# Tesla cars



## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

LoriJack said:


> Funny you mentioned the TESLA, because I told my husband that I really hated pulling into the lot at the Dentists' Office in a TESLA, because they would get the false impression that "money was no object". We purchased a TESLA four years ago and loved everything about it. Then my husband decided he wanted to increase our mileage range, have the 8 cameras with radar sensors, all wheel drive, and have the auto drive feature, so he purchased a new one a few months ago. It is fabulous in so many ways. I'm sure you will love it! Which model did you order?
> LoriJack


Tesla, what a vehicle!

I am proud to say I am a tree hugging, eco-freak, snowflake. We put Solar City panels (a Tesla company) on our roof two years ago. We now enjoy "free" electricity from the sun 12 months out of the year. We expect that the system will pay for itself in 7 years from installation or sooner as electricity rates continue to go up.

The next phase of our plan is a completely electric car to become energy independent. I reserved a Tesla Model 3 on the first day, March 31, 2016. I expect delivery of our car next January or February.....and I am lucky to get it that soon! What happened is that Tesla got about 500,000 reservations for the Model 3 from around the world but those of us in California who reserved on the first day will get the early deliveries. Deliveries are already happening but they are going to Tesla employees first. Today, reservations are coming in at about 1,800 per day! If you place an order for a Model 3 today, you can expect delivery in about 18/24 months.

Why is the car so popular even before it hits the road? For starters, the base price starts at $35K. Then the IRS gives you a $7.500 tax credit and if you live in California you get another $2,500 rebate. So the price of a car that equals a BMW/Audi/Mercedes in quality and nets at $25,000!!!!!!! These incentives won't last forever, so people are jumping on the wagon to strike while the iron is hot. Of course, Ricky would never stand for a base model, so we are getting one that has several upgrade options including the "auto drive feature". This feature is called EAP (Enhanced Auto Pilot) which will eventually lead to a full self driving car. Two days ago, Congress approved self driving as a concept for adoption in the US.

The car is shockingly different! There is no instrument cluster in front of the driver. The only instrument is a screen at the center dash about the size of a 15" laptop in landscape mode. Everything is controlled from the screen and thumb scroll wheels on the steering wheel and voice commands. Some features of the car can be controlled by a Smartphone app from anywhere you can get a signal. The future of personal transportation has arrived!

Lori, we have friends in Northern California that have a Havanese (Abby) and a red Model S Tesla (actually his AND her Model S's). Tesla's and Havanese seem to go hand in hand - fast, sexy, beautiful,and oh so smart! Here is a picture of Abby in her Tesla







Abby reminds me of a certain Havanese by the name of Shama!

Tesla cars have now become more affordable. In my opinion, they will become the norm for personal transportation in as little as 5 years as more auto manufacturers realize that the oil industry is dead for powering cars in the future. This last week I had a 240v outlet installed in my garage to power my car from my solar panels. I picked up my personalized license plates from the DMV today that say...................GAS GBY. Ricky is now ready for his new ride and it will be black and white like he is!

Ricky's Popi


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

Interesting, Popi, I've not known anything about Teslas, not being a car person.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Do they have a decent range now? That was what has worried me in the past. We live in an area where we need to drive long distances without the ability to recharge.

We bought the Mini Cooper because it is very efficient for a gas powered car. I have not been a big fan of the Prius, because the batteries don't last long enough, and they are a big source of toxic mateTE the design of the rear... it is very hard to see out of)

We put solar on our house last winter. (or more accurately, on our garage and barn, as the house doesn't get enough sun) We won't generate nearly the amount of electricity you do, because of our weather, but it has already taken a big bite out of our electric bill.


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## LoriJack (Aug 21, 2017)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Tesla, what a vehicle!
> 
> I am proud to say I am a tree hugging, eco-freak, snowflake. We put Solar City panels (a Tesla company) on our roof two years ago. We now enjoy "free" electricity from the sun 12 months out of the year. We expect that the system will pay for itself in 7 years from installation or sooner as electricity rates continue to go up.
> 
> ...


