Tesla moments

[Aussie Bob]

I live about 7 months in Canada and 5 months in Australia. This is a great lifestyle but my Tesla moment suddenly hits me when I start driving our Model S in Canada. The turn signals are on the other side of the wheel in Australia to what I am use to in Canada. This is okay when in Australia but, with the Model S, the "P, R, D" lever is in the same location as the Australian turn signal. I need to be extra careful when driving our Canadian Model S or the car will suddenly start to coast when I signal if I am not very very careful! Unfortunately I need to drive an ICE car in Australia.

Another Tesla moment will occur later this month when my wife and I will be able to join Melbourne Model S owners for a Brunch.

 

[3s-a-charm]

I meant the button on the end of the gear stalk...

I wouldn't be touching your gear stalk around a prostitute... just sayin'

 

[Trev Page]

Great story! You should have pushed the P button to let the handle out (P for prostitute).

It's a good thing he didn't have the "D"

 

[InTheShadows]

Special thanks to the silver Model S owner at IAD that we left a note on your door handle Sunday to please plug in the gray MS when you left!!! We would have had to wait during our return if a charger was available or creep to Hagerstown. A million thank yous.

 

[3s-a-charm]

"Is that your Panamara outside?"

 

[Pilot_51]

My brother ordered pizza today and asked me to pick it up. When I went in, I said "Hi, pickup for [brother's name]." The guy at the register quickly noticed my car outside the window and asked "Is that a Tesla?", "Yup." Another guy asked "Who makes it?" and the register guy quickly said "Tesla." We talked a bit about which one I had and range of the 60 and 85, which he seemed to have a decent understanding. The other guy walked out with me and offered to help, but I just reached in my pocket and opened the frunk (smelly hot food stays out of the cabin), which kind of surprised him and he said "So the engine's in the back?", "Yeah" (not bothering to correct terminology). I didn't stick around to show off the car since I had hot pizza to get back home and I'm sure he had to get back to work, plus there was an annoyingly loud car idling a few spaces over. After reviewing the dashcam footage, I noticed two others were looking, one appeared to be the manager. Pretty sure I made their day. :smile:

 

[brucet999]

Interesting that your UMC takes so long to charge your car. My UMC is on a 50 amp breaker, uses 40 amp at 220 volts, which is 8.8 kWh,

Residential voltage from utilities in California (PG&E included) is delivered at 120V/240V, so your outlet delivers 40A at 240V = 9.6KW

 

[Ugliest1]

Last week I was coming home in the evening and waiting for the secured gate to open. The driveway is right beside a public walkway, and there happened to be a group of 16-year-olds hanging out (age a guesstimate... everybody looks so young now!!). There was some chatter I didn't quite hear and then I noticed one of the boys making the universal [anachronistic] roll-down-your-window gesture. So I opened the passenger window:
Kid: Is that a Tesla?
Me: Yes
K:[turning to the group] SEE!!! I *TOLD* you that was a Tesla!! That's a $100,000 car right there!! [turning back to me] If you don't mind, is that how much it cost?
Mretty much.
[much hullabaloo, a few questions on what the car was like to drive. Meanwhile the gate closed on me and I had to back up to swipe my entrance card again. Finally:]
K:Oh, man, you're lucky!
M:Well... I actually got this car for you -- all you guys.
[confused looks]
M:I wanted to help in my own little way to ensure Tesla is able to get to making the Model 3, so it's more affordable for people like you. My son wants one in the worst way.
[again much hullabaloo and chattering]
K:Awwww, man, you're the best!!
[a bunch more chatter in the group. I waved and went in.]

The thing I liked most about this Moment was the general positive attitude of the young group, and not just about the car. You could tell they were just a group of good kids. Made me think it was all worthwhile!

 

[Rheazombi]

This happened at the Rhode Island Supercharger yesterday:

She was ICEing a SC spot with her Volvo. She came around and peaked at the back of our car and then hurriedly walked away. Mr. Zombi was in the car with me and we had a good laugh about it.


About 20 minutes earlier we had another Tesla moment when a Black 85 with RI veteran plates rolled up. A guy gets out - handsome, early 30s, well dressed with slicked-back hair, a goatee, and piercing blue eyes. He just had an aura of cool about him, like the main character in an action movie or something, ha. I rolled down the window and he came over and we talked for a bit. His name was Sammy, he'd had the car since April 2014 and had already racked up 33,000 miles. He commutes from Providence to northern MA every day (!). He also had recently taken a trip down to Florida using only Superchargers. We told him about the range anxiety press conference that had happened earlier that day and we talked about how great it is that the car basically gets better over time because of the software updates. He asked us if we knew if Hooksett was open yet and we told him about the event where the governor of NH showed up, and he was also interested to learn that Vermont had a SC. We talked for maybe 5-10 minutes. Super nice guy! It's funny how the Tesla enables us to talk to some really awesome people who I'd be way too nervous to approach in any other situation, lol.

 

[donaldp]

So I just got my shiny new red P85. I drive to lunch and park pretty far away from other cars. Eat a burger. Then, as I'm walking back to my car, I see this:

View attachment 53378

I didn't stick around long enough to see who ROSE BLK is, but if you're out there, ROSE BLK, well played.

Great Pic to help decide yay or nay on the carbon fiber spoiler.

