and said "He'll get a kick out of it when I tell him about it. He'll probably be jealous." She liked the energy implications and the fact that it has a double meaning (my name is Julie).
* About 10 minutes later, while we were charging and sitting in the car, an older man came up to us and said, "I really like your license plate. Are you in the science or tech business?" Me:"No, we just really like electric cars! ...Are you thinking of getting an EV?" man:"No, not at this point" with a tone that implied he was too old (!?)
* The Whole Foods parking lot is a goldmine for Tesla moments (especially on a Sat morning). Some other smaller moments: 10 year old girl yells "Look ma, it's charging!"; A dad with 2 boys in the back of his SUV circled around the parking lot just to get a better view of the car. They seemed very excited about it. Not to mention the countless stares and uttering of "Oh, it's a Tesla!". Then a little boy came out of the WF and shouted REALLY loudly "LOOK MOM, THAT TESLA IS STILL THERE!"
* Also, a wealthy-looking woman came up to us and said
Woman: "So, how often do you have to do this?"(implying charging)
Me: "Every 260 miles" (not true obviously, I charge it all the time here and there, but simple answers are sometimes best).
Woman: "So how do you drive long distances?"
Me: "Well they have Superchargers and it charges the car in ~20 minutes.". I mentioned Bourne and how it was going to open soon.
Woman: "How does it drive?"
My SO says:"best car I've ever driven. It's so smooth."
Woman: "My son would be drooling."
I mentioned there are test drives at Natick Mall and that she should check it out. It was a very positive interaction overall.
* Later that day, I met a nice dude with a French accent named Jim at the Rhode Island supercharger. He drives a Blue 85 with tan interior. He charges there daily, as he lives a couple miles away (jealous!) and commutes to Gloucester. Had a nice convo while both our cars were charging (talked about France vs New England living, plugshare, Elon, charging routines, etc) . Then, a Florida woman in her late-70s with two adorable poodles showed up and asked for some help charging her maxed out P85+.
* Aug30 - At the Whole Foods parking lot in Wellesley, MA. An employee was watching with interest as we drove into the J1772 charger spot and plugged in. She casually walked over and asked how we liked the car. Obviously we said we loved it. Then, to our surprise, she said her brother had one! She said she liked our license plate (JOULES) and said "He'll get a kick out of it when I tell him about it. He'll probably be jealous." She liked the energy implications and the fact that it has a double meaning (my name is Julie).
* About 10 minutes later, while we were charging and sitting in the car, an older man came up to us and said, "I really like your license plate. Are you in the science or tech business?" Me:"No, we just really like electric cars! ...Are you thinking of getting an EV?" man:"No, not at this point" with a tone that implied he was too old (!?)
* The Whole Foods parking lot is a goldmine for Tesla moments (especially on a Sat morning). Some other smaller moments: 10 year old girl yells "Look ma, it's charging!"; A dad with 2 boys in the back of his SUV circled around the parking lot just to get a better view of the car. They seemed very excited about it. Not to mention the countless stares and uttering of "Oh, it's a Tesla!". Then a little boy came out of the WF and shouted REALLY loudly "LOOK MOM, THAT TESLA IS STILL THERE!"
* Also, a wealthy-looking woman came up to us and said
Woman: "So, how often do you have to do this?"(implying charging)
Me: "Every 260 miles" (not true obviously, I charge it all the time here and there, but simple answers are sometimes best).
Woman: "So how do you drive long distances?"
Me: "Well they have Superchargers and it charges the car in ~20 minutes.". I mentioned Bourne and how it was going to open soon.
Woman: "How does it drive?"
My SO says:"best car I've ever driven. It's so smooth."
Woman: "My son would be drooling."
I mentioned there are test drives at Natick Mall and that she should check it out. It was a very positive interaction overall.
