Drive Sustainable!

Drive Sustainable!
Our club members drive all kinds of EVs (Teslas, BMWs, Jaguars, Leafs, Bolts, Fords, Audis, electric bikes...)

Sunday, December 31, 2017

New logo chosen!

I'm callin' it - by a 50% margin, our new club logo is "3f". Thanks again to our club member, Chaz Clark, for giving us such a wide selection of logos to choose from. Thanks everyone for responding to our bulk email asking for your votes.

Happy New Year!

-Wilson Hitchings

New Members - Keith and Kristin Woestehoff

Hello and Happy New Year's Eve. My wife and I just bought a new Tesla model S 75 D. We also own a 2013 Lexus 450H. We live in Palmer Lake, Colorado and would like to join the local EV club. The Tesla is the most amazing car we have ever driven. We look forward to meeting other members and sharing our enthusiasm. 
When Kristin and I went to the Park Meadows Mall to test drive a Tesla, we met a couple in the parking lot by the Super Chargers. They were thinking about trading their model S for a model X. Since they were owners, naturally we had lots of questions and talked for a while. They live in Colorado Springs. I think his name was David but not sure. Since we were prospective buyers and live in El Paso county, he gave us a business card for the Colorado Springs EV Club. After test driving, my wife and I both said OMG, we have to have one and the rest is history. 

I have made visits to the CSEVC web site.  Lots of good information.
Keith and Kristin Woestehoff





Friday, December 29, 2017

Gigafactory in 2018?

I'm just throwing out an idea...me and the missus are not going to Custer, SD this year for the rally (we've been twice). We're planning a visit to both the Gigafactory in Nevada and the assembly plant in Fremont, CA. We have friends in the Bay area so we'll stay an extra day or so after the Fremont factory tour. If you're interested in caravaning to Sparks, NV and Fremont, CA in 2018 (doesn't have to be the same time as Custer), speak up. I already have one other Tesla owner expressing interest. I think we'd drive together to the Gigafactory, then the next day to the Fremont factory, then everyone find their own way home. Whatcha think?

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Another new member, Greg La Buhn

Please welcome our latest member, Greg La Buhn, from Colorado Springs. He has a 2017 Tesla Model S 100D, Blue, and we hope to see him at our next meeting. Welcome, Greg!


Tuesday, December 19, 2017

New Logo - please vote

If you haven't received an email with a PDF file showing our new logo candidates, please email me at Wilson DOT Hitchings AT csevc.com and I'll send you a copy. We need everyone's vote by Jan. 1, 2018. Once the votes are in, I'll publish our new logo!
-Wilson Hitchings

Friday, December 15, 2017

Cars & Coffee this weekend!

There is a Cars & Coffee this weekend, and the weather looks good at the show site. The details from our events page is below:

Cars & Coffee North - Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017. This show starts at 7:00am and runs until 10:00am, and its at 12009 Pecos Street, Westminster, CO 80234. All cars welcome. The map link is here.





Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Dealerships kill EV sales...

This is a video channel I follow from time to time, and the video has a several items about EVs. It has quite interesting topics, from Autopilot insurance rates to dealerships killing EV sales...give it a gander.

https://youtu.be/RQAXeYob0co

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Another new member, Joe Luciano

Our latest new member is Joe Luciano from Colorado Springs. He has a brand new 2017 Tesla Model S 75D (Red). Please make him welcome when you meet him!


Sunday, December 10, 2017

Please welcome Rob Singleton!

Our latest member from Denver is Rob Singleton. He travels from Denver to Colorado Springs a lot for the military, so we hope to see him when he's in the Springs. He has a 2017 Tesla Model S 75D. Please make him welcome!

Saturday, December 9, 2017

Poncha Springs progressing

I visited the Poncha Springs Supercharger site today, the wiring is in but the transformers need completion and no paving is done yet. Looking good!





Thursday, December 7, 2017

Model 3 delivery in Denver!

