EV Talk overheard at the dinner table

[JPWhite]

I went to a professional meeting this evening and the subject turned to EV's. I kept my LEAF ownership to myself to see how the discussion would develop. Here's how it went.

"Didn't they just close the plant for those electric vehicles ?"

"Yeah that's right the Chevy LEAF"

"That's it, those things will never fly, 20,000 of them have caught fire already."

I decided not to burst their bubble, I'm not sure there is much you can do when folks are so far off the mark.

These are the people the car companies have to market EV's to. Yep we are still firmly entrenched in Early Adopter Phase.

 

[TonyWilliams]

That's some funny stuff right there. Reminds me of the guy a few days, who I never met before, who spent a fair amount of time telling me how my LEAF burned oil.

 

[EdmondLeaf]

Still very early and it will take time for people to get familiar with EV, lot of work for us. But is not only ev, I know person that damaged engine because didn't know it is necessary to change oil.

 

[JPWhite]

I know person that damaged engine because didn't know it is necessary to change oil.

I remember a neighbor who decided to change the oil in his car himself. He called when he couldn't get it to start. It turned out he kept filling it until the oil level was just below the filler cap. Good job it didn't start.

 

[Volt3939]

I know person that damaged engine because didn't know it is necessary to change oil.

I remember a neighbor who decided to change the oil in his car himself. He called when he couldn't get it to start. It turned out he kept filling it until the oil level was just below the filler cap. Good job it didn't start.

That's almost as good as the time I saw a guy fill the crankcase of his rental beetle with gasoline. Hadda been 1975 or so, he was able to put about 78 cents worth in, say two gallons. I told him to NOT try starting it and to call the rental agency right away...

 

[Roadburner440]

Yeah. There are days like that where I just want to give up trying to tell people the benefits of EV's. Especially when they try telling me how much more they know about my car than I do. Even when I am the one who bought it, and drive it everyday. Most people do not even know how the ICE cars they drive everyday work, or the TRUE maintenance that is required to keep them in tip top shape. Just have to keep trying to get through. Going to take the media backing off quite a bit without stating the facts. I have written a few media outlets about the Volt, but never gotten any responses back.

 

[JPWhite]

Especially when they try telling me how much more they know about my car than I do.

Ain't that the truth !?!

It never fails to amaze me when folks do this. I can only reconcile this behavior in my mind in that they are trying to convince themselves that their decision to not buy EV's is fully justified.

JP

 

[EdmondLeaf]

Yeah. There are days like that where I just want to give up trying to tell people the benefits of EV's.

One thing that work very well for me is "I can drive 50 miles on $1 instead $10 using my van"

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

One thing that work very well for me is "I can drive 50 miles on $1 instead $10 using my van"

Tell me about it. Fifty eight bucks to fill up the loser cruiser this morning, even at costco prices.

Speaking of which, a funny thing happened on the way to the paradigm shift: Setting aside the question of fuel price, my wife has concluded that plugging in is far more convenient than stopping to fill up. After accepting fuel stops as part of the routine for so long, it isn't until you experience it that the convenience factor sinks in.

 

[adric22]

I decided not to burst their bubble, I'm not sure there is much you can do when folks are so far off the mark.

These are the people the car companies have to market EV's to. Yep we are still firmly entrenched in Early Adopter Phase.

Sorry, I wouldn't have been able to hold my tongue. I would have to set them straight. Then offer then a drive in my Leaf.

 

[CWO4Mann]

Ha! I got a huge laugh from these annecdotes. So true, so true .... one time I had a second lieutenant tell me that the driver of "her jeep" refused to put diesel fuel in it and told me that he kept saying it was "mogas" and she kept telling him "how can it use mogas when it hasn't got any in it yet?" ("MOGAS" is the military acronym for motor vehicle gasoline). She came to me because I was a chief warrant officer and was supposed to "know things like that". She later became a bird colonel and turned out OK, I think.

