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24 Hours of Driving Electric - Apparently, we weren't ready!

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AnOutsider

S532 # XS27
Moderator
Apr 3, 2009
11,958
211
For all of the reading, researching, obsessing and test driving over the last 3.5 years, I don't think we were fully ready to realize what it meant to drive electric until yesterday.

Let's rewind. We took delivery yesterday around 1PM. Jake and the driver were great. Jake took me through the car (even learned a few things even after all the reading here), and we hit a few snags like the Google Maps issued mentioned elsewhere (we were live streaming too, so our friends got to laugh at the "bugs outta the box"), but overall it went well. After all was said and done, the car had about 40ish miles of range.

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(the bike was on the truck *shrug*)

I was about to take my wife's brother for a test drive when we realized that Jake had left his stuff in our garage :eek: Putting aside the temptation to ransack his laptop for all the cool diagnostic goodies, I called him and tried to hail him down. I eventually got a hold of him a few miles from my house where he had stopped to eat before the long drive back to DC (I feel for you man). I let my wife's brother drive back. This little story is more than just a side note -- it actually lays the groundwork for how we'd drained the battery (zooming to catch him, then her brother "exercising" the car on the way home). We plugged it in and let it sit for about an hour or so.

Around 4:30ish we headed out to go get the car registered since we were pretty much ridin' dirty (no registration, no plates -- and as we found out, I had even forgotten my insurance card). We unplug and go. On the way home, we realize we have 21 miles of range left for a 16 mile drive (with lots of hills). Ruh roh. This brings me to the first thing we were intellectually prepared for, but still got caught off guard with: We're used to up and going when we need to and worrying about filling up on the road if we need to. Can't do that here... let's cut the heat :scared:

So, after driving pretty slow on the highway and taking some flatter back roads (my wife commented she had never seen me so happy to see the speed limit drop to 25 before), we made it home with 2 miles of range left.

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It was a bit nerve wracking, but at least we made it and the car got a good charge overnight. We're a little more tense now, though I recognize that we had left the house with what would have amounted to about a 5th to a 6th of a tank of gas in any other car -- the difference being, we could fill up anywhere along the way. That's another thing you intellectually know when going electric, but may not "hit" you until you actually are in a situation to need it.

Anywho, so now, after a day of giving rides, I'm charging her up for our next stunt: a roundtrip to the next state for family dinner. It's about 100 miles each way, so I'm charging in range mode. Problem is: dinner is at 7 and the car says it won't be done until 6:30ish. Darn, another thing you may not "get" until you drive electric.

On the driving dynamics though, I do have a few gripes. First, this is my first rear wheel drive car. It's raining today, and the car tended to slip and fishtail a bit (not even pushing it that hard). Not sure if it was the rain, RWD, new tires or a mixture of all the above. Secondly, the car is big, and it definitely feels like it. It actually feels bigger and heavier to drive than our A6, and cornering isn't as great, so that was a slight disappointment. Lastly, the car sometimes doesn't feel like it has that "woosh" -- as if it's in limp mode, though I checked and it wasn't except for when range was low (as an aside, Jake and I came up with "wooshing it" instead of "gunning it" :tongue:).

Overall though, I'm pretty happy with the car. There are some minor issues -- some software (that should be fixed in the 4.0 upgrade and beyond), some body panel issues, and man, those cupholders really are annoying -- but overall I'm satisfied. The above story(ies) is more to illustrate just how ignorant (or an EV Rookie as Bonnie put it) I was even after all the reading and mental prep. I fully expect we'll fall into a groove of being fully charged for all occasions, learning the boundaries of the car, and we'll be charging faster once the HPWC gets here.

On my due bill was the parcel shelf and they forgot to do the paint armor (which kinda sucks since a truck sprayed rocks on the road ahead of my on the highway today). Oh and... just like every car before it... My garage door christened the S:

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She's had an interesting 24 hours :redface:
 
Part of that is the problem I have with every electronic goody I get these days. The instructions always say to fully charge the battery before doing anything, but who can wait that long. You kept doing things as soon as the battery had (barely) enough charge. Normally it will be the reverse. The car will start every morning with a full charge and there will be very few times where the daily driving even comes close to draining the battery. In normal usage that should be an advantage, because I've definitely forgotten to check my gas gauge when I start off in the morning in my current car.
 
Ouch! At least the spoiler was there. Gonna be spendy to replace though. :(

Loved the expression on your kid's face in that one picture! :)

Heh, he looks grumpy in every picture, but he was pretty happy and talkative the whole time (well, as talkative as a 8.5 month can be anyway). I, too, am glad it wasn't the paint. The spoiler can be replaced, but I wonder if there's an issue leaving the CF exposed like that?

Part of that is the problem I have with every electronic goody I get these days. The instructions always say to fully charge the battery before doing anything, but who can wait that long. You kept doing things as soon as the battery had (barely) enough charge. Normally it will be the reverse. The car will start every morning with a full charge and there will be very few times where the daily driving even comes close to draining the battery. In normal usage that should be an advantage, because I've definitely forgotten to check my gas gauge when I start off in the morning in my current car.

Yup. We pretty much hit the ground running without REALLY taking into account how far the trip was and my driving habits. We'll get the hang of it (though now we're questioning the intelligence of tonight's planned trip).
 
Ouch! At least the spoiler was there. Gonna be spendy to replace though. :(

After being so far out of sequence with the rest of sig deliveries, maybe Tesla should replace it gratis. Should be easy enough to replace since a number of performance cars were delivered without the spoiler, even though it was ordered. Good thing it gouged a replaceable part instead of gouging into the aluminum hatch and then down the bumper :scared:.
 
Congratulations on receiving your car AnOutsider! That is a real bummer about the spoiler. I'll need to double check my car's position before I close the garage door the first few times. :eek:

There are a few of us who have performance cars and opted not to have the spoiler. When I (hopefully) pick up my car in the next few weeks, I'll ask if I can get the spoiler unattached. If so, I'll happily send it off to you. I'm not optimistic given the CF shortages they've had, but it won't hurt to ask. :)
 
How loud was the F-bomb when the door hit your spoiler?

Sent via Tapatalk.

Completely drowned out by the epic CRUNCH!

Shok, heck it would be nice to just get a replacement in general with the way they've been in short supply, let alone a free one! Ah well, its like getting your first scratch...

Congratulations on receiving your car AnOutsider! That is a real bummer about the spoiler. I'll need to double check my car's position before I close the garage door the first few times. :eek:

There are a few of us who have performance cars and opted not to have the spoiler. When I (hopefully) pick up my car in the next few weeks, I'll ask if I can get the spoiler unattached. If so, I'll happily send it off to you. I'm not optimistic given the CF shortages they've had, but it won't hurt to ask. :)

Thanks, I would appreciate that. I imagine there will be quite the market for reselling spoilers.
 
Yaaa Marcus,

5,300 post to delivery! I truly believe that your new (new) baby will win over your soul. That you went through the pain of delivery birth will make it all the sweeter.

Maybe try some clear nail polish on the ouchy.


+1 on the pajamas description.
 
Congrats and sorry about the spoiler too, hope it gets fixed soon. So your car arrived with only 40 miles or range? I guess it would be tough to let it sit and change before going for a drive. Glad it's finally home.
 
AnOutsider - Congratulations! Hey, I think I remember you from October 1, 2011 Pre-Factory event meetup. I think there were only about 40 or so reservation holders there and we all had a great time. We're looking forward to receiving our car in about 3 weeks. Hope to run into you again at another Tesla event!
 
AnOutsider - thanks for the great write up. Loved your "ruh roh" comment... I've had those myself. Congrats on your car and your beautiful family. Enjoy! Ps you will love the 4.0 SW when it downloads. Lots of great new features,and the smoother accelerator response is especially fine.
 
Thanks for the cautionary tale AO, we all feel your pain. I was just wondering this afternoon if I should hang a tennis ball from the ceiling of my garage, to ensure I have pulled in far enough (and not too far, either). You just answered that question for me!

If you decide to take the spoiler off, I have read (probably here at TMC) that it can be done with dental floss. Though you may want to let the ranger do that if and when they come to replace it. Here's another vote to them giving you a freebie replacement for your lengthy delay.