Be My Guest, Be My Guest

If you've ever had the pleasure of going to a truly top-tier restaurant-- the kind of place that does NOT keep crayons tucked alongside the menus-- then you know what anticipatory service is like.  Don't misunderstand me, I can't remember the last time I went anywhere that nice...  but once upon a time, I did.  The waiter was amazing, delivering sauces, refills and other tidbits before I could even start looking to see where he was.

Chatting with Austin (my cousin in Colorado) one night, I was trying to convey how the Model S is designed to anticipate your needs.  It all starts when you walk up to the car to reach for a handle that isn't there...  or is it...?

Tesla Supercharger Opens in Bricksburgh!

Inspired by Lego's leaked new set featuring an exploding gas pump, I decided  to see if I could whip up a proper alternative.

Fortunately, I didn't have to look very far for inspiration... as we have a Tesla in our garage!

Lego Gets It

Ran across this while researching stuff for my "other" blog hobby...  from a leaked 2015 Lego product catalog.   It appears to be an EXPLODING GAS PUMP.

Dear Tesla,
        Please buy these by the pallet load for resale in your stores.
                                              Thank you.

Gas Pump Sunset

We'd spent the day driving back from a culture camp in West Virginia.  After just a couple hours' rest at home our grueling long weekend picked back up as we made the 40 minute trek through the hills and valleys of 'burbs en route to a soccer game.  I hadn't expected much out of the trip other than a good soccer game...

...but on the way there I caught a glimpse at a gas pump graveyard.  OH. MY.  Nothing short of a photographic gift.  I was really hoping we'd have time to stop on the reverse trip... right up until we were boxed in by the property owner's truck.

Taking a Load Off Your UMC

Everyone likes a bargain, even owners of (relatively) expensive EVs.  The first question a new Tesla owner must address is: "how do I charge my car at home?"  Almost immediately you're down to two options, the extra cost Tesla High Power Wall Charger (HPWC) or the included Universal Wall Charger (UMC).

If you, like most owners, opt for the already included UMC, you'll find that Tesla has left you hanging.  Literally.  The UMC packs quite a bit of weight into its charging brick and it dangles precariously cantilevered on an adapter.  Over time this weight can weaken the connections between the car and the plug, leading to the risk of overheating, arcing or a short circuit.  To eliminate this problem you need to support the weight of the UMC.   But can you do it cheaply?

Pursued by Paparazzi

Owning a Model S in our area makes for a minor dose of celebrity.   At the time of our delivery there were about 50 other Teslas in greater Pittsburgh, which made them more rare than Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc.   The biggest difference, of course, is that the Tesla is an ideal daily driver so people have a decent chance of catching one out on errands.  Even now, months later (surely Pittsburgh is nearing triple digits of Teslas), we still get a fair amount of attention.

Funny.  No one seems to notice when I drive my Subaru... which is even more rare.

High Horsepower Cleveland Day Trip

It's funny how the planning pendulum swings.   As a pre-kid hip young couple you do everything on a whim-- but then the kids arrive and ruin that.  Now you're planning around naps, eschewing long distance anything and schlepping tons of paraphernalia (items vast in their array of complexity and use), all of which conspire to keep you closer to home.  The trips you do take are planned with military precision and coordinated attacks with other similarly constrained family units.  Ah, but the kids... you feed them = they grow!

  Suddenly the kids are the ones asking to go places.  They pack their own stuff and eagerly leap into the car ready to depart-- with all their mishmash of backpacks still safely in the house.
Well... it is progress?   Whatever it is, we'll take it!  Off we go!

Cheap Shots & Missed Ops

This was originally posted/written for my Facebook account.  Despite the lack-of-Tesla-ness in it, it was partly prompted by several Tesla-prompted comments made by people who had--for years-- ignored everything else about me.  So.  Here it is on my Tesla blog because I bet some of you have had similar experiences.

It's been a while since I stepped up onto my Facebook soapbox but two trends have caught my attention and I'd like to draw yours to them as well.  Perhaps with greater transparency we-- the collective "we", not the royal one-- can endeavor to improve communication within our own circles for the betterment of all.  If I thought anyone reading this were "guilty" of these things they'd not have opportunity to read this for long (as my tolerance is very low) but rather I'm trying to encourage you to help me purge these as best we can.  For the record, I don't approach this as a master of the language arts and I'm probably guilty of both these things either due to time, attention, bad recollection or laziness.  I do claim, however, that it is the exception and not the rule.

This is long... so click on through to get to the meat.

To P or Not to P

It is, perhaps, the biggest question many prospective hand-wringing owners of the Model S wrestle with.  Should I get the Performance version?  After all, once you've talked yourself up the first $10k from a 60kwh to an 85kwh battery... what's another $12K or so for the Performance version? 

  And if you don't pay for the upgrade to the more powerful drivetrain, WILL YOU REGRET IT LATER?!

Want to know the bottom line?  Well, in my opinion and at the risk of setting off a big controversy, here goes....

June Trip 2014 - Part 9: My Neck of the Woods

After nearly a week of celebrations, reunions, traffic and sightseeing, we finally found our trip winding down.  The last stop before home would be in Somerset, PA at the Supercharger.  Serena would get a snack and so would we... and we were happy to be back in familiar surroundings.

The Somerset Supercharger is one of the cross-country lynch pins in the network... but it isn't the most impressive place to charge.