DAY 55: Personalized Tesla Orientations for New Drivers

Yesterday (Day 55) was one of those days where I genuinely was sick of hearing myself talk. But it was worth the time and effort to introduce the Tesla to friends and family.

***

I had lunch with a friend about 3 weeks ago in the middle of my work day. We caught up with our lives, and of course the biggest news in my life was my new Tesla -- and she knew it! So she asked lots of questions, and I was more than delighted to share about it.

After lunch, I took her on a short test ride. The part of Vancouver that we drove was congested and really not conducive to showing off the car. I could even barely get my car to self-park (something she wanted to see).

About two weeks later, I got an email that said she had ordered a Tesla and had some questions about it. The first thing I thought of (selfishly) was... "OMG! Did she use a referral code?!?! I don't remember giving her mine!" After I calmed down, I called her and left a message... something like...

"WHAT?!?! You ordered a Tesla? I didn't even know you were interested! If I knew I would have given you a proper drive! I'm SOOOO excited for you! Please let me know when you have a delivery date! I'll come with you! They will probably rush you through the orientation, and now that I know what to check, I can inspect with you! I want to know what colour you got! I want to know the features! Did you get Self-Driving?!?!"

(Yup, I'm officially a Tesla-loving maniac.)

***

Next day, I get another email...

Yup, she already HAS the Tesla.

Apparently, it took two weeks between the order and delivery. Standard Range Plus, black/black. It doesn't get any more basic than that. I suspect they had plenty already available for purchase.

This first Tesla question made me feel a little embarrassed. For someone who has the means to drive nice cars, and just closed her lease on her BMW, she is used to solid-working auto wipers with sensors in the windows. To tell her that they are not up to par when we live in a climate where it rains half the year was embarrassing. All I could emphasize was that Tesla is abundantly aware of the issue because the Tesla community is quite vocal about it. The "pluses" are  (1) Tesla listens to their customers and follows social media to work on making customers happy, and (2) I'm told that the wipers have actually improved over the last 6 months, and with software updates, we can expect them to continue to improve over time without ever having to buy a new car.

***

I made time to meet her today (well, now yesterday), and I started with the questions "So what do you KNOW so far about driving this car?" And she answered, "Pretty much, nothing." She had not tried the autopilot, most of the settings were new to her. She had questions about the LTE service, if the scroll wheel turns up the volume, etc.  And then she confirmed that on the day of delivery, the orientation was really rushed, just like I said it would be.

(a rant has been deleted)

I sent her some links to beginners guides, and invited her to some Tesla groups she could follow. But nothing beats the in-person orientation.

***

This took SO long, that I missed lunch, and then had to head straight over to my cousin's place where I had promised him a test drive of my Tesla along with my nephew who I had proclaimed that Tesla was his DREAM CAR! My mother was the one to mention that I had one, and he was excited.

On top of that, it was another 1.5 hours of teaching him how to drive a Tesla -- this time for the first time!

But this post is getting way too long and out of hand already, so I'll pick this up again tomorrow.

But before I go, my sentry footage was showcased on my favorite YouTube Channel, Now You Know! I sent it to them just because I thought it was interesting. They asked for permission to put it on their show, and I was more than honoured! (starts at 3:25)



***

Today, nothing eventful. There are more bicyclists on the roads at the university where I work, and I'm finding myself dropping autopilot when I pass them -- just as a safety precaution in case they don't hear me coming and veer out into the road. One of these days, I'm going to have a close call... I can feel it.


Odometre reading today: 5680 kms

DAY 52: The New Tesla Experience -- All Over Again

This morning, I woke up to find out that a friend of mine, who got a test ride in my Tesla for about 10 minutes (which I honestly thought was for fun) had just finished put in an order for a Tesla! I missed my window to give my referral code. I hope she used someone's! It's the summer, and having that 1500 KMs of free supercharging could come in handy! I really need to stop being so shy about giving out my referral code -- like I'm trying to get people to buy the car. I mean, C'mon! Teslas sell themselves!!!

***

On the way back from work I gave my co-worker and her hubby a chance to actually drive my Tesla Model 3 back home. It's interesting to watch someone else go through the new Tesla experience. It's like those new mothers who are surrounded by other mothers who can relate to that new joy of having a precious little one that you love more than anything -- partly because they get it, but also because witnessing someone discovering that joy for the first time brings back your own joy when it was your first time.

I definitely wasn't prepared to demonstrate all the key features. I'm starting to think that I need to make a checklist so when I take people for a ride, I hit all the key important features before they actually start driving!

For example, today I sort of took glee in showing that the screen would display the bicyclist that we were about to pass... and there it was! But it didn't dawn on me that, because they don't know much about a Tesla, they thought the car would detect people while in Autopilot. Well, this is Vancouver, and we have jaywalkers galore. We had one in our path later on, and though the car was slowing down, I just assumed my new test driver would hit the brake. Turns out, he thought the car would see him and stop, and so I had to tell him last minute to hit the brake. That's when I said that autopilot is still in beta and not really meant for regular city roads. And while it might be able to see people, it doesn't know to stop for them.  Whew!

