Unexpected Tesla Fans

[Earthpower]

The electric company provides a graph showing the previous year's usage. I could not tell any difference in my electric bill since I bought my Model 3. For me, nowhere near $40.00 a month, maybe $5.00?

 

[berchman]

I'm in my 80's and I'm buying a Model Y next May. (I live in South Central PA.)

 

[FelixtheCat]

What is it with those Prius drivers? The only rude treatment I've ever received while out in my Model 3 (in Sonoma County, CA) was getting flipped off by a Prius driver at a traffic light. I assumed it was one of the following:
1) He was having a bad day, or
2) He was jealous because he was stuck with a car with crappy electric range and still all the disadvantages of an ICE (poor packaging, stopping at gas stations, oil changes and other maintenance, etc.), or
3) Prius drivers don't believe driving should be fun.

 

[Grant]

This old Simpsons clip is about electric cars, but this is what I think of when I see a Prius (the not-very-fast part, not the part at the end):

 

[msbuffy100]

What area in MI are you? I'm in SE and have had a Tesla since 2012. Used to get comments all the time(my husband still does) Have had my 3 for 2 years come Sept and can't remember the last time I had someone talk to me about it. They always go right to my husband. (even when I'm driving!) Granted I work from home and rarely drive much out of my local area. Maybe its my resting B face. hahaha

 

[Bad Dolphin]

This is absolutely correct. I don't know what it is about Prius people, but every single one of them that I know are indeed antisocial and miserable human beings. I'd add "preppers" to the list too. Right now they're home with 500 rolls of toilet paper and 1 ton of cat litter. The apocalypse is upon us!

Oh that’s just cruel! If true, very sad for you!
I have two friends with Prius, and they are great people! First to adapt to electric cars, both very athletic, one guy older actor extremely tall. One guy technically oriented, the other built his own kit Camaro.

So sad for you—not all Prius owners are jerks!

 

[mjwojtukiewicz]

Prior to my Model 3 SR+ I owned 4 Prius. 2002, 2007, 2010, 2017. I loved them all. 50+ mpg but I agree with previous poster. They could've made the electric run longer especially for the Plug-In. I traded my 2017 w very low mileage for 16K towards Tesla + I got a New York State $2000 instant credit (which I didn't even know existed). Only $3750 Federal credit tho

 

[Dondix]

I really enjoy driving my Tesla around, during these COVID times, it provides a great escape from reality. I have run into so many people that I would never have expected to be Tesla fans. Seeing the broad appeal across ages, races, political backgrounds, current vehicle choices. Tesla has a much broader appeal than just an “Electric car”

Here are a few of the great people I ran into at stop lights:

• Lifted Tahoe with multicolor glitter paint and 28”+ wheels, the guy had lots of tattoos - Kept going on about how cool Tesla’s were
• Pickup truck driver with a trailer hauling stuff - Wanted to know how fast mine was, also he asked when the pickup was coming out because that was going to be fast too
• Harley rider w/ ape hanger handlebars, he had a sweet mustache - looked at me and said “is that one of those Teslas? They are electric right?” I answered yes, and he nodded in approval (Ron Swanson style)
• Jaguar XJ - asked me if my car was as quick as they say they are.. (I think he wanted to race.. but traffic didn’t allow)
• Homeless guy - Thought he was going to ask for money, he just looked at the car and said “I love those Teslas, the technology is incredible” and walked away. (I have to admit, it was a surprise)
• Construction worker - I was stuck in traffic and the guy was asking me all sorts of questions
• Fox body mustang, heavily modified - we did a quick “comparison” and I won. He gave thumbs up
• Older lady (60-70yo estimate) at Starbucks - Asked tons of questions and then told me she was picking her Model 3 up in a few weeks
• Teenager w/ his gf in a Saturn - “Hey man, those Teslas are my favorite car, do you want to trade?”
• Young mom in a Camry - “My sons love those Teslas” (her sons were between 5-10yo in the backseat)
• The list goes on...

The odd thing, is that no Prius driver has ever said a word to me..

Anyhow, this gives me hope that Electric vehicle adoption is just a matter of making them compelling at an affordable price. Tesla really took away the stigma of dorky electric cars.

No Prius owner has said a word probably because they are now driving a Tesla. My SO had a Prius, I had a Lexus. We traded them both in for our Tesla. We have a few friends who still have their Prius, but they all say that they're looking forward to going to a Tesla.

 

[Redbrakes]

I parked in the pickup area at Lowe's to pick up my 20-foot board and was there awhile to cut it in half and fit it into the Model 3. Just about every person going in or out stopped to comment. The "loading area supervisor" stopped to talk about his success with the common stock. I thought he meant Lowe's stock, but no, he's a Tesla stockholder.

 

[Lindamon]

I am actually blown away by the juxtaposition of the statement "both the local outdoor gun ranges have destination chargers". I cant think of anything that indicates that the "tide is turning" related to the perception of electric vehicles more than those two statements....."I live in a rural and conservative area, and the outdoor gun ranges in my area have destination chargers".

Yes, it surprised me at first.

