Tesla Trip To Hell & Back

[TOBASH]

With all due respect, people are butt holes. Everyone is egocentric and only care about themselves.

What you needed to do was have somebody use a cell phone to record this person threatening You. You should not have bothered talking to the police about Tesla charging sites. Instead you should have brought up charges of elder abuse. You would have had videos of this man threatening you and that would have been elder abuse. Additionally, if this guy had alcohol on his breath he would have been arrested on the spot, so you should have told the police about the alcohol.

You will never convinced police that people should not park in electric parking spots. You will always be able to get police to respond to alcohol on breath and elder abuse.

Next time make sure somebody takes out a video recorder or telephone to record the incident.. Also get a dashcam/camcorder that will record images on your car and near your car.

If he truly had a disabled daughter, he should have handicap tags. If he has them then you were clearly in the wrong, because with those tags you can park almost everywhere. If he had no handicapped tags, then he was a liar.


T

 

[JimVandegriff]

Here we picked up our travel trailer which we had ordered 12/2016 The trailer is 18ft long including tongue, weighs approx 2,500lbs, fiberglass shell, wooden cabinets on inside, kitchen, bath, sofa, queen bed, mainly made for shore power, but can be configured for off grid with solar panels. The MX is a towing machine, it does not lack for power or speed, what it lacks when towing is range. The more aerodynamic the trailer is the more range you will have. We are having our windows installed in Las Vegas (that's another story).

I'd like to hear that window story.

 

[ecarfan]

Scottie, sorry to hear about that scary incident and glad you and your wife are okay.

Here we picked up our travel trailer which we had ordered 12/2016 The trailer is 18ft long including tongue, weighs approx 2,500lbs, fiberglass shell, wooden cabinets on inside, kitchen, bath, sofa, queen bed, mainly made for shore power, but can be configured for off grid with solar panels

Like Jim, I’m curious to know more about your trailer. What company manufactures it? What model is it? Can you give us a link to learn more about it? Thanks.

Also, when you are towing it on a flat road, moderate air temp, no rain, no headwind, what is your wH/mi energy usage?

 

[ohmman]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here after this story and conclude that if you have a trailer to tow, you need to use a big azz tow vehicle, like an F-150/250 etc.

Maybe you just need to revisit the definition of "need."

 

[Mjølner]

Hmmm.
Sorry to hear about your trouble.
I really thought someone from USA had went to Norway and back.
Yes, Hell is a place in Norway.

Hell (Norway) – Travel guide at Wikivoyage

 

[SomeJoe7777]

I agree with some of the others here that this was less about the guy having a problem with Teslas, EVs, or charging, and more about him just being an a**hole. Some people out there have just lost it and you cannot reason with them.

I can't condone this, but a self-defense option might at least give you some peace of mind. I have one of these in my center console:

https://www.amazon.com/Fox-Enforcem...=1512774144&sr=8-25&keywords=fox+pepper+spray

Yelling and tossing parking cones is one thing, but if this guy had leaned inside my drivers door and got close to my family, I'd have emptied this canister in his face.

Before purchasing, please check the OC / Pepper Spray laws in your state, this canister is over the legal size limit in a handful of states.

 

[TaoJones]

@ScottieLV - that's quite the encounter. Glad you were un(physically)-injured.

For future reference, upon encountering the first bad pedestal at an SC, do consider calling Tesla immediately to determine which pedestals are the best or the least worst. They're happy to provide the info, and that at least will save the pedestal roulette hassle. There is a feature request languishing somewhere in the queue to add value to the Nav display so that instead of red/grey bars, we'll have red/green/yellow to show relative pedestal health - it's not perfect but it's an improvement. The more information we have on the road, the better.