But that first reaction when the Autopilot takes a turn for the first time without touching the wheel; the first time you see it actually stop when the car in front of you stops; witnessing the car change lanes by itself... the "WOW!" with that crazy grin that comes when you discover something new... I LOVED seeing it happen to them! No wonder owners want to take people for rides all the time!

*****

Later this evening, I finally took 4 ladies at my church for a drive in the Tesla. They are mostly seniors -- mid-50s and older. These ladies have probably heard me talk about my Tesla more than anyone else in my life combined! Every week they ask if I know when I'll get it -- for THREE YEARS! Tesla did their reveals on Thursday nights during my choir rehearsals. So on the Model 3 reveal in 2016, during our rehearsal break, I pulled out my iPad and looked for a picture of what my future car would look like -- and they were there with me! Same thing with the Model Y. I think they just loved watching me delight in the idea of getting this car. And they genuinely celebrate with me as well.

It seems ironic that tonight, one of the ladies -- probably in her late 70s -- showed us a picture of a World War II plane flying near their back yard of her house when she was a child. Many of the ladies are of that age or older and reminisced about seeing those planes and what happened during the war. And now, over 75 years later, sitting in what seems like a robot car must have been surreal. Time certainly has passed quickly!

I do have to say -- I never get tired of showing off "Emissions Testing" mode. The laughter and delight that follows is just priceless, no matter what the age! Whether you're 2 years old or 90 years young -- who doesn't love a good fart prank!

DAY 46: Rim Protectors to the Rescue!

Well it happened... again. First day, I scraped my $2K upgrade 19" sport wheels. A friend of mine suggested rim protectors and even offered to install them (which he did, and it covered up my boo-boo quite nicely).

Today, scraaaaaaaaape! Yup, I did it again. Same wheel.

So yes it looks terrible. But the damage underneath... that's from my first time damage. No additional damage thanks to the rim protectors!

Of course, this means, I'll know what I'll be doing tomorrow after my niece's wedding. I have just enough to spare for one more wheel. After this, I'll need to order more because... well, let's face it, I suck at parallel parking.


On a different note, my cousin (mother of the niece that is getting married) is now in town... and of course, I HAVE to pick up her and my mother up in my Tesla, and play chauffeur. I mean, it doesn't matter that the church is 10 minutes from my house, and my mother and cousin live 40 minutes away IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION!

Man, I love driving this car!!  hehe.

DAY 45: Sentry Mode Caught Stuff On Camera

I've been a little bothered by having to empty the Sentry Mode folder on my USB on a semi-weekly basis. It's a bit of a waste of time, and almost half of it is just me walking up to the car and triggering it. (Note To Self: Replace that iPhone 5S already!)

Well yesterday, I caught some interesting footage and got excited to see something of substance for once.



The raw footage was submitted to the RCMP detachment responsible for the UBC campus, and shared with the other police officers. I also sent it to campus security.

Personally, I find it gratifying when I get footage worth my time. Maybe that's just me being so new to a fancy car like this Tesla, that I'm just gawking over every little thing it shows me. Perhaps this will become less interesting as the weeks roll by.

My Future as an EV Owner

Having put down the $1K deposit for my Tesla Model 3, I'm already beginning to think through the kinds of lifestyle decisions I will have to make -- good and bad -- as a daily EV driver. It's actually a lot of fun -- kind of like thinking about what it would be like to be married, have kids, be famous, win the lottery.

NO MORE TRIPS TO THE GAS STATION. YAY!

Every time I go to the gas station to gas up my Honda, I think to myself, "One day, I will drive my this station and think, 'I remember when I had to go there every week.'" I admit, it makes the wait during my tank fill-up a lot more pleasant. One day I won't have to breathe in car fumes, wait in line while another driver fights with the auto-payment machine, or dish out a mini-fortune just to drive my car to work one more week. I'll simply coast on by with my Tesla in regen-mode and smile. And eventually, I'll forget to even acknowledge that gas station's existence.

And I'll also throw in here that there will be no more trips to the mechanic shops only to get ripped off on thousands of dollars of car maintenance. If you're a woman, you will especially understand the feeling. Which also brings to mind the time I save my brother from toting him around with me to get my car serviced just to make sure I don't get exploited. I mean, cmon! It's a Honda Civic! If you're going to save on car maintenance with a gas car, that's pretty much the best you can get. (Rant over -- for now.)

EV-HATERS UNITE. BOO!

