تسلا بربز را تصاحب می کند

A friend recently got her new red Tesla Model 3 and was so enthusiastic that it reignited my passion for the car. I thought it would be a great idea to get a group of red Teslas together for a photo opportunity, so I approached the local tavern. With their agreement, I posted the event on Facebook and got a massive response from the local community.

Yes, there were a couple of trolls selling the usual FUD of exploding batteries, virtue signaling, and a few personal insults, but the majority of the responses were keen interest and curiosity. On the day, we were able to gather 5 red Teslas — two local, two from the Bay (about 30 km away), and one from the Sunshine Coast (80 km away). We had a great chat and good coffee.

Image courtesy of Majella and David Waterworth

What of the response of locals? The owner of the tavern came out to talk to us and had a sit in my Tesla. The manger went for a drive around the carpark, and Paul took the barman for a longer drive out to the highway. Two local families popped in for a chat, and their children had a sit in the car. One booked a drive for that afternoon, which she really enjoyed. I did the driving, she did the ooh-ing and the ah-ing (as did grandad in the back seat).

The FedEx delivery driver stopped to look and tell me his story. He has a red Model 3 Performance on order. He is getting rid of his Mercedes to buy a far more powerful car at a quarter of the price. I am looking forward to doing his story when he takes delivery.

The Tavern is now actively seeking quotes to put in a bank of destination chargers (initiated after we ran an EV Day event there back in October). Several people from the Tesla Model 3 & Y Queensland page are asking when the next one will be. I am suggesting that they organize one in their local area and I will support it. The locals have a lot more to talk about.

I think it is past time for expecting others (the government, big business, etc.) to do something about publicizing clean transport and installing backup infrastructure. Time to do something ourselves. If local groups can get a bunch of cars together and flash mob a venue, it will make business owners realize they can value add and attract more customers by installing chargers. 

Organize a coffee morning today! 

Image courtesy of Majella and David Waterworth