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Aww, shucks... You have me blushing all the way over here! :oops:

I suspect many of us will bring whatever we can find in stores to TMC Connect. :) Though Hotwheels/Matchbox are the only things that have consistently gotten my backpack searched by TSA, so anyone flying in might keep that in mind. In fairness, the reactions upon digging out the little hunks of...

Here's hoping! He told me in June that they've been meeting w Tesla, but I couldn't help prodding when I (belatedly) came across this thread. Yes, there are other diecast makers, many of whom have done other plug-in models. But HWs have always been big in my house; I bought Roadsters by the case. :)

Thanks for the kind comments about my presentation; I was nervous! :smile: As other have described, the gist of the question (as I understood it) was whether I would change my original position about Tesla doing proprietary SCs given how well they've turned out from a marketing perspective...

I agree with what many have said here: not enough information to draw conclusions re any inherent "flaws", and in the grand scheme of vehicle fires, these are nothing. These are a story because EVs are unfamiliar to the general public (recall the media storm after the NHTSA Volt fire), and the...

He did for ~4 1/2 years, but it's been over a year since he's been gone. We've always rooted for Tesla, and still do! :)

Actually, I think this is a perfectly appropriate place to exchange roadtrip experiences and tips. :) And appreciate the other pointer too, Doug! Both will be in tomorrow's post.

The Electric Generation would like to feature a few of the best existing forum resources for EV drivers or those considering becoming one- including of course, TeslaMotorsClub.com. As some of you know, however, joining some of these forums can seem overwhelming at first- a bit like drinking...

Thanks, all- and I'll pass along your comment, @NuclearPowered. We've had a few raise this point, and I understand why. At the same time, we're aiming to educate those new to EVs while also trying to be as "accessible" as possible- and talking in terms of "fuel" is what they're used to. But...

Out of curiosity, were all of the letters received by those of you who got them signed w the same name (a la Citibank always using S. Larsen, etc.)? "John" is also who called Mark Rickey. - - - Updated - - - PS- also asked The Electric Generation team to help spread the word on that fb page, etc.

I'm afraid I don't have much info on this either, but Mark requested help (via PM) and I was trying to support his efforts. On his own page, he posted the story of how he frequents DW enough to want charging there, and wrote Disney. He got a call back from Cust Service, who basically said they...

As some of you know, I’ve been helping the Edison Electric Institute (EEI -an association representing the shareholder-owned electric utilities in the US), plan and launch a community-oriented campaign to generate public interest in the benefits of plug-in vehicles and using electricity as a...

And that's exactly the experience I'd prefer to see featured by all EV co's in their marketing and PR efforts.

I'm not anti-EV road trip as a personal endeavor; I like road trips myself and would do one in an EV for the fun of it. But you're right that I don't agree with EV proponents using them to "prove" something about how EVs can do whatever gas cars can do today. I get that the "average consumer"...

I'm curious to see the logs too but as others have mentioned, we're never going to know exactly what was said in however many conversations occurred between Broder and Tesla in the planning of this trip. And the reality is, it doesn't really matter. This article and its aftermath isn't going...

Heck, with the universal requirement of 5 seats and 300+ miles of range, my old Saturn still isn't ready for prime time. :) However, the he/he said between Elon and NYT aside (and Tesla really does need a better PR response strategy than Elon tweeting "fake" at every negative story), the first...

Absolutely, and PIA is a huge champion of that attitude. The more inclusive the community at large (industry too), the more likely our longer term success. This couldn't be more important than in the next two years.

Fine- but then you can't accuse me of using the term wrt Tesla. It's certainly not how I've ever thought of anyone there, so I have no idea what you think you're remembering.

Ok, ya lost me there...?

Sure- though I had to chuckle at the ironic timing of making a post that included that point only to find such nice comments waiting as soon as I hit “submit”. In short, the first four pages of this thread generally reflect why I don’t come here more often. The pages since have made this the...

And then some, clearly! :)

Ok, see- now you just made me blush! :) But thank you, and Bonnie, AP, and everyone for such a warm reception since I've jumped into this thread. In the end, this is all a huge group effort, and there are lots of challenges (hubris and inertia being powerful and plentiful ones in this industry!)...

That’s very true, I don’t participate here much. My participation on any of these forums is sporadic; the volume is a lot to keep up with, given other work. I also tend to do more reading than talking. But of the main forums this is the one I feel least welcome in, so I don’t jump in much...

Absolutely! I don’t think you’ll find many people who think I don’t want sexy, cool EVs. I am constantly pushing for more passion-based marketing and education campaigns that include how fun they are to drive (yeah, some more than others!) and the other emotional and visceral experiences of...

I’m sorry, I just don’t see participating on a thread in a different public forum as talking behind your backs, especially given how many of us participate in more than one. Second, I did not question whether Tesla was making improper use of DOE funds...any question was aimed squarely at the...

Sure, I have perspectives on how things will and in some cases should evolve- just like everyone else. But they’re not as narrow as some here seem to think, and not inherently contradicting Tesla’s. I think Elon’s approach to cars is the right one for Tesla- just not for all car companies. It...