Insofar as the ICEing goes - that's just frustrating, especially when the front desk is a distance away. I tend to ask if they're going to call a local towing company or if they'd prefer that I did - this generally gets their attention past the usual bs answers. The worst a local towing company will say is "no" when you call. It would be helpful if in addition to municipal No Parking signage that is becoming more common, Tesla and/or the property manager would go the extra mile and arrange in advance for a towing company relationship (who will provide signage). Standardizing with green paint would be great too. Internationally, but clearly it appears the South and Midworst

Lastly, about the drunken cretin. Glad the bystander stepped in - the knife was a nice touch. Do consider a keychain-sized container or four of pepper spray - these fit perfectly with room to spare in the door pockets, are non-lethal, and can provide a few extra seconds to get away from whatever threat there may be in case there are no helpful bystanders around. The usual caveats and such apply. Curiously, you can't order these in black from Amazon in California - but you at one point could order 3-packs in pink. Go figure.

 

[NeverFollow]

Funny that you should mention the police. Looks like they park there too! It looks like it could be one of the shared spaces:

A very simple way to prevent ICEing is to make the parking spots noticeable with Red paint.

 

[Dr. J]

Yes, Hell is a place in Norway.

It looks nice there. Now you have me looking forward to the trip.

 

[ScottieLV]

I'd like to hear that window story.

Hi Jim, I have followed your (Airstream ) & Ohmmans towing adventures for over a year now. I admire both of you and respect very much what you have to say. I have learned from your shared information. We actually talked about our travel trailer months ago and you have forgotten it, I attached a video. It was suppose to be ready in July (17) but was not completed until December (17). We initially almost ordered a Safari Alto out of Canada but I felt I might be dead before they delivered it in Summer of 2018 (I am joking). This trailer appealed to us and we thought we would get it in our possession last summer. I ordered European windows to have installed in it (much like Airstream windows with the pull down and push up shades and screens). Then, at the last minute the factory (made up of 3 people and a secretary) said they would not install them. I had shipped them from Vegas. So, we hauled them home and they will be installed by Apache RV Customs in Vegas. After seeing the recent snow storm that hit the center of the country we are lucky we got home safe. We are a retired couple and feel this small trailer will fit our needs. I must admit I am a bit surprised and disappointed how much towing affects range. I am at the beginning of a learning curve. Happy trails to you and Ohmman. Scottie & Liz...

 

[comanchepilot]

If the cable reaches I’d just park sideways in front of the ice cars and charge. They’ll come back completely blocked in.

That’s a great time to have a chat with them.

They’ll really be willing to listen.

 

[JimVandegriff]

Hi Jim, We actually talked about our travel trailer months ago and you have forgotten it, I attached a video. It was suppose to be ready in July (17) but was not completed until December (17). We initially almost ordered a Safari Alto out of Canada but I felt I might be dead before they delivered it in Summer of 2018 (I am joking). This trailer appealed to us and we thought we would get it in our possession last summer. I ordered European windows to have installed in it (much like Airstream windows with the pull down and push up shades and screens). Then, at the last minute the factory (made up of 3 people and a secretary) said they would not install them. I had shipped them from Vegas. So, we hauled them home and they will be installed by Apache RV Customs in Vegas. Scottie & Liz...

My apologies for my memory lapse! I'm really glad you got your trailer though, and I'm glad you found someone who can put in the windows. The loss of range creates a different kind of driving experience - one with more frequent stops, and more frequent charging. One of the things Illijana and I have noticed is that we like to travel shorter distances per day than we did when younger, so that aids our experience of trailer pulling. It is good that commercial campgrounds have power to charge the vehicle at night (as well as the trailer) so we have basically adopted the supercharger-campground-supercharger-campground approach to travel (usually starting at a campground, going to a supercharger, then stopping at another campground for the evening or more).
Please post some more pics when you get the windows in. Looks like a great little trailer! Jim

 

[cybergates]

they really need security guards at the tesla chargers - wouldn't be that expensive, particularly the concerning locations and they could keep an eye on the equipment too i.e. vandalism. Also needed, trash cans and squeegie / buckets to wipe down winshield - in effect the tesla charger is a modern day "gas station" - it ought to look like it too. The security guard could also sell some supplies (water, etc). give him or her a small booth

 

[BerTX]

they really need security guards at the tesla chargers - wouldn't be that expensive, particularly the concerning locations and they could keep an eye on the equipment too i.e. vandalism. Also needed, trash cans and squeegie / buckets to wipe down winshield - in effect the tesla charger is a modern day "gas station" - it ought to look like it too. The security guard could also sell some supplies (water, etc). give him or her a small booth

I propose this as the uniform for the guards

 

[ChuckG]

The San Diego Supercharger has a parking attendant during busy times to keep the peace. He says that it gets very crazy at times.

