Uber driving my P90D

[BizJet]

when I can't get into a supercharger while on a cross country because a bunch of local uber teslas are staging there, I'm going to be miffed. There was a thread earlier about this being an issue in Europe.

If it makes you feel better, I personally have never used a single watt-hour of electricity from a SuperCharger on an Uber trip. Not a one.

There is a big difference between people doing it for fun vs. those doing it for profit.

That having been said, there is at least one company that is building its business model around the availability of free supercharging on city-to-city routes: www.tesloop.com.

 

[Sasmania]

I could care less what you do with your car. But when I can't get into a supercharger while on a cross country because a bunch of local uber teslas are staging there, I'm going to be miffed. There was a thread earlier about this being an issue in Europe.

I don't use an SC for local charging as there isn't one close enough to me anyway....

I understand people getting upset about waiting.. for anything. However, I would argue that anyone Ubering is not only taking an ICE vehicle off the road, but also spreading the word about Tesla in a much more dramatic way than those that don't. You just can't replicate the total experience of being driven in a Tesla. As someone who's road tripped to all 48 states, I'd happily wait a few extra minutes on the rare occasion that some other Tesla owners were Ubering others around town even though I'm also sure most would let a road tripper go first if asked. To me, it's about the bigger picture.

 

[asudan]

So I've been a bit bored on weekends when the wife is at work and rather than sitting around, I thought it'd be fun/funny to start driving for Uber for a few hours at a time. I put in about 6 hours this weekend.

I did the same. It was a complete waste of my time. I did about 20 rides and didn't make enough to cover my coffee, let alone my time. I did meet some interesting people and a strip club have me a handful of free passes. Otherwise a complete waste of time.

 

[NikeWings]

That having been said, there is at least one company that is building its business model around the availability of free supercharging on city-to-city routes: www.tesloop.com.

I stopped at the LA-Culver City SC to top-up a loaner I was returning to the nearby SvC. Tesloop had 4 stalls occupied and quite a business underway. Several drivers showed 'up for work', ready to take a freshly charged Tesla and one was being waxed-up in the lot. I spoke with the 2 owners (the parking lot appears to be their HQ) who were very nice, and they said business was fabulous. They were expanding outside of so cal while working around the clock to support the LA-OC-Vegas demand. Additional Ss and Xs on order. City to City Travel in Semi-Autonomous Electric Vehicles

 

[mhan00]

If you are covered by Uber...why would you care about using your insurance while ubering?

Because Uber has limited coverage in period one (when you have the app on but no ping or passenger), your insurance might drop your ass in a hot second if they find out you're using your car for Uber and insurance rates will rise since every insurance company out there will know your insurance dropped you, and I believe in most cases Uber will try to force you to claim on your insurance first and try to use their insurance as supplementary.

The possible liabilities can be enormous since you will be on the hook for medical costs for your passengers. In period one, even here in CA where Uber is required to provide insurance for all three periods, they only cover liability and not collision. If you want to do Uber, make sure your insurance company is okay with it or look for a company that offers ride share insurance. It doesn't matter as much for people using their beaters or Prii, but if you wreck in a Tesla insurance companies and Lawyers are going to be all up in your *sugar* because a Tesla screams "I have assets to go after" and you want to make sure your ass is covered with no risk.

 

[mhan00]

I stopped at the LA-Culver City SC to top-up a loaner I was returning to the nearby SvC. Tesloop had 4 stalls occupied and quite a business underway. Several drivers showed 'up for work', ready to take a freshly charged Tesla and one was being waxed-up in the lot. I spoke with the 2 owners (the parking lot appears to be their HQ) who were very nice, and they said business was fabulous. They were expanding outside of so cal while working around the clock to support the LA-OC-Vegas demand. Additional Ss and Xs on order. City to City Travel in Semi-Autonomous Electric Vehicles

I would expect Tesla to crack down on this sooner or later.

 

[mhan00]

I drove for Uber for a couple of months in my Leaf when my lease was about to expire and I still had thousands of miles to go. It was kind of fun and I met a bunch of friendly people, but it's no way to make money unless you put in the hours to meet certain incentive thresholds for Uber (which will vary depending on your city) and I wasn't interested in doing that. I basically never went online unless surge pricing went to at least 2.0. You can sit at home or in a coffee shop while waiting for a ping, but be aware that your location will show up on the Uber app so technically people could figure out where you live with a little effort. The people are generally cool, but one ass hole can ruin your whole experience, especially when it's an entitled dick hole who treats you like you're his/her personal valet and servant for a $2.60 fare.

Select rates are much better, but depending on your location, Uber might force you to get X and Pool pings so you can't get exclusive Select pings. Demand for Select is also much softer, and from what I've heard drivers who know good areas for pings guard that info carefully, and one Select driver told me that he's had other drivers knock on his window and not so subtly threaten him to get out of "their" area.

If you want to try it, it isn't a bad way to make some extra money, but I'd be very wary of doing it in a car as expensive as an S and I would make absolutely certain your insurance won't drop you if they figure out what you're doing.

 

[NikeWings]

I would expect Tesla to crack down on this sooner or later.

Its tough to straddle supporting their enterprising efforts and cracking down. I've seen a few owners far less hospitable, discourteous and quite unpleasant - with everyone paying their lifelong free charging fees, how do you crack down and on who?

 

[cbin97]

I love that you are doing Uber for fun, you are spreading the Tesla Gospel. Deadmau5 takes people around as an Uber driver in his Mclaren in Canada when he is bored.