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Top 10 tips for showing your model s in public

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... just kind of left the fob in the cupholder so the screen would stay "on" for people. When an 8 yr old got in the driver seat I did have to point out to his parents that the car could be driven as is so we supervised him a bit more closely.

I have a company picnic in a few weeks, and the theme is "Our Cars". So naturally I wll show off my Model S Sig Performance. But you identify my only real concern. I need the fob to show off the center screen, but don't want folks to drive away! We need some kind of "display mode".
 
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Yeah maybe I should have gone to that E-brake screen or something. I did get a bit nervous when a 10y old sat in the driver seat while the frunk was open and other admirers were standing in front. :scared:

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Oh man it just came to me: plug in to your charger, even if the other end of the UMC isn't connected to a wall socket. The car won't let you shift into drive!
Also it would maybe be a cool way to show the folks how there's different adapters and talk about charging speeds, etc.
 
That would have been great. I showed my car at our company's earth day event, and despite having
1. company shirt on
2. employee badge
3. company parking sticker in rear window
4. custom plates on car
many people still thought I worked for Tesla. Maybe it was because I had a huge stack of brochures that I got from Menlo in the trunk for people to take.

Maybe it is because those of us who are Tesla fanboys/girls know more then most Tesla employees ...they just assume we are!
 
Oh man it just came to me: plug in to your charger, even if the other end of the UMC isn't connected to a wall socket. The car won't let you shift into drive!
Also it would maybe be a cool way to show the folks how there's different adapters and talk about charging speeds, etc.

Even with the charge port open, and nothing plugged in, the car won't drive. But of coarse someone could close it and the car would be ready to drive.
 
I'll take some pics tomorrow morning. After doing events, you start to anticipate what kind of questions you'll get. I suspect I'll be updating the posters as time goes forward. I may have some pics from the event showing the posters ... just need to download. The SacEV organization has decided to do similar posters and 3-ring binders for all the cars, because of the change in behavior. More lingering, better questions, more curiosity.

Poor quality (will do better when I get them back), but gives you an idea:

photo (25).JPG
 
I created this one page document when I had my Roadster: Roadster FAQ - Google Drive
And I updated it for the Model S: Model S FAQ - Google Drive
So far, I've shown the Model S twice, at a local "bring what you drive" car show and at an Earth Day event at a local community college. I spent the day opening and closing doors and trunks. The handles sure do attract a lot of comments! One person asked me what would happen if someone's hand was in the handle as it retracted: I wasn't sure, so I tried it. It feels like the motor moves a piece out from behind the handle and a spring then pulls the handle in. It's not dangerous at all...
I did manage to trick a few "car guy" types by offering to show what's under the hood ;-) Imagine their surprise when I opened the Frunk! All the other EVs present that day (conversions, LEAF, Focus and Think) had "something" under the hood... Despite the picture on my flyer,people kept asking for the location of the battery and motor.
I also had some fun making people guess where the charge port is. I forgot to bring my charge cable as I wanted to demonstrate how one can open the charge port by pressing the button on the cable's handle... Next time!
I let some people seat in the car, but asked them to not touch the controls.
When talking to people who had never heard of Tesla, I made a point of stressing the fact that the Model S is built locally.
When asked, I told them the price before incentives. It's not like it's a secret: anyone can go on TM's website and price a car.
 
Oh man it just came to me: plug in to your charger, even if the other end of the UMC isn't connected to a wall socket. The car won't let you shift into drive!

Genius. I'll leave the J1772 adapter in there, and display the UMC and other adapters on my all-wather trunk liner next to the car.

Even with the charge port open, and nothing plugged in, the car won't drive. But of coarse someone could close it and the car would be ready to drive.

Um, I've driven my Model S with the charge port open. Is that a recent software change?
 
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Yeah this happens to me all the time. There's no way there's any software restriction there. I can get in the car and drive away no problem with the charge port open. Ill be driving then notice the little yellow light and have to stop to get out and close it.

The car can't be driven while the charge port is open and unlocked. It takes about 45-60 seconds or so, but then the port will lock and you can drive with the door open.
 
The car can't be driven while the charge port is open and unlocked. It takes about 45-60 seconds or so, but then the port will lock and you can drive with the door open.

Did that change in an after 4.2 update? I haven't tried it since, but I was certainly able to drive with the charge port door open (but not connected). There was a nice warning light though.
 
The car can't be driven while the charge port is open and unlocked. It takes about 45-60 seconds or so, but then the port will lock and you can drive with the door open.
Did that change in an after 4.2 update? I haven't tried it since, but I was certainly able to drive with the charge port door open (but not connected). There was a nice warning light though.
Jerry, I think your retinas skipped over the underlined. Put another way, are you sure it was unlocked at the time (not just open)?
 
Jerry, I think your retinas skipped over the underlined. Put another way, are you sure it was unlocked at the time (not just open)?

The time I tried it was just after I unplugged the cable, got into the car, and started driving. I don't think that took 45 seconds but it's not like I timed it.
 
This thread has been very useful: thanks to the OP and everyone who's contributed. Yesterday I attended my first car show, a car club monthly meet-and-greet in a strip mall parking lot. Way more cars and people than I expected, so I spent about 2-1/2 hours of Tesla time answering questions for both the other car owners and the general public who wandered through. Met with a lot of enthusiasm and very little skepticism (well, none, really). I did spend a fair amount of time assuring people I don't work for Tesla. Gotta get that T-shirt. :biggrin:

I posted some more info and photos over on this thread.