 

[ferdboyce]

The Tesla "SEG" S . . eatin' grin

We just returned from a visit with family in CA. Stepsister said "oh, you've got a Tesla . . . I've heard about them but never looked at one up close . . . I gotta go to the store to get some stuff for dinner, can we go in the Tesla?" So of course I let her drive, over a few polite protestations. While we were just getting into the car, she said that now she'd retired and sold her house, she was finally getting ready to get the Mercedes she'd always wanted. Well we left the neighborhood and onto an arterial that was fairly empty of traffic, and I said go ahead and 'punch' it. She stomped on the juice pedal, grabbed the wheel with both hands and exclaimed, " . . . Holy S---t", with that big Tesla grin all over her face. For the next 10 minutes she didn't stop talking about it. She was on the computer 15 minutes after we finally got back to the house, spec'ing a Model S. At the time I didn't believe it, but yes . . . her delivery date is confirmed for May. "Holy S--t"!!

 

[MSEV]

I live in Omaha where there are very few Teslas. I have spotted one three times in the last year or so. Within 24 hours of so of getting mine, I had two Tesla Moments. The first was at the insurance agent's, getting my proof of insurance card. Three men walked by and one said, "Is that the car with the insane mode?" I replied that mine (S85D) was slightly slower, but the same car. Then driving to work in the morning, a car stopped next to me at a stop light, leaving three car lengths open in front of him rather than pulling up to the car in front of us as we all do at stop lights, so I looked over. He motioned me to roll down the window, which I did. "How do you say the name of that car?" he asked. I responded, "Tesla." "That's what I thought." He said something about the engine and I told him it didn't have an engine, didn't use gasoline and his eyes got real wide, so I added, "It's all electric." "Wow. It sure is a good looking car!" And I said thank you as the light turned green and we drove off.

 

[shelbri]

She stomped on the juice pedal, grabbed the wheel with both hands and exclaimed, " . . . Holy S---t", with that big Tesla grin all over her face. For the next 10 minutes she didn't stop talking about it. She was on the computer 15 minutes after we finally got back to the house, spec'ing a Model S. At the time I didn't believe it, but yes . . . her delivery date is confirmed for May. "Holy S--t"!!

Car just sells itself. Great story.

 

[TesAus]

Had a couple of Tesla moments this afternoon.

First took the car to a hand car wash place and the guys could not figure out how to "start" the car to move it forward out of the wash bay and had to sheepishly come and get me to do so.

Then I went to grab some groceries. Passed an I-Miev charging in the car park on the way in, thought good for them, and went off to find a normal parking spot. When I came out I found said I-Miev now parked next to me with enthusiastic owner half in and half out of the car. He was a keen member of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (complete with leaflets) and was very excited to see a Model S in the wild in his neighbourhood. Didn't need to show him around the car as such as he is a regular visitor to the "showroom" in Sydney. Still good to see someone else living the electric dream!

 

[Tourman]

First road trip with my 85D, and while charging at a Supercharger in the service center off the hwy, this older gent walks up to me and asks "is that some sort of fuel?" I explained to him it's an electric car charger, then he walked away. My first Tesla moment.

 

[Johan]

First road trip with my 85D, and while charging at a Supercharger in the service center off the hwy, this older gent walks up to me and asks "is that some sort of fuel?" I explained to him it's an electric car charger, then he walked away. My first Tesla moment.

Anticlimactic

 

[Tourman]

Anticlimactic

Ah yep.

 

[andydoty]

I think I would've been a little more on the comical side... It's a fine mixture of matter/antimatter. It must be fed into the car slowly. I mean, after all, this is how the Model S achieves warp speed isn't it?

 

[breser]

I had a somewhat alarming experience on the way back from visiting the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum today. Nissan Xterra pulls up next to me in the left lane rather quick (I'm running in the center lane). Goes past me and then slows down and falls behind me. Then gets in the right lane in front of a Mercedes SUV and pulls past me and then slows down to get next to me and in the process pretty effectively cuts off the Mercedes. At this point it's pretty obvious the guy is gawking at my car. Ends up waving at us and then slows down again and then goes behind me and back into the left lane again. Waves as he goes by again and then speeds off.

 

[mikeash]

I belong to a glider flying club, and yesterday was my first time taking the Tesla out to the airport since I got it.

It sure got a lot of attention. Some club members already knew about it, and I got a lot of "how are you liking it so far?" One guy kept asking me, "You bought a Tesla? Really? I can't believe you bought a Tesla. Aren't those things really expensive?" I was asked several times, "If you had all that money, why didn't you buy a really nice glider?" (Answer: I already own a really nice glider and I don't need two!) I think the best one was one person who said he saw it out in the parking lot all day not plugged in, so how was I going to get home? That naturally led to a discussion of the real-world range of the car, charging infrastructure, the supercharger network, etc.

Just about everybody knew about Tesla, but few knew any details, and nobody had heard of the supercharger network. It was fun to show it off and talk about it, in between all the other excitement going on at the airport that day.

On the way home, one moment for myself. I was doing about 70MPH in a 65 zone in the second-from-right lane when a bunch of cars came on to the highway from an onramp all doing about 55. Some nut from this group (who I think was looking at her phone as I passed!) decided it would be a great idea to move into my lane just in front of me without accelerating. The collision alarm sounded and TACC braked immediately and brought me down to her speed while I was still trying to decide how to handle this novel (well, I wish it was novel) situation. A great demonstration of the safety advantages of a smart car.