The fact is, the car itself convinces folks to pay attention, I know up until I took my first test drive, I kind of thought it was not much more than a faster, larger golf cart, even though I had already done some reading and research, I had no idea what they were really capable of until I drove one. My brother owns a souped up 800+HP Hellcat, is pretty conservative, and was dismissive of my want to buy a Tesla. He took me to pick mine up, test drove it when we got home, and the very next week he went back down to order a Model S. He had no idea. He kept the Hellcat, and traded his BMW 700 series in, haha.

Anytime one of my more conservative friends might be dismissive of Tesla when they learn I own one, I will answer their questions, and if they still are dismissive, I just say, “go drive one, and then tell me what you think”.

The tide is turning indeed, and it all it took was for someone to build a machine that most people, no matter their political views, would want to drive, would love driving, instead of something that appealed only to a smaller, more narrow demographic. Genius.

 

[Msjulie]

There's a Prius down the road from us with one of those "Cool Prius - said no one" stickers. No rage

Model 3 is the EV equiv of a Toyota Corolla in popularity around these parts..

 

[lw03tor]

My 3 is 2 months old Bought it for my 85th bday! Love it and so do my grandkids

 

[bmah]

No Prius owner has said a word probably because they are now driving a Tesla. My SO had a Prius, I had a Lexus. We traded them both in for our Tesla. We have a few friends who still have their Prius, but they all say that they're looking forward to going to a Tesla.

Hybrids are the gateway drug to pure EVs.

Bruce.

(drove a 2005 Prius for 10 years and 206K miles before trading it in for a Model S)

 

[Allan Hansen]

My household has bought 3 Prii (Two 2005 models and one 2012 plugin). I loved them all. My wife is still driving her 2005 model. She's on her second battery (cost just $3000 to replace and she basically had a new car). Her car's odometer is over 200000 miles. The car is still as good as new. The plugin is now driven by my son. It's a great car. I think that the wing-shape of these cars is beautiful and I have been proud driving them. I got the plugin because it made sense at the time (mostly short trips only on battery and long trips on fuel), but always wanted a fully electric. I was sad when Toyote went with hydrogen instead and even more sad seeing the dealers hawk their gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs instead of the Prii. So now I drive a Tesla M3 and it is by far the best car I have ever had, from a company that is strongly promoting electrifying the transport sector. Even when I was driving the Prius, I always gave a thumbs up to Tesla drivers and I still do to them and to any Prius drivers. Putting down these cars and their responsible drivers is beyond the pale!

 

[Aphinity]

I'll add one more location to the 'nobody cares'. Vancouver, BC. I think we have nearly as many Teslas per capita than the bay area. It's rare that I don't drive with or pass another Model 3 or S on my way to work. Yesterday, I was in a line of 3 of us, all different colours.

I've had other days where I'm in line with two other white SR+ like mine.

At least mine has angry eyebrows and tint. HEY GUIES IM DIFFERANT

 

[margem123]

This is absolutely correct. I don't know what it is about Prius people, but every single one of them that I know are indeed antisocial and miserable human beings. I'd add "preppers" to the list too. Right now they're home with 500 rolls of toilet paper and 1 ton of cat litter. The apocalypse is upon us!

Think about it - how would you feel if you owned a Prius? I'd be hiding out too!

 

[Backpacker42]

What is it with those Prius drivers? The only rude treatment I've ever received while out in my Model 3 (in Sonoma County, CA) was getting flipped off by a Prius driver at a traffic light. I assumed it was one of the following:
1) He was having a bad day, or
2) He was jealous because he was stuck with a car with crappy electric range and still all the disadvantages of an ICE (poor packaging, stopping at gas stations, oil changes and other maintenance, etc.), or
3) Prius drivers don't believe driving should be fun.

From my pre-Tesla 3 days, I would hazard a guess he thought all Tesla drivers were jerks - slamming the accelerator pedel to the floor on green. Now that I own one, I realize that you just don't notice how fast you are accelerating relative to most cars. I would agree with 3) - all the Prius drivers I know are more practical than average; they are interested in space utilization and non-stop range - they will go 600 miles between stops. And having rented a Prius for a work field trip, I am still very impressed with the trunk - I was able to fit cases of equipment I was unable to fit in any other rental sedan - I had been renting minivans, but none were available at one location.

 

[jonquiljo]

I live on a street that has 6 houses. 4 of them have Teslas. Bay Area - what do you expect? Then again, I'm the only Model 3 owner. Everyone else has a Model S.

 

[Apprunner]

From my pre-Tesla 3 days, I would hazard a guess he thought all Tesla drivers were jerks - slamming the accelerator pedel to the floor on green. Now that I own one, I realize that you just don't notice how fast you are accelerating relative to most cars. I would agree with 3) - all the Prius drivers I know are more practical than average; they are interested in space utilization and non-stop range - they will go 600 miles between stops. And having rented a Prius for a work field trip, I am still very impressed with the trunk - I was able to fit cases of equipment I was unable to fit in any other rental sedan - I had been renting minivans, but none were available at one location.

I don’t consider flooring my car in every light rude at all. I don’t cut them off and it’s me having fun with my toy. If they don’t like it, that’s their issue.

 

[mrclean90]

The OC (socal) is full of model 3s, it seems like many of my neighbors have one. Some Model S and X as well. Infact one of my neighbors down the street has 2 model X!

I also see a lot of model 3s on the OC to LA freeway route. One time I was in the carpool lane with 3 other model 3s back to back lol.