 

[Super_Popular]

The San Diego Supercharger has a parking attendant during busy times to keep the peace. He says that it gets very crazy at times.

Really?.

Next time you go there and he's there or it's crazy please post a pic. Luckily in Oregon we do not have that issue.

 

[ChuckG]

I have never been there when anything was crazy. A picture would just show a guy in a uniform shirt standing in a parking lot. The shirt is very non descript.

 

[ohmman]

we have basically adopted the supercharger-campground-supercharger-campground approach to travel

I agree overall with this, though we found that we weren't terribly put out by stopping twice at Superchargers during the day. That was dependent on the stretch, of course. But due to the time of day we'd often leave (around 8:30-9am), that would get us into our first Supercharger stop around lunchtime. The second stop would be mid-afternoon, and we'd be able to reach the next campground by dinner.

Driving changes are currently necessary to tow efficiently and comfortably with an X, especially a 90D. I think once we see increased pack sizes on the X, it's going to continue to get easier. Well, aside from those pesky back-in Superchargers..

 

[Buddyroe]

(note that I didn't finish reading your entire post - stopped after the paragraph about the 6'4" goon)

This is exactly why I have a concealed weapon permit and carry a weapon. Words like these, "but asked him to stop harassing us" are completely useless for your defense and your helpless wife's defense.

I have NEVER had to use my weapon or even come close. I try to use common sense about where I go and getting myself into bad situations (in other words, I pretend I don't have any protection and make decisions accordingly). I never let my possession of a weapon influence my decision to possibly go somewhere or into a situation I otherwise would not have. However, none of that would have helped you in your situation. Anyone would have felt safe to go to those chargers. I would hope that even with protection, you would have been able to escape the situation just as you did (without having to use your protection). But for the life of me, I don't understand why anyone, including you, would leave your safety (and the safety of your beloved wife) in the hands of a goon like this, or on the hopes that a bystander will protect you. Are you afraid that you might use your weapon to massacre a bunch of people or something? Do you think it will change who you are and you will suddenly become the bully? Why not do everything possible to protect your own life and your wife's life? Why not buy a weapon, learn to use it, and be able to protect your family?

When I get a notification that someone has disagreed with this post, I finally begin to understand why people get murdered - there are a lot of dumba**es in this country. How can you disagree with protecting yourself from a thug? SMH at the shallow minded people. Just HARD to understand.

 

[SomeJoe7777]

When I get a notification that someone has disagreed with this post, I finally begin to understand why people get murdered - there are a lot of dumba**es in this country. How can you disagree with protecting yourself from a thug? SMH at the shallow minded people. Just HARD to understand.

This isn't the appropriate place for a debate on self-protection philosophy. But in brief, a few observations:

• Calling people who disagree with your stance "dumba**es" and "shallow-minded" is not likely to win points or start a productive discussion about self-protection.
• Part of why people pay their taxes is so that we have a police force whose job it is to prevent and foil crimes, and are trained to use force to do so. It is not a required thing in our society that everyone should have to train themselves to use force so that they can prevent and foil crimes on their own, and wrong to suggest otherwise.
• Owning a weapon of any type carries some risks and drawbacks to the owner -- cost of the weapon, responsibility to secure the weapon, responsibility to use the weapon only as a last resort, responsibility to follow all laws and regulations associated with the weapon, and the burden of facing any decisions you have made with the use of the weapon, whether those decisions resulted in a bad or good outcome. There is no requirement that everyone in our society accept those risks -- and many people choose not to because that is the best decision for themselves. To suggest that you know better than they do what course of action they should choose for their own life is selfish and arrogant.

The 2nd amendment to our Constitution protects the right of citizens to own a weapon of their choosing should they wish to do so. Several other portions of the Constitution, its amendments, and other documents such as the Declaration of Independence also declare or protect the right of all citizens to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I find your implication that one of those portions of the Constitution can be exercised by you, but the other portions can be ignored for others to be highly selective and bordering on hypocritical.