* Later that day, I met a nice dude with a French accent named Jim at the Rhode Island supercharger. He drives a Blue 85 with tan interior. He charges there daily, as he lives a couple miles away (jealous!) and commutes to Gloucester. Had a nice convo while both our cars were charging (talked about France vs New England living, plugshare, Elon, charging routines, etc) . Then, a Florida woman in her late-70s with two adorable poodles showed up and asked for some help charging her maxed out P85+.
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djp
Model 3 Performance
Conversation with a pedestrian as I was at a stop light in my Roadster, top down:
"What kind of car is that?"
A Tesla.
"You mean it runs on free energy?"
Well, virtually. Electricity is pretty cheap.
"It's an electric car?!"
Ha - he thought I meant Nikola.
"What kind of car is that?"
A Tesla.
"You mean it runs on free energy?"
Well, virtually. Electricity is pretty cheap.
"It's an electric car?!"
Ha - he thought I meant Nikola.
ChadS
Last tank of gas: March 2009
We were at a grocery store in Cheyenne this morning. When we returned, a couple of people apologized for hanging out with our car. the woman said that after the Cheyenne supercharger was installed, her brother made her go down to see them. No cars, just the chargers. Our car was the first one she had seen in person.
karmamule
Member
One other "don't even have it yet" Tesla moment: This weekend I was at a place that specializes in buying used cars, and was selling my current car to them, and as the guy was processing the paperwork he casually asked "So what car are you getting next?". I answered Tesla Model S and he froze, stared over his glasses at me for a good 5 to 10 seconds in silence, then finally said "You're getting the best car ever made!"
It turned out they'd had someone sell an S60 to them so they had had a chance to drive it for a while and evidently were very impressed. That's another good sign for someone just about ready to get his!
It turned out they'd had someone sell an S60 to them so they had had a chance to drive it for a while and evidently were very impressed. That's another good sign for someone just about ready to get his!
FLDarren
Member
Had something similar happen to me at CarMax. Just wait karmamule, this is only the beginning.
On my way home from work tonight a guy was motioning for me to open my passenger window. He was very excited! Of course I did, and he exclaimed "I'm a huge fan of Tesla!" I said, "me, too!" And he asked if I knew about Elon and his background (yes), then he motioned to the backseat and said, "I saw you and told my son 'that car runs only on batteries' and he can't believe it!" I saw a young kid in a booster seat waving. I said, "tell him it takes about 7,000 batteries!"
Brass Guy
Active Member
I think I met that guy months ago! I had just plugged in at that charger, and another S pulled up - sure enough he parked exactly 4 spots away (the other 6 unoccupied). I told him about the SC pairing, he thanked me and got back in his car to move it. A minute went by, and another... It turns out he had just dropped off his wife at home, but she had the fob! She came by a few minutes later in a large SUV. He had only recently picked up the car, hadn't dared the Gloucester commute yet and was spending way too much money on gas, so I offered encouragement. We talked for quite a while. I'm so glad to find out he's utilizing the car's range.
Pilot_51
Member
When I came in to work this morning, unusually early before the parking lot filled up, one of the managers noticed my car in the way back and asked what kind of car it is. I said "Tesla" and was wondering if it would be an "I mean who makes it" moment, but instead he asked if it was a subsidiary of GM, Ford, etc. or an independent company, to which I responded "Independent. It's made in California." He also asked when I got it (June), how fast it goes (120mph. Not that I need to go that fast, it's all in the acceleration), and if Tesla makes other cars (Not yet, but they have others planned).
Greyson
Member
My wife performed at the Cleveland One World Festival this last weekend. On our way back to the car, I noticed some teenagers eyeing the car just ahead of us. One of them obviously knew what it was and was gesticulating wildly while trying to describe it to the others, but didn't look back in time to see that the owners had just arrived. I figured that was my Tesla moment of the day. Then, as I'm fastening my youngest into her jumpseat in the back, a fellow walks up and starts asking the usual questions. He goes on the defensive after he finds out its range "my Audi gets 600 miles on a tank" -- so I give him the blank look and the "Why do you need 600 miles in 1 day?" question, which usually gets them thinking in the right direction.
