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Teslas for Females - Practicality vs Fun?

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Why Tesla 'has a problem appealing to women': Electric cars, Elon Musk may be off-putting

I had to comment on this article!!

Seriously!!! It is the most practical car I have ever purchased. I live 47 miles from work and used to pay $8-$10 a day in gas in my Camry Hybrid. Not anymore! I bought my Model 3 LR AWD in Dec, 2018 and have over 11,000 miles on it. Service it? nope...no oil, no anti-freeze.

Let me tell you the practicality of it:
I HAD "gas pedal" knee from driving so much. Severe pain in my knee. NO pain now as of the 47 miles to work and 47 miles back, the CAR DRIVES ME for 44 of those miles each way. I told my Physical Therapist to prescribe a Tesla for patients with this condition! You know how I control acceleration and deceleration??? With a tiny scroll wheel on the steering wheel!!

Then there is the 60mph in 3.0 seconds. Wow! No delay when I need to change lanes or get in front of someone. It is amazing! When I actually do use the accelerator and the steering wheel it is an amazing experience. So easy to drive! Handles so well. And I live in Zigzag, OR up on Mt. Hood and this car has AWD. Only need to use my Highlander when the snow is really deep. And there are two engines. If one goes out, I have another one. And 360 degree sensors let me know what is around me and warns me of any dangers and prevents me from running into things.
Then there is the space! An HUGE trunk and a frunk! I have filled the car with my relatives, went to Costco and was amazed at how much stuff I could fit in this car.

Safety?...it is the safest car out there. My insurance company thinks so, too as my premium is amazingly low.

Now for the FUN!
OMG!!! 14 speakers, a sub-woofer and immersive sound! I am seriously in heaven! While the car is driving me, I am clapping my hands to the music. And while I am getting my free supercharging for 9 months, I search for the best songs from the 60's and 70"s and add them to my Spotify Tesla WOWs! playlist.

Heated seats throughout the car, an amazing vent system, it remembers who I am and moves my seats and mirrors to where I want them as soon as I get in the car. It has a web browser on the 15 inch monitor. And it has video games, a fireplace with heat coming from the vents, etc, etc.

And my current favorite activity: I am a stop light next to a sports car or huge Dodge RAM truck with my windows down and blasting my music. The vehicle next to me revs their motor. The light turns green and in 3 secs I am a quarter mile ahead of them!!!
I am a 64 yr old lady raising my teenage grandkids and this vehicle is saving my physical and mental health!! How's that for practicality!!
 
What a great response! I got my Model 3 after driving the X and S. The 3 is just the right size and so much fun. I admit that I bought it for the fun factor and because I am totally committed to e-vehicles, but it scores on practicality and safety, too. We are now a 2 EV couple and we breeze by the gas pumps with smiles on our faces.
 
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I think the buying process is more catered to men than women.
Add to that the complexities of charging a car rather than going to a gas station and you have an answer much more valid than women not liking the CEO. I really don’t think that matters at all.

To truly become main stream Tesla will need to spend their marketing dollars more on public education of their process, charging and safety than on touting performance.

I disagree: Saturn did it first and won a lot of female buyers with the no-negotiation sales. Going into a Tesla dealer is stress-free and no pressure. And if you can remember to plug in your phone every night, same with your car. And does Tesla use any marketing dollars? I've never seen an ad.
 
I did a ride-n-drive EVent (people got to ride in my car -- other EV mfgs had cars people could test drive), and more than half of my "serious" passengers (thinking about an EV in the near future as opposed to "I have some time to kill and I can tell my friends I was in a Tesla") were women.

Men were usually accompanied by a woman who sat in the back, but about half my rides were one or two women (without a man), and the women were pretty seriously thinking Tesla. Sure, this is a small, self-selected sample of people who were serious enough to wait in 100 degree heat for a 5 minute ride, but there was no lack of appeal.
 
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Why Tesla 'has a problem appealing to women': Electric cars, Elon Musk may be off-putting
We bought a Model 3 this January. My 75 year old wife has taken the car over. No pumping gas and getting her hands dirty. I have to drive the old Chrysler. She even let it drive her from Florida to South Carolina all by herself. It is the perfect car for women! I am hoping for a Tesla pickup truck. There is something women like about a pickup man!

I had to comment on this article!!

