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Drive through? 'Idling' questions.

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ElSupreme

Model S 03182
Moderator
Jan 13, 2012
4,303
108
Atlanta, GA
So this morning, like most Friday mornings, I stopped to get some breakfast. I always park and walk in. Most of the time it is WAY faster than waiting in the drive through. But today I was about 1 hour late getting to work, and the AM rush was over.

I NEVER drive through. Unless it is late and only the drive through is open. Or if my wife is in the passenger seat and tell me to drive through. The reason is that I hate idling. I don't idle anywhere. Hell when I turn my car on I am engaging the clutch within 5 seconds about 80% of the time, and within 10 seconds 95% of the time. My car also is off within about 5 seconds of coming to a stop in a parking spot about 95% of the time.

So here is the question. When I get my Tesla will I feel the same way? I am not sure. When I go to my crowded Friday AM breakfast place, I am still going to park and walk in because it is about 5 minutes faster than the drive though. But what about when the drive through is empty?

I think I will still probably park and walk in most of the time. I hate to wait in other people exhaust, and to slow up other people wastefully idling in line. But if that window is empty, and I just want some fries to get stuck under my seat, and a sticky black beverage to spill. I don't know what I would do.

This morning trigger this though in my head. About how much of a paradigm shift an EV is. I think my driving habits will, most likely slowly, change significantly. Hopefully my driving habits don't change where I drive slowly! :wink:
 
Get out of my nice comfy car and go into a fast food place? Only if I have to use the bathroom! Especially in the S with my music playing on the glorious sound system.

As for exhaust--just leave a few feet. No worse than stoplights. (I do feel a little indignant sometimes: Why do I have to breath your exhaust when I don't even make any?)
 
The only reason I don't do drive-throughs with the Roadster is that the roof doesn't come anywhere near the bottom of the take-out window. Bank machine - forget it. It's bad enough trying to get into a parking lot!

For the Model S, there's no such thing as idling. If you're sitting in the driver's seat the car is on, but the power draw is miniscule compared to actually driving the car.
 
The ability to have the car "on" and not be burning energy is one of the glorious aspects of EVs that I look forward to enjoying for the rest of my life!

My first thought about that was, it makes crossing the Canadian border (hour-long lineups) a lot more acceptable.
My second was, I can defog the window at the drive-in without running a loud engine or making exhaust.