Helping my parents get a Tesla

y_p_w

y_p_w

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My parents aren't exactly tech savvy but they really want to get an EV and got a deal on a Tesla Model 3. I went with my dad to a Tesla Store to just look at one and he was offered one in stock with a $2700 discount (probably one that someone didn't take delivery on). It was a good enough deal that he put down a $250 hold on it immediately.

Of course my dad has this habit of getting frustrated when things don't work, so I'm not sure about an EV. I mean - he yells at me if I try to turn on the radio when driving and he gets upset when I tell him not to use the accelerator to do a hill hold. I'm not sure if he could get used to the way the regenerative braking works. I found it pretty easy but he's been driving for so long and used to driving his own way.

It's going to be a pain trying to explain to them how to charge, but basically my dad is going to keep on asking me questions. I know they have the charging state available on the Tesla app and if he's out using it I'm not sure how well he's going to be able to get there before there's an idle charge after five minutes. He's thinking of just getting a 220V outlet in the garage (the circuit breaker is there) and using either a Tesla or 3rd party charging unit with the adapter.

This seems almost like the Kevin Bacon commercials for Hyundai EVs, but my parents are even older. The whole unlearning what they've learned might be hard.
 
Passport1 said:
Imagine when he has to wait to charge at a Tesla station with a bunch of entitled millennials. He's gonna ream you a new orifice. It's Father's Day sunday. Take him out to brunch. He's not a Luddite, just from another generation (like me).
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That part he understands - that Tesla charging stations are popular. But there's so much about technology where he gets frustrated and just gives up. I was trying (with the Tesla employee) trying to explain the "idle surcharge" for using a Tesla charging station once it's full. He's more of the "don't bore me with the details" kind of person unless it's absolutely necessary, and then he wants someone else to deal with it.

The other thing my father hates about modern electronics is all the options. He used to ask me to help him with his printer once the drop down option changed back to the default. It's just really simple things that frustrate him. I end up ordering stuff for my parents from Amazon just because he doesn't like looking through all the little options for shipping. He can search for stuff just fine (and even send me a text message with what he wants to buy), but once it gets down to drop down menus and shipping options he just doesn't want to deal with it.

He uses an iPad Pro and an iPhone regularly, but he like things set up a certain way so that he doesn't have to deal with change. We had a lot of frustration with logging into his Tesla account (needed for delivery) at the Tesla Store because it was set up with his email address, but he couldn't even remember his password. He only accesses his email through his iPad where he doesn't need anything more than the passcode or fingerprint to access it since the password was entered a long time ago. We ended up doing that at my parents' home. I think I helped him reset the password, but I wrote it down for him and didn't remember it myself.

I grew up around all sorts of technology. I can't imagine that in 20 years I'm not going to be baffled by new technology. And (if I'm not available) one of the people he asks for help is a friend about his own age who worked as a software engineer and who can adapt to new technology. So I don't think it's about age, but more about my dad.

I think he'll eventually understand, but with him it's going to be a pretty steep learning curve. I'm sure he's going to ask me to come with him on his first few drives. I'm probably going to need to help him set up charging provider accounts too.
 
Even my next door neighbor; a retired school teacher in an exclusive Palo Alto school does not like our Model 3. She's on her 3rd EV lease and 2nd Bolt, which she loves. The tech in our car was not to her liking. They are an Apple family, which takes so little to operate.

Now the younger people in my life take to the touchscreen like nothing. The car takes getting used to, easy for some and not for others.
That's my experience. What people do not understand is, the actual use of the touchscreen is minimal during driving. I almost never use it as I prefer voice controls. Good luck.
 
RooflessVW said:
So...

Why a Tesla?
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Not really sure. I think part of it would be how public their charging network is, and then there's a considerably larger tax credit for a Model 3 than for other cars. And it may be the last car that my parents ever buy and they just want something cool.

I'm just hoping there's a way for them to operate it without having to go through all the bells and whistles. But at the very least they're going to need to figure out how to use the app to monitor the charging so they don't pay idle fees. The other thing about my dad is that he hates having to read through directions.

If it were just about driving, I think they could manage. It would be dealing with the charging that would probably be frustrating to them. But I could be pleasantly surprised.

For the most part they don't really travel more than 5-10 miles from home most of the time. I'll probably help them set up the charging to limit it to maybe 90%. But again - they're going to need my help to figure it out.
 
Why would they even need to use public charging unless on a road trip? Charge at home, leave with a full “tank” every day.

I think he’ll get it just fine after a bit of use. You can adjust the level of regen braking if he doesn’t like that feature. I don’t use the touch screen when driving, maybe to adjust the temp but that’s rare. I leave it on auto and 70 and it is fine. Does he know there’s no AM radio?
 
If they can charge at home there is no need to use a Supercharger unless you are on the road. 200 miles round trip is easy on the cheapest Model 3; just charge to 100% at home and take off. Also, the hardest part of using a Supercharger is backing into the stall, if necessary. All you gotta do is plug in the nozzle. 10 minutes later you have plenty of juice.

If the Tesla tech is a little much for them, maybe a Mustang Mach-E, Polestar or Bolt will be a better fit as they operate like traditional cars. Of course those cars cannot use the Tesla Supercharger Network.

If your folks are laptop proficient, the Tesla should be OK. But ya never know...
 
y_p_w said:
My parents aren't exactly tech savvy but they really want to get an EV and got a deal on a Tesla Model 3. I went with my dad to a Tesla Store to just look at one and he was offered one in stock with a $2700 discount (probably one that someone didn't take delivery on). It was a good enough deal that he put down a $250 hold on it immediately.

Of course my dad has this habit of getting frustrated when things don't work, so I'm not sure about an EV. I mean - he yells at me if I try to turn on the radio when driving and he gets upset when I tell him not to use the accelerator to do a hill hold. I'm not sure if he could get used to the way the regenerative braking works. I found it pretty easy but he's been driving for so long and used to driving his own way.

It's going to be a pain trying to explain to them how to charge, but basically my dad is going to keep on asking me questions. I know they have the charging state available on the Tesla app and if he's out using it I'm not sure how well he's going to be able to get there before there's an idle charge after five minutes. He's thinking of just getting a 220V outlet in the garage (the circuit breaker is there) and using either a Tesla or 3rd party charging unit with the adapter.

This seems almost like the Kevin Bacon commercials for Hyundai EVs, but my parents are even older. The whole unlearning what they've learned might be hard.
Click to expand...
If your dad really isn't tech savvy or hates change maybe a different manufacturer is in order. I'm technically inclined but think it's a little ridiculous that you need a center screen to open a glove box. Talk him out of a Tesla if you can.
 
He will have a learning curve or you'll have to help him get set up. But after that it might work out better than you'd expect. The advantage of a Tesla is when you get it set up it just works. And when you get a Tesla Account, charging at a Supercharger couldn't be easier. You plug it in and it charges.

But if he's not driving long distances he can just charge it at home. And that's simple too. I almost never charge anywhere other than at home.

As for the comments about having long waits to charge, on my long trip last summer (over 4,000 km) I didn't have to wait to charge even once. I have to wait to fuel up (meaning to buy gas) occasionally so it wouldn't be a total surprise if it happened at a Tesla Supercharger from time to time too.
 
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