Isn't it amazing how the word "TESLA" generates such excitement and enthusiasm from those that are familiar with it?! I could write pages and pages on this subject, but I'd be preaching to the choir about it here. We've been members of the MN TESLA Club for over 4 years now. We have the Model S 100D in red with the white vegan seats and black interior trim. We have driven close to 400 miles on one charge and simply love everything about this car. We also have the high powered wall unit in our garage and by charging overnight (off peak), we only pay 4 cent per Kilowatt Hour. Our housing development doesn't allow solar panels...bummer. I just LOVE the picture of the Havanese riding in the red TESLA, because my husband insists that no small children or dogs will ride in the TESLA because he is over-the-top about not taking any chances of spilling, marking, smudging, etc. etc. So our new puppy (Casey-KC) will be riding in my Subaru until KC has a chance to totally win his heart . 
PS. Our license plate is: OHM RUN

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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

krandall said:


> Do they have a decent range now?


Model 3 = $35K = 220 miles
Model 3 = $44K = 310 miles



> That was what has worried me in the past. We live in an area where we need to drive long distances without the ability to recharge.


Your local showroom/service center/supercharger is in Dedham

A new supercharger location is being built in Natick and will open by the end of the year. Supercharger locations in the Boston area will increase four-fold in the next year.....and even more after that. However, simply recharge your TESLA at home either off the grid or off your solar panels. Have your electrician install a NEMA 14-50 plug outlet in a convenient place. This will charge your TESLA at 30 - 40 miles range per hour, so full charge, 8 hours, overnight. Supercharger rate is 130 - 170 mile range per 30 minutes! All these numbers will improve dramatically over the next 2/3 years. Battery technology is advancing rapidly!



> We bought the Mini Cooper because it is very efficient for a gas powered car. I have not been a big fan of the Prius, because the batteries don't last long enough, and they are a big source of toxic mateTE the design of the rear... it is very hard to see out of)


We currently drive a 2012 plug-in Prius and get 70+ mpg. View out the rear is great BUT putting three crates in the back would be tough! I have no idea what "mateTE" is.



> We put solar on our house last winter. (or more accurately, on our garage and barn, as the house doesn't get enough sun) We won't generate nearly the amount of electricity you do, because of our weather, but it has already taken a big bite out of our electric bill.


We have a 3.3 Kwh solar system that provides for all of our needs, BUT we live in a small cottage and don't have the electrical needs that your beautiful estate might generate. Be aware that solar panels continue to produce (reduced) electricity even on cloudy days. The only thing that is bad for them is direct shade.

You have now discovered my SECOND favorite topic after Havanese! :grin2:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Model 3 = $35K = 220 miles
> Model 3 = $44K = 310 miles
> 
> Your local showroom/service center/supercharger is in Dedham
> ...


Ha!!! "mateTe" is "material" typed on my lap in a moving truck. . We are on our way home from a Nova Scotia vacation.

Yes, except for the very WORST days during the winter (heavy dark cloud cover/ low sun angle AND snowing), our panels do produce SOME power. But not enough to make our electrical bill go away. (I don't tell Dave how much power drying 3 long haired dogs takes!  )


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

LoriJack said:


> I just LOVE the picture of the Havanese riding in the red TESLA, because my husband insists that no small children or dogs will ride in the TESLA because he is over-the-top about not taking any chances of spilling, marking, smudging, etc. etc. So our new puppy (Casey-KC) will be riding in my Subaru until KC has a chance to totally win his heart


We don't have a TESLA, but we do have two Subarus, a Forester and an Impreza. (LoriJack is going to bring KC to visit Shama. Shama is so excited!)


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## LoriJack (Aug 21, 2017)

krandall said:


> Do they have a decent range now? That was what has worried me in the past. We live in an area where we need to drive long distances without the ability to recharge.
> 
> We bought the Mini Cooper because it is very efficient for a gas powered car. I have not been a big fan of the Prius, because the batteries don't last long enough, and they are a big source of toxic mateTE the design of the rear... it is very hard to see out of)
> 
> We put solar on our house last winter. (or more accurately, on our garage and barn, as the house doesn't get enough sun) We won't generate nearly the amount of electricity you do, because of our weather, but it has already taken a big bite out of our electric bill.


