Top 10 tips for Showing your Model S in Public

I showed my Sig Performance at the Earth Day Event this past weekend. Lessons Learned:

1. You can never have enough water & sun screen
Bad case of sun burn and heat exhaustion after 7 bottles of water

2. People just can't keep their hands off the car
I had the car roped off and still had to keep adults from trying to enter the car. Spent most of my time wiping finger prints off the door handles.

3. You will hear "WOW" almost every time someone approaches the car....never gets old!

4. I opened/closed the doors/rear hatch and had the touch screen/rear camera on the whole day (7am 530pm) and lost only about 20mi of as much demo as you want!

5. Print out the TM web site....there will be hundreds of questions

6. Buy TSLA stock since you will sell a half dozen cars or so...might as well get payed!

7. Kids LOVE the jump seats...just leave the rear hatch open

8. Nobody will believe the S can beat an M5 ... you need to show them the youtube clip!

9. Prepare to be embarrassed as everyone will ask "how much does it cost?"

10. Where a T-shirt that says "I don't work for TESLA... this is my personal car."

This is very helpful, as I am planning on having my car at an American Lung Association event next month. I am also hoping to have a couple other Teslas present at the event in different colors. Did you ask Tesla to send an official representative to your event and if so, what was their response?

All good. Except, it's "Wear a T-shirt ..."

How do you suggest showing the MSvsM5 video? The touchscreen can't do it. Mobile phone?

Suggest putting a price label in a window, Base and As Configured. Saves fielding that over and over.

Where is the Amer.. Lung Assoc. next month?

One of my favorite exchanges in regard to price:

Me: You know that spare change that you empty out of your pockets every night and put into the jar?
Stranger: Yes!
Me: may need to get a bigger jar (big smile)


I did not ask Tesla to send a rep...felt ok on my own.

@Brian H
Yes Iphone or data ipad...

"T-shirt" sort of a joke ... but many people expected "full access" assuming it were a "company demp" I did not want them to think I was a rude Tesla rep not allowing them to have full access to the car. This happened several times an hour...

I think Brian meant the typo...where wear..
It's all good though. My thanks to you as a shareholder.

I did the demo in my company on Thursday last week.

As much as I had resisted it, I had to let people in my car to sit and experience the touch screen!

The var was absolutely the star, as it was the only big EV there. I was tired after talking continuously for 2 hours.

I like the buying TSLA comment!

The car not the var. (variables in my code were never the stars)

But he missed "payed" (paid) ;)

@Velo 1
The ALA event is in Albuquerque on May 18. There will be a clean energy display from the electric company and they are trying to get several "clean cars" there. I know they wrote to Tesla to see if they would be interested, but I don't know what response they got. If they are showing the Volt, Prius and Leaf, I want to make sure the Model S is represented.

I paid for my P85 with TSLA purchase! Go Tesla.....

I don't understand those who bring their car to events like this and then adopt a "no touch" attitude. I, personally, feel like that's a counter productive attitude that just reinforces the notion of only rich spoiled people can afford the car. I too did too Earth day events the weekend before last and gladly let people climb all over the car. It certainly doesn't fail to impress. I this approachable every-day Joe can afford one (me), maybe they can too. Though I did have signs letting them know it wasn't a dealer demo car and asking them to please be gentle with it. Most were very respectful and more than a few opted not to get in it all by themselves. :-)

I just showed my P85 at Earth Day and I certainly agree with number 1. I was talking non-stop all day and got some serious sun.

The way I talked up the car people always assumed I was with Tesla.

I just let people climb in the car. I keep it clean, but I'm glad I didn't detail it ahead of time. They were all over it and it did need cleaning afterwards.

I wasn't at all embarrassed to answer questions on cost. It is priced as a premium sedan and compares favorable to all of them IMO. Some people were disappointed that it was not in their price range, but I told them about Gen III and about other (lesser) EV options. I had the web page open to the Tesla real-cost-of-ownership page and I gave people that information when asked about the cost.

I also kept the air conditioning on all day so people would feel comfortable in the car. Doesn't actually cost much energy. I don't remember how much I used; maybe 50 miles.

Other EV cars had dealers there but few viewer. They were upset because I had a constant trail of people while they were literally asleep at the wheel.

Also be prepared for "how long does it take to charge". Answer. Just a few seconds each night when I get home.
On the road it takes about 30 minutes at the SC network which are located at places you'd want to stop at anyway to get coffee, bite to eat or just to get out and take a walk.

There are sometimes questions about battery recycling. I tried to emphasis that the batteries are non-toxic and I believe can actually be reused for other purposes when the life as a car-battery is over. In any case there is a recycling program and the Tesla web-page has more information

Toughest question was from Emergency Response team that wanted to know the risks that EV presented to the first responders. Fortunately, I saw a full-length youtube video on that and pointed them to it.

#2 - I let them get in it, and had people taking pictures of each other sitting in the driver's seat. I don't really see what the issue is letting them do it -- worse case, you need a wash/vacuum afterwards. Even during the parade (it was a lot of stop-and-go, with people a couple of feet from the cars), some lady ran up and asked if she could ride, so I let her ride for a block :).

#9 - I just told them it starts at $60k (though I had forgotten about the $2500 price increase, but they'll figure it out).

#10 - I had only one person think I was a Tesla rep, but then maybe that was the context -- there were a bunch of other EVs in the parade, including some with children with them so it was probably clearer these were personal vehicles.

Also, if I had thought about it before, I would have made little signs for the rear windows saying something like "Tesla Model S / Made in the USA / All electric, no gas" -- driving through the parade (with all the EVs it was quiet enough to hear what people were saying) a lot of people were asking what it was or thought it was a hybrid (or thought it was a Fisker or Volt :). and @ Geek EV re: #2

I just had the car detailed and have the Sig white leather seats (which I had to get cleaned already from normal use before 700 miles) so with tens of thousands of people attending, I was't taking any chances!

I understand about not wanting to let everyone in the car. We all have different levels of comfort. For me my issue is around the B pillar. I am always asking friends to be careful getting in and out. Feel kind of weird doing that with people interested in the car. I don't want to emphasis this slight design issue.

I hide my car in the parking lot at work just so people stop asking me for a test ride...

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