For those interested, I found a short video on YouTube of a Tesla Model 3 at the Littleton, CO Tesla Service center. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/9jefI94u-lI

Sunday, December 3, 2017

DEVC Christmas Party - Dec. 9, 1:00pm - 3:00pm

The December meeting will be at the Cinzzetti’s Italian Market Restaurant for our annual
DEVC Christmas Party. The event will be held on Saturday the 9th from 1:00 PM to 3:00
PM at 281 W 104th Avenue (I-25 & 104th) in Northglenn. This is an enormous buffet
during the last two hours of their Saturday Weekend Brunch and you can check out their
Menu at: http://www.cinzzettis.com/colorado/foodmenu/ Coffee, tea or soft drinks are
included (espresso or alcoholic beverages are extra).

It would be most helpful if you would arrive between 12:15 and 12:45 so we can get
everyone checked in beforehand. Members with annual dues current, get in for FREE. If
your dues are not current, or you are not yet a member and would like to join us, dues
will be collected at the door [Regular $20 or Sponsor $50 (either includes meal, and
membership)]. All guests of members will be $10 each. The DEVC also covers the
gratuity for the event.

So we can give Cinzzetti's a heads up on the number attending, please RSVP to me at:
jdmc44@comcast.net by the 7th of December and include the number of guests
attending with you. Thanks! We have extended a special invitation to all members of the
Drive Electric Northern Colorado EV Enthusiast, Denver Tesla Club, Tesla Women Drivers
Denver, and the Colorado Springs EV Club to join us. Make sure you attend, you’ll be
glad you did!

Friday, December 1, 2017

Our Newest - Jack Lundberg

Please say hello to our newest member, Jack Lundberg, when you see him. He drives a 2017 Tesla Model X. Let's hope he makes it to an event soon we we can meet him!


Friday, November 17, 2017

Tesla announces the Semi!

Tesla announced a Semi tractor that will likely kill diesel trucks. 500 mile range, faster than most sports cars, better aerodynamics than a Bugatti Chiron sports car.

See the announcement here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nONx_dgr55I

Tesla announces the Roadster 2.0!

In an unexpected move during the Tesla Semi announcement, Elon Musk announced the Roadster 2.0 with record-breaking performance and range. 0 - 60 mph in 1.9 seconds, 250+ miles per hour speed and over 600 miles range due to a 200 kW battery (makes me want a 100-amp home charger!).

See one of the many videos here:  https://youtu.be/Gd9JQAkcYak

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Get a headlight polishing kit!

Anyone who drives in Colorado knows about road rash and scratches. In my case, an unobservant (let's say uncaring) SUV driver decided to park waaaay too close to my Model S and left me a present when she got Junior out of the back seat of her land barge.

I have learned to remove many scratches and rock pits from paint using a headlight lens polishing kit and Meguiare's Scratch-X 2.0 polishing compound. Superficial scratches and clear coat problems can be removed with a cordless drill and some patience. Deeper scratches (see below) require touch-up paint before polishing. While the repair isn't perfect for deep pits, you'll never notice them unless you know where they are, which is good enough for me to avoid repainting a body panel or hood.

-Wilson H.


Monday, November 13, 2017

Poncha Springs Supercharger under construction

The latest Supercharger in Colorado is in Poncha Springs, CO (right outside of Salida, CO). This station will greatly ease range anxiety for those drivers using Hwy. 285 between Denver and the Four Corners area.





Saturday, November 11, 2017

New Park Meadows SC party (still not open yet)

Many DTC and CSEVC members attended the Park Meadows SC party this morning. The SC isn't operational yet, but will be by Thanksgiving. Thanks to the DTC for the free coffee and bagels, and to Tesla for opening their mall storefront early for us today.









Sunday, November 5, 2017

New member Anne Yust

Please welcome Anne Yust, our latest member, who is also a DEVC member. She's our first electric bicycle only owner, and has a 2016 blue/black Haibike Xduro FullSeven RC electric bicycle. Please make her welcome!

Friday, November 3, 2017

Park Meadows Supercharger gathering - UPDATE

The Denver Tesla Club has setup a get-together for the new supercharger at the Park Meadows Mall on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017 @ 8:50 am. Please check their (and our) Facebook page for updates/information.

The notice on the DTC's Facebook page includes the following:

To celebrate the opening of the new 10 stall Park Meadows Supercharger, we will meet up at the new Supercharger station at 8:50 am 'ish this Saturday, then make our way into the mall, where Tesla has graciously opened up their doors to the club from 9am-10am. There will be breakfast and coffee provided.

