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Burning Man 2014

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Has anyone ever driven or planning to drive their Model S to Burning Man? I am driving mine this year and am looking for input.

thanks!

I left my Model S home last year and I didn't see a single one on the playa. If you do decide to take yours, I'd suggest either having some way to charge on playa or making absolutely sure you have have enough excess range to handle things like the vampire losses for however long you plan to be there, being stuck in the exodus line for six hours, etc. I think the Best Western in Fernley NV has RV hookups, but you'd better make sure they have 50 amp electrical outlets if you plan to charge there.
 
Try to locate/contact one of the solar power camps as they may be able to help wit charging
Also remember that the dust is extreme fine clay and Basic, to clean the car you need to add a mild acid
It is not uncommon that yow will see fine clay every time you wash it for several years to come
I recommend that you use a care cover to protect it
Shop Tesla Gear Model S Outdoor Car Cover
Also some of the camps on rods road have access to grid power (near centercamp)

Alternative park in Reno and take the bus (the bus has priority lane at the gate)
 
Unfortunately, I agree. Wife and I went to EDC this year at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as much as I love taking the Model S everywhere possible, it was smarter to take the ICE Rav4. We were glad we did too, parking was horrendous, I saw multiple people get flat tires from parking on the loose rocks / gravel, and there was dust everywhere. People were wasted out of their minds, if I would've brought the S, I would've spend time worrying about it instead of enjoying the event like bonnie said ^.
 
I left my Model S home last year and I didn't see a single one on the playa. If you do decide to take yours, I'd suggest either having some way to charge on playa or making absolutely sure you have have enough excess range to handle things like the vampire losses for however long you plan to be there, being stuck in the exodus line for six hours, etc. I think the Best Western in Fernley NV has RV hookups, but you'd better make sure they have 50 amp electrical outlets if you plan to charge there.

After wandering the streets of Empire and Gerlach via Google, it looks like they still have power, although since the gypsum factories closed, the towns are deserted. And they do have a store and service station at Empire. Wonder if charging could be arranged there or at some other outlet in "town". I think there are a few people left of the 500 or so there used to be.

I like the idea of contacting the solar people. Good synergy.

But, agree, I would not like to spend the time worrying about what is happening to my car with dust, people, "art", etc.
 
I'd advise you to not take the S. Everything there gets coated with a layer of fine grit and it gets into everything inside the car and out. It's impossible to remove this.
People who rent RVs won't let you take them to Burning Man since they get trashed and can't be cleaned.
Just leave it and take the bus... a much better option.
 
I left my Model S home last year and I didn't see a single one on the playa. If you do decide to take yours, I'd suggest either having some way to charge on playa or making absolutely sure you have have enough excess range to handle things like the vampire losses for however long you plan to be there, being stuck in the exodus line for six hours, etc. I think the Best Western in Fernley NV has RV hookups, but you'd better make sure they have 50 amp electrical outlets if you plan to charge there.

There are a number of art cars that are electric only, but if you are not with a theme camp that has electricity, leave it at home, not like you can move your car around once you are there, and yes, the dust will get everywhere and it will be a lifetime souvenir. Those going this year, stop by our camp and have your picture taken.... Black Rock Yearbook | Are you in it?
 
Last year I took my Model S MOST of the way to Burning Man. Loaded up the S in Los Angeles, drove with a friend to Tahoe where I met up with another friend to go to Burning Man in a rented SUV. The first friend kept the S in Tahoe for the week while we were at the Burn. (She's not a desert person, so she didn't mind in the slightest.) Then we drove the SUV back to Tahoe, caravaned to the Folsom supercharger where we transfered the gear back into the S (along with plenty of plastic sheeting to protect the interior), then returned the SUV in Sacramento (after getting it washed _twice_, and carefully removing all visible traces of playa dust), and then all of us piled in the S and drove back to LA with all the gear.

Takeaway 1: The S has a RIDICULOUS amount of storage space! It felt roomier with the gear + 3 people than the SUV did with only two people.

Takeaway 2: Even secondhand, the S got plenty of playa dust on it (and in it); I can't imagine how it would look after a week at the Burn. (and 2013 was a very mild year, weather-wise.) You run the risk of your S never being quite the same. I was finding playa dust in my old SUV for years after taking it to the Burn.

Takeaway 3: The delicate 21" rims wouldn't stand a chance against the alligatored 2-mile "dirt" road in and out of the event. The 19" wheels might do better, but I was super happy to have big fat SUV tires and a high clearance.

So in a nutshell: if you're bent on taking a Tesla to the Burn... I would wait for the Model X. :D

P.S. I am going again this year, in the clunker SUV. It will be so nice to return afterward to my sparkly clean Model S!
 
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Burning Man is closed due to hail and rain on the playa. Stay in Reno til the gates open back up.

Tsk, today's generation. Wimps. We braved the rain and mud at Knebworth to see Genesis and Jefferson Starship back in 1978.

kneb-wet-78.jpg


Knebworth was the British equivalent of Woodstock, some of you must have been to Woodstock right?

woodstock35.jpg
 
Has anyone ever driven or planning to drive their Model S to Burning Man? I am driving mine this year and am looking for input.

thanks!

Well if you go next year, I'm pretty sure you can fit a Honda EU2000i in the frunk, also grab an extended run tank, I think that be like ~50kwh of available charging in total for that amount of gas.

Oh also you will need to make an adapter to plug into the generator so that your car will accept an charge.
 
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Not a good idea if you want your Model-S electronics to last. The playa is very alkaline, its extremely corrosive to electronics. All that dust gets into everything, impossible to keep out! I went to BurningMan for 2 years in a row and know first hand. My friends have been going there since the beginning religiously (pirate radio station setup) said their am/fm boomboxes and anything electronic never lasted more than 2 years from the internal corrosion. Anything electronic with that alkali dust in it just suddenly stops due to internal shorts on the circuit board.

Just Google BurningMan, alkali, alkaline, corrosion, electronics and you'll come to a conclusion yourself.

Best bet is to rent a car, its not yours, but it'll be impossible to get one anywhere close by such as Reno.
 
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To everyone, thank you for your amazing input. My last car was a PT Cruiser. My dream car that will be on the Playa is the P85+. It is a great car and I love to challenge technology. See you at Pair-a-Dice if you show up. My Model S WILL be there!

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I live near the beach...major corrosive.

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Your got it, I think.
 
Just don't take it. I'm still vacuuming playa dust out of the truck two and three years later. Within two hours of arriving, the dust was piling up on any surface. I had the idea that I'd simply keep the doors closed and the windows up running AC while driving in and out. That didn't happen. It's too hot to keep the windows closed all the time and the air filters all clogged within minutes.

These photos were taken right after finding a campsite and exiting the truck on day one. I already had dust dunes everywhere. When the event was over and after 8 hours in the exit lanes, I had to replace the engine air filter with the spare I brought along. The dust in the exit lanes was like dry cement and 14" deep in some places. Burning Man - Davis Custom Digital
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