Seriously!!! It is the most practical car I have ever purchased. I live 47 miles from work and used to pay $8-$10 a day in gas in my Camry Hybrid. Not anymore! I bought my Model 3 LR AWD in Dec, 2018 and have over 11,000 miles on it. Service it? nope...no oil, no anti-freeze.

Let me tell you the practicality of it:
I HAD "gas pedal" knee from driving so much. Severe pain in my knee. NO pain now as of the 47 miles to work and 47 miles back, the CAR DRIVES ME for 44 of those miles each way. I told my Physical Therapist to prescribe a Tesla for patients with this condition! You know how I control acceleration and deceleration??? With a tiny scroll wheel on the steering wheel!!

Then there is the 60mph in 3.0 seconds. Wow! No delay when I need to change lanes or get in front of someone. It is amazing! When I actually do use the accelerator and the steering wheel it is an amazing experience. So easy to drive! Handles so well. And I live in Zigzag, OR up on Mt. Hood and this car has AWD. Only need to use my Highlander when the snow is really deep. And there are two engines. If one goes out, I have another one. And 360 degree sensors let me know what is around me and warns me of any dangers and prevents me from running into things.
Then there is the space! An HUGE trunk and a frunk! I have filled the car with my relatives, went to Costco and was amazed at how much stuff I could fit in this car.

Safety?...it is the safest car out there. My insurance company thinks so, too as my premium is amazingly low.

Now for the FUN!
OMG!!! 14 speakers, a sub-woofer and immersive sound! I am seriously in heaven! While the car is driving me, I am clapping my hands to the music. And while I am getting my free supercharging for 9 months, I search for the best songs from the 60's and 70"s and add them to my Spotify Tesla WOWs! playlist.

Heated seats throughout the car, an amazing vent system, it remembers who I am and moves my seats and mirrors to where I want them as soon as I get in the car. It has a web browser on the 15 inch monitor. And it has video games, a fireplace with heat coming from the vents, etc, etc.

And my current favorite activity: I am a stop light next to a sports car or huge Dodge RAM truck with my windows down and blasting my music. The vehicle next to me revs their motor. The light turns green and in 3 secs I am a quarter mile ahead of them!!!
I am a 64 yr old lady raising my teenage grandkids and this vehicle is saving my physical and mental health!! How's that for practicality!!
 
So much this. Several of my women passengers asked about the sales process, and the universal comment was "that alone makes me think Tesla is the car for me".

Right. I asked my salesman if he worked on commission and he said nope, they were all salaried- no pressure. I called him in late June and was trying to buy in time to capture the tax credit before it stepped down in July, and told him if I couldn't get the model I wanted, I would wait till September or October when I have my garage built. He made it happen and 5 hours later I was driving home.
 
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Girls Just Wanna Have Fun ... and practicality and safety. M3 isn't perfect, but it IS fun, safe, and practical: the trifecta. I would be happy for both my daughters to drive one. So would they, when they can afford to do so.

I wouldn't be because of the random lockouts I've experienced (it's sad when you need to slimjim your own car in order to reset the computer to re-enable the locking) in the MS (admittedly an older software release -- this may be fixed) and no physical lock as backup in that situation. Getting in quickly and locking the door is a safety issue, especially for females (or if you're in bear country, for example).
 
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I guess my wife is in the practical camp by herself. When I say something like "Do you think you would like a Tesla/" I hear comments like "My Toyota is fine. We already have one big spender in the family. I don't need to be another one!" And then says something about not liking the lesser expensive interior of the model 3 anyway. That's where I stop the conversation and don't risk asking why, but I think I know what she does not like about it. I guess I should be thankful that she watches the money more than I do.
 
And might I ask which insurance company you have? Mine is with Mercury who kept it close when I sold my'03 Silverado 1500 LT and all things the same only went up $400 / 6 mos. For a car that got 5 stars in every safety test it ever took, even the small increase seems out of line
I'm with you! I love my 3 and my wife who is NOT a car chick absolutely loves the look and the ride. Even better is how safe she feels, finally, when I drive! :p

Hey! Glad you love ur Model3! But not surprising that your insurance would be a bit pricier on a similar initially priced 2018 or so as compared to a 2003 model! What do you think the replacement cost is fir each from the insurance company’s point if view, fr example?

You might find it enlightening to ask your company for an insurance bid in a current model Silverado and compare that to your Model 3 insurance cost. Might make you feel better!
 
Why Tesla 'has a problem appealing to women': Electric cars, Elon Musk may be off-putting

I had to comment on this article!!