The Model S 100D is all wheel drive, ability to raise the suspension to the height of an SUV and has a range between 340-400 miles per charge (based on driving conditions).

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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

krandall said:


> Ha!!! "mateTe" is "material" typed on my lap in a moving truck. . We are on our way home from a Nova Scotia vacation.


Yeah, right, I've heard the old "CoFeFe"







excuse once too often! 
Out of curiosity, what are the toxic "mateTe" used in a Prius?



> Yes, except for the very WORST days during the winter (heavy dark cloud cover/ low sun angle AND snowing), our panels do produce SOME power. But not enough to make our electrical bill go away. (I don't tell Dave how much power drying 3 long haired dogs takes!  )


I've often wondered how solar panels work when they are under a foot of snow. Any electric appliance that uses a heating element - clothes dryers, hair dryers, cooktops, house heating, water heaters, dishwashers, etc. - are energy hogs. Fortunately we have natural gas for heating, cooking, water heating, and clothes drying - in California. However, as solar panel technology improves and battery storage technology advances, I plan on going 100% electric and go completely off the grid. TESLA has designed a electric power storage system called Power Wall for domestic use. It is in the early stages of development and doesn't quite meet my needs yet.

Ricky's Popi


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

LoriJack said:


> PS. Our license plate is: OHM RUN


Love it!








TESLA crowd has become very creative with vanity plates. I wanted to put KIKNGAS on our new TESLA but Momi gave me an emphatic NO!

Lori, what did you name your car on the UI?

Ricky's Popi


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## LoriJack (Aug 21, 2017)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Love it!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Rojo (Red) We talked about a plate with NoMoGas, but it was already taken

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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

LoriJack said:


> Rojo (Red)


Perfect! It appears that we will be getting Pearl White with white Vegan interior. We have already named the car Paloma Blanca (white dove) after the song of the same name which has great meaning in our lives. The words say it all for us and TESLA.





Tell your husband that we have light gray vegan seats in our Prius. Ricky has been scrambling around the interior of that car for the 3 years he has lived with us and the interior still looks new. Ricky will be just fine with the white interior when our car arrives and KC will look great in the white interior of your car.



> We talked about a plate with NoMoGas, but it was already taken


There are many good plates left but yours is classic. Fortunately, in California, we get to select from several pre-screened charities where 100% of revenue for vanity plates will go. We selected the Children's Defense Fund as our beneficiary for the TESLA as well as the Environmental Defense Fund for our other car.

Ricky's Popi


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## LoriJack (Aug 21, 2017)

Paloma Blanca -- beautiful name and a great song. Thanks for sharing. 


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

For those of you who have no idea what Lori and I are talking about, allow me to explain. Each TESLA has a U.I. (User Interface). This is a large screen about the size of a laptop screen. It is a touch screen where you can enter adjustments to the car, view diagnostics for the car, enter personalized settings, etc. The U.I. has a graphic picture of your car in three dimensions and there is an option to name your personal car, so that your car greets you with it's picture and name when you energize it each time. Most people give creative names to their cars, but it is not a requirement. Lori has named her car "Rojo" and I will be naming my car "Paloma Blanca". The cars literally become pets and their owners become very attached to them. TESLA's are the Havanese of the automotive world - a bit expensive but once you own one, you never want anything else.

Ricky's Popi


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## Milo's Mom (Aug 31, 2008)

Are you able to drive your TESLA long distances? What about your yearly trip to Cabo?


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## LoriJack (Aug 21, 2017)

Milo's Mom said:


> Are you able to drive your TESLA long distances? What about your yearly trip to Cabo?


Yes, we travel long distances throughout the US, as Tesla has many super chargers. Other types of charging stations are located all over also. See the following on further info on Tesla charging...HTTPS://www.tesla.com/supercharger

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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

*solar panels*



LoriJack said:


> Our housing development doesn't allow solar panels...bummer.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


Do you think they'd allow (or even know the difference) with the new tesla solar tiles - they look just like regular tiles, not solar panels. I saw them and wanted to redo my Mom's roof just to have them


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

ShamaMama said:


> We don't have a TESLA, but we do have two Subarus, a Forester and an Impreza. (LoriJack is going to bring KC to visit Shama. Shama is so excited!)


