What Comment/Question has taken you most aback?

[rsquared99]

My favorite comment was at a car show about 3 years ago with my Roadster. I had the hood and trunk open and was going thru identification of the components in the trunk, finishing off with, and a trunk space just big enough to hold a set of golf clubs. A lady asked, "do they really allow you to drive it on the golf course?" Uhummm... no.

 

[jerry33]

Rides definitely work WAY better than talking! But I have talked to about 20,000 people, and just can't give that many test drives...a lot of high-traffic events (like auto shows) won't let me take my car out of the display area.

Agreed, but virtually everyone I talk to gets to sit in the car (Sorry about that, B Pillar), see the two nav systems and the controls, hear the audio system, and sometimes press on the brake pedal. (That usually scares the vinegar out of them.)

 

[brianman]

Wow, nwdiver, you can NOT make that stuff up. Were you talking to 'guests' at the local asylum?

For person #1... I think the explanation is simple. "Electric car means maybe hybrid" FUD has succeeded.

For person #2... I think the "electric means runs on solar" has permeated some part of the populace. Not sure where it came from.

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I've never heard a 10kW+ car stereo system and I probably don't want to.

You'd know if you heard one and probably would never hear anything else again ever. Ever.

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Putting groceries in my Roadster one day, a guy walks up and:
Q. You live near here?
A. Uh, yeah.
... Well that's a good thing.
Q. Uh, why is that?
A. So you'll be able to make it home!
... Would you like to race me to Montreal?

I have this sudden urge to install a rear dashcam in Doug_G's car "for him".

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#2 - guy behind desk in a store - "What kind of car is that again? One of my employees just saw you pull up and told me that car costs more than his house".

To be fair, it might be. Isn't it still a buyer's market (for real estate)?

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I was talking to two men about the car. The first guy asked good questions for about 5 minutes, then the second guy asks me "can the car go 60 MPH and go on the highway?"

Some top speed data for EVs historically might be handy for such conversations in the future:
Select historical production vehicles

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My favorite comment was at a car show about 3 years ago with my Roadster. I had the hood and trunk open and was going thru identification of the components in the trunk, finishing off with, and a trunk space just big enough to hold a set of golf clubs. A lady asked, "do they really allow you to drive it on the golf course?" Uhummm... no.

Hahaha. Awesome.

 

[Krugerrand]

For person #2... I think the "electric means runs on solar" has permeated some part of the populace. Not sure where it came from.

Um...the drugs?

 

[brianman]

Um...the drugs?

Nah, it might be purely on the receiver side or it might be the "eco pushers" blurring the lines in the way they phrase things.

Like saying "and you'll run on sunlight" instead of "you'll run on electricity AND if you happen to have solar panels on your house then EFFECTIVELY you're running on sunlight".

 

[NigelM]

... I think the explanation is simple. "Electric car means maybe hybrid" FUD has succeeded.

It's not all FUD, it's also related to the human propensity to become experts based on what we heard sometime, somewhere on an obscure cable channel. The conundrum is the amount of folks who believe that aliens come visit us in the night and the amount of folks who don't believe that pure EVs are becoming increasingly common.

 

[ckessel]

A coworker I had once said this when I was giving him a ride:
Him: "So there's no gas?"
Me: "Nope, all electric motor. The battery is a big sheet under the car."
Him: "Wow, I didn't realize batteries could make the explosions strong enough to move a car like that."
Me: ...trying to figure out what the hell he means by explosions...oh, he's thinking an electric motor somehow duplicates gas combustion.

 

[Krugerrand]

Like saying "and you'll run on sunlight" instead of "you'll run on electricity AND if you happen to have solar panels on your house then EFFECTIVELY you're running on sunlight".

Um...not enough drugs?

 

[brianman]

Um...not enough drugs?

Many people digest headlines and don't dig deeper on various topics. It's a "time available" thing.

Do a web search for "driving on sunshine". It's a phrase people like to use that I still have issues with. So, no, I don't think the drugs assertion is the reason for people having this mindset. It's totally rational, just not a good thing.

 

[SteveH]

"So you got a Tesla, huh? You know the mining and processing of the lithium batteries ruing the environment more than me driving a gas car for 20 years."

 

[austinEV]

"So you got a Tesla, huh? You know the mining and processing of the lithium batteries ruing the environment more than me driving a gas car for 20 years."

That one drives me crazy. pointing out the environmental damage of manufacturing stuff only works if you live in a mud hut and farm your own food outside your door.

 

[N4HHE]

Years ago one of these lusers approached my Prius at the gas station and authoritatively proclaimed,

He: "All that hybrid stuff is junk. You don't get any better gas mileage than my <I forgot what>!"

Me: What MPG do you get?

He: 32 MPG. But you don't really get any better! Your computer lies!

Me: Golly, you know everything! All I know is that I drive one and buy my own gas. Want to read my logbook of every fuel purchase? Also have a calculator (HP-41C is delightful overkill for a MPG calculator) if you need. This column contains odometer, trip miles, gallons purchased, cost, brand, $/gallon, the fool computer's claimed MPG, and finally the miles column divided by the gallons column.

Back then my first year averaged about 47 MPG but the 7 year average is just under 51.