I'm already seeing glimpses of it -- EV-haters who say that those who praise EVs are naive and uninformed. And as the EV population grows, they will just get more and more vocal. They say that EV owners don't bother asking the hard questions like "What happens to the environment when the battery is dead" or "Don't you know that it's worse on the environment to just create EVs?" In reality, those who choose or even seriously consider switching to an EV have asked far more difficult questions than that. There's a difference between a hater and an enquirer. Haters generally have already drawn their conclusion before a discussion, and tend to be more interested in listening to themselves sound big rather than be humble and listen. (I deleted a reference to a current Republican delegate here. It was too obvious to waste space on it.) An inquirer will engage in a meaningful discussion. For future reference, it's important to know the difference and not get sucked into a breath-wasting argument.

If you ask me outright if I think electric cars is the solution to our emissions problem, I'll be honest. I'm not 100% sure it is. The study of science isn't exact. Yes, it's possible to get a grade of 100% on your math exam (try 100% on an English or Philosophy exam! It never happens.). But even Math at its highest form works in inferences, not absolutes. The truth is, science, like all scholarly study, is measured in probabilities. We do our best to predict as many contingencies ahead of time and address them before we put it into a working protocol. And considering the vast limits of the human mind, debates over possible outcomes can go on forever. People are just too unpredictable to capture all the possibilities ahead of time. The key thing to realize is that there comes a time when you have to take the leap and put your idea into motion knowing that you will always have to tweak things on the fly. The key is to find out when that right moment is. I am not buying an EV because I know it's going to save the environment. I'm doing it because it is far more likely solution than sticking with the status quo in oil and gas. 

ROAD TRIPS. YAY!

I'm already planning my annual vacation in my Tesla to exotic places all over Canada and the US now that I'll be able to afford it! I'm not rich. In fact, having been in student loan debt until my mid-40s has kept me a poor student long after I graduated. So saving up and paying off my Tesla car payments meant sacrificing vacations and other luxuries. I am willing to do it.

But now I realize -- vacation trips with a Tesla means no more transportation costs. It's road trip time! And it's not like the kind of road trips I'm accustomed to. My last road trip to Los Angeles costed me over $700 CAD in my car costs (including servicing my car before and after the trip). I ate crappy gas station food for meals. I slept at a rest stop in the freezing December cold and had to wake up every hour just to run my engine so I could get some heat. And when I arrived at my destination, I needed at least one good night's sleep to clear my head from all the psychological stress of long-distance driving before I could even start planning anything in the city. 

I'm imagining with a Tesla (Tesla-owners you can confirm or deny as needed) that the Supercharger network means no travel costs. I can sit in a restaurant and have a proper meal without having to make extra stops to do so. I can sleep in the quiet confines of my temperature-controlled car cabin pretty much anywhere I want. And autopilot means the car will reduce a lot of the stress of driving. THAT sounds like a vacation to me!

MILEAGE COUNTING. BOO!

Right now, I probably take for granted that no matter where I go in my car, I can be assured that there will be gas stations relatively near when my tank is low. I don't have to plan ahead of time how many kms I have to drive to get to my destination and then make sure I will make it there. I just leave. And if my tank is low, gas stations are ubiquitous enough that I will find one within blocks of where I am.

Charging stations are different. I'm not opposed to learning a new network system of "car fuel." But I do imagine that it will be slightly more complicated than what I'm used to. I will have to take into consideration making sure a public charging station has the right type of charge port for my car, if a charging station is complimentary for the public or will I have to pay, figuring out the amp output to tell me how long I'll have to wait there before I can get going again, and even deciding when I leave if I should bring my converter plugs with me for the day. And unlike a gas gauge that really barely moves when you watch it, you can watch the number of the "estimated remaining range" tick down as you drive and wonder how long you can go before you're really in trouble.

This, I take it, is known as "range anxiety." And considering that I'm a naturally anxious person already, perhaps this will be something I'll have to get used to. And after a while, I supposed it will become second nature to know how many kms it takes between destinations and where my favorite charging stations are when I may need them.

A LONG TERM RELATIONSHIP. YAY!

I admit, when I watch YouTube videos of Tesla owners talk about all the ins and outs of driving their Model S, I get green with envy. I mean, sure, I would love a Model S if I could afford one. But I am more envious of their membership in a Tesla community where owners contribute to the ongoing development at Tesla. Their feedback is vitally important to Tesla and steers (ironic) their priorities towards what customers need developed next. I suspect that there will be some adjustments when Model 3 owners begin to have that voice. A middle-class car owner will have a slightly different perspective than someone who is able to afford a $100K-priced car. I think the average Model 3 owner will think more in terms of pure affordability and will identify very clearly what they can and cannot live without based on a limited family budget. Tesla can get a clear picture of what are essential tweaks that need to be built into the price, and what should be deemed as paid upgrades.