While the Audi guy and I are talking, a truck full of maintenance workers pulls up beside the car and start talking about how nice it is. My wife, at this point, thinks they're talking about her performance, and it takes a few more sentences before she realizes (somewhat crestfallen) that they're talking about the car. They ask what kind of car it is and I give them my usual answer: "100% US made, 100% electric. It's a Tesla Model S!". They end up having to pull away when the car behind them vents his frustration through his car horn and it's back to the Audi guy.
As we're talking I'm loading my wife's costume bag in the frunk, which gives him a chance to make the frunk face. He wasn't the only one frunkfaced either; the maintenance workers had driven around the block and were back. Unfortunately, I had to cut it all short since my wife and daughter needed to get to their next performance, but in the end the Audi guy (who was foreign, but I couldn't place his accent) says "Thank you for giving me good idea, I think maybe I buy a Tesla next!"
On a side note, I have not been to CVS once since June without someone literally following me into the parking lot just to ask about the car.
While the Audi guy and I are talking, a truck full of maintenance workers pulls up beside the car and start talking about how nice it is. My wife, at this point, thinks they're talking about her performance, and it takes a few more sentences before she realizes (somewhat crestfallen) that they're talking about the car. They ask what kind of car it is and I give them my usual answer: "100% US made, 100% electric. It's a Tesla Model S!". They end up having to pull away when the car behind them vents his frustration through his car horn and it's back to the Audi guy.
As we're talking I'm loading my wife's costume bag in the frunk, which gives him a chance to make the frunk face. He wasn't the only one frunkfaced either; the maintenance workers had driven around the block and were back. Unfortunately, I had to cut it all short since my wife and daughter needed to get to their next performance, but in the end the Audi guy (who was foreign, but I couldn't place his accent) says "Thank you for giving me good idea, I think maybe I buy a Tesla next!"
On a side note, I have not been to CVS once since June without someone literally following me into the parking lot just to ask about the car.
Pilot_51
Member
Received my first direct compliment from a completely random person! As I was driving home about an hour ago, going 70mph in the left lane, a middle-aged black woman (saying that with intention to destroy any stereotypes) came up in the right lane, honked, I looked over, she gave a thumbs up and smile, I returned a smile. I didn't initially return a thumbs up since I'm not used to taking a hand off the wheel while looking 90 degrees to the right and going 70mph, but evidently she wanted a better response, so she honked again, rolled down the window, said "nice car!" (I think... my window was up and there was a bit of wind and tire noise), and I gave a quick thumbs up while slightly veering onto the rumble strip (told you I wasn't used to it).
A few minutes later, first at a red light coming off the freeway with an empty off-ramp ahead, I stepped on it when it turned green (as I always do) and then noticed the car to my left was revving his engine apparently trying to race me. I left him in the dust until about 10 or 15 over and leveled off, but he wouldn't settle for the loss, so his car, a Pontiac G8 GT, belched a loud noise and flew past me.
A few minutes later, first at a red light coming off the freeway with an empty off-ramp ahead, I stepped on it when it turned green (as I always do) and then noticed the car to my left was revving his engine apparently trying to race me. I left him in the dust until about 10 or 15 over and leveled off, but he wouldn't settle for the loss, so his car, a Pontiac G8 GT, belched a loud noise and flew past me.
paulkva
part of the supercharge.info dev team
I've had quite a few Tesla moments in the past few days...
This past Saturday, my family was invited to a block party where my son's best friend lives, so we only knew one family, and we were the only ones to arrive by car. Someone introduces himself to me, asks how I like the car, etc. Then he mentions he works at the same company as @jpasqua and heard he wrote an app for Tesla. (And yes, I use VisibleTesla regularly.) After a few minutes another neighbor joins the conversation, and we're discussing the usual questions like range and charging speed. Eventually the frunk comes up, so I open it and the trunk. Within a couple minutes the entire neighborhood is standing around the car asking questions! Kids are climbing inside, parents are telling them "this is the car we see in the [Tyson's Corner] mall," and I'm frankly a bit embarrassed at causing so much commotion. But it was all positive and everyone seemed to enjoy the diversion.