Here's the address of the store: 8405 Park Meadows Center Dr #1175. It is close to the Nordstrom side of the mall.

The new supercharger is located on the north side of the mall in the back of the parking lot. Photos below.

*Update: The new Supercharger will not be online before our meet up but we will still keep the time and place the same. I was told Tesla that the Supercharger will be turned online closer to Thanksgiving.

Hope to see you there!

Thursday, November 2, 2017

EV purchase incentive at risk

If you'd like to encourage your State Representative to keep the $7,500 tax incentive for EVs, you'll need to act quickly - https://org.salsalabs.com/o/2711/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=22515

Would you like to try out a new Leaf?

Club member Jeff Schmoyer sent me this email today:

Hi Wilson,

I took the new Leaf test drive yesterday and the driver wanted me to pass the invite along to everyone, including posting the link ( https://allnewleafdrive.com/ )to sign up onto the club blog, if you like.

She also said that if we wanted her to bring the car to one of our meetings, everyone could check it out and drive it. Let me know if you want to make that happen.

Thanks,
Jeff

Model 3 software and battery issues

In an article by Fortune Magazine ( http://fortune.com/2017/11/01/tesla-elon-musk-model-3-earnings/ ), Tesla is having a supplier issue related to its battery assembly robots that has caused Tesla to have to re-write all its factory build battery software from scratch, delaying production. Elon Musk is sleeping at the factory while the issues are being resolved. Note again: this is not a problem with the Panasonic batteries or supply, it's the assembly robot sub-contractor that dropped the ball, forcing Tesla to take over that portion of the build (and building Model 3 battery packs by hand).

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Many new Facebook members!

Our new Facebook page has welcomed many new members. Please be acquainted with:

Kay Talley,
Bob Sampson,
Sean McClutchey,
Karen Smith McAuliffe,
Dave Hawkins,
Oliver Danner,
Cebil Riley,
Thomas Jenne,
Scott Frisby,
Bob Andersen,
Mike Sickinger,
Sean Michael Mitchell


Thursday, October 26, 2017

Our latest members are from Colorado Springs!

Mike & Mary Ann Witter are our latest members and they live in Colorado Springs, CO. We just missed them at the last quarterly meeting, we would've loved to see their new Tesla Model S75. Please make them welcome, I hope they like our group!


Monday, October 23, 2017

Sonic Sensor issues on a Tesla with wrapped finish

We received this message from our member Dan Rosenblatt:

Yes, I have the homelink garage door issue.

I have another issue, confirmed by Tesla service and Steve at Colorado Detail.

One of the recent software updates had made the ultrasonic sensors more sensitive to wrap coverings (like the wrap I got from Steve).

My 4 front sensors don’t work most of the time – no dash indicator, and the car ran into garbage cans I had set up to test forward summons.

Called Steve, and he confirmed that he is getting lots of calls from folks with wraps that cover the sensors asking to have the wrap taken off the sensors.

I’m visiting him tomorrow for that … will keep you informed.

Does your Tesla have garage door opener issues?

According to the Tesla forums, there is a problem with the cars opening a garage door using HomeLink since the last software update. I am personally having this issue.

Behavior: the car fails to transmit the door opener command upon returning home.
Workaround: when you return home, boot the main screen by holding down both scroll fields on the steering wheel. Once rebooted, you should be able to open the garage door.

A future software update is anticipated to fix the problem.

-Wilson Hitchings

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Tesla owners - want fancy lights?

I'm an honorary member of the Irish EV Club on Facebook, and one of their members made me aware of a replacement puddle light for a Tesla Model S or X. They're available on Amazon (links below) and shipped directly from China. The replacement light shows the Tesla logo on the ground when the door is opened (see the photo below). The maker has puddle lights from many manufacturers so just look for your brand.

A couple of notes: I bought a Harbor Freight dash trim removal tool to get the light out. I think plastic/nylon removal tools are preferred to prevent scratching your leather/plastic around the light, but my son-in-law got the lights out using the metal Harbor Freight tool with no damage. I will happily share my tools with anyone that wants it, don't buy one for yourself unless you want to.

Also: the box of replacement lights included an extra accessory light that is MUCH brighter than the OEM lights I got from Tesla - it's one LED (Tesla) vs. four. After replacing my hatchback lid light with the new one I ordered a set of four to put in the trunk/frunk/glove box. Highly recommended!