I do want to highlight however, that when I look at the upgrades on the Model S, it doesn't even close to resemble what you expect from the traditional car dealer. When I went to buy my Honda, the base price felt like I was just getting a car shell. Pretty much anything that would make the car bearable to drive on a regular basis had to be paid for. But when I look at the base Model S, the car is stocked with such amazing features that it's like buying a turn-key car. Every optional upgrade is definitely a luxury, not a forced requirement. In this respect, Tesla is way ahead on my satisfaction meter.

At Least They're Talking!

In the District of North Vancouver where I live, the last election did something that many didn't realize would happen one day -- they voted Liberal. The new MP, Jonathan Wilkerson  has many attractive qualities, not withstanding that he actually responds to a question in a straightforward manner. But one particular part of his background is of interest to me -- his 20 years of experience in the commercial green-tech industry. Well, his title of Rhode Scholar equally intrigues me, but I'll save that for a different post in my regular blog.

Wilkerson hosted a public meeting for his riding this past Wednesday where he went through the various key topics that were addressed by the recent Federal Budget announcement. There were a fair amount of very credible priorities where budget would improve quality of life in Canada and support increased advancements in projects that promote eco-consciousness and decreased emissions.

After his presentation, he took questions from the crowd. What was most interesting was the number of questions around electric vehicles. North Vancouver is an affluent part of Greater Vancouver, where its residents can generally afford a Tesla Model S and X. And less than a week after the news spam about people lining up to buy the unseen Model 3, the discussion about the effectiveness of EVs to counter global warming was in the air. I mean, when you say "environmentally-friendly" in the aftermath of the Model 3 announcement, Tesla and their electric vehicles seem to automatically come to the forefront of people's minds.

The first question to Wilkerson, in fact, was about EVs and the process of discarding the old lithium-ion batteries. The first thought I had was "This is so off-topic from the federal budget. Wilkerson will brush it off." But because of his background in the clean tech industry, Wilkerson had the answer. That is, that they are generally dismantled and recycled. Bravo, Jonathan!

Another question about EV's came up shortly afterwards. Actually this was more of an accusation -- that the production of EVs create more carbon emissions than they save. I wanted to jump up and say, "That's Not True!" But I kept my cool when I saw the guy beside me shake his head and say those words out loud for me.

I came away from that event encouraged. People are talking about electric vehicles. They are challenging their viability and putting the questions out in the open where they can be answered for others to hear. EV enthusiasts aren't in some secret club anymore where they are dubbed "tree-hungers" or "hippies." The fact that EVs are being questioned in public means that even the concept of considering an electric car has gone mainstream. This is just the beginning of a true rEVolution, and I'm really excited -- even honoured -- to get to be a part of it!

All Hail the Model 3!!

I did it! I managed to go to the Tesla store after work. While Vancouver store did have a lot of visitors, I didn't end up having to stand in line long before going in. It took all of about 3 minutes to register my name and credit card, and I was out the door.

The Vancouver store had a big white poster for future Model 3 owners to sign after they reserved with a deposit. I am glad to have been one of the signatures there!

As for the Model 3 unveiling, I didn't get to see it until the evening the next day after work. It is possible I may have cried a little when they finally unveiled the car. It really looks more amazing than I had expected, and it felt like I was looking at my car to be. But I think my favorite part was all of the unstoppable cheering for Elon when he walked back out on the stage after the cars were unveiled, and someone in the crowd yelled "You did it!" That's exactly how I felt. He has done it. This is the unveiling of the future. I am looking forward to finally ditching my dysfunctional relationship with gasoline and get on board with the pace of progress. And it feels GREAT!

Hello to my future transportation! :)

The official announcement from Tesla Motors about Buying a Model III

Tesla Motors just tweeted this update to their blog. I can see a few pieces of new information there:

RESERVATION AMOUNT IN YOUR HOME CURRENCY
So it looks like the deposit to reserve a Model III is not $1000 USD but $1000 in your own currency, approximated by how your country's numerical currency system. They have a link there to see what the specific deposit is in your country's currency. Knowing how much higher the exchange rate is for the € (Euro) and the £ (British pound), those deposits look substantially higher than those in North America.

WAITING LIST QUEUED BY REGION
So instead of going with an all-inclusive waiting list, the lists will be divided by regions. This makes sense to save on shipping costs. It's much easier to ship a lot of cars to one location than it is to ship them out piece by piece to separate addresses all over the world. They will start with the western-most part of North America and move East. Afterwards, it's the countries with right-hand driving systems. Hm, so if I live in Vancouver, Canada, that's technically the west coast of North America, which puts me closer to the front of the line. *insert grin here*

However, it appears that they will deliver the first Model IIIs to Tesla owners in each region first before they get to the new Tesla hopefuls.

The Tesla Model 3 Unveiling Event

As the date and time approaches to Tesla Motor's announcement and unveiling of their Model III sedan, gradually more information is being posted. Here's what I have figured out so far from various articles I've read:

DATE: MARCH 31, 2016

If you are one of the lucky owners of a Tesla, you hopefully got drawn for a ticket to the event. 650 of the total 800 people who will be in attendance will be current Tesla owners.