This past Sunday, I saw and recognized a 10-year-old kid from my son's Little League team a year ago (in a crowded setting that had nothing to do with baseball). He looks at me and says "do I know you?" I say yes, through Little League. "Do you own a Tesla?" I say yes, you sat in my car at the end-of-season party a year ago. (He and some of his teammates sat in the seats and in the frunk.) I think we were both amused.
The prior Monday, I took my kids to my daughter's soccer practice, and there was a boys' team practicing on the next field. One of the parents from that practice (who I've met a few times through my kids' school) comes up to me excitedly, starts asking questions about the car, and ultimately wants to see inside. Smaller commotion than the block party, but still ended up attracting a crowd. At the end of practice, a kid asks her mom "can we buy a Tesla?" and she replies "no, because I believe in fossil fuels," making sure I can hear. I laugh, not sure how serious she is, and she comments that 55% of my car's electricity comes from coal. I simply reply that the real number varies widely by state, and the national average is closer to 40%. (I just checked Tesla's web site, their data from 2013 says national is 39% and VA is 27%.) Her only reply was "oh, I guess my numbers are out-of-date." It's funny, for me the environmental benefit is a plus but not #1 on my list, however I do like being able to educate a skeptic.
Yesterday evening, I walked past a grey Model S that was waiting in a carpool line. I gave the driver a thumbs-up, he rolled down his window with a confused look, and I said "nice car, I have one too." His next questions to me: "Cool, what color? How long have you had it? Have you gotten 6.0 yet?" (We commiserated that neither of us have it yet.) And at the end, something along the lines of "Still just as amazing as when you got it, isn't it?" It was a fun but quite random conversation, and I'm generally not the type to start a conversation with someone I don't know, even if I know we have something in common.
Across several of these instances (and others), I've recently noticed that when I get into Q&A about the car, it's REALLY powerful to tell people that I drove it from DC to Florida this summer. Much more so than PA or NJ. Expressions range from raised eyebrows to utter shock, and it inevitably leads to "Where did you charge it? How long did it take?" The anecdotes of hardly ever having to wait for the car to charge seem to hit home more so than any hard numbers do.
This past Saturday, my family was invited to a block party where my son's best friend lives, so we only knew one family, and we were the only ones to arrive by car. Someone introduces himself to me, asks how I like the car, etc. Then he mentions he works at the same company as @jpasqua and heard he wrote an app for Tesla. (And yes, I use VisibleTesla regularly.) After a few minutes another neighbor joins the conversation, and we're discussing the usual questions like range and charging speed. Eventually the frunk comes up, so I open it and the trunk. Within a couple minutes the entire neighborhood is standing around the car asking questions! Kids are climbing inside, parents are telling them "this is the car we see in the [Tyson's Corner] mall," and I'm frankly a bit embarrassed at causing so much commotion. But it was all positive and everyone seemed to enjoy the diversion.
This past Sunday, I saw and recognized a 10-year-old kid from my son's Little League team a year ago (in a crowded setting that had nothing to do with baseball). He looks at me and says "do I know you?" I say yes, through Little League. "Do you own a Tesla?" I say yes, you sat in my car at the end-of-season party a year ago. (He and some of his teammates sat in the seats and in the frunk.) I think we were both amused.