My new "dog car" is a Forester. I LOVE it!!! It fits a double Variogpcage in the back, and then Pixel's Ruff Tough Kennel is strapped on the back seat. Plenty of room for 3 dogs plus all their stuff!!! And it gets great mileage too.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Yeah, right, I've heard the old "CoFeFe"
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The toxic "mateTe" are in the batteries, when you have to replace them. I know that many people think that the environmental impact of that is less than of a gas engine, but it's something to be concerned about with batteries.

We currently use gas for all those "high energy" appliances, but they haven't made a natural gas dog dryer yet. I tried throwing them in the clothes dryer, but they complained. 

It will be great when they solve the problems with batteries, and we can be TRULY dependent on just renewable energy sources!!!

One of the cool things we did in Nova Scotia was visit FORCE, where they are experimenting with big turbines (basically underwater "windmills" to harness tidal force. If the reseach they are doing pans out, they could power most of Nova Scotia on the tidal energy through the Bay of Fundy. And if it works there, there are many other places that it could be part of producing clean, renewable power atound the world.

I really like the work they are doing because a large part of the work they are doing is on how these turbines would disrupt wildlife and the ecology of the area. So far, the signs are all good. They are large enough that fish CAN swim through the middle (humans could too) but so far, the fish and cetaceans in the area are quickly learning to avoid them. :

Fundy Force

P.S., I loved so many things about Nova Scotia (it's no colder than where we live) and their whole outlook on things, that I tried to get someone to adopt me so I could move there... at least for a few years. When that didn't work, I tried the amnesty approach, but they kicked me back across the border anyway. Politely and sympathetically, but they sent me packing.


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## LoriJack (Aug 21, 2017)

Melissa Brill said:


> Do you think they'd allow (or even know the difference) with the new tesla solar tiles - they look just like regular tiles, not solar panels. I saw them and wanted to redo my Mom's roof just to have them


No. Unfortunately, everything in this housing neighborhood is uniform. The good news is that a couple miles down the road from us they built a solar farm and we have opted-through our power company -- to obtain our power from solar.

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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

krandall said:


> The toxic "mateTe" are in the batteries, when you have to replace them. I know that many people think that the environmental impact of that is less than of a gas engine, but it's something to be concerned about with batteries.


Well, here is the latest! TESLA is buying back all their spent and accident damaged batteries! They recycle nearly 100% of the materials at their Gigafactory in Nevada. Entrepreneurs are buying up totaled TESLAs, salvaging the batteries and selling them to TESLA at a profit. :thumb:



> P.S., I loved so many things about Nova Scotia (it's no colder than where we live) and their whole outlook on things, that I tried to get someone to adopt me so I could move there... at least for a few years. When that didn't work, I tried the amnesty approach, but they kicked me back across the border anyway. Politely and sympathetically, but they sent me packing.


Please understand that they are simply trying to MAKE CANUCKISTAN GREAT AGAIN by excluding you and they rest of us "confused" Illuminati.

Ricky's :wink2::wink2::wink2::wink2: Popi


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Well, here is the latest! TESLA is buying back all their spent and accident damaged batteries! They recycle nearly 100% of the materials at their Gigafactory in Nevada. Entrepreneurs are buying up totaled TESLAs, salvaging the batteries and selling them to TESLA at a profit. :thumb:


Good for Tesla! Now, if we could just get Toyota to do that!!! 



Ricky Ricardo said:


> Please understand that they are simply trying to MAKE CANUCKISTAN GREAT AGAIN by excluding you and they rest of us "confused" Illuminati.
> 
> Ricky's :wink2::wink2::wink2::wink2: Popi


Yeah, I know. TOTAL jealousy. 

I almost spit my coffee when listening to the morning news and a reporter, talking about leaders of various countries, said they re all feeling very smug because SOMEONE is making them all look like rock stars.  You can't make this stuff up!


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