TIME: 8:30 PM to 11:30 PM

Those attending the event should be there when the doors open at 7:00pm.

LOCATION: TESLA DESIGN STUDIO, HAWTHORNE, CA

LIVE STREAMING

At TESLAMOTORS.COM and so far I hear that autoblog.com/green will provide live streaming as well. I'll update this with more alternate locations if needed just in case Tesla Motor's website can't handle the traffic. Or I suppose you could just wait for the video to be uploaded to YouTube the next day.

$1000 USD DEPOSIT TO RESERVE YOUR MODEL III

If you are lucky to get time off of work and stand in line at one of your nearest Tesla Stores, they start taking resevations at 10:00 AM PDT. This means you probably have to go earlier if you want to be one of the first in line. Oh, and get your "Tesla-fanatic" on because the press will probably be there wanting to take your picture. (Sorry Utah, Virginia, and the other 6 states who have banned Tesla from opening a store... it's a road trip for you if you want to do this. Tell your members of legislature to stop taking money from the Kochs and GM and maybe they will grow a brain.)

Online orders will start at 8:30 PM PDT as soon as the event begins. In preparation, I highly suggest that you create an online account at TeslaMotors beforehand to save yourself time.

Oh, and the deposit is 100% refundable, and no you can't start paying off your car before you get it. 

WHO GETS THEIR CAR FIRST?

If you are one of the 15,000 lucky ones employed by Tesla worldwide, you'll be near the front of the line (I assume after Elon has granted all the first bin #'s to his various friends and family members). Next are current Tesla owners. Yes, I'm bummed about that too. Then it's whoever is next in the reservation order. So getting your order in as early as possible helps. This includes special features like the colour of the car and others that we'll find out about.

WHAT ARE WE GONNA SEE?

So far, it's been leaked that we'll be seeing a working, driveable prototype. I suppose this means that they are much further along with the development than first thought when all we were getting excited about were possible pictures of maybe some parts of the car. However, it's a prototype. That means the final production version may be a watered down or altered version of what we will see.

Frankly, I don't know how Mr. Musk is planning to fill 3 hours of time. Perhaps the presentation is only about an hour, and the rest is to give test drives to those present. Or maybe he'll announce the leaked P100D Model S (affectionately being nicknamed "PLOOD." Yeah, I hate it too.) and Gigafactory updates.

What I know for sure is that it's gonna be one hell of a celebration. We've been waiting for so long. It's like 10 years of  waiting for the arrival of Christmas Day.

Unfortunately, I work on Thursday nights from 8:00 to 9:30 PM. Go figure. I guess I'll be getting my car in 2019.

Enjoy the show everyone!

Tesla Model 3: These are the Bells and Whistles I Want...

So from what I heard from Musk, the Model III will be about 20% smaller than the Model S and will not come with all the bells and whistles. So just for the record, here's the list of Model S features that I've identified that I would like to see on the Model III, or otherwise would be okay to go without.

ALUMINUM BODY
In my limited understanding, Model S chose to go with aluminum because it's durable, and its light weight can offset the weight of the battery. For the Model 3, even Elon Musk has said that it will likely be a steel body and still be about 30% lighter than the Model S. Assuming steel is cheaper than aluminum, I'm fine with this.

AUTO-PILOT
I can't emphasize enough how important it is for the Model 3 to come with auto-pilot. This is a footprint to the future of mass individualized transport and needs to be there in the mass-market Model III if he is to get other auto makers on board. The expected widespread market means an massively larger intake of data that will speed up the development of this technology towards autonomous driving. If this is not present in the Model 3, all will be lost.

OVER-SIZED TOUCHSCREEN
It could be argued that it isn't necessary to install such a large touch-screen between the two front seats. But in all honesty, large screens means less distraction because you don't have to squint to read the map or the various option buttons. However, I do think the price of exponentially increases with screen size, and may perhaps require Tesla to reduce the size in order to keep the price affordable. It would be sad, but it would not be a deal-breaker for me.

PANORAMIC ROOF
I guess it's just personal preference, but I don't use my sunroof that much as it is already. I have to admit that I am intrigued about having a bigger visual range while driving. But this is definitely more of a luxury than a necessity.

DUAL-MOTOR
This one is a toughy. To start, having a single motor at the back wheels in a Tesla is not the same thing as with a gasoline car. The typical gasoline car is front heavy -- and disproportionately so. So while back-wheel powered driving may feel smoother in this type of car, it's the reason why it's a much more dicey drive in bad weather. The Tesla, on the other hand, has a low centre of gravity smack in the middle of the vehicle. This alone gives you substantially better handling and control. The second motor at the front wheels, which is a smaller motor, just increases the range slightly because you have more sources of regeneration. So while having an all-wheel drive is attractive, it's not as essential as it would be in a front-heavy gas engine car. For this reason, I've made my peace with foregoing the dual-motor to revert my extra funds towards other stuff, like...