Seriously!!! It is the most practical car I have ever purchased. I live 47 miles from work and used to pay $8-$10 a day in gas in my Camry Hybrid. Not anymore! I bought my Model 3 LR AWD in Dec, 2018 and have over 11,000 miles on it. Service it? nope...no oil, no anti-freeze.

Let me tell you the practicality of it:
I HAD "gas pedal" knee from driving so much. Severe pain in my knee. NO pain now as of the 47 miles to work and 47 miles back, the CAR DRIVES ME for 44 of those miles each way. I told my Physical Therapist to prescribe a Tesla for patients with this condition! You know how I control acceleration and deceleration??? With a tiny scroll wheel on the steering wheel!!

Then there is the 60mph in 3.0 seconds. Wow! No delay when I need to change lanes or get in front of someone. It is amazing! When I actually do use the accelerator and the steering wheel it is an amazing experience. So easy to drive! Handles so well. And I live in Zigzag, OR up on Mt. Hood and this car has AWD. Only need to use my Highlander when the snow is really deep. And there are two engines. If one goes out, I have another one. And 360 degree sensors let me know what is around me and warns me of any dangers and prevents me from running into things.
Then there is the space! An HUGE trunk and a frunk! I have filled the car with my relatives, went to Costco and was amazed at how much stuff I could fit in this car.

Safety?...it is the safest car out there. My insurance company thinks so, too as my premium is amazingly low.

Now for the FUN!
OMG!!! 14 speakers, a sub-woofer and immersive sound! I am seriously in heaven! While the car is driving me, I am clapping my hands to the music. And while I am getting my free supercharging for 9 months, I search for the best songs from the 60's and 70"s and add them to my Spotify Tesla WOWs! playlist.

Heated seats throughout the car, an amazing vent system, it remembers who I am and moves my seats and mirrors to where I want them as soon as I get in the car. It has a web browser on the 15 inch monitor. And it has video games, a fireplace with heat coming from the vents, etc, etc.

And my current favorite activity: I am a stop light next to a sports car or huge Dodge RAM truck with my windows down and blasting my music. The vehicle next to me revs their motor. The light turns green and in 3 secs I am a quarter mile ahead of them!!!
I am a 64 yr old lady raising my teenage grandkids and this vehicle is saving my physical and mental health!! How's that for practicality!!

Think of all the frustration you leave in your wake at the Stop Light Follies. Those folks need to quit thinking in terms of rusty, dusty dinosaur-era technology.
 
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A) For various reasons (no desire to get into it), single women have lower incomes than single men. Even among highly successful professionals, at least the ones I know, they are less likely to spend money on a car.
Everyone signals "success" in different ways, but women also don't seem to buy high-end watches.

B) Most "moms" buy SUVs. So far, Tesla has one, rather expensive one, with odd doors.

C) There's something about the needing to charge, I think, vs. being able to just fill up and go. Not sure, but I think there's something there, based on a few women I talked to about it.

My wife has always liked driving fast cars, whether her Mustang GT, or her stealthy Volvo S60R. We bought a Model 3 to replace her twin turbo, dual clutch racing transmission VW GLI, and she of course insisted on dual motors even though the RWD was already a very quick vehicle.

She found the Tesla non-intuitive and therefore intimidating for the first month and was reluctant to drive it. Once I explained that it took a little getting used to losing some of the standard interfaces and essentially driving her iPhone, she laughed and got past it. As she’s become more comfortable with where the controls are, she just loves her Tesla. She calls it “The Battery.”

We love not only the performance and good sound system, but the versatility. I’ve easily carried eight foot lumber (carefully padded) inside, and with the Tesla roof rack, no problem for her to take her favorite StandUp Paddle board wherever she wants.

I think that every woman and every man is unique and that generalizations are tricky! For example, my wife wasn’t crazy about the more technical user interface, but my daughter-in-law, a professional athlete with a Master’s in software programming, found it wonderful!

As a (retired) marketing guy, I do believe in the effectiveness of advertising, and commercials featuring the versatility of use, high end design, performance, economy and practicality of the cars would go a long way to more deeply penetrating the ICE market for both men and women.
 
For one who (except for EV owners) has a 240 outlet in their garage or outside their house where they park?
That adds a level of complexity compared to a gas car. Plugging into it a regular outlet gets you no where.