Another time I had a temporary crew chief tell me that the safety wires on some exhaust manifold bolts were "wound up backwards". (safety wire goes on aircraft nuts, actually, and are wound clockwise). I told him it was OK 'cause they were left-hand threads. I think he later became the first sergeant's clerk.

Another time, we had a a tread head colonel (Armor Officer) along for a ride up the Fulda Gap (main route of approach for Soviet heavy tanks assuming World War III) in the right hand seat and he asked what does this green toggle do? I told him it was the ejection seat and "Please not to f*** with it, Sir". (nota bene: Helicopters do not have ejection seats for obvious reasons and the green toggle was the auto-throttle kill switch). He later became a 4-star general commanding the 8th US Army in Korea.

Another time, when I was learning to fly, I asked my flight instructor, Al Crane, what happens when you drop a coke bottle out of the window (this was in a Cessna 140 and I was 15 years old, so what did I know anyway except how to pop zits in history class) at the same time that I started to open the side panel and drop one out .. he said "you'll be following it, kid!". Found out later that the bottle will sail back almost horizontally and hit the tail, usually disabling the elevator or rudder after which you crash and are dead.

Ah, I could go on, but the memories of all the times that I screwed something up and I'm cringing so much I can't hold my head up to type!


Dave

 

[thankyouOB]

can you give us a few more details such as industry, profession, whereabouts, sex and age of the smart folks?
(oh, and about the above by CWO which cross-posted in the intertubes, bravo storytelling. Bully.)

 

[Drivesolo]

It's been my experience that those people who are interest in EVs tend to keep it to themselves, in private discussions and are open to changing their mindset. Those who oppose EVs (for whatever reason) are very vocal about it and want the world to know and to think the same way that they do. I don't think that there are necessarily a lot of haters out there, I think that the ones out there just make a whole LOT of noise that it drowns out the facts about EVs, independent thought or even common sense.

 

[Stoaty]

Living in Southern California, I haven't ever met anyone who "hates" EV. All of the 50 or so people I work with think it is cool, and are envious of my low fuel cost. I don't talk about it much, but have given a few rides and had some questions come up spontaneously. A few weeks ago a man in an orange safety vest yelled to me as I was walking away from my Leaf after parking on the street near my work. I thought perhaps he was upset about where I parked on the street. Turned out he had been trying to catch me leaving my Leaf for two months. He had a bunch of questions about the Leaf and appeared to be seriously considering purchasing one.

 

[EdmondLeaf]

Living in Southern California, I haven't ever met anyone who "hates" EV. All of the 50 or so people I work with think it is cool, and are envious of my low fuel cost. I don't talk about it much, but have given a few rides and had some questions come up spontaneously. A few weeks ago a man in an orange safety vest yelled to me as I was walking away from my Leaf after parking on the street near my work. I thought perhaps he was upset about where I parked on the street. Turned out he had been trying to catch me leaving my Leaf for two months. He had a bunch of questions about the Leaf and appeared to be seriously considering purchasing one.

Same here so maybe after all people in OK not that much different than people in Southern California

 

[malloryk]

reminds me of my best friend who had a diesel Jetta. She would be filling up and men would come running over all the time "no! don't! you're putting the wrong gas in!" :lol:

 

[JPWhite]

Sorry, I wouldn't have been able to hold my tongue. I would have to set them straight. Then offer then a drive in my Leaf.

Whenever in these situations I am reminded of the following sayings.

Don’t argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

"Don't argue with an idiot; people watching may not be able to tell the difference."

 

[RedLeader]

Heh... interesting. I observed a similar conversation over lunch as the O.P. But the main difference was that the people that were bad mouthing EVs were my friends and what they were saying were being directed towards me. Not a lot of haters? I guess so, unforunately I happen to be associate w/ a few of them.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

“Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig.” -Robert Heinlein

 

[klapauzius]

reminds me of my best friend who had a diesel Jetta. She would be filling up and men would come running over all the time "no! don't! you're putting the wrong gas in!" :lol:

Which you cant anyway because the size of the diesel nozzle is too large to fit into a regular gasoline tank..... :lol: