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!