AUTO-PARK
When I went for my Tesla test drive, I seriously thought the best part was going to be testing the acceleration, or witnessing auto-steer. But by far the feature I got most excited about was the auto-park. The idea of a stress-free experience backing up your car into a tight spot delights me to no end. Now it's hard to imagine Tesla keeping the auto-pilot feature and not including auto-park, mainly because they seem to use the same 5 sensors built into the Model S. So I would assume that if Musk removes one, he'll remove this too... and in-so-doing, possibly remove a Tesla customer from his wait list. I simply can't imagine buying a Tesla without both of these features.

INSANE / LUDICROUS MODE
As insanely ludicrous as this feature is, the truth is that paying $10K for this upgrade is pure luxury and will have to remain something that the wealthy can have. Essentially a show-off feature, I would be surprised if Musk bothers making room for this option in the Model 3. It's definitely a show-stopper, but probably not worth the price tag.

STEERING OPTIONS
I think many of us would agree that this is probably not an essential feature to have, or even to offer. Switching between comfort and sport mode was definitely illuminating, and while it's nice to imagine being able to choose between the two, having no option isn't really giving up much, in my opinion.

SMART AIR SUSPENSION
Likewise with this feature. I do have a very steep driveway where I've had other cars and even a moving truck scrape their bumper on the pavement trying to drive up to our front door. So it makes me wonder, if this option isn't there, will the car be high enough to not damage itself everytime I come home. In general, the idea of having the car lower itself at high speeds to reduce wind resistance and thus increase energy efficiency is brilliant. But probably not essential enough to boot up the price of the car.

3/4G WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY COMPLIMENTARY SERVICE
I'm not sure if it was just me, but I was shocked when I found out that the LTE wireless service came with the car. I was sure this would have required another monthly subscription for the service. The fact that it is complimentary (meaning I can cross the border into the US and not even worry about roaming fees -- or any fees for that matter), blew my mind. But it makes me wonder how this affects the price of the vehicle. I don't know how long Tesla will be able to offer this if the car really does go to mass-market. Am I being nervous for nothing? (Clearly, I've never owned a car with wifi. Someone want to enlighten me on this?)

WINTER PACKAGE
Um, I'm Canadian. Please make this an option, Mr. Musk. Full stop.

HI-FI UPGRADE
Up until now, I've never bought this upgrade in any car. Then again, my nicest car to date is a Honda Civic -- nice and loud, and clunky. There was simply no reason to get nice sound in your car if it's always going to fight against the roar of an econo-class transmission. Well, I look forward to finally having a nice quiet inner space to finally hear the beautiful overtones of my Rachmaninov piano concertos, or whatever awesome hit Ed Sheeran comes out with next. I hope this comes as an option.

TESLA MOBILE APP

I thought I'd throw this in here even if it's really not a point of contention. It will be interesting to see if they incorporate the Model 3 into the existing app, simply because it's hard to know which features in the app will remain to support the Model S, and which will go inactive if it is synced up with the new Model 3. Having never used the app (because I'm not yet a Tesla EV owner), this is something I guess I'll come to discover when it's my turn join the Tesla club.

FOLDING SIDE MIRRORS AND HIDDEN DOOR HANDLES

Personally, I find minimal need to have my side-view mirrors tuck into my car while it's parked. It's a nice idea to reduce the amount of protrusion from your car, reducing its exposure to more damage. But sometimes having the extra mechanical feature is more of a bother than an enhancement. I watched a video where the car had frozen over enough that the side mirrors were stuck in the tucked position until the car heated up. I feel the same way with the door handles. It's a neat feature, but it feels like it's just something else available to break down (and I think there have been some issues with the earlier Model S's with the door handles). If the Model 3 were without these, I wouldn't miss them at all.

WHAT ELSE?

Well, it would be nice if I could somehow download my driving stats shown in the car into a spreadsheet so I can do my own analysis. This includes not just distance or power used by minute or day, but also stats like how much energy I regenerated on a trip. 

It would also be really cool to see a finger-printing technology to access certain features, removing the need for the use of a key fob or any other external device. I realize the doors right now can open without removing the fob from your pocket, but there's something about the idea of putting your fingerprint on the vehicle that really makes it feel like its your toy.

I'm excited about March 31st. I can't get a day off of work to line up to put my deposit down at the nearest Tesla store, so I'll just have to hope for the best that the site doesn't crash on April 1st when I try to do it online. Part of me is expecting to be disappointed at how little will actually get revealed. But whatever we get, it's more than what we have now.

Why Short Stocking $TSLA is Short-Sighted

Alright, so I think I figured out what Citron is trying to say when they wrote about Tesla's potential supply and demand issue. So I'm going to attempt a second and final article to analyze Citron's reasons for shorting $TSLA stock. The reason it didn't come to front of mind is because -- IT'S SO RIDICULOUS. (There, I said it.)