-Wilson Hitchings

Here are the links:

Tesla brand puddle light:  http://a.co/76XPSa4

Four LED replacement light kit:  http://a.co/0FNqyUS

Nylon dash trim removal tool:  http://a.co/hiQIzgN


Saturday, October 21, 2017

New member Stephen Sunkel!

We met Stephen Sunkel at our quarterly meeting today, we hope we made him welcome.


Quarterly meeting a success!

We had new members and soon-to-be members at GOTG Trading Post today! Thanks to Christopher Coleman, our new member, for the photo.


Friday, October 20, 2017

New member Christopher Coleman!

Please welcome Christopher Coleman from Colorado Springs, CO. Hopefully we'll see him at our next club meeting!


Tuesday, October 17, 2017

New Members, Lynn and Jane Higgins

Lynn and Jane Higgins of Higgins Realty are our latest new members from Highlands Ranch, CO. Make them welcome when you see their Tesla Model X or Chevy Volt!



Sunday, October 15, 2017

Club Meeting, Saturday Oct. 21, 11:30am

 LET’S HAVE A MEETING!!
It is about time to plan a fall general membership meeting.  A check of the old event calendar shows that a good date for a meet-up is Saturday, October 21.  How about 11:30am, eat at NOON???  Let’s DO it!  Where?  How about one of our favorite places, the Garden of the Gods Trading Post in Colorado Springs?  Put it on your calendar NOW!  I will remind you about a week prior.  Come on out and see all the EVs and talk EVs with us!  Have lunch!  Tons of fun for everyone!  

See you on Saturday!

Thursday, October 12, 2017

New Park Meadows SC starting construction

Thanks to Dan Rosenblatt for notifying me about the new Tesla Supercharger location at Park Meadows Mall.


Wednesday, October 11, 2017

SUV = EV = Green4U

Although a small market, the off-road or SUV vehicle may be going electric. The Bollinger EV was announced earlier this year (although it has no builder, it's just a prototype) and now Panoz has announced two SUVs through its Green4U company.

See the announcement here.

In case you've never heard of Panoz Automotive, I have one.


-Wilson H.

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Newest member Josh Peterson is from Cripple Creek, CO!

Our latest member Josh Peterson doesn't have an EV but lives on solar energy in Cripple Creek, CO. Let's make him welcome and let's hope he can help us learn about solar living!

Sunday, October 8, 2017

New members Romano and Mercy Abuaba!

Our latest new members are Romano and Mercy Abuaba from Aurora, CO. They own a Silver Tesla Model X, please make them welcome!


Tuesday, October 3, 2017

We're on Facebook!

To help spread the word about our club and members, we now have an open group on Facebook titled "Colorado Springs EV Club". Please look for it and join. We will still concentrate our communication using email and this blog, but Facebook is so popular that we have decided to make a presence there.

Saturday, September 30, 2017

Leaf Peeping Tour a success!

Thirteen Teslas and a BMW i3 made it to the trip today (Saturday). We started at the Park Meadows Mall and drove Highway 285, through Deckers, CO and then lunch in Colorado Springs.




Monday, September 25, 2017

2017 Solar Conference update

The Solar Cookers/Electric Vehicle Display event will be help October 10 and 11, Tuesday and Wednesday of the week, from 11am-3pm each day. 
We are looking for volunteers to display their EV and possible speak about them/answer questions for attendees. 
You can bring your vehicle for both days or just one, we have approved parking in the area of the event from 9am-5pm each day, but we are asking if the car owner is able to bring a tarp to place underneath their vehicle while it is on the CU Denver campus. 
The car will be exhibited in a round-about area on CU Denver campus, please see attached photo for exactly where. 
We ask that you stay with your car to be there to answer questions and allow some attendees to view the inside of the vehicle if it is comfortable with the owner. 
The vehicle must also be taken home over night if you decide to participate both days.


Carly Cipolla
Membership Manager
American Solar Energy Society
2525 Arapahoe Ave, Ste E4-253
Boulder, CO 80302 
E-mail: ccipolla@ases.org 

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Two new members!

We have two new memberships to the CSEVC in the past week! They are:

Al and Janet Winger of Colorado Springs, CO; they have a 2015 BMW i3 Rex, white. We have lots of BMW members, please make them welcome!