Outside of California and maybe some areas where charging stations are common, the general public is only vaguely aware of their existence.

The fear of running out of a charge and left stranded is likely something women as a whole fear more than men (where or not the fear is justified is not relevant)

I have test driven the Kia Niro EV and the Hyundai Kona EV locally and even the sales people I have talked to / driven with were clueless about how the current rebates worked, the benefits of less maintenance, that you need a prearranged solution in your house to even buy “one today”. They were not women so off topic but I think men as a whole are more likely be early adopters for car technologies and electric cars are still foreign to the majority of the population in the US (California could be an exception)

Now once women drive it, I think that changes and looks wise I think it very much would appeal to both sexes.
Generally speaking I do see most women 35 and older owned expensive vehicles being SUV’s more than sedans or sports cars. Tesla appeals to both sexes in the 20-34 age range but is out of the budget for most of them I imagine.


A very thoughtful reply!
 
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Why Tesla 'has a problem appealing to women': Electric cars, Elon Musk may be off-putting

I had to comment on this article!!

Seriously!!! It is the most practical car I have ever purchased. I live 47 miles from work and used to pay $8-$10 a day in gas in my Camry Hybrid. Not anymore! I bought my Model 3 LR AWD in Dec, 2018 and have over 11,000 miles on it. Service it? nope...no oil, no anti-freeze.

Let me tell you the practicality of it:
I HAD "gas pedal" knee from driving so much. Severe pain in my knee. NO pain now as of the 47 miles to work and 47 miles back, the CAR DRIVES ME for 44 of those miles each way. I told my Physical Therapist to prescribe a Tesla for patients with this condition! You know how I control acceleration and deceleration??? With a tiny scroll wheel on the steering wheel!!

Then there is the 60mph in 3.0 seconds. Wow! No delay when I need to change lanes or get in front of someone. It is amazing! When I actually do use the accelerator and the steering wheel it is an amazing experience. So easy to drive! Handles so well. And I live in Zigzag, OR up on Mt. Hood and this car has AWD. Only need to use my Highlander when the snow is really deep. And there are two engines. If one goes out, I have another one. And 360 degree sensors let me know what is around me and warns me of any dangers and prevents me from running into things.
Then there is the space! An HUGE trunk and a frunk! I have filled the car with my relatives, went to Costco and was amazed at how much stuff I could fit in this car.

Safety?...it is the safest car out there. My insurance company thinks so, too as my premium is amazingly low.

Now for the FUN!
OMG!!! 14 speakers, a sub-woofer and immersive sound! I am seriously in heaven! While the car is driving me, I am clapping my hands to the music. And while I am getting my free supercharging for 9 months, I search for the best songs from the 60's and 70"s and add them to my Spotify Tesla WOWs! playlist.

Heated seats throughout the car, an amazing vent system, it remembers who I am and moves my seats and mirrors to where I want them as soon as I get in the car. It has a web browser on the 15 inch monitor. And it has video games, a fireplace with heat coming from the vents, etc, etc.

And my current favorite activity: I am a stop light next to a sports car or huge Dodge RAM truck with my windows down and blasting my music. The vehicle next to me revs their motor. The light turns green and in 3 secs I am a quarter mile ahead of them!!!
I am a 64 yr old lady raising my teenage grandkids and this vehicle is saving my physical and mental health!! How's that for practicality!!

I'm an 85 year old (this month) woman and I have never had a car I loved as much. And I've had some pretty amazing cars in my lifetime. My friends watch me zip around in my bright red Model S and always want me to drive them somewhere, just for fun. We donate rides in our car for charities at auction functions (with me driving, of course) and so far the highest bid for a ride was $650! So far, we've donated 7 rides. Life is fun with a Tesla!
 
I don't agree with the articles points. I don't think women are turned off to the cars by CEO Musk. They are likely unfamiliar with ev charging and general care and are turned off like many men by misconceptionsor, something new, or lack of knowledge. Once they know the full story they'll buy more.
I love my M3 and will never go back to a fossil car.
 
For one who (except for EV owners) has a 240 outlet in their garage or outside their house where they park?
That adds a level of complexity compared to a gas car. Plugging into it a regular outlet gets you no where.

Outside of California and maybe some areas where charging stations are common, the general public is only vaguely aware of their existence.