The prior Monday, I took my kids to my daughter's soccer practice, and there was a boys' team practicing on the next field. One of the parents from that practice (who I've met a few times through my kids' school) comes up to me excitedly, starts asking questions about the car, and ultimately wants to see inside. Smaller commotion than the block party, but still ended up attracting a crowd. At the end of practice, a kid asks her mom "can we buy a Tesla?" and she replies "no, because I believe in fossil fuels," making sure I can hear. I laugh, not sure how serious she is, and she comments that 55% of my car's electricity comes from coal. I simply reply that the real number varies widely by state, and the national average is closer to 40%. (I just checked Tesla's web site, their data from 2013 says national is 39% and VA is 27%.) Her only reply was "oh, I guess my numbers are out-of-date." It's funny, for me the environmental benefit is a plus but not #1 on my list, however I do like being able to educate a skeptic.
Yesterday evening, I walked past a grey Model S that was waiting in a carpool line. I gave the driver a thumbs-up, he rolled down his window with a confused look, and I said "nice car, I have one too." His next questions to me: "Cool, what color? How long have you had it? Have you gotten 6.0 yet?" (We commiserated that neither of us have it yet.) And at the end, something along the lines of "Still just as amazing as when you got it, isn't it?" It was a fun but quite random conversation, and I'm generally not the type to start a conversation with someone I don't know, even if I know we have something in common.
Across several of these instances (and others), I've recently noticed that when I get into Q&A about the car, it's REALLY powerful to tell people that I drove it from DC to Florida this summer. Much more so than PA or NJ. Expressions range from raised eyebrows to utter shock, and it inevitably leads to "Where did you charge it? How long did it take?" The anecdotes of hardly ever having to wait for the car to charge seem to hit home more so than any hard numbers do.
timpoo
Member
At the end of practice, a kid asks her mom "can we buy a Tesla?" and she replies "no, because I believe in fossil fuels," making sure I can hear. I laugh, not sure how serious she is, and she comments that 55% of my car's electricity comes from coal. I simply reply that the real number varies widely by state, and the national average is closer to 40%. (I just checked Tesla's web site, their data from 2013 says national is 39% and VA is 27%.) Her only reply was "oh, I guess my numbers are out-of-date." It's funny, for me the environmental benefit is a plus but not #1 on my list, however I do like being able to educate a skeptic.
Who the hell would "believe in" fossil fuels? What kind of a sentence or sentiment is that?
You can rely on it, put up with it, bitch about it, but "believe in it"? Bizarre.
Yeah, I agree, but that's really a common statement, at least in my region.
I took my P85 to the Friday Night Drags at Atlanta Motor Speedway every Friday all summer, and gave several thousand people their first look at a Tesla. (This was in rural Georgia and not California, so Tesla's are relatively rare here.) I won most of my races, getting the most trophies ever for my class, and losing only occasionally to a 2014 Corvette and a few very souped-up Mustangs.
The majority of people are simply astonished that such a car exists, and are really impressed by it. A lot of "personal" betting goes on at these races, and I had countless people tell me how much money they won by betting on my car against people who haven't seen it race before. I had great conversations with people all summer long, and these races were my most enjoyable moments-ever, all summer-long.
The announcer for the races (who is also the manager for the Drags) was very supportive of my car, and every time I come up to the line he hypes up the crowd by saying "Who thinks/relies/believes in the fossil-fuel powered car vs. the battery-powered car…". It's all just minor semantics IMO…
I also see people saying "That's the battery-powered/electric car" in the grandstands and on the track every time I come up to the line, so that's a great hoot and ego-boost, even though it's certainly not me, it's just the car.
My most memorable moment was the first time I raced a 2014 Corvette in the Final Eliminations. The announcer said: "How many people think this battery-powered car can win this one?" <Very-slight cheers.> "How many people still rely on the old fossil-fuel-powered Corvette?" <Huge cheers for the Corvette.>
We launch: "It's gonna be close." "It's CLOSE!!" "OHHHHH!" <By the announcer & the crowd as the Tesla beats the Corvette at the end (the yellow light indicates the left lane wins, a green light indicates the right lane wins)>.
Dropbox - Friday, May 16
Certainly my best Tesla Moment ever!!
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