There seems to be a "Prophet of Our Times" cast-type being placed on Elon Musk. He saw the internet and said the yellow pages will be replaced by an online business directory. And it did. Compaq bought, and he became an instant millionaire. Then he looked to make financial transactions a smooth, completely online experience. Boom. Enter PayPal. So eBay gives up their own online payment system and buys Paypal for 1.5 billion. Then he's decides that he needs to mass market solar energy. Investment into his cousins' Solar City company leads to it becoming the biggest supplier of solar energy panels in the US. Then he feels humans need to go interplanetary, so he reads up on rocket technology and founds Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) with his sight on colonizing Mars. Whether you are on board with all of his ideas or not, you have to admit that this is a guy who sees what he wants to change and believes it enough to go for it.



And, of course, he wants to revolutionize transport and get us off of oil and gas. So along comes Tesla Motors. The point of it? To prove that an electric car can perform at a level that would make it a desirable alternative to gasoline engine cars. And in so doing, he hopes to jumpstart the electric car industry worldwide. And guess what...

Yes, there are a host of other car companies who are releasing their own line of fully-electric cars this year. And yes, it is likely that they are trying to get a jump on Tesla's production of the Model III in late 2017 in order to break into the market. Their hope is probably to try and coerse Tesla watchers to consider their "ready-for-you-now" EVs and give them a try. What Citron doesn't realize is... all this activity is a good thing for Tesla Motors. They are fulfilling their vision for wide-spread EV distribution.

You see, those of us eager to plunk down $1K to reserve our Model III aren't bandwagoners. Sure, we'll probably take the Chevy Bolt out for a spin. We'll eagerly read all the latest news on every new electric car that comes to market while we wait for our Model III to go into production. But we aren't doing that to shop around. We are simply enjoying the "advent of sustainable transport" come to be. We aren't sold on Tesla just because it's a great car (and it is!). We are sold on Tesla because we believe in the vision the company stands by. I mean, when was the last time you heard a GM consumer say "I believe in the company's vision"? Betcha had to think real hard. And, of course, it helps that after reviewing other EVs, Tesla still comes out on top when it comes to performance and ingenuity. There are those among us who have been waiting for the Model III back when it was just "Phase 3 of a three-phase roll out plan" almost a decade ago. We saw the new Roadster, we salivated, we secretly hoped for an economical version of it, we heard Elon Musk say "that's what we want to", and we started our "Tesla Life Watch" eager to get in on it all. In the end, we WILL buy a Tesla. The conversion was already complete before Elon even said "Model III."

So let's look at what Citron might be seeing:

2014: Tesla's Model S production was far below demand. But eager Tesla owners were willing to wait knowing that the company was still small and growth never happens overnight.

2015: Model S production doubles to meet demand and by year's end, buyers wait only about a month before they can pick up their Tesla purchase. The Model X is introduced, but buyers end up waiting longer due to a dispute with the falcon door developers. Tesla Motors has to retract their contract with the German company and go to the next in line in the bidding war.

At the time, the main competitors of the Model S (introduced in 2012) were the Chevy Volt (introduced in 2011) and the Nissan Leaf (introduced in 2010). And when you consider how Tesla Motors faired in that market, I think it's fair to say that it was a win for them. They got the press they needed to continue on their rollout plan towards the more affordable Model, and both the Leaf and Volt gained enough momentum to stay in production and even spawn more EV competitors.

Now that 2016 is here, the Chevy Bolt will be available, the Nissan Leaf is being revamped, and a whole host of other EVs are being introduced. On Tesla's side, the Model X's are now being delivered and orders are slowly beginning to be filled. The Model S continues to gain interest. And now the Model III is finally on the horizon, there is potential for an instantaneous billion dollars in revenue the moment the unveiling is complete.

So if you look carefully, there's two potential errors that Citron is making in their "supply and demand problem" projection with Tesla. Now remember, they are not showing all their cards. That would be dangerous for them. So this is me just trying to get into their heads to figure out what the hell they might be thinking. (roll eyes here)

The first possible error, is that they think the demand for the Model S will dry up. The Model III isn't coming out until late 2017 (or more realistically, 2018), so for this year, it's all about selling Model S's and X's. But I'll focus on the Model S for the sake of simplicity. Tesla wants to increase their production even more this year (and every year thereafter), even though the current wait of 1 month to have your Model S delivered is already pretty reasonable. And with a whole host of other luxury EV Models now coming on the market, they are banking that those considering the Model S may be swayed to go after a BMW or Audi EV instead. But they are forgetting one thing -- the software updates. You see, it's not enough that Tesla is the only EV that provides autonomous driving, or that generally, a Tesla purchase actually improves over time just by virtue of having a super computer and wifi installed in the vehicle itself. What they forget is that Tesla Motors is still a small company with only 2 models in active production. Unlike a major car company with a host of gasoline models that push their EV development down on the priority list, Tesla's ability to implement new development is virtually unhindered. This means your new Tesla purchase could experience so many software updates in a given year, that you may feel like your vehicle is constantly regenerating into a new life form on a regular basis. I'm not sure that any EV in or entering the market can boast about this the way Tesla can.