Thanks to those who forwarded this thread. I've been traveling and hadn't known about Damon's article, or even that he was doing one. He pulled the quotes from a quick email conversation we had a few days ago, and hadn’t mentioned any intention to quote it (the Wired guys are typically good...

Hi all, I’ve been helping the Edison Electric Institute (EEI -an association representing the shareholder-owned electric utilities in the US), plan a campaign to generate consumer interest about the benefits of plug-in vehicles and using electricity as a transportation fuel...

Norbert, it sounds like you can only be relieved to hear that not one of my positions or relationships is as you have stated it. I've accepted that you have a certain view of me through which you insist on reading what you want into whatever I say here or elsewhere, but it doesn't mean that...

If TX deployment is your proxy, they've seen it as a "good investment" to install 12 stations there. So it's fair to suggest that they wouldn't build 200 DC + 10k make-readies in the next four years (assuming they do that here). However, a subscription business plan is very different than POS...

We can debate whether they would have spent $100 million- and I strongly question whether they'll actually spend $100m now- but it has been clear for some time that NRG/eVgo has been planning to expand into the CA market. Otherwise, why hire a Dir of Bus Dev for CA last August? (who shortly...

I think it depends on the definition of "reasonably long"... The Model S will likely have a real-world range of ~120-240 miles. That probably won't be enough to get the naysayers to ditch the "can't do road trips" meme, even though the higher end isn't far under what I get in my Saturn. The...

Amen- and I have.

There have indeed been improvements and promising announcements. It will still be a while before we know if and how soon some will scale into vehicle production. But from a market perspective (ie, visible to media/consumers) battery prices are still high, and have not fallen meaningfully yet in...

Yes, the article is mainly about the Volt. But the Volt is the most visible plug-in vehicle at the moment and the subject of the most negative press, so that didn't surprise me. It's true that the happy owners piece is missing for all of the vehicles. But the automakers have also mostly missed...

No worries, I'm not new to criticism. :) I don't see how saying that the gov't has spent billions on battery tech is misleading or false? True, it's more like $2-3 billion than many billions, but it's not a false statement based on the various grant/loan announcements. There are a number of...

Agreed- I'd have expressed a few things differently myself. But "fast" to those of us who live and breathe this stuff is different than the media or public would define it, in my experience. Until it's reflected in lower MSRPs, it's not happening.

Actually, according to this article, NRG/EVGo gets exclusive access to those customers for 18 months. As has been mentioned, I just can't see how this is a great deal for ratepayers or EV drivers in CA. NRG has basically been handed an exclusive $100m non-competitive contract to develop...

I actually thought it was a refreshing article, citing some knowledgeable, respected folks in the industry for a change rather than those who are cynical just for the sake of it. Not perfect, but pretty good. The industry is in a vulnerable stage at the moment; I don't think enough people are...

He's not: Jeroen Joost de Vries | LinkedIn

Actually, I meant that I'm surprised that any of the outlets are writing up GM's press release as if it were news, not the comments here. But thanks for the consistent response...

I'm a bit surprised this is being treated as news. Based on the EPA ratings of both cars, the Prius will be more efficient on any trip longer than 137 miles. But obviously on a day-to-day commuting/urban driving basis, the Volt fares much better than a Prius. It's still the total picture that...

I agree- and wasn't ruling out Walgreens for that. Just pointing out that there are more aspects that are appropriate to consider than just whether the electrical service is there, as it sounded like that's Walgreens' only current consideration. I just want to see infrastructure effort and...

I hadn't realized that by test driving a Volt, I was choosing sides. I've already said that I'm willing to help any of them, and have. And I'm always happy to drive EVs and do, any chance I get.

That's great, congratulations! I didn't get a Volt, but I drove one for a few months as part of a test program. It went back in March, and I've been back in my Saturn ever since. But I spend a fair amount of time at the LA Tesla store, and get my Roadster fix every once in a while. :)

Interesting, I've never heard the GM promo video rumor; most people tend to think we hit them pretty hard. But the storyline for both films was decided by Chris Paine- I didn't see the first one til it premiered at Sundance. And you'll be pleased to hear I'm not in the second one at all.

Thanks, Bud! I've come to read here and there, but someone happened to forward me a link to this conversation, and I've gotten sucked in. :) Speaking for myself, happy to hear quibbles.

I think we will too, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Let’s face it, the Model S is bigger and heavier and not as efficient than it needs to be, but it’s also attractive to certain buyers who won’t get something like a Leaf. Any metric can be gamed, but I’ve been happy with how this one has...

That's the same effect as measuring mileage. The challenge is that not everyone will buy a small or minimally-powered car. It's true that those who will, could suck up a lot of plug-ins, but it's useful for "middle America" to see that considering the plug does not mean driving a little car. At...

Agree on better mousetrap. On both EV1 and Volt, the majority of customers were not GM drivers before. I haven't seen a breakdown for Nissan. That's probably true. I think GM's history would have followed them some no matter what, but without the Leaf, they each also wouldn't be trying to...