The fear of running out of a charge and left stranded is likely something women as a whole fear more than men (where or not the fear is justified is not relevant)

Many people with electric dryers already have 240, and it's an easy conversion if not. Charging after work on 120v yields 50+ miles, almost covering my wife's commute, but she can charge for free at school. She does a lot of miles and hated having to go to gas stations every week and even in our Prius would push it and run out of gas every couple of years- she didn't have ENOUGH range anxiety. Would never have happened if we had a gas pump in our garage, but even then, ew, you get gas all over your hands. (what? who does that?) With the mileage countdown as your fuel gauge right in your face all the time, it hasn't happened yet and I think it's less likely to happen in the future.

My town has a half dozen free chargers close to coffee shops/movie theatres, etc. Teslas are everywhere I look here in the mighty midwest, especially on the highways into Chicago, including a few on the highways well outside the area. We didn't used to have to plug our phones in either, but we got past that.

One underacknowledged feature of Teslas that women should love, because they are such delicate, fragile things, is the absolute silence as you drive, even as you leave everybody in a cloud of spent electrons and ionized air. Now when I take off in my Boxster I feel like I'm shouting to the world HEY EVERYBODY, LOOK AT ME, I'M SPEEDING! Thinking about dumping that car for Tesla #2.
 
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Why Tesla 'has a problem appealing to women': Electric cars, Elon Musk may be off-putting

I had to comment on this article!!

Seriously!!! It is the most practical car I have ever purchased. I live 47 miles from work and used to pay $8-$10 a day in gas in my Camry Hybrid. Not anymore! I bought my Model 3 LR AWD in Dec, 2018 and have over 11,000 miles on it. Service it? nope...no oil, no anti-freeze.

Let me tell you the practicality of it:
I HAD "gas pedal" knee from driving so much. Severe pain in my knee. NO pain now as of the 47 miles to work and 47 miles back, the CAR DRIVES ME for 44 of those miles each way. I told my Physical Therapist to prescribe a Tesla for patients with this condition! You know how I control acceleration and deceleration??? With a tiny scroll wheel on the steering wheel!!

Then there is the 60mph in 3.0 seconds. Wow! No delay when I need to change lanes or get in front of someone. It is amazing! When I actually do use the accelerator and the steering wheel it is an amazing experience. So easy to drive! Handles so well. And I live in Zigzag, OR up on Mt. Hood and this car has AWD. Only need to use my Highlander when the snow is really deep. And there are two engines. If one goes out, I have another one. And 360 degree sensors let me know what is around me and warns me of any dangers and prevents me from running into things.
Then there is the space! An HUGE trunk and a frunk! I have filled the car with my relatives, went to Costco and was amazed at how much stuff I could fit in this car.

Safety?...it is the safest car out there. My insurance company thinks so, too as my premium is amazingly low.

Now for the FUN!
OMG!!! 14 speakers, a sub-woofer and immersive sound! I am seriously in heaven! While the car is driving me, I am clapping my hands to the music. And while I am getting my free supercharging for 9 months, I search for the best songs from the 60's and 70"s and add them to my Spotify Tesla WOWs! playlist.

Heated seats throughout the car, an amazing vent system, it remembers who I am and moves my seats and mirrors to where I want them as soon as I get in the car. It has a web browser on the 15 inch monitor. And it has video games, a fireplace with heat coming from the vents, etc, etc.

And my current favorite activity: I am a stop light next to a sports car or huge Dodge RAM truck with my windows down and blasting my music. The vehicle next to me revs their motor. The light turns green and in 3 secs I am a quarter mile ahead of them!!!
I am a 64 yr old lady raising my teenage grandkids and this vehicle is saving my physical and mental health!! How's that for practicality!!

Plus one on all that from my wife who is a massive technophobe. Initially when I talked about getting her a Model 3 Performance she tried to talk me out of it saying "it's too expensive, I hate cars anyway and they are just for getting from point A to point B, and this is way too much money to spend on a car. It is just going to sit in the driveway"

After the first test drive, she begrudgingly admitted "this thing has potential!"

After just another week she was singing another tune. "This thing is a f****** Batmobile! I just love how you can get on the highway and in two seconds be up to speed!" She now admits to punching it regularly.

After getting back into her previously much-loved Honda Odyssey Minivan after driving the Tesla for a month or so, she remarks "this thing drives like dog meat. You press on the throttle and it just makes a god-awful racket and barely oozes forward! What happened to this thing?"

I said "honey you've just been spoiled." Tesla spoiled.