A small sample of proud Tesla owners. There were just too many to do them all justice.

The second possible error is even more egregious. You see, one of the basis for short stocking is trying to read people. When a company seems to receive more hype than it deserves, there is opportunity to capitalize on a crash when everyone comes to see that the excitement was actually about nothing. And from this standpoint, I believe Citron is sorely misreading the Tesla follower. With the wide-spread press that Elon Musk is receiving, it's not hard to imagine why a company like Citron would think that the glories of Tesla Motors have been blown out of proportion. But let's just break it down for a minute. Model S owners pretty much swear by their purchase. Even the owners of the three Model S's that caught fire went back to buy another Model S. The rest of us, for whom owning a Model S is just a pipe dream, have been watching intently on the promise of a more affordable version for the masses. In the meantime, we watch the good and the bad of owning a Tesla, causing our loyalty to Tesla to grow more visceral. And we get addicted to the idea of going fully electric causing us to research EVs from other car companies while continually comparing them back to our primary choice in the Tesla. We cheer Tesla on as they fight bill after bill to defend their need to keep a direct sales business model within a State (after all, think about it -- a Tesla vehicle is essentially a huge computer on wheels. You almost feel weird calling it a car), and as we do, we become more informed of the issues that EV owners will have to face to make this this era of sustainable transport work.

The reason why I believe Citron is under-estimating the eager Tesla owner is that they forget that they are fighting years and years of information that Tesla watchers have fed themselves in anticipation of the Model III. This upcoming announcement to finally unveil the more affordable Model III is what we, the Tesla fans, have been waiting for for...well, it seems like a lifetime. To think that we would just turn to feed our need for instant gratification by buying an EV from one of the other car companies just when the Model III is finally being introduced is complete nonsense. The longer you wait for something, the more committed you become. And these hopeful Model III owners like me want to become a member of the Tesla club. This is how humans behave. Reading numbers without understanding this basic human instinct is why Citron (and other shorters) have been led astray.

As for the other potential EV owners who are not sold on Tesla yet, I'm insinuating that they have not yet scoped out the Tesla enough to make any informed decision on any EV purchase. The Tesla Model III will certainly be in their sights as an option. So with the pool of future EV owners who are not following Tesla (who are these weird people considering EV's and not knowing what Tesla is about???), Tesla will certainly get a portion of that share which is simply an increase on their already solid customer base.

In short, (no pun intended), Citron is definitely barking up the wrong tree on this one.

Something's Off about Citron Shorting $TSLA

I saw lots of buzz around this tweet yesterday:

After watching $TSLA stock go up for the last couple of weeks, it suddenly had a downturn yesterday. Well, not significant enough to cause any panic, but it did go down. And it returned back on the upswing again today. So much for trying to influence the market, Citron. One day of slight-but-not-so-much panic.

The thing is, Citron seems to be betting their short stocks on the fact that Tesla has had a problem supplying their demand in the past. I mean, it's possible that Tesla Motors may have some delays initially filling orders for the Model III when it comes time to ship (a lot is riding on their new gigawatt factories), and it wouldn't surprise me if there was a delay. But that's looking beyond this year.

While the Model III continues in development for now, this year, Tesla factories are focused on pumping out more Model S's and X's, and is increasing their output. Their aim is to once again double their production in the coming year. But even if they fall slightly short of that goal, there's no doubt that they WILL grow. The issue of the falcon doors on the Model X seem to settled now that they have gone with a different supplier. And the X's have started to show up at the buyers' doors. Whatever supply problem they had, they seemed to have weathered most of that storm and are back on track.

As for the Model III, there's no demand to fill yet. They don't go into production until late 2017, far after Citron's projection of a minus-$100 loss on each share. Maybe Citron's projection has merit for next year. But for this year, they are blowing their whistle way, WAY too early. I think they will be in for a big surprise.

I think Tesla stock owners know there'll be a ramp up in price leading to the Model III unveiling on March 31st. If Citron's trying to kill, or at least dampen, that upward trend, they are going to be in a losing battle this month. While $TSLA stock prices might go through a bit of a roller coaster after the announcement, I expect it to equalize shortly thereafter and return to its course upward.

Stock trading is a game, and we're trying to figure out who is reading it right. I'm not convinced yet that Citron has got it right. But what do I know, right? It's not like I'm an experienced trader. I'm just trying to do my homework and rooting for Tesla Motors to make a difference. So good luck, Citron. But for the sake of the future of sustainable transport, I hope it's not good...