Dale Cecil, also of Colorado Springs, CO; he has a 2017 Tesla Model X 100D and a 2015 Nissan Leaf SV, quite the collection. Make him welcome!

Friday, September 15, 2017

2017 Solar Energy Conference


Hello!

The American Solar Energy is hosting our annual SOLAR 2017 Conference in Denver October 9-12, 2017, in the midst of our conference we are hosting a Solar Cookers event and would love to have some Electric Vehicles around to showcase too! Would you have anyone interested in sharing their EV for a day or two during the Solar Cookers event October 10-11, 2017? 

Please let me know if you might have any leads, I will also contact our local Tesla Club in Denver.

Thank you!

Carly Cipolla
Membership Manager
American Solar Energy Society
2525 Arapahoe Ave, Ste E4-253
Boulder, CO 80302 
E-mail: ccipolla@ases.org 

Leaf Peeper Tour - Sept. 30, 2017

Happy Fall, everyone!  

Our next Denver Tesla Club event will be the Second Annual Fall Leaf Peeper Tour.  We will hold it on Saturday, Sept. 30.  As we did last year, we will be meeting at the Park Meadows Mall Supercharger at 9:00 am.  The weather looks nice, but be prepared and bring a jacket.  We will go rain, shine, or blizzard.  

The plan, like last year, will be to meander through the foothills via Deer Creek Road south to Colorado Springs, ending at the Colorado Springs Supercharger and grabbing some lunch there.  We will stop along the way to enjoy the changing scenery.

Please let me know if you will be joining us this year.  We look forward to seeing you.

Chris

Sunday, September 10, 2017

New Member, Aaron Schlechter

Our latest member, Aaron Schlechter, comes from Connecticut. He has a 2016 Tesla Model X 90 D, black, and lives in Westminster, CO. Make him welcome when you see him!


Tuesday, September 5, 2017

The What-If Event needs two Teslas

Ace Entertainment called and the What If event needs two Teslas for this Saturday, September 9, in downtown Colorado Springs, CO. If you're interested, please let me know with a phone call.
-Wilson Hitchings




Lithium batteries last longer than expected

Lithium Ion batteries are lasting longer than expected...https://electrek.co/2016/11/01/tesla-battery-degradation/

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Monday, August 28, 2017

We had a visitor! Check out this email...

Hello,

My name is Whitney Roberts, I am from Kingston, New York, just about an hour and a half north of NYC. I wanted to thank you for the help with a back to school project I've been working on with my son Evan, about the history and future of cars and trucks. We really enjoyed your page, http://www.csevc.com/p/organizations-links.html , it was helpful and fun while we have been doing research. He's been putting together a power point presentation, the students were asked to come up with a hobby or something they enjoyed over the summer and make it an educational topic for them to present to the class in a few weeks! I thought this was a cool way to get back into a studying mindset while still having fun!

Hybrid and electric vehicles, their progress over the last 15-20 years, and their role in the future, is an important issue and Evan is focusing on that aspect of the automobile world quite a bit for the project. He is really into Teslas, but my husbands friend who has a Chevy Volt took him for a ride in that, and he loved it! Personally, I'd really like to look into getting a Model 3 when the demand for them dies down a bit. Last night we were doing some research on hybrids and electrics, and he found this article, https://www.titleproloans.com/resources/green-cars-and-the-environment/ about different electric cars and their ranges. I thought it was cool and helpful, and was hoping you could add it to your resources? I would really love to show Evan he could contribute some cool Hybrid stuff to your page! 

Thanks again for the help with our back to school projects! I can't believe next weekend is Labor Day, where did the summer go? I hope you enjoy the article, and if you'd like, I'd love to share how his presentation goes and the final product when we get it done? Hope to speak soon, and have a wonderful day!

Best Wishes,

Whitney Roberts

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Third Annual Pikes Peak Climb

We had 16 cars climb Pikes Peak today - Teslas, Volts, i3s, Leafs, Sparks and Bolts. And a good time was had by all. Dan Rosenblatt's stats netted out to 2 battery miles consumed for the 38 miles round trip (64 consumed going up, 24 gained going back down). My numbers were almost the same, I consumed 1 mile of battery range for the trip.
-Wilson Hitchings